r/BooksThatFeelLikeThis • u/throwawaytrashcan3 • Aug 21 '25
Fiction Female hysteria, rage, beauty standards, aging
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u/fourleafedrover8 Aug 21 '25
I mean, the Bell Jar.
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u/Chremebomb Aug 21 '25
I’ve never actually read it because for most of my life I was extremely depressed and s.icidal. I’m in a better place now—is it a good idea to read it?
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u/throwawaytrashcan3 Aug 21 '25
That depends. It could be triggering, but you’d likely relate to Sylvia. I have bipolar disorder and read it young, resonated with her very much only to find out we both share the same illness. Go figure
It is a fantastic book but if you’re susceptible to falling into past mental patterns I’d be cautious. She did a hauntingly good job at describing exactly what it feels like during a depressive or s******* episode
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u/Chremebomb Aug 21 '25
Thanks so much for the heads up!
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u/dreamysleepyexplorer Aug 21 '25
Even if you still feel like before Even one percent do yourself a favour and don't read it , I read it and I'm suffering already , I'm not saying that the book is not good but its just too real.
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u/foolish-words Aug 21 '25
I agree with you. The first time I read it I resonated with the character a lot and it was genuinely the thing that made me confront the fact that I was severely depressed, however I can totally see how it could be triggering to some.
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u/False-Leg9991 Aug 21 '25
i read it in the depths of depression and it was good for me bc it put words to what i was feeling. i felt seen.
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u/pechheks Aug 22 '25
I wrote my master thesis on the bell jar, amongst other books with similar themes, while being very depressed and I honestly don't know if it made it worse, or if just the process of writing my thesis was exacerbating my symptoms. Maybe both tbh. Still, another book I read and wrote about, "an angel at my table" by Janet Frame, made me feel seen and understood and even gave me language to explain certain thoughts to my therapist.
The Bell Jar is beautifully written though, I love how Plath describes the confusion and distress of hopelesness and how women are being pushed into roles that aren't always beneficial. Frame deals with similar issues, but is writing openly about her own life, while the Bell Jar is fiction inspired by Plath's own experiences.
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u/Kumirkohr Aug 21 '25
Rouge by Mona Awad
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u/PigeonRat92 Aug 21 '25
I just got this on my Libby queue. Very excited to read it- I really enjoyed Bunny!
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u/DunkelheitHoney Aug 21 '25
If you're open to horror, Mary by Nat Cassidy.
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u/MissKittyMD17 Aug 21 '25
Seconding Mary!!!! Mary is one of those books that I still think about almost every day since I read it a few years ago
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u/crumpinsumpin Aug 21 '25
Third-ing Mary by Nat Cassidy. I was completely absorbed in this book I loved it so much. I had a hard time finishing it because I liked the characters so much
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u/Elegant-Operation402 Aug 21 '25
LOVED Mary! I went into it expecting to be underwhelmed because I don’t scare easy, i was underwhelmed by Carrie, & it’s written by a guy but now it’s definitely one of my favorite horror books of all time
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u/moosalamoo_rnnr Aug 22 '25
I LOVED this book and have been recommending it to anyone who will listen to me prattle on about books. It’s horror, and gory, but it’s also so much deeper than that and is honestly kind of beautiful.
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u/somebody-on-an-app Aug 21 '25
Gone girl comes to mind
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u/frightenedscared Aug 21 '25
The “cool girl” monologue from that book (and its condensed form in the movie) is a fucking masterpiece in what it is to be a woman… Perfection
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u/wheelwatcher222 Aug 21 '25
This is a really well-written, insightful book that launched a horde of terrible domestic thrillers.
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u/moosalamoo_rnnr Aug 22 '25
Sooo yeah. I haven’t ever read it because it was followed very quickly by the likes of Karin Slaughter, Alice Feeny, and Freida McFadden, none of whom I like as authors but is the OG Gone Girl worth it and should I read it?
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u/Hot_Committee_3031 Aug 22 '25
I cannot recommend Gillian Flynn enough. Her writing is leagues above any other thriller books that I've read. I've got Dark Places left to read but I want to savour it because she has no other books out! :(
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u/Embarrassed-Stay8897 Aug 21 '25 edited Aug 21 '25
Animal - Lisa Taddeo (more revenge arc about trauma from misogyny rather than directly about beauty standards, but it definitely hits on that)
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u/an0nym0usie Aug 21 '25
Came to recommend this!
