Posted by MaggieH (admin)
Mar 10, 2009 9:37 am

Replies (34)

Posted by

• In terms of classics, my favorite female writer by far is George Eliot. I don't think I've read any novel written with as much depth and compassion as Middlemarch. There are tons of characters, and many of them are small or unscrupulous. However, Eliot never lets any characters become flat or cliched.
  
  Then there is of course Flannery O'Connor--I like her for amazing characters, also, though the stunning turns of events in her stories also appeal to me.
  
  I love many modern female writers. In particular, Robin McKinley and E. Nesbit (both favorites from childhood), Siri Hustvedt (for her combination of intellect and eroticism), Connie Willis (incredibly funny when she wants to be), Elizabeth McCracken (great short stories), Sherwood Smith (world-building to rival Tolkien), Ursula LeGuin (queen of the thought experiment), and way too many more to name...

  Mar 10, 2009 3:52 pm
  by Dinosaur

• I would have to say that Jane Austen and Pearl S. Buck are easily some of my favorite authors. I think Jane Austen introduced me to the classic section of the library and although I've only read The Good Earth, I was blown away by it.
  
  My other favorites include J.K. Rowling and L.M. Montgomery.

  Mar 10, 2009 6:06 pm
  by books

• I have not read any classic fiction that I can immediately think of that was written by women. Indeed I am struggling to think of any recent female authors I have enjoyed (I shall have to check my bookshelves tonight) But that doesn't matter because my favourite female author would be Enid Blyton.
  
  I read so many of her books as a child.. As I would grow older it seemed there was another series that I could move on to.
  
  Indeed I just looked up what she wrote and there are even more books listed than I remember.
  
  She was such a large part of getting me to enjoy reading that she is an obvious pick for me for this.
  
  (Other female authors I enjoyed reading when I was younger are Beatrix Potter and Richmal Crompton who wrote the William books but neither of those were as prolific as Blyton)

  Mar 11, 2009 8:37 am
  by cresswga

• Definitely, absolutely Jeanette Winterson. She's one of my literary crushes, for sure!
  
  Flannery O'Connor is also great, as Dinosaur mentioned. And though she's a bit of a dinosaur herself, can anyone really diss Margaret Atwood?

  Mar 11, 2009 11:18 am
  by originaloflaura

• I can't choose just one, but I think Toni Morrison is worth a mention.

  Mar 11, 2009 9:31 pm
  by Mom1

• Agatha Christie. I was an average reader until I discovered "Murder on the Orient Express" when I was 12 years old. Not only do I credit, to this day, my love of reading to her - but also my love of writing, paritcularly within the suspense/mystery genre. She'll always hold a special place in my heart!

  Mar 12, 2009 2:54 pm
  by writeandleft

• Lisa See. Have you read Snow Flower and the Secret Fan? Best book ever.

  Mar 12, 2009 4:10 pm
  by moengey

• Jane Austen is definitely my favorite! I've read every book that she has written, my favorite of course being "Pride and Prejudice." I think that the reason I fell in love with her writings was because I could get lost for hours playing it all out in my mind. I love the speech of that time. It was so beautiful compared to what it is today. Other than that, who doesn't love getting lost in the unique romanticism of Jane Austen?! Her books are as relative today as they were then in my opinion.

  Mar 13, 2009 3:09 am
  by jennanicole_84

• I feel like a one trick pony but I will nominate Edith Wharton! But I also love George Eliot.

  Mar 13, 2009 12:37 pm
  by EDITHJWHARTON

• Louisa May Alcott, because she can be read by both women and girls.

  Mar 13, 2009 2:06 pm
  by xenobia

• I'm surprised that no one has mentioned Dorothy Sayers. She's definitely one of my favorite authors.
  
  If we are picking from more modern authors I would mention Madeleine L'Engle and Elizabeth Peters as well.

  Mar 13, 2009 2:07 pm
  by mirihawk

• I have too many favorites, so I'll pick one that I read this year: Muriel Burbery. Her book the Elegance of the Hedgehog is my favorite book of the year (so far). Her writing is simply exquisite; she knows how to balance (deftly) comedy with tragedy. And she creates memorable characters that are (for me) my best friends.

  Mar 13, 2009 5:53 pm
  by tristiseye

• I definitely agree on Charlotte Bronte and J.K. Rowling. I would also say Diana Gabaldon and Nora Roberts, because their heroines have humor, depth and nuance, and don't let anyone walk all over them (witness Claire Fraser telling her new 18th-century husband that she doesn't care if it's normal for Scottish men to beat their wives sometimes, she won't stand for it).

  Mar 14, 2009 3:43 pm
  by starshy926

• My favorite is Kathy Reichs. Being in the Medical field I enjoy Forensic Anthropology. A field that was dominated by men Kathy has risen to be past Vice President of the American Academy of Forensic Science.She also serves
  on the National Police Service Advisory Board in Canada.
  Besides her academic skills she is a great writer.

  Mar 16, 2009 10:27 am
  by Barbshere

• Yessss, Flannery O'Connor! She's my favorite. Her characters are fascinating and she writes in a way that empathizes with multiple and conflicting viewpoints.
  
  Mary Shelley is also awesome -- writing Frankenstein when she was 18.
  
  Also, Virginia Woolf.

