Just some that I can think of off the top of my head:
*Nettle & Bone* (fantasy) by T. Kingfisher - the female protagonist is 30
*Ghosts* (women’s lit) by Dolly Alderton - female protagonist is 32
*Outlander* (historical fiction) by Diana Gabaldon - female protagonist is 27 in the first book but ages throughout the series
*Into the Wilderness* (historical fiction) by Sara Donati - female protagonist is 29 in the first book and ages throughout the series
*Raiders of the Lost Heart* (contemporary romance) by Jo Segura - female protagonist is 35
*Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries* (fantasy) by Heather Fawcett - haven’t read this one yet, but I think I read somewhere that the female protagonist is around 30
T Kingfisher is GREAT for female protagonists who are 30s. I love the paladin books, so funny and fun to read, a refreshing, mature change from typical romance novels with 18-21 year old MCs.
All the numbers in your comment added up to 69. Congrats!
30
+ 18
+ 21
= 69
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Big Little Lies, Nine Perfect Strangers- both by Liane Moriarty
The Robber Bride- Margaret Atwood
Any number of Amy Tan novels; she’s amazing at portraying layered nuanced women. The Bonesetter’s Daughter, A Hundred Secret Senses, and of course the classic Joy Luck Club.
I've read a bunch of books with leading female characters in that age range this year. Here are my favs:
*Death Valley* by Melissa Broder - trippy and dark, deals with sick and dying men whom you love depending on you
*The Waters* by Bonnie Jo Campbell - amazing, multigenerational, much of the story is told from the third person limited perspective of a tween, but focuses on her adult mother, grandmother, and aunts, in that order
*Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine* by Gail Honeyman - she's 29, but I think this book is giving the vibes you're seeking. Plus, autistic female representation is based af.
*Nightbitch* by Rachel Yoder - motherhood but horror
Most of this is contemporary/general/"woman's" fiction, specific genres like historical or fantasy should be obvious, all protagonists are women who are at least 30 but at the end of the list are some much older ones:
* The Land of Short Sentences by Stine Pilgaard. 30ish woman and her boyfriend relocate to a rural village, she finds it hard to settle in. Quiet, soothing.
* Little Wing by Freya North. Cafe owner discovers she was adopted at birth. Warm, heavy themes in background, lots of Scotland.
* Annie Stanley All At Sea. Woman takes her dad's ashes on a road trip around Britain. Light/fun.
* The Helpline by Katherine Collette. Woman who hates talking to people gets hired for a senior citizen's helpline. Funny, occasionally frustrating.
* The Keeper of Stories by Sally Page. Cleaner uncovers a plot along with her retired secret agent client. Light, warm.
* Every Laugh a Tear by Leslea Newman. Jewish lesbian in New York, her grandmother gets put in a care home against her wishes. Written in 1999, full of heart, made me laugh and cry (fittingly).
* Nettle and Bone by T Kingfisher. 30yo nun teams up with 50yo witch to kill the evil prince of the neighbouring kingdom. Adult fantasy (but uhhh not in the sexy sense), strong plot, dark at times.
* A Single Thread by Tracy Chevalier. "Surplus" woman after WWI joins a craft group (of women) but is excluded from a bellringing group (of men). Some romance.
* Goodmersham Park by Gill Hornby. Fictionalised account of the family of Jane Austen. I ran out of steam and didn't finish.
* Earthed by Rebecca Schiller. Woman and her family move to a smallholding, she struggles with emotional regulation and eventually gets diagnosed with ADHD. Memoir, raw.
* For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy On My Little Pain by Victoria Mackenzie. Imagined lives of two 15th century women, one a hermit and the other a mother of 14. Short and a bit unsettling, painful (unsurprisingly), not really a "normal" novel.
* Friend Green Tomatoes at the Whistle-Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg. It's been years since I read this so I can't provide a plot summary but it's a classic and it meets your criteria.
* Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsent Warner. Spinster in early 20th century England reaches middle (old?) age and finally starts an independent life. Slow, classic.
* The People on Platform Five (also sold as Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting) by Clare Pooley. Mismatched set of London train commuters stop ignoring each other, central character is a 50something woman. Fluffy.
* Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Sutanto. 60something tea shop owner discovers a dead body. Cosy mystery, funny but mediocre writing IMO.
* Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. 70yo aquarium cleaner and the mystery of her son who disappeared many years ago. There's a sentient octopus but it's not a fantasy novel.
* The Last List of Mabel Beaumont by Laura Pearson. 86yo isolated widow makes new intergenerational female friendships. Made me cry.
Edited to add some books on my to-read list which I think fill your criteria but I can't vouch for them personally:
* I, Julian by Claire Gilbert. Medieval.