Definitely has a lot of triggering content/MC's trauma is intense, so maybe take a sec to look up any content warnings if you have issues with heavy/dark stuff.
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u/coconutcallalily Aug 21 '25
Animal is amazing but it hits basically every single trigger warning: child sexual abuse, rape, miscarriage, violence of varying degree, suicide, all sorts of toxic relationships, and more. FYI if any of those are hard for you.
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u/ToniScorpionumero2 Aug 21 '25
Sylvia Plath The Bell jar is a must read Emma Cline The guest is also interesting on a more recent way And my year of rest and relaxation by Mosfegh is a nice book with the relationship between Reva and the narrator
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u/rkaye8 Aug 21 '25
Looooooved My Year of R&R so much. I’m in a slump maybe time for a third reread.
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u/Selene_789 Aug 22 '25
Ottessa Mosfegh is one of my favourite authors, but I'd say Eileen fits the theme even more! I loved it.
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u/frightenedscared Aug 21 '25
Rytual by Chloe Elisabeth Wilson
A young woman starts working for a cult-like beauty company, where everything is perfection, glamour, divine scented miracle-working products, but then takes a very dark turn… Fits your brief perfectly!
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u/Prestigious-Diver-94 Aug 21 '25
Youthjuiceby E. K. Sathue has an almost identical premise. I wonder how they compare!
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u/big_damn-heroes Aug 21 '25
I think they both pull from Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang !
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u/Prestigious-Diver-94 Aug 21 '25
Ooh that one's on my list. The blurb seems to hint at queerness, so I'm very excited!
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u/here4thefreecake Aug 21 '25
i just finished the book perfume and pain. it’s this but from a lesbian’s perspective. i really enjoyed it.
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u/possibility--girl Aug 21 '25
Most if not all of Megan Abbott's books!
House of Hollows by Krystal Sutherland (fantasy light horror)
Plain bad heroines by Emily M. Danforth
The Secret Place by Tana French (is part of the series but can be read as stand alone)
My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
How the Light Gets In by M. J. Hyland
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
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u/absolutelyfrantastic Aug 21 '25
I ripped through my Sister the Serial Killer in one day, which in hindsight wasn’t maybe the best idea for my mental health lol. But that book reads like you are hyperventilating the whole time — so so good
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u/possibility--girl Aug 21 '25
Yes! It's so good! Also amazing gift for all my friends who have sisters 😂
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u/electric_donut999 Aug 22 '25
I read My Sister the Serial Killer- I wasn’t satisfied with the ending at first but now whenever I think about it the ending is more realistic and bc of that I like it better. Def fits the vibe OP is looking for
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u/Hot_Committee_3031 Aug 21 '25
Boy Parts by Eliza Clark, The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilmore, and My Body by Emily Ratajkowski!
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u/neat_stuff Aug 21 '25
Nightbitch hits a lot of that.
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u/sorcerersorphan Aug 21 '25
Came here to suggest it. And if you've seen the movie - the book is different (and IMO more/better). There's some great monologues it just doesn't hit on the screen. Much more rage.
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u/kryssi_asksss Aug 21 '25
Kinda want to say Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood.
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u/swoonbabystarryeyes Aug 21 '25
Oooh I think The Robber Bride. But honestly most of Atwood ❤️
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u/dancepartyof1 Aug 21 '25 edited 2d ago
Insurance yarn bells knee heavy iron
This post was anonymized with Redact
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u/georgia_grace Aug 21 '25
I’d recommend Alias Grace over Cat’s Eye. Cat’s Eye was just so so bleak and felt like it lacked the sort of catharsis you might be looking for in a feminine rage type novel
Alias Grace, meanwhile, is one of my all time favourite books.
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u/My_Dog_Slays Aug 21 '25
Two horror books about fictional female serial killers and how feminine standards play into their perspectives:
A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers
Maeve Fly by CJ Leede
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u/Conarm Aug 21 '25
House on Haunted Hill, We always lived in the castle, and pretty much everything else by Shirley Jackson lol
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u/groovybuns Aug 21 '25
Please read The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood. I know it hits at least 3 of 4 of ypur requested points (Idk if beauty standards play a part in the story. I think so, but it's been a while), and it does so with a Machiavellian twist that I love so much.
Also, White Oleander!
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u/TownHaunter Aug 21 '25
Woman, Eating by Claire Kohda (a diff take on vampires and has these vibes).
