Books that Feature the Theme of Femininity

This thematic Collection highlights Books that Feature the Theme of Femininity. Through novels, plays, and works of nonfiction, the selections in this Collection explore the feminine experience in a variety of historical settings and cultures as they examine topics such as gender roles, feminism, and what it means to be feminine.

Publication year 2026

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Guilt, Regret, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Death, Friendship, Justice, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction

Elizabeth Arnott’s 2026 thriller, The Secret Lives of Murderers’ Wives, is a work of historical fiction set against the social and political turmoil of 1966 California. The novel follows three women, Beverley, Elsie, and Margot, who have formed an unlikely friendship after their husbands were convicted as some of the state’s most notorious serial killers. Living under a cloud of public shame and suspicion, the women decide to use their unique, hard-won knowledge of male... Read The Secret Lives of Murderers' Wives Summary

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Hate & Anger, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Death, Appearance & Reality, Social Class, Truth & Lies

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Irish Literature, Coming of Age

Written by Irish American author Tana French, The Secret Place (2014) combines elements of thrillers and police procedurals and follows Dublin detectives Stephen Moran and Antoinette Conway as they pursue new leads in a year-old murder case on the grounds of a private Catholic boarding school. As the detectives sort through hidden pieces of evidence and conflicting stories, they interview two groups of female students who provide only partial, often conflicting stories. The murder victim... Read The Secret Place Summary

Publication year 2026

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Love, Memory, Femininity, Race, The Past, Daughters & Sons, Family, Mothers, Colonialism, Fate, Literature, Religion & Spirituality, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction

The Seven Daughters of Dupree (2026) is a multi-generational historical novel by Nikesha Elise Williams. The narrative begins in 1995 with 14-year-old Tati Washington, whose quest to learn the identity of her absent father uncovers a long and painful history of matrilineal secrets. Tati’s story is interwoven with the lives of six generations of her ancestors, tracing their lineage back to an enslaved woman on an Alabama plantation in the 1860s. Through the interconnected stories... Read The Seven Daughters of Dupree Summary

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Forgiveness, Hope, Loneliness, Memory, Nostalgia, Revenge, Femininity, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Death, The Past, Daughters & Sons, Family, Mothers, Equality, Emotions/Behavior: Courage

Tags Horror & Suspense, Italian Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Plants, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Femininity, Science & Technology, Marriage

Tags Historical Fiction, Science & Nature, Age of Enlightenment, Realistic Fiction, World History

IntroductionThe Signature of All Things is an adult historical novel by American author Elizabeth Gilbert. It was published by Penguin Random House in 2013, and Gilbert had already established herself on the New York Times bestseller list with her two memoirs, Eat, Pray, Love (2006) and Committed (2010), after garnering critical acclaim for her earlier fiction, biographies, and magazine journalism.The Signature of All Things spans the life of the fictional Alma Whittaker, a keenly curious... Read The Signature of All Things Summary

Publication year 2023

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Femininity, Teamwork, Politics & Government

Tags Historical Nonfiction, US History, Women`s Studies, Gender & Feminism, Politics & Government, Espionage

Publication year 2014

Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction

Themes Memory, Revenge, Femininity, Gender Identity, Aging, Social Class, Beauty, Good & Evil, Literature, Power & Greed

Tags Fantasy, Fairy Tale & Folklore

The Sleeper and the Spindle is a standalone short story written by English American author Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Chris Riddell. It first appeared unillustrated in the 2013 anthology Rag & Bones: New Twists on Timeless Tales. The story is a loose retelling of Sleeping Beauty, featuring two unnamed female characters who act as reimagined versions of the sleeping princess and of Snow White. It uses classic fairy tale tropes and motifs to upend... Read The Sleeper and the Spindle Summary

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Conflict, Perseverance, Guilt, Loneliness, Regret, Femininity, Indigenous Identity, Masculinity, Race, The Past, Environment, Place, Daughters & Sons, Fathers, Grandparents, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Nation, War, Fate, Power & Greed, Wins & Losses

Tags Historical Fiction, Western, US History, World History

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Forgiveness, Grief, Memory, Femininity, Death

Tags World History

Lesley Crewe’s 2020 novel, The Spoon Stealer, is a contemporary family saga with significant historical fiction elements. The story is framed by the experiences of Emmeline Darling, a 74-year-old woman living a quiet life in a small English coastal town. To combat loneliness, she joins a local memoir-writing class and begins to unfurl the story of her life, starting with her birth in 1894 on a rural Nova Scotia farm. As Emmeline reads her story... Read The Spoon Stealer Summary

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Femininity, Politics & Government, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Horror & Suspense, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+

Caitlin Starling’s The Starving Saints (2025) is a historical fantasy from the award-winning author of The Luminous Dead and The Death of Jane Lawrence. Starling is known for her atmospheric and psychologically tense books, with previous novels winning the Locus and Bram Stoker Awards. Set within a castle that has been under siege for six months, The Starving Saints follows three women as their society collapses under the pressure of imminent starvation. The novel uses... Read The Starving Saints Summary

Publication year 1989

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Love, Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Femininity, Literature, Power & Greed

Tags Magical Realism, Historical Fiction, Latin American Literature, Romance, Classic Fiction

The Stories of Eva Luna is a collection of short fiction by best-selling Chilean author Isabel Allende. The collection—first published in Spanish in 1989 and in English in 1991—is a follow-up to Allende’s 1987 novel, Eva Luna. Eva is the narrator of the stories in the collection, which is structured as a frame story with the Prologue harkening back to Eva Luna.Isabel Allende is famed for her work in the genre of magical realism and... Read The Stories of Eva Luna Summary

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Femininity, Literature

Tags Historical Fiction, Italian Literature, Gender & Feminism, Women`s Studies, Modern Classic Fiction

The Story of the Lost Child by Elena Ferrante is the fourth and final book in the Neapolitan Novel quartet, which documents the lives and friendship of Elena Greco and Lila Cerullo. The book appeared in Italian in 2014 and was translated into English by Ann Goldstein in 2015. In 2016, it made the International Booker Prize Longlist. The quartet has achieved worldwide renown, causing the pseudonymous author to become a household name. In her... Read The Story of the Lost Child Summary

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Good & Evil, Femininity, Environment

Tags Science Fiction, LGBTQ+, Gender & Feminism, Health, Science & Nature, Chinese Literature, Fantasy

The Tiger Flu by Larissa Lai is a work of dystopian speculative fiction first published in 2018 by Arsenal Pulp Press, an independent publisher based in Vancouver, Canada. With its focus on futuristic technologies that merge and manipulate human biology, The Tiger Flu can be subclassified as a cyber/biopunk thriller. The book won the 2019 Lambda Literary Award, which recognizes and celebrates the best LGBTQ books of the year. A Chinese Canadian, lesbian writer, Larissa... Read The Tiger Flu Summary