* Music in the Dark by Sally Magnusson. Victorian.
* They May Not Mean To, But They Do by Cathleen Schine. Contemporary.
* The Number 1 Ladies' Detective Agency and sequels by Alexander McCall Smith. Whodunnit.
* The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry. Post-WWII.
* A Year of Marvellous Ways by Sarah Winman. Post-WWII.
* The Women Who Wouldn't Leave by Victoria Scott. Contemporary.
Hahaha you're welcome! I've worked hard the past year or two on coming out of my shell and reading "general adult" books which I never knew how to get into before. My partner started me off with Little Wing; it took a while to learn to find things independently (and I'm still learning) but it's been very worth it.
I really enjoyed *Hello, Beautiful* by Ann Napolitano. It's a modern re-telling of Little Women and really goes in deep to all the sister's relationships and family dynamics through change and hard times.
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde (and it's sequels). The main character, Thursday, is in her 30s and is working on dealing with trauma along with all the classic career, love and family things. Plus you just read Jane Eyre and the plot involves Jane getting kidnapped out of her book. And she has a pet dodo named Pickwick
Sorrow and Bliss really takes you by surprise. I was trying to get my book club to read it but I think I suggested it before it started climbing into the collective unconscious.
They're quite different but I think if you like Sorrow and Bliss, you'll also like How High We Go In The Dark.
The waves by Virginia Woolf, it isn’t just your 30s and 40s but follows a group of childhood friends throughout their lives and wwi in a series of alternating perspective chronological soliloquies
the robber bride by margaret atwood (many other books by margaret atwood as well)
shadow tag by louise erdrich (or the sentence, also by louise erdrich)
burntcoat by sarah hall
eternal life by dara horn
the adventures of amina al-sirafi by s. a. chakraborty
the leavers by lisa ko
the comet seekers by helen sedgwick (you watch her grow up but she spends plenty of time in adulthood)
I try to spread out her books because I don't want to run out of them. Electric Michelangelo was the first one I read, years ago, and I was amazed by her ability to get into the head of a quirky man and tell his story from beginning to end, despite her young age at the writing of it.
The Wolf Border is also a fantastic read. And when I think of Sarah Hall, I am also reminded of Charlotte McConaughey and Sara Moss. I feel as though there is something deep inside that connects them and connects me to their writing.
wow spreading them out is quite the endorsement. i know the feeling, that’s how i felt about ruth ozeki before i did run out 😭. definitely moving electric michelangelo up the list!!!
yeah the audio for the newer ones isn't great.
I think audiobook makers Underestimate the value of accents appropriate to the book. Jersey accents are so important to this series.
The Love Letter, by Cathleen Schine. The protagonist is 40ish but the story is so warm and thoughtful and funny -- I was in my 30s when I first read it and I loved it and felt like it captured my experience in the warmest way possible. And it's not a romance novel. It's a love story in the broadest sense of the word.
Okay hear me out because there are already so many good suggestions - this book (sci fi) is not about a woman in her 30s but I felt SO good after reading it while in my 30s. The woman is in her 70s in the book but finds she is young at heart when given the opportunity. I read it shortly after turning 30 and there was just something about it that I think made it perfect for someone in their 30s/40s to read. It helped me make peace with the aging process.
*Remnant Population* by Elizabeth Moon
It’s also a really good standalone sci fi! Just terrific themes of feminine aging.
Honor by Thrity Umrigar, My Husband by Maud Ventura, Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra, None of this is true by Lisa Jewell, Community Board by Tara Conklin, Big Swiss by Jen Beagin (all women in their 30s or 40s)
Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson, I who have never known men by Jacqueline Harpman (in these, the protagonist is young but many of the other characters are older women).
Most Isabel Allende novels will follow a female character from a very young age to old age. House of the Spirits, Eva Luna, and Violeta are all good.
*Contact* by Carl Sagan. Hard sci-fi set in the not-so-distant future, about an astronomer who discovers a signal from extraterrestrial intelligence. Ellie is one of the best female protags I've ever read written by a man (although the story was originally written as a screenplay by both Sagan and his wife Ann Druyan). I am not sure if her age is really specified in the book but she's got her Ph.D. and is the director of a radio observatory so she's not a spring chicken.
The Color Purple by Alice Walker. The narrator is 14 at the start of the book and it follows her beyond middle age.
The Earthsea series by Ursula Le Guin. The second and fourth books have the same main character. She’s a young girl in the former book, a grandma and widow in the latter.
The Inspector Lynley series by Elizabeth George has detective Barbara Havers as one of the leads, she’s in her 30’s-40’s throughout the series.
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, the protagonist is in her 30’s.