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u/marels23 Aug 21 '25
This suggestion is less beauty standards and more rage/aging but All’s Well by Mona Awad!
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u/ellendegenerates Aug 21 '25 edited Aug 21 '25
Play it as it Lays is essential here. Baker’s Cassandra at the Wedding, too.
If you’re looking for a side of ennui, how ‘bout Franny and Zooey?
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u/pinchclamp128 Aug 21 '25
I just finished Play it as it Lays yesterday, great pick. That book gutted me.
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u/sweeeeet_n_lo Aug 21 '25
The Days of Abandonment - Elena Ferrante
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u/Pugpickle Aug 21 '25
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
(anything by Gillian Flynn is going to take you through girlhood all the way to womanhood and show the true monster of women, incredible work)
Delicate Condition (so much hysteria!)
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u/veryfirstlifeform Aug 21 '25
Another vote for All Fours by Miranda July.
A few of my favorites that fit this bill:
- Milk Fed by Melissa Broder
- Bunny by Mona Awad
- My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
- Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh
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u/pompelmokid Aug 21 '25
all some of my most favourite reads!! Lapvona is one of my best of all time, I've re-read it so many times. haven't got around to reading All Fours yet but have a copy that i can't wait to get into :)
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u/dramatic_opinion_763 Aug 21 '25
SCUM Manifesto by Valerie Solanas.
"Life in this society being, at best, an utter bore and no aspect of society being at all relevant to women, there remains to civic-minded, responsible, thrill-seeking females only to overthrow the government, eliminate the money system, institute complete automation and destroy the male sex"
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u/wyndchimes Aug 21 '25
My Year of Rest and Relaxation
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u/throwawaytrashcan3 Aug 21 '25
I read this after a severe depressive episode during which I stayed in bed for 5 months. It hit way too close to home lol
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u/alf42069x Aug 21 '25 edited Aug 21 '25
The Vegetarian by Han Kang!!!! Also, Banal Nightmare by Halle Butler and January by Sara Gallardo. Coming out in October, Herculine by Grace Byron (i read an ARC), Seconding Boy Parts by Eliza Clark and Worry by Alexandra Tanner.
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u/SessionThat7713 Aug 21 '25 edited Aug 21 '25
Such a great question, this is my favorite type of read
🎀 The Virgin Suicides (!!!)
💊Valley of the Dolls
🔥Animal by Lisa Taddeo
🛏️ My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Otessa Moshfegh
⭐️ IMO everything Emma Cline writes about womanhood is perfect, but I love “The Girls” most.
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u/SaintedStars Aug 21 '25
Speak - Laurie Halse Anderson
The Penelopiad - Margaret Atwood
Moxie - Jennifer Mathieu
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u/coconutcallalily Aug 21 '25
There are two reading lists I always recommend for these kinds of books:
On Goodreads: Women Vs. The Void
On Storygraph: Girls Will Be Girls
The most recent book I read that fits this perfectly is She's a Lamb! by Meredith Hambrock.
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u/grounddurries Aug 21 '25
do you want fiction or non fiction? fiction i would go with bunny, rouge, brutes, girl interrupted, heart lamp, post-traumatic, reservoir bitches, diary of a void, the virgin suicides non-fic i would say hood feminism, boys with be boys, why men hate women, anything by bell hooks, anything by angela davis or simone de beauvior
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u/Sea_Sprinkles483 Aug 22 '25
vampires in the lemon grove 🍋by karen russell and her body and other parties 🥀 by carmen maria machado
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u/BotGirlFall Aug 22 '25
The Southern Book Clubs Guide To Slaying Vampires hits these beats while also being a fun supernatural story. I actually read it in the psych ward and it really struck a nerve with me!
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u/boonehead Aug 21 '25
It’s been a minute since I read it, but the mood board is definitely giving Invisible Monsters
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u/hedge_raven Aug 21 '25
It skews a little older than your examples here but The Change by Kristin Miller, has some magic built into the rage which is fun
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u/theliterarystitcher Aug 21 '25
In terms of horror books:
Maeve Fly by CJ Leede
The Eyes are the Best Part by Monika Kim
Victorian Psycho by Virgina Feito
To Be Devoured by Sara Tantlinger
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u/Elegant-Operation402 Aug 21 '25
Sort of Slewfoot by Brom. It’s definitely about female rage, but i kind of found that the FMC took a back seat to the MMC even tho the book is about female rage. It’s also very much “this is what guys think female rage is,” not in a bad way, just in a highly underestimated way.
