I have come to the conclusion that I don't like quite a lot of female writers

[OrmIrian]

Nicole Krauss - History of love. Yaaaaaawnn!
Someobody Niffeneagger? 'Time Travellers Wife' made me so cross I wanted to burn the f*ing book!
Even struggled with Zadie Smith.

OK I've had too much soave and I can't think of any more examples but I have come to the conclusion that I don't want endless analysis of emotions, angsting over love affairs. I want interest, something actually happening, description, intellectual analysis. Not who fed who and who didn't and what is the emotional mess that results. If someone behaves badly and irrationally, I want to kow why*, not just put it down to past traumas and say 'of that's OK then'.

Does that make me a bad sister? Or just a man manque?

I love Terry Prathcett. I suspect that indicates serious emotional embolism. But wtf.

Not heard of the first, read the second - twas ok-ish, I suppose, for a 'bestseller'. Only read White Teeth which was an overwritten first novel - suspect she will get better and better with time.

There are loads of women writers who don't write in that fashion...

I've recently been enjoying Irene Nemirovsky's work (in translation; could read it in French, I guess, but am too lazy ): Suite Francaise; The Ball; The Courilof Affair; All Our Worldly Goods.

I think you're stuck in a bestseller rut! Branch out!

Maybe I am. I don't buy bestsellers. Dh buys them for me.

Ooh another I hated was Labryrinth by Kate Mosse. Maybe you're right.

I like women writers from pre-1990ish. Who is this Irene Nemirovsky? I must investigate Maybe I need to read non-English-speaking writers. So much of it so f*ing self-indulgent. I don't need their emotional angst, I have plenty of my own!

REad Doris Lessing, I have just discovered her.

Her writing is fabulous.

Also Rose Tremain is wonderful.

You are reading pap. Men and women write pap.

Nemirovsky is a French writer who has recently been 'rediscovered'. She was successful prior to WWII, but was imprisoned and died in a concentration camp (she was Jewish). Her daughters, who escaped, found a completed manuscript in a suitcase decades later, and it was published as Suite Francaise.

I find her writing really sharp and acid. Not sentimental at all. Very well observed. The Ball is one of the cruellest short stories/novellas I've ever read.

Oh yes Suite Francais was wondreful.

Yes, Lessing is wonderful.

What about Atwood?

Angela Carter?

you are dead right orm. i try not to read books written by men but now i seem to have to avoid half the women too.

i hated that niffenenenengger what a load of shit. we want to talk about kevin. i didn't.

dora damage is really good. sarah waters can cry into her organic veg.

and i always recommend kate atkinson and denise mina.

iris murdoch?

Have just read One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson and it was very good.

I think there are good and bad writers regardless of the sex. My writing tutor said I reminded him of Angela Carter in the style of writing and I just about danced on clouds!

And yes, The Time Traveller's Wife is guff. Don't get me started on that pile of crap that is "Kevin".

I love Atwood and Lessing. And Le Guin and Marge Peircy and many female writers from pre 1990. It's just recent ones. Perhaps it's the post-modern ones. I like women writes to have some fire in their bellies.

Someone point me to a female writer published since about 1990 that is worth reading .... please!

iris m goes without saying.

Sorry. I meant 'post-feminist' not post-moderm

Toni Morrison, though she began publishing before 1990, is still going strong. Just bought her latest. Can't wait to read it...

Rose Tremain? Will check the dates but she is pretty recnt isn't she? and excellent.

Ah yes Rose Tremain. SOmeone I keep meaning to read.

TBH, I can't think of many male writers who began publishing after 1990 that I rate that highly either...

Maybe it's a bad time for writing?

Try Scarlet Thomas - PopCo & The End of Mr Y are two that I've read recently.

She's not Angela Carter or Margaret Atwood, but waaay better than Audrey Niffffefefeff

Haven't read whole of thread but my favourite female writer is Margaret Atwood.

I also hated the "Time traveller's wife".Gave up after 60 odd pages as I just couldn't get engrossed in it and found it very irritating.

surely it's the book you read that counts....and you either like or not like it....don't thinkn it is against sistehood to dislike some female writers and like male ones....

Yes, The Road Home - Rose Tremain. vv good.

I havent heard about any of the writers/books in your op.

To a certain extent I agree, there seem to be less good female writers around, but I think it is because so many women seem to park their brains on chic lit.

I have read a lot of fab female writers.

Try Anita Desai "Feasting Fasting"
Isabel Allende "Kingdom of the Golden Dragon"
Patricia Duncker "Hallucinating Foucault"

Otherwise I must remind you of Erica Jong, Iris Murdoch, Fay Weldon, Alice Hoffman and Louise Erdrich, just to name a few. And if you want to go way back, try Jane Austen or the Bronte sisters......

Rose Tremain latest is The Road Home about an Eastern European man's experiences in London - excellent read

For post 1990 male writers try Andrew Greig 'In Another Light' , Eletric Brae or Andrew (or is it Ian ?) O'Hagan

denise mina [drones on] please someone else must have read her?

I am so glad that so many of you hated the Niffiggle woman's book. Pure irritating trash.

Male writers. Hmm...maybe you are right penthe. Maybe I am stuck in a rut with re-reading old books. I think I have greater expectations of women.

I see someone below doesn't like Sarah Waters, but I'd be surprised by anyone who likes novels but doesn't like Fingersmith.