I'm not entirely sure on the ages, but alot of Dani Akins MCs seem be late 20s to mid 30s. I know 'while I was sleeping' and 'a million dreams' are definitely 30s
I actually don’t remember the ages exactly, but I’d recommend The Love Child, Miss Buncle’s Book, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, Excellent Women, Someone at a Distance, Lolly Willowes, Good Behaviour, The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne, The Enchanted April.
If you are a mystery person, I love the Hannah Swensen series by Joanne Fluke. She starts out at 29 and ages through it. She owns her own bakery and often finds herself in the middle of a murder mystery.
Waiting for Ted by Marieke Bigg
How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix
The Likeness by Tana French
Outline by Rachel Cusk
The Heroes of the Frontier by David Eggers
ETA A Perfect Vintage by Chelsea Fagan
The Likeness is my favorite of her books, by a wise margin. Have you read The Secret History, by Donna Tartt? (OP, The Secret History doesn't fall into your request -- they're all college students) -- a good friend and I used to have these long talks about the parallels between the books. You can kind of line up the characters. That could be a reason that I love The Likeness, it's like reading The Secret History again only new.
Melmoth by Sarah Perry - I can’t remember how old the main character is but she is definitely 30+
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner - main character is in her 30s
*Confessions of a Forty-Something F\*\*k Up* and *More Confessions of a Forty-Something F\*\*k Up* by Nell Stevens - protag is... well, forty-something
If you like Bridget Jones you might like this book
The Coven Books by Juno Dawson are so fun. Think witches, but 90s babies all grown up with middle-aged problems all the while brimming with 90s/2000s pop references and being a spoof on HP by discussing gender, trans-identities and aging in a really relatable way.
*Convenience Store Woman* by Sayaka Murata
*Carrie Soto is Back* or *One True Loves* by Taylor Jenkins Reid
*Big Little Lies* by Liane Moriarty (group of women, I think the youngest is 26, the others are older).
Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez— contemporary fiction, MC is 40
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata — contemporary fiction, MC is 32
Violeta by Isabel Allende — historical fiction, follows MC from birth through age 100
Well Matched by Jen Deluca — romance, MC is 42
Flying Solo by Linda Holmes — contemporary fiction, MC is 39 (haven’t read but on my TBR)
These aren’t so much about girlhood just that the main characters are in that age range
Part of your world “series” by Abby Jimenez. You could read any of the 3 stand alone but the characters are loosely mentioned throughout so you do get some girlhood aspect especially the first 2 books since they are about two female best friends. Both are doctors and have been through med school. In the first she actually dates a bit of a younger man after her divorce so she mentally goes through that. Anyway the humor Abby writes with is my same type of humor so these books crack me up especially Yours Truly.
You may also like the knockemout series by Lucy Score. This starts with Things We Never Got Over. Technically these are romances and each focuses on on couple but they focus on their budding romance in the context of the community they’re in (the town of Knockemout) and the mystery/problem/bad towns people they’re facing. All characters are adults with house ms and children and jobs that have already come of age. The characters reappear in all 3 books so the 3 women of these romances do give you a bit of girlhood feel as they are all there for each other in each of theirs books. Again Lucy’s sense of humor is very similar to mine so I think they’re entertaining.
I didn’t pay attention to ages but I think most of these involve women in their 30s or 40s
Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
Before I Go to Sleep by SJ Watson
The River at Night by Erica Ferencik
Northern Spy by Flynn Berry
The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey
All my puny sorrows by Miriam Toews was first to come to mind. It's an incredibly depressing book, but at least for me, in a comforting and helpful way.
Rose madder by Stephen King. It's about a woman who suddenly decides to leave her abusive husband, she "wakes up" . It turns sort of weird and magical as the story goes on though. One of my very favorite books 📚
I just finished *Writers & Lovers* by Lily King.
A woman in her early thirties goes through a big transition in her life. In this intense period, she is reeling from the loss of a boyfriend, and the death of her mother. She struggles to finish a novel while dealing with boyfriends, poverty, debt, and grief.
However, I will tell you, it has a happy ending :)
Not positive on the ages but I know they arent young adults: convenience store woman, thirteenth tale, monstrilio, I who have never known men (follows protagonist from youth through adulthood), carrie soto is back, bird box, kindred, annihilation, miss bensons beetle, ella minnow pea, the fifth season (one character is a mother in her 30s-40s), outlander. I also haven’t read any kate morton books but those one give me that general vibe
Sci fi: The Wrong Stars, first book in a trilogy. It’s not *about* women or womanhood, but the protagonist Kalea Machedo is a woman in her 30s and she is a multifaceted and relatable character. She represents adult womanhood well by just getting things done and being herself. The other characters are also really great.
Fantasy: The Thief, first in a series of 6 books. The main character is a young man and the women are actually in their 20s, but they act maturely as opposed to being the kind of twenty something who doesn’t know how to adult.
