Are there no books with female protagonists 40 and over???

[Frikonastick]

It’s doing my head in! Please recommend me a book that centres around a woman 40 or over. Please. I beg of you.

@ShatnersWig

I believe Agatha Christie wrote 12 novels about Miss Marple. She's definitely over 40.

This was my first thought too! A timeless heroine to boot.

@ApplesinmyPocket

Agatha Raisin, a feisty soul in her 50s - humorous detective fiction by C M Beaton - I liked the books but hated the TV series, where Agatha has been glammed up and is not at all like her interesting book counterpart

Miss Marple, another "detective"... (is a theme developing here?)

Antonia Forest's Marlow stories feature a throng of interesting, realistic female characters (teenage, mostly)

I was going to say Agatha raisin, definitely a good one and lots of books

@Frikonastick

Anything in sci-fi/ fantasy? I like to be well rounded 😁

The Ursula Le Guin I recommended earlier (Tehanu) is fantasy.

She also has a fascinating novel (The Left Hand of Darkness) which is about a human envoy to a world where the inhabitants are genderless.

Mavis Cheek has written some very funny books with female heroines. Also Alexander McCall Smith and his No 1 Ladies Detective Agency and the Isabel Dalhousie series (I think she’s about 40?)

@SpinningTheMoon

Mrs Harris Goes to Paris is fun, and quite a good film too!

I was going to suggest this. There are a few other Mrs Harris books too.

My favourite author, Paul Gallico.

Lots of Fay Weldon's books
Sue Townsend ditto
Mary Wesley - she famously didn't have her first novel published until she was in her 70s. Not everyone gets on with Mary Wesley but her novel Jumping The Queue is a favourite of mine.

Miss Garnet’s Angel by Sally Vickers is very good and that’s got an older lady as the main character :)

The Dr Ruth Galloway series are OK.

The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa

The Cotswold Murder Series by Rebecca Tope are based on a main character in her 40s. But you are right loads of books about women in their late 20s/early 30s but very few with those on their 40s

The Thursday Murder Club too I believe. (I'm only a few chapters in)

Every Sharon Bolton (thriller/ crime) book has strong female protagonists, not sure of their ages. Dead Woman Walking is brilliant.

Worst Case Scenario by Helen Fitzgerald. Thriller which also encompass menopause and MRAs.

@Juniperandrage

Nora Roberts does a series under a pen name (which has momentarily escaped me) about a detective set in the future. Think the detective is lieutenant Eve Dallas??

It's J.D Robb

Thank you Juniper.

Penelope Lively is good for this. Try Moon Tiger.
Ducks, Newburyport is an amazing book and the narrator must be 40 ish (as her oldest child is mid teens).

Both the Olive Kitteridge books by Elizabeth Strout. Sublime.

No 1 Ladies Detective Agency

Agatha Raison books

What a brilliant resource Mumsnet is! Happened on this thread and that’s me sorted with reading for the rest of the year.

Thank you everyone.

Kat Scarpetta in the Patricia Cornwall books is in her 40s.

I would say Temp Brennan in the Kathy Reichs books is over 40 too.

Then there's Val McDermid, Carol Jordan is over 40 and Karen Pirie probably is too.

Karin Slaughter's Criminal is part of the Will Trent series but it focuses primarily on his boss Amanda Wagner and his partner's Mother. With about half the book taking place in the 70s when they were the first women detectives in Atlanta and the rest in present day when Evelyn is retired and Amanda is the deputy director of the GBI.

Thanks for starting this thread, OP. I was wondering the same thing just the other day. I read a lot of fantasy and 27 seems to be the maximum age limit for female protagonists, so there's loads of good suggestions here.

Another vote for Old Baggage by Lissa Evans (and Crooked Heart, by the same author).

Elly Griffiths' Ruth Galloway mysteries (starts at 39, progresses through her 40s in the books). Great reads!

All Passion Spent - Vita Sackville West - . Gives an insight to wha it might be like to be old.beautiful book.

Sorry for punctuaiton - Beautiful book

Elizabeth is Missing - Emma Healey