Happy Women’s Day! In Romania, the beginning of Spring (first week of March) is a celebration of women and motherhood, and on the 8th of March we join the international party and celebrate Women’s & Mothers’ Day.

For this occasion I put together a list of amazing women from fiction books. Fighters and scientists, mothers and carers, these women shaped the imaginary worlds from which they come from. Happy 8th of March! 💐

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§ Kya from Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Where the Crawdads Sing illustrates the journey of Kya, a girl who grows up isolated in a marsh and becomes a self-educated biologist. Kya also fights for her freedom against all odds, confronting violence and biases of the community (my review).

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§ Alicia from The Labyrinth of the Spirits by Carlos Ruiz Zafón 

Alicia – an unofficial detective – is a fierce woman who fights for uncovering the truth. She is also determined to not let her physical disability interfere with her challenging and dangerous job. Oh, and she’s also a very charming women! (my review of the series)

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§ Gifty from Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi

Gifty is a 28-year-old neuroscientist who studies reward-seeking behaviour in order to find a cure for addictions. She is also faced with challenging situations in her personal life – from family members affected by mental issues to difficult cultural adaptation after immigration from Ghana to the USA (my review).

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§ April from An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green

Faced with an extraordinary situation, April becomes famous overnight. As she learns to deal with international media spotlight, April fights divisiveness, hatred and violence for the cause of the Carls (my review).

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§ Tao from The History of Bees by Maja Lunde

Tao is a strong mother who sets out on a Kafkaesque journey when her young son is taken by the authorities after a weird accident. She fights the system and does not give up until finding the answer to her questions (my review).

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§ Aster from The Shadow King by Maaza Mengiste

Wife of an important officer of the Ethiopian army, Aster leads the local women on the battle field. She is the illustration of the overlooked contribution of women soldiers in the Italian – Ethiopian conflict – the women who did not only care for the wounded, but also fought alongside men (my review).

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§ Jane Doe from The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa

The unnamed female narrator from The Memory Police is a courageous and witty woman. In a world where goods are scarce, memories are disappearing, and remembering is a sin, the Jane Doe of the story fights to protect her loved ones.

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§ Aunt Lydia from The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

Aunt Lydia is one of a kind. As one of the Founders of Gilead, she is deeply rooted in the totalitarian system, thus in the best position to bring the system down. In The Testaments, Aunt Lydia shares her story and what it meant for her to be the most powerful woman of Gilead (my review).

What are your favourite female characters from fiction books?

‘Till next time … happy reading and happy celebration of spring!

Georgiana

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Cover photo by Aziz Acharki on Unsplash