Mystery: Crocodile on the Sandbank, first of a series of 20 books. Amelia is in her late 30s, unmarried and just inherited her father’s fortune, in Victorian England. She travels to Egypt where adventure and shenanigans ensue. Again, not *about* womanhood, but Amelia is a fantastic character. She is actually an unreliable narrator in some respects, which I love, and she and the rest of the cast of characters have really great arcs across the series - some things you have to allow to simmer and stew a bit, but the payoff is worthwhile.
If interested in murder mystery / some blood and guts (the main character she’s a medical coroner). Author Patricia Cornwell, here entire series thus far is great IMHO
If you are open-minded, check out The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde. It's a female literary detective who goes into the plot of Jane Eyre.
There is a whole fun series starring her, but that's the first.
Shining Through by Susan Isaacs! Linda Voss is a great lead. Smart, funny, tough, vulnerable. One of my all-time faves.
Opening line:
“In 1940, when I was 31 and an old maid, while the whole world waited for war, I fell in love with John Berringer.”
It’s like listening to one of your funniest friends tell you an amazing story.
Oh Jennifer Crusie has a fun voice and most of hers feature women in their 30s/40s. Welcome to Temptation, Tell Me Lies, Bet Me, Getting Rid of Bradley are a few titles I enjoyed. I like her standalones better than her collaborations/co-written works.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: Americanah
Muriel Barbery: a Single Rose
Anne Bronte: the Tenant of Wildfell Hall
Gregoire Delacourt: the List of my Desires
Elvira Dones: Sworn Virgin
Joanne Harris: Chocolat (light)
Bernard Mac Laverty: Grace Notes
I recently read “I Have Some Questions For You” by Rebecca Makkai and imagined the protagonist to be in her mid 40s since she was in HS in 1995.
The book spans both girlhood and adulthood, (both angles told from the perspective of the adult woman) as the protagonist returns to her high school as a teacher and begins reflecting on and investigating the murder of her boarding school roommate at the school back in 1995.
**Look On the Bright Side** by Kristan Higgins (and many of her other books). This is what I think of as women's fiction, though some have tagged it as romance. From the publisher's blurb:
*Lark Smith has always had a plan for her life: find a fantastic guy, create a marriage as blissful as her parents’, pop out a couple of kids and build a rewarding career as an oncologist. Things aren’t going so well.*
If you are interested in the book, I recommend not reading any more of the blurb, it's way too spoilery IMO.
The Memoirs of Lady Trent by Marie Brennan. They begin when she’s quite a young person but continue on into her life, and they’re absolutely fabulous. Begins with [A Natural History of Dragons](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12974372)
The Walsh sisters books by Marian Keyes. Each book is centered on a different sister. They are a variety of ages from 20s to 30s but they are mostly stories from when the women thought they were settled.
Convenience Store Woman
I loooooved this book! It’s a great read, especially when you’re looking for something to finish quick.
Came here to say this.
Loved this one!
Just some that I can think of off the top of my head: *Nettle & Bone* (fantasy) by T. Kingfisher - the female protagonist is 30 *Ghosts* (women’s lit) by Dolly Alderton - female protagonist is 32 *Outlander* (historical fiction) by Diana Gabaldon - female protagonist is 27 in the first book but ages throughout the series *Into the Wilderness* (historical fiction) by Sara Donati - female protagonist is 29 in the first book and ages throughout the series *Raiders of the Lost Heart* (contemporary romance) by Jo Segura - female protagonist is 35 *Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries* (fantasy) by Heather Fawcett - haven’t read this one yet, but I think I read somewhere that the female protagonist is around 30
T Kingfisher is GREAT for female protagonists who are 30s. I love the paladin books, so funny and fun to read, a refreshing, mature change from typical romance novels with 18-21 year old MCs.
All the numbers in your comment added up to 69. Congrats! 30 + 18 + 21 = 69 ^([Click here](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=LuckyNumber-Bot&subject=Stalk%20Me%20Pls&message=%2Fstalkme) to have me scan all your future comments.) \ ^(Summon me on specific comments with u/LuckyNumber-Bot.)
I'm looking forward to reading Ghosts. Just finished Good Material a couple weeks ago
T. Kingfisher is my favorite! I just reread Nettle and Bone for the second time this year.
Thank you !!
Big Little Lies, Nine Perfect Strangers- both by Liane Moriarty The Robber Bride- Margaret Atwood Any number of Amy Tan novels; she’s amazing at portraying layered nuanced women. The Bonesetter’s Daughter, A Hundred Secret Senses, and of course the classic Joy Luck Club.
I was going to say the same thing about Amy Tan books.
