These novels explore the lives of female protagonists and focus on their relationships with family, friends, and lovers. They are written primarily by women for women reflecting the unique way women deal with the issues they confront a various stages in their lives. Some books are characterized by a romantic tone and, there may be elements of suspense or mystery as well, but the main theme is of a woman overcoming and learning from crises and emerging triumphant.

Glamour and Glitz:

Big, usually contemporary books that focus on lifestyles of rich, jet-setting characters.

• Elizabeth Adler
• Jackie Collins
• Olivia Goldsmith
• Judith Gould
• Judith Krantz
• Penny Vincenzi

Contemporary:

Focus on well developed contemporary women characters who are facing challenges that are familiar to their readers.

• Elizabeth Berg
• Luanne Rice
• Maeve Binchy
• Anne Rivers Siddons
• Dorothea B. Frank
• Danielle Steel
• Patricia Gaffney
• Nancy Thayer
• Kristin Hannah
• Jennifer Weiner
• Lorna Landvik
• Rebecca Wells
• Elinor Lipman
• Susan Wiggs

Saga:

A sub-genre which chronicles the lives and doings of a family or a number of related or interconnected families over a period of time. Many portray particular historical events, changes of social circumstances, or the ebb and flow of fortunes from a multiple of perspectives.

• Barbara Taylor Bradford
• Cathrine Cookson
• Elizabeth Cadell
• Rosamund Pilcher
• Belva Plain

Issue Driven:

Issue-Driven titles are darker, dealing with family problems and issues—more “hot topic,” Oprah-esque tales. The issues are often ones that we hear about in the news—they are usually tragic, horrific or disturbing, often dealing with everyone’s worst nightmare.

• Chris Bohjalian
• Rosella Brown
• Barbara Delinsky
• Joy Fielding
• Sue Miller
• Jacquelyn Mitchard
• Laura Moriarty
• Jodi Picoult
• Anna Quindlen
• Anta Shreve
• Marly Swick

Chick Lit:

Chick Lit, kicked off in the late 1990s with Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding, is a sub-genre with titles focusing on single, 20- or 30-something protagonists usually trying to find their way in life, in the big city or in a new fabulous career. These books are humorous and generally lighthearted. This sub-genre has branched out with Mommy-Lit dominating recent books.

• Cecili Ahern
• Meg Cabot
• Jennifer Crusie
• Katie Fforde
• Valerie Frankel
• Emily Giffin
• Jane Green
• Marian Keyes
• Sophie Kinsella
• Wendy Markham
• Megan McCafferty
• Sarah Mlynowski
• Carly Phillips
• Plum Skyes
• Lauren Weisberger
• Laura Zigman

Gentle Reads:

Gentle reads is often a stand-alone genre although there are a number of authors that cross over into women’s fiction. With charm and humor, these novels explore the everyday joys, frustrations and sorrows of lives quietly lead. They typically revolve around the activities of a small community of people, such as a small town or a gather of friends, such as a book club or craft circle. Characters are wholesome and there is no sex or violence.

• Chiaverini, Jennifer
• Fannie Flagg
• Jennifer Haigh
• Billie Lett
• Debbie Macomber
• Joan Medlicott
• Nicholas Sparks
• Adriana Trigiani
• Joanne Trollope
• Marcia Willett