  Mar 16, 2009 11:09 am
  by emilyyoung

• My favorite woman author, and has been since I was in junior high, is Agatha Christie. Her books always contain a "motif" and I enjoy trying to figure that out as well as "who dun it?" I enjoy all the characters and they are many and varied. I have an entire collection of all her books, plays, etc. and even the books written under the pseudonymn Mary Westmacott.

  Mar 16, 2009 3:52 pm
  by LIMO

• How can we leave out Toni Morrison??

  Apr 5, 2009 11:50 am
  by cherisings

• Irene Hunt is my favorite from my adolescent years. LM Montgomery, I discovered as an adult but love as more now for it. Kate Chopin is a new on my list of favorites.

  Apr 5, 2009 12:08 pm
  by tink29

• One of my favourite authors - one of many - is the Norwegian author Sigrid Undset. She wrote wonderfully detailed stories from the Middle Ages: Kristin Lavransdatter, and the even better one: Master of Hestviken.

  Apr 6, 2009 4:58 pm
  by GroH

• Agatha Christie. No contest. Writes the best mysteries I've ever heard of. Also, the Bronte sisters and Jane Austen.

  Jun 16, 2009 10:26 pm
  by saturntv

• I love Anne Tyler for her quirky characters and Barbara Pym for her modern "Austenism."

  Jun 18, 2009 7:11 pm
  by Dellastr

• My favorite classics authors are Jane Austen and Charlotte Brontë. I also love the fantasy books of Diana Wynne Jones.

  Jun 26, 2009 3:03 pm
  by wellreadscholar

• Elizabeth Gilbert-Wrote Eat, Pray, Love.
  Annie Dillard-Great at imagery writing.
  Fannie Flagg-Funny as heck.
  Barbara Kingsolver-Great use of rotating narrator throughout chapters in Poisonwood Bible and imagery and character development.

  Jul 1, 2009 1:05 pm
  by snider

• Alice Sheldon (wrote as James Tiptree, Jr.) Track down "Houston, Houston Do You Read" and "The Screwfly Solution" and you'll see why she was one of the great SF writers.

  Jul 8, 2009 11:27 pm
  by Golem100

• Jane Austen--without question
  Willa Cather--for My Antonia--Absolutely loved the book
  Louisa May Alcott--Little Women is fantastic
  George Eliot--Middlemarch is a wonderful book

  Jul 9, 2009 10:15 pm
  by teresalovesscotland

• Probably the 2 best short story writers in only a page or two would be Virginia Woolf and Patricia Highsmith. And they are both known more for their novels. Check-out the short stories for great reading...

  Jul 10, 2009 2:34 pm
  by dreamdust

• Octavia E. Butler hands down. I love all of her books and they are the few I can read over and over again. Her stories of love, family, and humanity transcend all of the worlds and creatures she creates.

  Jul 10, 2009 5:10 pm
  by melgt2002

• I have to thank the people here for noting writers that I've never heard of and many that I love! George Eliot is phenomenal, I think I've learned more vocabulary from Dorothea Sayers than almost anyone, and I love Robin McKinley's re-working of fairy tales. Nora Roberts is the best modern romance writer there is (love Jane Austen for the older stuff,) and Agatha Christie is...well, she was made a Dame for a reason.
  Because other people have mentioned authors I don't know, though, I'll try to do the same with a shout-out to Wendy Wasserstein for drama and essays (non-fiction) and Ruth Gruber for memoirs.
  I'm not a huge non-fiction reader, but I have lots of just wonderful non-fiction written by women. In that vein, Rachel Carson must be mentioned.

  Jul 11, 2009 9:57 am
  by ThinkAgain

• Don't ask me to quote the best woman writer. I think that these last fiftt years, women writers have produced a mass of marvellous books that are worth to rank among the best masterpieces. As fon me , i would like to add Jumpa Lahiri and Monica Ali to the very young ones.

  Jul 12, 2009 1:57 pm
  by annamaria_mangione

• We can't leave out Anna Quindlen! She's fantastic! And, Laurie H. Anderson. Thanks for all the new authors I get to explore now.

  Jul 19, 2009 4:12 pm
  by smillerteacher

• Virginia Woolf and Emily Dickinson are two writers I appreciate more, the older I get. From a closer century, Anne Tyler and Lee Smith are at the top of my list!

  Jul 19, 2009 10:34 pm
  by EFSlattery

• I grew up reading Enid Blyton and Agatha Christie and loved them both. I couldn't say I have any particular favourite female writes, but one I have recently read that stood out for me was The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. Her writing is amazing, a Gothic mystery reminiscent of the Bronte sisters but with richer prose. Anyone who is a fan of Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights would definitely enjoy it.

  Jul 21, 2009 10:44 am
  by Lolabean

• In terms of classics, George Eliot is up there, particularly "Middlemarch". I like Susan Hill, particularly the Simon Serrailler novels and PD James - both write good yarns with style.

  Jul 22, 2009 10:17 am
  by OldVin

• Ahh, easy. Pearl S. Buck because The Good Earth was the first novel I couldn't put down when I was a kid. Having just finished Wuthering Heights I have to mention Emily Brontë. I can't remember where I read it, but one critic considers Wuthering Heights the greatest novel in English. I don't know if I would agree with that, but it is easily in the top 10.
  
  Modern women writers I have enjoyed include Barbara Kingsolver, Audrey Niffenegger, Sue Monk Kidd, and really, many others.

  Jul 22, 2009 1:41 pm
  by fbales