Reading between the lines: Here’s a look at the top 2019 books for women
Across 2019, several women authors contributed immensely to the bestseller lists with their tales of love, intrigue, mythology, dystopia, and more.
The likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime, and other web-streaming services may be stiff competition, but it hasn’t obliterated the love of books and reading. Corroborating this fact are the numerous bestsellers every year, spanning different genres and catering to diverse reading tastes.
This year has been no different with women authors contributing immensely to the bestseller lists with their tales of love, intrigue, mythology, dystopia, and more.
Here are some books by women in 2019 that we found “unputdownable”.
City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert
After the runaway success of her books, Eat, Pray, Love and Committed, Elizabeth Gilbert returned this year with City of Girls, set in the summer of 1940 in war-time New York. The story revolves around 19-year-old Vivian Morris, who arrives in the city with a sewing machine and finds employment as a seamstress at the Lily Playhouse.
Vivian and her friends navigate life in the city, learning some hard lessons along the way, living many lives as they learn who they truly are. Gilbert’s lovely turn of prose and portrayal of characters makes it a delightful read.
American Spy by Laura Wilkinson
Lauren Wilkinson’s American Spy is set during the time of the Cold War in the US and follows the life of Marie Mitchell, a black, intelligence officer with the FBI. She is repeatedly sidelined by the boy’s club and relegated to monotonous paperwork, far beneath her abilities as a brilliant officer.
However, when she gets an opportunity to join a shadow task force that will target Burkina Faso’s President Thomas Sankara, she embarks on a mission to be a spy and an American bound by duty toward her country. The book has it all: thrilling espionage, family drama, and romance.
The Moment of Lift by Melinda Gates
The third powerful woman in the world, according to Forbes, Melinda Gates wrote The Moment of Lift this year, chronicling her highly successful stint at Microsoft as partner and her work as co-chairperson of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
In the book, Melinda talks about the critical need to invest in women. The book also shares Melinda’s data from her conversations with women all over the world in an effort to understand gender equality at every level.
However, what has garnered a lot of attention since the book was published is her statement about the brash culture at Microsoft in her early days at the company. She reveals that she wanted to quit but didn’t discuss it with her then boyfriend and later husband, Microsoft CEO Bill Gates.
Know My Name by Chanel Miller
The name Chanel Miller came into existence and prominence when she revealed that she was the Emily Doe in the People V Turner case who underwent sexual assault at the Stanford University campus. The victim impact statement she wrote and read at the hearing went viral, sparking a discussion on safety at university campuses.
In September this year, Miller wrote Know My Name, a memoir where she identified herself as the survivor and described the trauma she went through after being referred to as the “unconscious, intoxicated woman” by the media and the highly-publicised trial that followed.
It’s a story of grit and trauma told through a powerful narrative, one that must be read by every woman.
Be Brave, Not Perfect by Reshma Saujani
The Founder and CEO of Girls Who Code teaches women important lessons with her book Be Brave, Not Perfect. As women, we are conditioned to chase perfection and Saujani believes it’s important to get out of the mould and try to be brave.
She emphasises on the need to say “no” when the situation demands it and also touches upon the need to get out of the comfort zone. It’s important to take that first step, while remembering we are not perfect, embrace failure, and keep striving for success.
The Bride Test by Helen Hoang
The author of The Kiss Quotient, Helen Hoang returns with The Bride Test, centred on the life of Khai Diep, who is autistic and avoids relationships. His mother decides it’s time to find him a bride and returns to Vietnam for the task. Esme Tran is of mixed race and lives in the slums of Ho Chi Minh City.
She now has the opportunity to go to America to find a husband, one she can’t turn around. What happens to her and Khai? What happens to all the affection that remains unrequited? A sweet tale of romance for those balmy days.
The Forest of Enchantments by Chitra-Banerjee Divakaruni
In Divakaruni’s The Forest of Enchantments, Sita, while following her path as a queen, dutiful life, and a loving mother, delves into the different nuances of her character. The story traces every aspect of Sita’s life, from her growing-up years, meeting Ram, being banished to the forest, her abduction by Ravana, coming back to Ayodhya, becoming queen, being banished again during her pregnancy, and her final return to earth.
The continuous doubts on her chastity and purity tug at the heart strings as Chitra weaves in a gamut of emotions that show how helpless the strong queen is in the face of a “righteous” husband. Sita’s words meander between doubts, questioning, and acceptance, but it’s the questions that linger.
Is a woman, whether she’s a goddess or a subject, never accepted for who she is – a woman with her own rights and desires? Powerful and all-encompassing.
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
The sequel to Atwood’s powerful masterpiece The Handmaid’s Tale takes off more than 15 years after the Republic of Gilead maintains its autocratic hold. In this scenario, The Testaments examines the lives of three different women that converge with some unexpected turns.
Two of them are from the first generation and the third has a complex future. Where will their lives lead, what will the future hold? The uncertainty forms the crux of the story as Atwood gives us an insight into how the Gilead influences circumstances and shapes destinies.
(Edited by Teja Lele Desai)