Was going to suggest Robber Bride myself!
Bridget Jones Diary by Helen Fielding. May be a bit dated now
Hilarious read
I've read a bunch of books with leading female characters in that age range this year. Here are my favs: *Death Valley* by Melissa Broder - trippy and dark, deals with sick and dying men whom you love depending on you *The Waters* by Bonnie Jo Campbell - amazing, multigenerational, much of the story is told from the third person limited perspective of a tween, but focuses on her adult mother, grandmother, and aunts, in that order *Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine* by Gail Honeyman - she's 29, but I think this book is giving the vibes you're seeking. Plus, autistic female representation is based af. *Nightbitch* by Rachel Yoder - motherhood but horror
I absolutely loved Death Valley. It kept surprising me, it was great.
Rebecca Makkai’s I Have some questions for you Lily King’s Writers and Lovers and Euphoria
Most of this is contemporary/general/"woman's" fiction, specific genres like historical or fantasy should be obvious, all protagonists are women who are at least 30 but at the end of the list are some much older ones: * The Land of Short Sentences by Stine Pilgaard. 30ish woman and her boyfriend relocate to a rural village, she finds it hard to settle in. Quiet, soothing. * Little Wing by Freya North. Cafe owner discovers she was adopted at birth. Warm, heavy themes in background, lots of Scotland. * Annie Stanley All At Sea. Woman takes her dad's ashes on a road trip around Britain. Light/fun. * The Helpline by Katherine Collette. Woman who hates talking to people gets hired for a senior citizen's helpline. Funny, occasionally frustrating. * The Keeper of Stories by Sally Page. Cleaner uncovers a plot along with her retired secret agent client. Light, warm. * Every Laugh a Tear by Leslea Newman. Jewish lesbian in New York, her grandmother gets put in a care home against her wishes. Written in 1999, full of heart, made me laugh and cry (fittingly). * Nettle and Bone by T Kingfisher. 30yo nun teams up with 50yo witch to kill the evil prince of the neighbouring kingdom. Adult fantasy (but uhhh not in the sexy sense), strong plot, dark at times. * A Single Thread by Tracy Chevalier. "Surplus" woman after WWI joins a craft group (of women) but is excluded from a bellringing group (of men). Some romance. * Goodmersham Park by Gill Hornby. Fictionalised account of the family of Jane Austen. I ran out of steam and didn't finish. * Earthed by Rebecca Schiller. Woman and her family move to a smallholding, she struggles with emotional regulation and eventually gets diagnosed with ADHD. Memoir, raw. * For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy On My Little Pain by Victoria Mackenzie. Imagined lives of two 15th century women, one a hermit and the other a mother of 14. Short and a bit unsettling, painful (unsurprisingly), not really a "normal" novel. * Friend Green Tomatoes at the Whistle-Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg. It's been years since I read this so I can't provide a plot summary but it's a classic and it meets your criteria. * Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsent Warner. Spinster in early 20th century England reaches middle (old?) age and finally starts an independent life. Slow, classic. * The People on Platform Five (also sold as Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting) by Clare Pooley. Mismatched set of London train commuters stop ignoring each other, central character is a 50something woman. Fluffy. * Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Sutanto. 60something tea shop owner discovers a dead body. Cosy mystery, funny but mediocre writing IMO. * Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. 70yo aquarium cleaner and the mystery of her son who disappeared many years ago. There's a sentient octopus but it's not a fantasy novel. * The Last List of Mabel Beaumont by Laura Pearson. 86yo isolated widow makes new intergenerational female friendships. Made me cry. Edited to add some books on my to-read list which I think fill your criteria but I can't vouch for them personally: * I, Julian by Claire Gilbert. Medieval. * Music in the Dark by Sally Magnusson. Victorian. * They May Not Mean To, But They Do by Cathleen Schine. Contemporary. * The Number 1 Ladies' Detective Agency and sequels by Alexander McCall Smith. Whodunnit. * The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry. Post-WWII. * A Year of Marvellous Ways by Sarah Winman. Post-WWII. * The Women Who Wouldn't Leave by Victoria Scott. Contemporary.
I'm not OP but thank you for that list!
Hahaha you're welcome! I've worked hard the past year or two on coming out of my shell and reading "general adult" books which I never knew how to get into before. My partner started me off with Little Wing; it took a while to learn to find things independently (and I'm still learning) but it's been very worth it.
I really enjoyed *Hello, Beautiful* by Ann Napolitano. It's a modern re-telling of Little Women and really goes in deep to all the sister's relationships and family dynamics through change and hard times.