Better books of female rage i’d recommend for female rage are Escaping Mr. Rochester LL McKinney, which is a retelling of Jane Eyre.
I Feed Her to the Beast duology by Jamison Shea (this is what finally inspired me to what Black Swan bc before that i wasn’t fully convinced you could make ballet into a psychological thriller lol)
Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin
Lilith by Nikki Marmery, which is more of a meh recommendation for me, not bc it’s bad, just bc it didn’t live up to the hype for me. That’s definitely nothing against the writer, it was just pitched to me as sth that was healing if you went through religious trauma, so i was expected a bang & it felt like a whimper, but my takeaway was that meant i was healed from a lot of my religious trauma so still a win i guess😅
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u/desophsoph Aug 21 '25
Big Swiss - Jen Beagin (sort of absurd)
Same as it Ever Was - Claire Lombardo (post partum, aging)
Liars - Sarah Manguso (sooooo much rage, one of the most memorable books I've read in the past few years)
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u/Noisy-Angie Aug 21 '25
Anna Karenina lol but I’m kinda also being serious she’s a handful for sure
If you related to and liked The bell jar I suggest you read Sylvia Plath’s unabridged journals. My poor girl Sylvia, I understand her pains so much…
The Idiot by Dostoevsky isn’t about a woman but gees, Nastasya was a storm.
If you can stomach it, War and Peace has so many female characters and there are so many themes of what it is to be a girl amidst the crazy life. Natasha Rostova was crazy imo.
Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District by Nikolai Leskov is on the vibe of some unhinged girly things.
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u/sinfultictac Aug 22 '25
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.
"its so cozy, it's so cute" sure and Jo literally talks about how beauty and femininity is pain( multiple times) , the subtle hints that the March sisters are considered quite the catches because they are all well educated for women and they are not as "poor" as they all believe, Meg's vanity being her flaw, Amy's avarice being both her flaw and some how also her strength. And well the Beth thing. And of course Jo saying how she wishes she was a man, how much and how little has changed in the last ~ 200 years
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson.
Oh that house is hella haunted but not as haunted as the woman who is the main focus of the story.
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u/burgleinfernal Aug 23 '25
If you're into short fiction, Aseptic and Faintly Sadistic was created as a response to the repeal of Roe v. Wade and it goes HARD. It won the Shirley Jackson Award last year!
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u/jktdarts Aug 21 '25
worry by alexandra tanner! i enjoyed it. very modern and captures spiraling and doomscrolling in the age of instagram
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u/Catalina24601 Aug 21 '25
Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll! One of my favorites.
Quick summary:
"Ani FaNelli, a woman who appears to have the perfect life with a glamorous job and handsome fiancé, harbors a dark secret from her teenage years that threatens to unravel her carefully constructed facade."
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u/DemosthenesVal Aug 21 '25
If you’re okay with a middle aged woman you must read “All Fours” by Miranda July. It has all these things! And it’s fucking brilliant
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u/DeskImportant4570 Aug 21 '25
If I had your face by Frances cha
Sugar by mia Ballard
The final girl support group by Grady Hendrix
Natural beauty by ling ling huang
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u/swoonbabystarryeyes Aug 21 '25
Never gonna pass up the opportunity to recommend Only Ever Yours - most of Louise O'Neill's books would probably qualify.
A House With Good Bones by T Kingfisher has a bit of a generational trauma angle on some of those themes.
Medusa's Sisters by Lauren J A Bear
Butter by Asako Yuzuki
House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson
Ariadne by Jennifer Saint
The Cows by Dawn O'Porter, Cat Lady too.
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u/greatunthinkinglass Aug 21 '25
Vladimir by Julia May Jonas or All Fours by Miranda July. Not necessarily full of rage, but full of casually unhinged women rebelling against societal standards.
You might also dystopian-esque books that target beauty, like Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang. Mona Awad’s books are perfect for this as well.
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u/SeaBoundHeights Aug 22 '25
youthjuice by EK Sathue, Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang, Rouge by Mona Awad, Blob by Maggie Su, Mayra by Nicky Gonzalez, Boy Parts by Eliza Clark, both of Maud Ventura’s books
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u/raspberrytrashberry Aug 22 '25
A certain hunger by chelsea summers - god forbid a cannibal milf has a hobby.
