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Original poster

Books about women in their 50s/60s

59 replies

changednameagainobvs · 10/01/2026 23:40

Can anyone recommend books about women in their 50s or 60s? Nothing too heavy, relatively easy to get into. Thank you.

OP posts:
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tobee · 02/04/2026 23:48

I’ve just started listening to Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Stutanto. It’s good so far .

FKAT · 02/04/2026 15:07

The Seven Sisters by Margaret Drabble is about 20 years old so may not be contemporary but I really liked it. About a divorced vicar(?)'s wife from the country who decides to move to a studio flat in a rough part of London.

FKAT · 02/04/2026 15:03

Other People's Fun by Harriet Lane (bitter divorcee lives vicariously through her wealthy friend)
Digging to America - Anne Tyler and most other Anne Tyler novels
Apples Never Fall - Liane Moriarty

I also just started reading a Susan Ryeland novel by Anthony Horowitz which is kind of a very meta cosy crime - Marble Hall Murders. Susan is an editor in her late 50s.

GemByTheSea · 02/04/2026 14:48

Tessa Hadley's protagonists are often women around this age - she's an excellent writer who only started writing once her children had left home. Contemporary stuff.

Boustany · 02/04/2026 14:48

Joanna Trollope?

RoyalCorgi · 02/04/2026 14:45

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans - recent book by an American author, cracking read.

Lostthetastefordahlias · 01/04/2026 20:46

Miss Benson’s Beetle, protagonist is late forties but seems older - wonderful book.

ThumbTowers · 01/04/2026 20:37

Catherine Newman books e.g Sandwich.

I've hust read Too Old for This by Samanth Downing which was a funny, modern book about a 'retired' female serial killer who gets back to business in her 60s/70s.

The Elegance of the Hedgehog (modern and a bit philosophical. About a woman in her 50s working as a concierge in a Parisian apartment block).

The Cactus - Sarah Haywood, great book although the protagonist is possibly mid 40s.

Remarkably Bright Creatures - lovely book about a woman in her 50s/60s and an octopus.

Needlemouse by Jane O'connor is another lovely one about a woman in her 50s. Similar to The Cactus.

EsmeArcher · 21/03/2026 16:15

I’ve just finished 2 novels by Ruth Jones, of Gavin and Stacey fame.
Both had female lead characters in their 50s and in my view were well drawn and had engaging plots, but not too heavy.
They are
Love Untold, (about 4 generations of women) and By Your Side ( main character is a divorcee in her 50s who is about to retire)
Both are essentially love stories but they’re not soppy.

Cleaningismycardio · 20/03/2026 22:36

The Woman Who Went to Bed for a Year by Sue Townsend (and if you want a bit of royal humour, which you may or may not wish in the current climate then The Queen and I or Queen Camila by the same author)

Life Death and Vanilla Slices by Jenni Eclair. Are you looking exclusively for novels? I enjoy autobiographies and people like Jo Brand or Miriam Margolyes have some very funny offerings. Happy reading.

NowInNovember · 20/03/2026 22:12

I read Unless by Carol Shields when my children were very small and it stayed with me. I reread it last year and it was as good as I remembered. It's one of the best books ever written about motherhood. I'm so happy to see that other Mumsnetters rate it as highly as I do.
I also loved Old Baggage and Three Days in June.
A few other books that might fit the brief are The Wren, The Wren by Anne Enright, The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai and The Most Fun We Ever Had by Clare Lombardo.

icecreamphoenix · 20/03/2026 22:09

Ruth Ozeki, A Tale for the Time Being might fit the bill

amzn.eu/d/09SXs6dv

MissyB1 · 20/03/2026 22:03

EsmeArcher · 12/01/2026 20:16

Anne Tyler writes well about the complexities of families, often from an older woman’s perspective.
Three days in June and The Amateur Marriage spring to mind.

Three days in June is an excellent example of what you are looking for OP. It was one of those books I loved so much I didn’t want it to finish.

hayyouuu · 20/03/2026 21:58

Kerry Fisher’s books!

JohnBullshit · 20/03/2026 21:51

Going Gently by David Nobbs takes you through an elderly woman's adult life, with the more interesting bits happening in middle and later years.

Dappy777 · 20/03/2026 21:45

How about Anita Brookner? Superb stylist and very underrated.

Virginia Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway is a personal favourite.

As for P G Wodehouse, I worship at his feet.

fyooshia · 20/03/2026 21:14

The Greek holiday by Maeve Haran is a story of 4 women in their 50s who recreate their student holiday to Greece. Easy read, lighthearted and fun.

RolandOnTheRopes · 20/03/2026 18:44

I'm currently reading The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers by Samuel Burr. It's about a woman who sets up a puzzle society in her fifties. It goes back and forth in time with her story and her adopted son.

Mayim · 20/03/2026 16:02

Quartet in Autumn by Barbara Pym

Bippertyboo2 · 20/03/2026 15:08

Erica James books for a contemporary, light read

Original poster
changednameagainobvs · 20/03/2026 15:05

I've just finished The people on platform 5 and absolutely loved it. I'm about to start The Weekend.

Thanks for the recommendations.

OP posts:
Original poster
changednameagainobvs · 13/01/2026 23:52

BestIsWest · 13/01/2026 08:01

I adored Carol Shields too. Unless is my favourite of hers.

For a spot of light reading I enjoyed Clare Pooley - The People on Platform 5 which had a great character in her 50s/60s.

Thank you, I've ordered The People on Platform Five.

OP posts:
BestIsWest · 13/01/2026 08:05

For Cosy detective, though mostly set in the 80s and 90s, Hazel Holt’s Mrs Malory books are great. A widow in her 50s/60s who seems to know a lot of murderers through her charity shop work or the WI or various friends and relatives. Set in a fictional version of Weston Super Mare.

BestIsWest · 13/01/2026 08:01

I adored Carol Shields too. Unless is my favourite of hers.

For a spot of light reading I enjoyed Clare Pooley - The People on Platform 5 which had a great character in her 50s/60s.

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