From historical fiction to science fiction to young adult romance, women have authored amazing books over the decades. National Book Awards, Pulitzer Prizes, Hugo Awards, and countless Booker Prizes have been awarded to female authors for their contributions to literature.
This list celebrates these voices and authors. We've compiled a list of some of the best books written by female authors across a variety of genres, time periods, topics, and styles. Whether you are an avid listener or jumping into audiobooks for the first time, there is a story—and a voice—for everyone to enjoy. Browse our list, find your favourites, and start listening to some of these amazing award-winning titles by women.
Set in India, Heat and Dust by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala is the story of a woman who turns her back on social conventions and the life that was expected of her. Seeking adventure and passion, Olivia leaves her English husband, Douglas, a member of the Indian Civil Service, for an affair with an Indian prince. Fifty years later, Douglas’s granddaughter returns to India, along with Olivia’s personal letters, to learn for herself what was so enticing about the country, culture, and people of India that it took Olivia so far from her former life. The narrative follows both Olivia throughout the 1920s and the storyline of the granddaughter (whose name is never revealed), as the two women discover and explore India.
Heat and Dust is a story of female independence, love, and strong women that make their own way in the world. Just as Olivia made the choice to leave her former life, Douglas’s granddaughter also forges her own path as she herself explores the sights, sounds and feel of a new world. There are also strong undertones of taboos, cultural stigma, gender biases, and racial tensions not only within the context of the 1920s but also more widely, as the novel was originally written and published in 1975. It was the winner of the Booker Prize that same year, and ranked by The Telegraph in 2014 as one of the 10 all-time greatest Asian novels.
British actress Julie Christie, who played the granddaughter in a 1983 film adaptation of Jhabvala’s acclaimed work of historical fiction, narrates this Audible Original audiobook.
The Sea, the Sea, by Iris Murdoch is another classic award winner. It won the Man Booker Prize in 1978, and Murdoch is well known as one of the greatest writers of the 20th century. One of her best books, The Sea, the Sea was adapted in 2020 and narrated by Richard E. Grant as part of the Penguin Vintage Classics series.
This acclaimed novel is a timeless story of Charles Arrowby, who sets about living a quiet secluded life by the sea. His intention is to become like a hermit, keeping to himself, swimming, and writing his memoirs. He is seeking a simple life, a secluded life, and—he hopes—a good life. But all of this is derailed when he encounters his childhood sweetheart. Hartley brings to mind not only the magic of young love but also the importance of companionship, and soon Arrowby finds himself questioning his need for solitude.
What results is a masterful story of passion, desire, human nature, and the need for connection. The novel also places vanity, self-obsession, and egounder the microscope . Despite his initial desire for solitude, Arrowby is anything but quiet and gracious, and Murdoch expresses just how selfish, vain, and full of himself he really is. His desire for hermitage is merely a romanticised idea of how a playwright might or should live. Murdoch writes this flawed character with assurance, creating a story that is engaging and entertaining even as her protagonist is generally unlikeable. She adds humour and wit, while still focusing on the depth (and darkness) of human nature.
Another best seller on our list of award-winning fiction books by women is the 1984 Booker Prize winner, Hotel du Lac. This classic novel is a great example of women in literature, as it follows the main character, Edith, through her exile to the hotel, and the resulting journey of self-discovery and self-realization. Author Anita Brookner brings Edith fully to life in all her flighty, impulsive ways, and then deftly documents the shift that takes place as Edith steps away from her life— after an affair and a broken engagement—and begins to reflect.
As she watches other hotel guests around her, Edith becomes more aware of herself and, in turn, the place she as a woman is supposed to (or is expected to) hold in society and in a marriage. Eventually, she finds her own way, rejecting the labels and molds so often pushed on her and other women of the time. Brookner writes a powerful and reflective story that is a hallmark of women's literature and a National Book Award winner.
BAFTA Award-winning actress Anna Massey narrates this 2014 audiobook adaptation. She brings her own strong female voice to the reading of Hotel du Lac, delivering the tale with purpose, strength, and feeling.
Offshore was the third novel written by female author icon Penelope Fitzgerald, and was a resounding success. It was reviewed in The New York Times Book Review, as well as The Independent and The Guardian, winning the Booker Prize in its release year, 1979. This book prize win was highly controversial, and Fitzgerald's surprise win was regarded with much scorn and petty jealousy. Today, though, this novel is considered one of her best and a shining example of her voice and tone.
The story follows Nenna, a woman estranged from her husband and living on a moored barge along the Thames in 1961 with her two daughters. The narrative is thought to be inspired by Fitzgerald's own time spent living in a houseboat on the London river, and the realness and depth with which she describes her setting and characters shines through. Like other titles on this list, it is an excellent example of women's writing and of a strong female character.
A perfect addition to any list of award-winning books by female authors, Offshore has stood the test of time, remaining a much loved classic novel and featuring on book lists of all types. This audiobook adaptation is narrated by Jot Davies, Alan Hollinghurst, and Stephanie Racine, who together build a world that listeners can easily fall into. The multiple-voice cast adds depth and character that brings the story to life and will engross listeners everywhere.
Author Margaret Atwood is one of the most decorated, acclaimed, and loved writers of all time. She has won numerous literary awards, from the Governor General's Award and an Order of Canada to two Booker Prize distinctions and a Nebula Award. From her debut novel The Edible Woman and countless short stories to her new book of poetry, Dearly, her works continually add to her reputation as an impressive woman writer.
