As an avid reader, I am always looking for something a little different when it comes to novels. Happily, I found four books this year which fit the description well. All four are very well-written, have vibrant female central characters, and yes, they are also authored by women.
In The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner, “a female apothecary secretly dispenses poisons to liberate women. Once a respected healer, Nella now uses her knowledge for a darker purpose – selling well-disguised poisons to desperate women who would kill to be free of the men in their lives who have wronged them – setting three lives across centuries on a dangerous collision course.”
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In Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus, “Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. And like science, life is unpredictable. Which is why Elizabeth finds herself not only a single mother, but the reluctant star of America’s most beloved cooking show, Supper at Six. And she isn’t just teaching women to cook. She’s daring them to change the status quo.”
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In The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid, “an aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love.”
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The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn is “an unforgettable World War II tale of a quiet bookworm, Mila Pavlichenko, who becomes history’s deadliest female sniper. Based on a true story.”
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I enjoyed all four of these novels, although to a lesser extent, the last one, because war is not a subject I care to dive into very often.
Have you read any of the above?
How did you find them?
Do you have any recommendations for other books with unconventional female protagonists?
Do tell!
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