The Vanishing Act Of Esme Lennox / novel recommendations

I'll add Lissa Evans and Sarah Waters to the great names mentioned so far.

The natural way of things Charlotte Wood.

It's not a happy novel, but 2 weeks after I read it I can't stop thinking about it. Set in the Outback 10 young women wake up to find themselves prisoners because of their "transgressions".

I love Kate Atkinson's writing although wasn't too keen on Transcriptions. Also loved Diary of an Ordinary Woman and the Poisonwood Bible which made me cry on public transport

*Jenn Ashworth

A Kind Of Intimacy by Jenny Ashworth would be my suggested replacement for this 😁

Just thought of another couple. A S Byatt the virgin in the garden quartet. And Margaret Drabble (the radiant way, in particular). They're sisters but apparently don't get on

Eleanor Oliphant by Gail Honeyman I hated that book. It was one where I did a full on text rant about how awful it was !

So glad it's not just me - utterly lame, completely implausible dross. The internal monologue, plotting and dialogue are all feeble. I'm absolutely mystified that it became a bestseller and that various neuro-atypical pressure groups haven't kicked up a shitstorm about it.

We Have Always Lived In the Castle by Shirley Jackson has interesting main female characters.

Sorry, ignore me. Just seen you don't like Sebastian Faulks' stuff much usually.

I'm fairly sure this doesn't fit the brief of a woman centred book or abound with well written women. But just to mention in passing if you like Sebastian Faulks you might enjoy Engleby. Chilling but darkly funny too. It's a long time since I read it but I do remember being utterly gripped.

Well written women was the criteria

Each to their own but applying that criteria would exclude One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich which is one of the best books I've ever read. The final sentence is jaw- dropping.

Another one I keep meaning to reread is She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb. I love Wally Lamb and he’s good at women.

Agree Crawdads was badly written. I loved the place and the nature descriptions but it made me cross - the author just kept throwing away plotpoints with no dramatic tension. One single paragraph started with a description of the main protagonist spending two days feeling terribly ill and struggling outside and ended with something like ‘but then she was fine and two years later X happened’. I’m exaggerating for effect but it kept making me cross.

Love:
Agree with Girl, Women, Other, Hamnet, Bass Rock, Circe, Larchfield, Kate Atkinson generally
I like Maggie O’Farrell but it’s years since I read Esme Lennox, it might not have aged well
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
Kindred by Octavia Butler - sci-fi about time travel, racism, domestic abuse - absolutely clear-eyed about male abusive behaviours but paced like a thriller and a fantastic concept.
My favourite David Mitchell is The Bone Clocks.
The Changeling by Victor LaValle - written by a man but amazing and very creepy - the most imaginative and unusual retelling of a fairytale ever.
I do still like Margaret Atwood too.

Hated:
Normal People
Crawdads (so badly written! And unrealistic!)

No OP didn't @DidoLamenting, you're right. Well written women was the criteria. Probably presumptuous on my part but if female writers can struggle to create well written female characters I was keen to stress don't let the fact it's written by a man from a woman's perspective put you off.

So I know it's written by a man but the woman who walked into doors by Roddy Doyle, which is written from a woman's perspective and (to me) nails it

I don't think the OP said it had to be books written by women. Why would anyone want to limit reading choices in that way?

Eleanor Oliphant by Gail Honeyman I hated that book. It was one where I did a full on text rant about how awful it was !

@StillStriving that's good to know it's not just me. Yes it's great if you feel a good cry will sort you out, gets the job done!

Yes to the cazalets!

Also really love After You'd Gone by Maggie O'Farrell. First read it as a teen and It definitely takes some artistic licence with respect to certain situations however it still gets me emotional after so many years

How funny this is exactly my view - love this book and was very affected by it when I read it as a teen. Every so often I read it again for a good blub

I forgot to mention in my previous post The Red Tent by Anita Diamant. LOVE that book. Incredible story of the life of a girl growing up in Biblical times. Everyone knows Jacob had 12 sons, the most famous being Joseph. No one talks about his daughter, except this book. It's brilliant. There a lot of menstruating though (clue in the title )

So I know it's written by a man but the woman who walked into doors by Roddy Doyle, which is written from a woman's perspective and (to me) nails it.

Also really love After You'd Gone by Maggie O'Farrell. First read it as a teen and It definitely takes some artistic licence with respect to certain situations however it still gets me emotional after so many years.

Larchfield by Polly Clark
Eleanor Oliphant by Gail Honeyman
Behind the Scenes at the Museum- Kate Atkinson.

For crime novels, Gillian Linscott’s Nell Bray series features a crime-solving suffragette. It’s an older series, but still in print and well-worth looking for.

Also, Laurie King’s detective novels. My favourites are the Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes books. Mary Russell is a wonderful character.

Laurie King’s non-detective book Folly is an all-time favourite of mine, about a woman who builds a house on a remote island. So satisfying on many levels.