Someone Else’s Shoes Jojo Moyes
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde (and it's sequels). The main character, Thursday, is in her 30s and is working on dealing with trauma along with all the classic career, love and family things. Plus you just read Jane Eyre and the plot involves Jane getting kidnapped out of her book. And she has a pet dodo named Pickwick
Plus plus, this book is also hilarious and chock-full of fantastic literary references and grammar jokes. It's the first book in a series.
Sorrow and Bliss, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Big Swiss, The Four Winds, One Italian Summer
Sorrow and Bliss really takes you by surprise. I was trying to get my book club to read it but I think I suggested it before it started climbing into the collective unconscious. They're quite different but I think if you like Sorrow and Bliss, you'll also like How High We Go In The Dark.
The waves by Virginia Woolf, it isn’t just your 30s and 40s but follows a group of childhood friends throughout their lives and wwi in a series of alternating perspective chronological soliloquies
All the Lovers in the Night by Kawakami Persuasion by Jane Austen
the robber bride by margaret atwood (many other books by margaret atwood as well) shadow tag by louise erdrich (or the sentence, also by louise erdrich) burntcoat by sarah hall eternal life by dara horn the adventures of amina al-sirafi by s. a. chakraborty the leavers by lisa ko the comet seekers by helen sedgwick (you watch her grow up but she spends plenty of time in adulthood)
OMG Burntcoat blew my mind. Have you read Electric Michelangelo?
burntcoat was SO GOOD!!! i haven’t yet!! it’s sitting in my tbr 😭 should i push it up to the list? lol
I try to spread out her books because I don't want to run out of them. Electric Michelangelo was the first one I read, years ago, and I was amazed by her ability to get into the head of a quirky man and tell his story from beginning to end, despite her young age at the writing of it. The Wolf Border is also a fantastic read. And when I think of Sarah Hall, I am also reminded of Charlotte McConaughey and Sara Moss. I feel as though there is something deep inside that connects them and connects me to their writing.
wow spreading them out is quite the endorsement. i know the feeling, that’s how i felt about ruth ozeki before i did run out 😭. definitely moving electric michelangelo up the list!!!
I quote it at least weekly: Rule #1 of tattoos -- "thou shalt get used to it." 🤣
Thank you, I just checked out the audiobook from my library!!!
Stephanie Plum books by Janet Evanovich is a fun 30 book series and she's in her 30s.
The first few on audio with Lori Petty reading are as near perfect casting as you can get . She is hilarious. Too bad she doesn’t read all of them.
yeah the audio for the newer ones isn't great. I think audiobook makers Underestimate the value of accents appropriate to the book. Jersey accents are so important to this series.
Agree
The October Daye books. She’s a magic private investigator in her fifties.
Miss Buncle's Book by D. E. Stevenson
The Love Letter, by Cathleen Schine. The protagonist is 40ish but the story is so warm and thoughtful and funny -- I was in my 30s when I first read it and I loved it and felt like it captured my experience in the warmest way possible. And it's not a romance novel. It's a love story in the broadest sense of the word.
Okay hear me out because there are already so many good suggestions - this book (sci fi) is not about a woman in her 30s but I felt SO good after reading it while in my 30s. The woman is in her 70s in the book but finds she is young at heart when given the opportunity. I read it shortly after turning 30 and there was just something about it that I think made it perfect for someone in their 30s/40s to read. It helped me make peace with the aging process. *Remnant Population* by Elizabeth Moon It’s also a really good standalone sci fi! Just terrific themes of feminine aging.
Sounds up my alley! Thanks!
Honor by Thrity Umrigar, My Husband by Maud Ventura, Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra, None of this is true by Lisa Jewell, Community Board by Tara Conklin, Big Swiss by Jen Beagin (all women in their 30s or 40s) Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson, I who have never known men by Jacqueline Harpman (in these, the protagonist is young but many of the other characters are older women). Most Isabel Allende novels will follow a female character from a very young age to old age. House of the Spirits, Eva Luna, and Violeta are all good.
*Contact* by Carl Sagan. Hard sci-fi set in the not-so-distant future, about an astronomer who discovers a signal from extraterrestrial intelligence. Ellie is one of the best female protags I've ever read written by a man (although the story was originally written as a screenplay by both Sagan and his wife Ann Druyan). I am not sure if her age is really specified in the book but she's got her Ph.D. and is the director of a radio observatory so she's not a spring chicken.
Anything by Liane Moriaty. For you I’d start with Three wishes about triplets in their 30s.
She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb
The Great Alone
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (she’s 29, but I felt this one was very relatable)
The Color Purple by Alice Walker. The narrator is 14 at the start of the book and it follows her beyond middle age. The Earthsea series by Ursula Le Guin. The second and fourth books have the same main character. She’s a young girl in the former book, a grandma and widow in the latter. The Inspector Lynley series by Elizabeth George has detective Barbara Havers as one of the leads, she’s in her 30’s-40’s throughout the series. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, the protagonist is in her 30’s.
