Udisha
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
This fictional biography of an orphaned girl named Jane Eyre is one of the legendary classics in literature belonging to the 19th century. Her journey from a childhood full of torture to being married to the love of her life, Mr Rochester has made her into one of the iconic female protagonists in literature.
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
This epistolary novel (a novel written in the form of letters) documents the lives and struggle of black women in the 20th century. The protagonist Celie, a black woman who has faced abuse all her life is a guardian to her sister, Nettie. However, her friendship with Shug Avery, her husband's lover, opens up a nuanced and complicated dynamic of female friendships.
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
This semi-autobiographical novel by Sylvia Plath delves into women's mental health issues and the challenges that come with it, through the character of Esther Greenwood. Set in the 1950s, this novel was way ahead of its time, dealing with issues that needed to be talked about.
Beloved by Toni Morrison
A jarring tale that deals with the after-effects of slavery among black people in America, this novel is as haunting as it is eye-opening. Set in post civil-war Ohio, it revolves around former slave, Sethe who is a single mother and is trying to settle into normal lives while dealing with a ghost...that of her dead daughter, Beloved.