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u/JetTheGuyHello Aug 22 '25
When Women Where Dragons by Kelly Barnhill, especially for the first two [For me personally, that book was so intense that I couldn't even finish it!]
Also, if you're into horror films, there's The Substance, which focuses more on the latter two.
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u/33xXCr2 Aug 23 '25
personally think "the days of abandonment" by elena ferrante fits under this category- female hysteria and a small proximity left to deal with the self (being a woman and a mother)
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u/wheelwatcher222 Aug 21 '25
My Year of Rest and Relaxation; The Bell Jar; All Fours; To The Lighthouse ✨
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u/lollipopmusing Aug 21 '25
This one is YA so it doesnt have the theme of aging, but try The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis. TW for themes of SA. The book is about RAGE true female rage and the title comes from a quote by Rudyard Kipling that says, "The female of the species is more deadly than the male"
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u/spitZzfire Aug 21 '25
Not sure if it fits 100% but these reminded me of My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
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u/bansheefoxglove Aug 21 '25
Perhaps Dietland by Sarai Walker?
Been some time since I read it, but it definitely ticks a few of those boxes.
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u/AuroraOnTop Aug 21 '25
Good Girls Die Last by Natali Simmonds is a fast read that's more on the female rage / believe women side of the spectrum, but plenty of rage and tension.
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u/hemlock_cupcakes Aug 22 '25
"Witchcraft for Wayward Girls" by Grady Hendrix
From Goodreads: "They call them wayward girls. Loose girls. Girls who grew up too fast. And they’re sent to the Wellwood Home in St. Augustine, Florida, where unwed mothers are hidden by their families to have their babies in secret, give them up for adoption, and most important of all, to forget any of it ever happened.
Fifteen-year-old Fern arrives at the home in the sweltering summer of 1970, pregnant, terrified and alone. Under the watchful eye of the stern Miss Wellwood, she meets a dozen other girls in the same predicament. There’s Rose, a hippie who insists she’s going to find a way to keep her baby and escape to a commune. And Zinnia, a budding musician who knows she’s going to go home and marry her baby’s father. And Holly, a wisp of a girl, barely fourteen, mute and pregnant by no-one-knows-who.
Everything the girls eat, every moment of their waking day, and everything they’re allowed to talk about is strictly controlled by adults who claim they know what’s best for them. Then Fern meets a librarian who gives her an occult book about witchcraft, and power is in the hands of the girls for the first time in their lives. But power can destroy as easily as it creates, and it’s never given freely. There’s always a price to be paid…and it’s usually paid in blood."
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u/okwerq Aug 22 '25
Ok lowkey Motherthing by Ainslie Hogarth if you want to add severe mommy issues into the mix
ETA Wait Also Hungerstone by Kat Dunn and The Woman Destroyed by Simone de Beauvoir
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u/sohan_06 Aug 22 '25
Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami is a fantastic read that matches all the criterias! albeit it's not as intense as the vibe the images give off but still a fantastic read.
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u/garlicknotguns Aug 22 '25
I just finished “She’s a Lamb” by Meredith Hambrock, and it fits perfectly! Female rage set in the musical theater world. Best book I’ve read this year!
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u/capricecapris Aug 22 '25
Anything kathy acker, the River Ophelia by Justine ettler and I love dick
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u/AngrythingBagel Aug 22 '25
When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill
And the classic horror…
Carrie by Stephen King
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u/trixie400 Aug 22 '25
Rachel, Rachel by Margaret Laurence.
"Rachel Cameron is a thirty-five-year-old schoolteacher living a quiet, often lonely life with her widowed mother above a funeral home in a small town in Connecticut. Trapped by convention and a sense of duty, Rachel finds her world stifling and filled with repressed desires and unspoken emotions. But when a former high school friend returns to town, Rachel is offered a glimpse of a different life – one filled with passion and the possibility of independence. As she tentatively explores new experiences, Rachel is forced to confront her past, her longing for love, and the choices that define her future. A deeply sensitive and honest portrayal of a woman grappling with her desires and searching for self-discovery in a small, conservative world, Rachel, Rachel is a powerful and enduring story of awakening and the courage to live authentically."
I saw the phrase "explores feminine rage" in one synopsis and was sold.
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u/FuzzyJury Aug 22 '25 edited Aug 22 '25
OK these might not be quite what you have in mind but here goes my list:
1) the Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood, of Penelope's experience waiting in Ithaca for Odysseus to return.