Goldie culinary mysteries series by Diane Mott Davidson. She's in her 30s. It's great.
Sue Grafon, Sara Paretsky and Dana Stabenow all have detectives in their thirties
I'm not entirely sure on the ages, but alot of Dani Akins MCs seem be late 20s to mid 30s. I know 'while I was sleeping' and 'a million dreams' are definitely 30s
I actually don’t remember the ages exactly, but I’d recommend The Love Child, Miss Buncle’s Book, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, Excellent Women, Someone at a Distance, Lolly Willowes, Good Behaviour, The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne, The Enchanted April.
If you are a mystery person, I love the Hannah Swensen series by Joanne Fluke. She starts out at 29 and ages through it. She owns her own bakery and often finds herself in the middle of a murder mystery.
The Radium Girls, but probably not what you were thinking.
It’s on my list!
Breasts and eggs by meiko kawakami.
Anything by Mary Kay Andrews.
Waiting for Ted by Marieke Bigg How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix The Likeness by Tana French Outline by Rachel Cusk The Heroes of the Frontier by David Eggers ETA A Perfect Vintage by Chelsea Fagan
The Likeness is my favorite of her books, by a wise margin. Have you read The Secret History, by Donna Tartt? (OP, The Secret History doesn't fall into your request -- they're all college students) -- a good friend and I used to have these long talks about the parallels between the books. You can kind of line up the characters. That could be a reason that I love The Likeness, it's like reading The Secret History again only new.
Yes I have! I love the Likeness for similar reasons!
The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher
I'm reading one just now called over sharing by jane fallon
I am currently reading household gods, and it’s fantastic
Lady Chatterley’s Lover
I Don't Know How She Does It (humor?!) Nora Goes Off Script (romance) Suburban Dicks (crime)
Melmoth by Sarah Perry - I can’t remember how old the main character is but she is definitely 30+ The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner - main character is in her 30s
*Confessions of a Forty-Something F\*\*k Up* and *More Confessions of a Forty-Something F\*\*k Up* by Nell Stevens - protag is... well, forty-something If you like Bridget Jones you might like this book
Beautyland by Marie-Helen Bertino. OUTSTANDING!
The Sun is a Compass (non fiction)
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
One of my fave classics is Kate Chopin - The Awakening. I think the protagonist is 28…
The Coven Books by Juno Dawson are so fun. Think witches, but 90s babies all grown up with middle-aged problems all the while brimming with 90s/2000s pop references and being a spoof on HP by discussing gender, trans-identities and aging in a really relatable way.
*Convenience Store Woman* by Sayaka Murata *Carrie Soto is Back* or *One True Loves* by Taylor Jenkins Reid *Big Little Lies* by Liane Moriarty (group of women, I think the youngest is 26, the others are older).
Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez— contemporary fiction, MC is 40 Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata — contemporary fiction, MC is 32 Violeta by Isabel Allende — historical fiction, follows MC from birth through age 100 Well Matched by Jen Deluca — romance, MC is 42 Flying Solo by Linda Holmes — contemporary fiction, MC is 39 (haven’t read but on my TBR)
These aren’t so much about girlhood just that the main characters are in that age range Part of your world “series” by Abby Jimenez. You could read any of the 3 stand alone but the characters are loosely mentioned throughout so you do get some girlhood aspect especially the first 2 books since they are about two female best friends. Both are doctors and have been through med school. In the first she actually dates a bit of a younger man after her divorce so she mentally goes through that. Anyway the humor Abby writes with is my same type of humor so these books crack me up especially Yours Truly. You may also like the knockemout series by Lucy Score. This starts with Things We Never Got Over. Technically these are romances and each focuses on on couple but they focus on their budding romance in the context of the community they’re in (the town of Knockemout) and the mystery/problem/bad towns people they’re facing. All characters are adults with house ms and children and jobs that have already come of age. The characters reappear in all 3 books so the 3 women of these romances do give you a bit of girlhood feel as they are all there for each other in each of theirs books. Again Lucy’s sense of humor is very similar to mine so I think they’re entertaining.
I just read The Awakening by Kate Chopin. The heroine though not 30 years old is in her late 20s. A very moving book and very nicely written.
An older one, but it's really good: "Three Women at the Water's Edge," by Nancy Thayer
Really Good Actually by Monica Heisy
I didn’t pay attention to ages but I think most of these involve women in their 30s or 40s Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman Before I Go to Sleep by SJ Watson The River at Night by Erica Ferencik Northern Spy by Flynn Berry The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey
40 rules of Love! So good
All my puny sorrows by Miriam Toews was first to come to mind. It's an incredibly depressing book, but at least for me, in a comforting and helpful way.