In 2019, nearly 25 years after the publication of her best-selling dystopian novel, The Handmaid's Tale, Atwood released the long-awaited, highly anticipated sequel, The Testaments. This novel follows Aunt Lydia, Agnes, and Daisy, taking place some 15 years after the original story. Each character shows a different side of womanhood—especially in the context of the oppressive world of Gilead, offering a powerful commentary on gender, women, and identity. The Testaments continues this sentiment, and through its characters, questions and attempts to subvert some of these continued roles and restrictions.
Powerful, engaging, and a masterful display of storytelling, The Testaments was a joint winner of the 2019 Booker Prize for fiction. The audiobook adaptation is narrated by a cast of voices: Ann Dowd, Bryce Dallas Howard, Mae Whitman, Derek Jacobi, Tantoo Cardinal, and Margaret Atwood herself. Together these strong voices celebrate Atwood's work and offer a wonderful performance for an absolutely must-listen experience.
Another powerful award-winning audiobook is Girl, Woman, Other. This multi-voiced novel won the 2019 Booker Prize, distinguishing author Bernardine Evaristo as the first Black woman to receive this prestigious literary honor in the English language, and was shortlisted for the coveted Women's Prize for Fiction in 2020. In this exploration of womanhood and identity, Evaristo highlights 12 female characters and follows their journeys across different times and different cities in England. The result is a powerful mosaic of Black British women, their experiences, and their stories, which although each unique, are all connected by their search—their need—for something more.
Girl, Woman, Other celebrates women in all their diversity and strength. The characters range from a young lesbian playwright to a successful investment banker, from a middle-aged house cleaner to a nonbinary social media influencer, from a jaded schoolteacher to a 93-year-old woman living on a farm. Despite their widely differing circumstances, these women are all connected, whether through family, friendship, or career. In a way that feels genuine and cohesive, the novel captures their common bonds and shared experiences of womanhood.
Anna-Maria Nabirye narrates with a similar power and familiarity, telling their intersecting tales with clarity, passion, and feeling. Her voice is extremely well suited to the style and subject matter of the novel, and the result is a moving, engaging listen that will leave you thinking.
Next on our list of award-winning books by women is Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. This novel won the Man Booker Prize and was one of the finalists shortlisted for the Orange Prize and Costa Novel Award. This fabulous example of historical fiction takes place in 1520 and features characters such as Henry VIII, Cardinal Wolsey, and Thomas Cromwell. Exploring English history as an English writer, Mantel tackles these topics and historical events with flair, creating a dynamic and entertaining tale while staying true to the facts.
Wolf Hall is the first novel in the Wolf Hall trilogy, which continues the political and personal stories of the time. The audiobook adaptation is narrated by Ben Miles, who played Thomas Cromwell in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s dramatisation of the novel. He adds the same level of excitement and passion to this reading as he did to his acting, making it a must-listen experience.
The Long Song is a beautiful, haunting, and extremely powerful novel about a young African American slave girl in 1851. While author Andrea Levy does not shy away from hard truths, painful facts, and historical prejudices that drive the story, she does not let tough topics overpower her main character, making this a stunning work of women's literature.
This work was Levy’s final novel, and it was extremely well received. It was shortlisted for the 2010 Man Booker Prize and won the Walter Scott Prize in 2011 for historical fiction. It was also named a Notable Book of the Year by The New York Times Book Review.
Levy's writing has been praised for its dynamic, deep sense of a character—a quality which translates well into audiobook format. Adrian Lester and Andrea Levy herself narrate, blending their voices to bring this complex and deep story to life with all the drama, emotion, and nuance that its setting, plot, and characters deserve. The Long Song makes an excellent addition to our list of award-winning books written by women.
Milkman by Irish author Anna Burns won the 2018 Man Booker Prize and was shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction in 2019. Like the other titles featured here, Milkman is a powerful look at a woman's place and role in society, and the stigmas and strings attached to gender expectations.
Burns creates a dangerous and intriguing story which sets the stage perfectly for a dark tale of what is said and what is unsaid. Milkman takes a hard look at how inaction, gossip, and assumptions can run wild, twist and turn and—potentially— cause more and more damage along the way.
Brid Brennan narrates this gripping story, adding nuance and pauses in the right places to help build tension and develop the mood of the story. The result is an audiobook that cannot be missed. Its social commentary and dark undertones are brought to life in audio form, adding to the listening experience.
Last but not least on the list of best books by women is The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton. This novel stands as a triumph for women authors, as Wharton was the very first woman author to win the Pulitzer Prize. The Age of Innocence won the prestigious award in 1921, marking a historic win and a milestone in women's literature. Since then, this novel has become a much loved classic of American fiction as well as a staple of women's studies.
Set in the 1870s, The Age of Innocence depicts a love story threatened by scandal within the snobbish, upper class New York society. Wharton understands this world exceptionally well, as she herself was brought up in a similar setting. Her deep understanding of the hypocrisy, elitist mentality, and ego of the upper class New Yorkers helps her create a genuine sense of drama and dilemma for her fully drawn characters.
This audiobook adaptation is narrated by David Horvitch, who brings a striking and moving performance to this award-winning story. The Age of Innocence is a must-add to any listener's library and the perfect culmination of our roundup.
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