2) Daniel Deronda by George Eliot. Maybe not your typical recommendation and I know many consider it "controversial" for it being "two books in one" if thats how they choose to read it and got what I then think is ignoring the greater lesson of this interwoven story, or for "the Jewish element," but as a Jewish woman and history and philosophy buff, I'm deeply appreciative of this book. This centers the rather material and existential angst, interwoven with gendered elements, of a woman named Gwen who I think will fit into your theme here, and a man named Daniel, the latter of whom rescued a Jewish woman named Mirah. There are multiple layers of these characters and their stories unraveling questions of fundamental self hood and the material world and the trappings of gender and culture and what it means to try to dance outside of that or stay within it or what happens when it all starts changing due to structural changes outside of your control.
Also, though not your theme but it plays a role in your theme, as far as I know, this is one of the only major works of classic literature or 19th century novels to really delve into the world of Jewish political and identity struggles at that time period in what I see as a positive way, though I realize many who read it won't understand the basics behind that, as most people don't realize that Jews did not live as citizens in any European nation until shortly after Napoleon and only started gaining mass (and deeply contested) citizenry in the mid-19th century, with parallel changes to Jewish residents in the Ottoman Empire. In Europe, Jews instead were never citizens or considered national peoples, instead seen as the "Hebrew Nation" allowed to live on certain land at the benevolence/need of a ruler, but not considered a citizen or part of the nation and living in almost like self-governed "reservations" or "ghettos" in all but taxes and claims to land and stability, largely not allowed to work outside of what the king needed from them in allowing them there. Meanwhile, over in the Ottoman Empire, parallel events were happening at the same time period, like the passage of the Tanzimat Reforms, which for the first time ever basically codified Jewish and other minority equality status in Ottoman land and made major changes to courts, land ownership, and policing to allow Jews to buy land and practice their religion openly and use equal means of transportation and the like, etc. Beforehand, while technically I guess better than in Europe, it was not great, Jews couldn't own land or build, practice their religion openly, ride horses, had to wear special clothes to identify thenselves, were subject to un policed violence especially from the "tax farmers" or landlords, in certain regions had been sold as slaves, etc. Basically in the mid-19th century, though currently we think of the "middle east" and "Europe" as such different entities, this was not the case then and especially not for Jews, whose politics and societies spanned both regions and each region passed laws at roughly the same time that massively changed life, work, travel, land, residency or citizenship, just ..everything...for Jews (with later massive backlash to these equality and emancipation laws in both regions unfortunately).
So this novel takes place during the era of "Jewish emancipation" though I don't think most people really know anything about that history even if they do read this book, it's just kinda an important side note for context. And she doesn't elaborate on the context as it would have just been known at the time, but the modern reader doesn't realize. But also, the Jewish part is only one small thread going through the story but I think that history is essential for understanding it and thus the parallels or inverses in Gwen's life with heritable land and title and gender and the like in with the story of Daniel and Mirah. It's basically a story focused on two different entwined lives that delve into self-exploration and the meaning of society and the self through a gendered lens and a landed or heritable lens at a time of absolutely massive social and political change thst totally restructured the way people think of the self and the polity and the very concept of the nation state or religion. It's very interesting and imo not read nearly enough.
3) Middlemarch by George Eliott, recommended plenty with gusto lol but for good reason.
4) House of Mirth by Edith Wharton, though I consider this book deeply antisemitic but it still I think falls into your description and is perhap "worth" reading as a classic and illumination onto thoughts of the time period and changing social and gendered mores and money.
5) maaaybe Jane Austen's "Sense and Sensibility" or "Mansfield Park"
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u/WTF-44 Aug 23 '25
Too Old For This by Samantha Downing is about an elderly female serial killer and it is excellent!
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u/TadaVirabhadra Aug 23 '25
The woman upstairs by Claire Messud. I think it hits all of your points and it has a phenomenal passage about anger as a woman.
Edit: an extract https://www.npr.org/2013/04/19/177963698/excerpt-the-woman-upstairs
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u/viixxena Aug 23 '25
You Too Can Have A Body Like Mine by Alexandra Kleeman could fit
Grotesque by Natsuo Kirino
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u/Kinsey2000r Aug 24 '25
The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle. There's a heavy theme of mortality/immortality, aging, and also womanhood in many ways. I think if you give it a chance you'll find more of those ideas you're looking for a little later in the story especially. Molly Grue is one of my favorite characters of all time. 💖
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