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.

I second Christopher Brookmyre - All fun and games till someone loses an eye. I love all of his books but this is my favourite !

Check out May Sinclair. Mary Olivier: A Life and/or Life and Death of Harriet Frean.

And Mrs Dalloway.

There's a load on Kindle unlimited called something like paranormal women's fiction. I've read a few now, and the ones I've read centre around middle aged women developing supernatural powers as they age. I read a couple by Darynda Jones and a couple by Elizabeth Hunter. They're quite good in a very easy read, urban fantasy way.

The Thursday Murder Club - currently the best seller. They're in their 80s.

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (haven't RTFT so apologies if it's already been said).

The Mistress of the Art of Death series
I actually don't know how old the main protagonist is but she seems over 40.

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout - just brilliant. Many of the stories written by Alice Munro.

There are so many published by Persephone books too - worth a look to see what you fancy.

I think some of Jane Fallons would qualify

I'm creating a list of people's recommendations on here.

Thanks for posting, OP!

@MarieIVanArkleStinks

I'm creating a list of people's recommendations on here.

Thanks for posting, OP!

Thanks for doing this! I would love to see the full list!

May have already been mentioned but Atwood- The Blind Assassin and lots of Doris Lessing

Shirley Valentine

The Jasper Fford Thursday Next series is amazing. She's mid-30s in the first book, but ages throughout the series and is now (as of the most recent novel) in her 50s. She remains a badass action girl hero throughout.

The EF Benson Mapp and Lucia books centre on a genteel feud between two middle aged women. I'm not really selling it, but it's a tremendous series; really funny with strong characters and the books revolve entirely around women.

Jasper Fforde, sorry.

@Ca58

I second Christopher Brookmyre - All fun and games till someone loses an eye. I love all of his books but this is my favourite !

Yes, yes, you must read this one. Do not delay. I envy you going in for your first read.

I enjoyed Catseye by Margaret Atwood - schoolgirls and bullying

Just read Away with the Penguins by Hazel Prior where the protagonist is in her 80s! It's a good escapist read, particularly at this time of year.

The protagonist in “Where the Crawdads Sing” is a young child at the start of the book, which follows her though her life.

Rosamund Pilcher, Anne Tyler

The Stone Angel by Margaret Laurence is a brilliant story about a 90 year old woman. One of the greatest novels ever written.

Do people really pick their books because the main character shares some physical characteristics with them?

The last two Antony Horowitz novels feature a woman figuring out the murders who is guess is 40 career woman no kids. Great reads.

Dear reader by Cathy retzenbrink. ...its a memoir by a woman now in her fifties. ...a passion for books and many recommendationsfor different books inside . ...its unlike anything I have read before. And I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it.

Woman Last Seen in her Thirties is great