Ann Patchett Recommends 5 Favorite Old Books Featuring Unforgettable Women

Need a little girl power in your fall reading list? We know that in the history of literature, there are more stories featuring men than women. For example, the bestselling book of all time—the Bible—contains about 10 times more named male characters than female characters. To help shift that balance here at Woman’s World, we turned to our unofficial Patron Saint of Book Recommendations, bestselling author Ann Patchett, for her favorite older book picks featuring strong females. These backlist books place women in the center of the action. Here are Patchett’s five worthwhile woman-focused reads for fall.

5 of Ann Patchett’s favorite backlist books

These unforgettable female characters—from ancient myths to modern masterpieces—will stick with you for life.

‘Circe’ by Madeline Miller

In one of Patchett’s viral book recommendation reels, she recently talked about her weekend plans seeing a popular film adaptation. “Like everybody else in the country, I went to see the Odyssey, and what did it make me think of? It made me think of books,” she said with enthusiasm before recommending a 2018 book by her good friend Madeline Miller.

The Whistler author shared, “The book that you would want to read for the Odyssey is Circe. Now, in the movie, Samantha Morton does a fantastic job playing Circe, but Madeline Miller gives Circe an entire backstory. She puts the witch at the center of the narrative. It is such a great book!”

What’s this mythical novel about? Banished to an island by Zeus, Circe practices witchcraft, turning mortals into monsters. She must battle between the world she lives in and the gods she came from. The book has been called “a celebration of indomitable female strength in a man’s world.”

One online reviewer shared, “This is one of those rare novels that pulls you in so completely you look up hours later, wondering how you got so swept away. I haven’t been this absorbed in a book in a very long time.”

‘Persepolis’ by Marjane Satrapi

This is a visually stunning two-book memoir told in graphic novel (comic book) style. Book one, subtitled “The Story of a Childhood,” follows the author and illustrator’s upbringing in Tehran from ages 6 to 14 during the lead-up to the Islamic Revolution. It’s a coming-of-age tale that also educates on the politics and history of the time. Book two, subtitled “The Story of a Return,” follows Satrapi as a young adult, leaving Vienna to go back to the war-torn country she once fled.

Patchett was recently inspired to revisit this collection. When one of her coworkers at Parnassus Books (the Nashville bookstore Patchett owns) raved about both volumes of Persepolis, Patchett revealed, “I am your target audience because I read volume one and I haven’t read volume two and I saw the movie years and years ago and it was great!”

It’s a fitting time to pay tribute to these books since their creator passed away in June of 2026. An online reviewer attested, “One of the best comic books I’ve ever read. Third time reading it, still loved it more than life itself! Marjane is charming, witty, funny … her memoir is… a true feat of graphic storytelling!”

‘The God of Small Things’ by Arundhati Roy

Patchett is fond of recommending old books, and she recently gushed about a modern classic that’s too good to miss. “The God of Small Things came out in 1997. Arundhati Roy sold over 6 million copies worldwide.” Patchett continued, “I read this book in 1997. I didn’t know a single person who hadn’t read this book in 1997. It went on to win the Booker [Prize]. It was just a literary obsession, just fantastic!”

What is the novel about? Set in India and beginning in 1969, the book focuses on a strong, divorced mother named Ammu who has an unlawful affair with a lower-caste worker. Much of the book is told in the voice of Ammu’s young daughter, trying to understand the rigid social constraints of her culture.

Two fans noted, “Roy’s book is about true love thwarted by family and society”…“Roy’s luminous prose makes reading an unadulterated pleasure.”

‘Mother Mary Comes to Me’ by Arundhati Roy

If you find Roy’s writing beautiful, then don’t miss her 2025 memoir. Patchett listened to Mother Mary Comes to Me, read by Roy herself, and explained, “It is ostensibly a memoir about her relationship with her mother.” Indeed, Roy wrote it to process the grief of losing her mom, the fierce founder of an educational empire.

But the book is much more—it is about how Roy, considered one of India’s most talented writers, became a phenomenon. Patchett explained, “It is about her unbelievable life, her development as an artist, as a novelist, as a filmmaker, as an actress, but mostly as a political activist.”

Patchett noted the powerful similarities between Roy’s first and last books. “It’s a master class in how to write, and it is an absolute joy to read.” Her recommendation to book clubs: “Do yourself a favor. Read these two together.”

One online reviewer shared, “I was totally captivated by this memoir from the first page to the last. What a daughter, shaped and moulded by a powerful matriarch.”

‘House of Mirth’ by Edith Wharton

Patchett shared that she was inspired to revisit this Edith Wharton novel after a friend reread it and found it funny. Patchett explained, “I thought, that’s impossible because I read House of Mirth when I was in my 20s, and I sobbed. I thought it was so sad, so tragic. How in the world could it be funny?”

Deal of the Day

This Deep Conditioning Collagen Hair Mask for Has 4.9 Stars and Is 80% Off — Get It for $20! View Deal

Well, Patchett did reread it recently and one thing is for sure: “House of Mirth is so good, and it’s so readable.” Patchett added, “Sometimes when you go back to the old classics that you read when you were young, it feels a little bit like work. House of Mirth felt like nothing but pleasure.”

The book centers on Lily Bart, a beautiful woman who wants to improve her social standing, but keeps “falling in with the wrong crowd,” explained Patchett. She added, “It may really be Wharton’s best novel—Age of Innocence was her Pulitzer—but I absolutely loved every minute of it.”

One reviewer described it this way: “The drama, the intrigue, the scandal, the tragedy! I loved it! This book had me on the edge of my seat, clutching my proverbial pearls, the whole way through!”