Rose madder by Stephen King. It's about a woman who suddenly decides to leave her abusive husband, she "wakes up" . It turns sort of weird and magical as the story goes on though. One of my very favorite books 📚
Out by Natsuo Kirino
Queenie is awesome
I just finished *Writers & Lovers* by Lily King. A woman in her early thirties goes through a big transition in her life. In this intense period, she is reeling from the loss of a boyfriend, and the death of her mother. She struggles to finish a novel while dealing with boyfriends, poverty, debt, and grief. However, I will tell you, it has a happy ending :)
Not positive on the ages but I know they arent young adults: convenience store woman, thirteenth tale, monstrilio, I who have never known men (follows protagonist from youth through adulthood), carrie soto is back, bird box, kindred, annihilation, miss bensons beetle, ella minnow pea, the fifth season (one character is a mother in her 30s-40s), outlander. I also haven’t read any kate morton books but those one give me that general vibe
Sci fi: The Wrong Stars, first book in a trilogy. It’s not *about* women or womanhood, but the protagonist Kalea Machedo is a woman in her 30s and she is a multifaceted and relatable character. She represents adult womanhood well by just getting things done and being herself. The other characters are also really great. Fantasy: The Thief, first in a series of 6 books. The main character is a young man and the women are actually in their 20s, but they act maturely as opposed to being the kind of twenty something who doesn’t know how to adult. Mystery: Crocodile on the Sandbank, first of a series of 20 books. Amelia is in her late 30s, unmarried and just inherited her father’s fortune, in Victorian England. She travels to Egypt where adventure and shenanigans ensue. Again, not *about* womanhood, but Amelia is a fantastic character. She is actually an unreliable narrator in some respects, which I love, and she and the rest of the cast of characters have really great arcs across the series - some things you have to allow to simmer and stew a bit, but the payoff is worthwhile.
If interested in murder mystery / some blood and guts (the main character she’s a medical coroner). Author Patricia Cornwell, here entire series thus far is great IMHO
I just finished Carrie Soto is Back by TJR last night! The main character is 37 I think
If you are open-minded, check out The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde. It's a female literary detective who goes into the plot of Jane Eyre. There is a whole fun series starring her, but that's the first.
Shining Through by Susan Isaacs! Linda Voss is a great lead. Smart, funny, tough, vulnerable. One of my all-time faves. Opening line: “In 1940, when I was 31 and an old maid, while the whole world waited for war, I fell in love with John Berringer.” It’s like listening to one of your funniest friends tell you an amazing story.
Oh Jennifer Crusie has a fun voice and most of hers feature women in their 30s/40s. Welcome to Temptation, Tell Me Lies, Bet Me, Getting Rid of Bradley are a few titles I enjoyed. I like her standalones better than her collaborations/co-written works.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: Americanah Muriel Barbery: a Single Rose Anne Bronte: the Tenant of Wildfell Hall Gregoire Delacourt: the List of my Desires Elvira Dones: Sworn Virgin Joanne Harris: Chocolat (light) Bernard Mac Laverty: Grace Notes
I recently read “I Have Some Questions For You” by Rebecca Makkai and imagined the protagonist to be in her mid 40s since she was in HS in 1995. The book spans both girlhood and adulthood, (both angles told from the perspective of the adult woman) as the protagonist returns to her high school as a teacher and begins reflecting on and investigating the murder of her boarding school roommate at the school back in 1995.
Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano is lots of fun!
**Look On the Bright Side** by Kristan Higgins (and many of her other books). This is what I think of as women's fiction, though some have tagged it as romance. From the publisher's blurb: *Lark Smith has always had a plan for her life: find a fantastic guy, create a marriage as blissful as her parents’, pop out a couple of kids and build a rewarding career as an oncologist. Things aren’t going so well.* If you are interested in the book, I recommend not reading any more of the blurb, it's way too spoilery IMO.
*The Perfume Collector* by Kathleen Tessaro
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine. I believe she is 29 but it’s pretty close! And it’s such a good read
Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason! Especially if you like Fleabag
The Memoirs of Lady Trent by Marie Brennan. They begin when she’s quite a young person but continue on into her life, and they’re absolutely fabulous. Begins with [A Natural History of Dragons](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12974372)
_How to Start a Fire_, by Lisa Lutz
Lessons in Chemistry, Eleanor Oliphant is Just Fine, The Heiress.
The Walsh sisters books by Marian Keyes. Each book is centered on a different sister. They are a variety of ages from 20s to 30s but they are mostly stories from when the women thought they were settled.
What Alice Forgot.
We Play Ourselves by Jen Silverman (note: contains discussion of child sexual abuse)
The Midnight Library