The best fiction books about strong and resilient women

This isn't a book I'd usually pick up, but after hearing rave reviews, I decided to give it a go, and I'm so glad I did! It's a slow-burn suspenseful crime novel, which would usually lose my attention as I'm more a fan of fast-paced reads, but Will's writing is so wonderfully rich and vibrant that it just wouldn't put me down! Yes, it had me that gripped. 

The story follows Thanh, a young Vietnamese woman who has been trafficked into the country (England) along with her sister. They get separated, and Thanh is sold off as a 'wife' to a farmer in the Fenns who keeps her there, hidden from the rest of the world.

The story is told in first person, and it gives a pretty stark insight into the domestic horrors of human trafficking and the bleak options she faces. But it's also an incredible story of resilience and of a woman fighting with what very little ability she has to survive and find a better future. It's hugely moving and inspiring. 

This was a Plot Twist book club pick, and it turned out to be one of my favorites of the last year. Based on three different women from the same lineage, one from the 1600s, one from the 40s, and the third in our current time, it follows their unique struggles with who they are against what society and the people around them expect.

Altha, in the 1600s, has been shunned from society for being different and is then accused and tried for witchcraft. She's thrown in jail and starved to the brink of death, but she perseveres through the trial, doing what she needs to do to survive. Violet, in the 40s, has her life torn apart at just sixteen, the fall out of those events leaving her cast out, pregnant, and terrified. But somehow, she gets up, carries on, and forges a new path for herself. Kate, in today's world, barely escapes a violently abusive relationship and has to start again with nothing, always looking over her shoulder.

Each of these women shows incredible inner strength, and I particularly like how this book shows that no matter what happens or how our plans change, there is always a new path to be found. 

I first came upon this book about twenty years ago, and it's one I've read cover-to-cover so many times that the cover is barely still attached.

It starts in the year 1218, when a Welsh princess, Eleyne, is born in a castle amidst a huge fire. The story follows her very eventful life through marriages, politics, and love affairs with Kings. And as you'd expect from medieval times, it's hardly plain sailing. As a woman, she doesn't hold much power over her own life, and there are many throughout the story who make it their mission to break her spirit–but no matter how hard they try or what they put her through, they all fail.

She is fierce and powerful and my rebellious side felt such a strong connection with her. It's a long book but one I'd highly recommend to anyone who loves powerful women and historical fiction. 

I mean, what's not to love about this incredible story? A woman in the 50s who was well ahead of her time, a neurodivergent who thrived and conquered despite being in a world where she wasn't understood or naturally accepted, a character who went against the grain in every way to get what she wanted out of life, despite all obstacles thrown at her.

As with so many other books about strong women, Elizabeth Zott showed an incredible ability to adapt, even in the worst of situations. And, actually, I think that's what inner strength is really made of. The flexibility to adapt, no matter what life throws at you. I loved everything about this book and will probably read it again.

I think most of us are familiar with this particular piece of speculative fiction, whether we've read it at school, picked it up as it became popular again in recent years, or whether we've simply seen the TV show.

I think this book is really important for people to read, now, more than ever, with what's going on in the world. It's quite terrifying to realize how easily the events of this book could happen and to see elements of it already in play.

What's comforting about this read is the steel-like resilience of the main character, June. It's fantastic to read all the acts of resistance and defiance from other female characters, too, seeing them push back in what few ways they can, even under this strict oppression. Because that means there is always hope. Both in fiction and in life itself.