I’m always amazed by how wide-ranging fiction (and nonfiction) can be when it comes to narrative voice. Tense, prose, style…it all plays such a part in how we read a book. Here are some diverse “women’s fiction” I’ve been reading lately…
–Marissa
A Window Opens by Elisabeth Egan has been getting early buzz since the summer, so I finally nabbed it when it was released. Alice is the everywoman – mother, wife, employee (a book editor), friend and so forth. When her husband makes a drastic career choice, Alice has to get on the bandwagon and become the breadwinner – at a new startup that is going to change the face of reading. As her job becomes more all-consuming, more than just the hours in the day fall apart…everything does. Will Alice be able to juggle it all? This is a smartly written, easily relatable title, with a lot of little “love letters” to those of us addicted to the written word. 😉
A Reluctant Bride by Kathleen Fuller surprised me – in a good way. I don’t read a lot of Christian fiction, but every once in a while, a title gets a great review and sounds not so “cookie cutter”. This one is just that. Set in a current Amish community, this emotional novel is about Sadie, a devout daughter and sister who loses her family in tragic circumstances. Through several twists of fate, she ends up marrying Aden, who has demons of his own. Their romance is written in a really genuine, emotion-filled way, and this novel surprised me with its depth, wide-ranging plot points and overall demeanor. Highly recommended!
Who Do You Love by Jennifer Weiner is classic Weiner – smart, well-written, and with a good balance of romance and women’s fiction. Rachel and Andy meet as children, then, through the twists and turns of life, reunite periodically – with both good and bad results. Another winner from Weiner!
I also just read Wildflower by Drew Barrymore. Less a “celebrity memoir”, this is instead a collection of stories and vignettes from her life, ranging from her very early childhood to the more recent birth of her daughters. Her voice is genuine, interesting, and imminently readable.
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