Women Writers of the World | Park County Library System

Author

Montgomery, L. M. (Lucy Maud), 1874-1942

Earliest Publication Date

1908

Summary

"Anne of Green Gables' tells the tale of a little red headed orphaned girl, mistakenly sent to the Cuthbert's' farm on Prince Edward Island. Anne's strong character and vivid imagination both help and hinder her as she makes her way through childhood in the pretty little town of Avonlea. This early work by Lucy Maud Montgomery was originally published in 1908 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introductory biography. Lucy Maud Montgomery...

2) Castle Rackrent

Author

Edgeworth, Maria, 1768-1849

Earliest Publication Date

1980

Summary

Click to view

Castle Rackrent is a sharp critique of class dynamics, the moral ambiguities of loyalty, and the intricate nature of landlord-tenant relationships in Ireland. Edgeworth delves into the flaws and excesses of the Anglo-Irish gentry, depicting a society where privilege and neglect coexist, often to the detriment of the lower classes. Through the narrative of Thady Quirk, the novel exposes the economic and social consequences of mismanagement and exploitation,...

3) Indiana

Author

Sand, George, 1804-1876

Earliest Publication Date

1993

Summary

Click to view

Indiana is a compelling exploration of personal freedom, societal constraints, and emotional resilience within the framework of 19th-century French society. George Sand critiques the rigid structures of marriage and gender roles, examining the tensions between individual desires and societal expectations. Through the journey of Indiana, a young Creole woman trapped in an oppressive marriage, the novel delves into themes of love, independence, and...

4) Passing

Author

Larsen, Nella

Earliest Publication Date

2003

Summary

Click to view

"Generally regarded as Nella Larsen's best work, Passing was first published in 1929 but has received a lot of renewed attention because of its close examination of racial and sexual ambiguities. It has achieved canonical status in many American universities. Clare Kendry is living on the edge. Light-skinned, elegant, and ambitious, she is married to a racist white man unaware of her African American heritage, and has severed all ties to her past...

5) Sense and sensibility

Author

Austen, Jane, 1775-1817

Earliest Publication Date

1896

Summary

Click to view

Jane Austen's first published novel, sparkling with wit and artistry, captures the inequities of birth, class, and marriage faced by the sisters Dashwood. Published in 1811, Sense and Sensibility has delighted generations of readers with its masterfully crafted portrait of two sisters, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood. Forced to leave their home after their father's death, Elinor and Marianne must rely on making good marriages as their means of support....

6) The Story of My Life: Hellen Keller

Author

Keller, Hellen

Earliest Publication Date

2024

Summary

Click to view

"The Story of My Life" is the touching autobiography of Helen Keller, an American writer and activist who fought and overcame blindness and deafness. For this, she relied on the help of her teacher, Anne Sullivan, who had also been blind and partially recovered after nine surgeries. It's an inspiring narrative, written by an exceptionally intelligent and insightful young woman, who has since become an American legend. The book "The Story of My Life,"...

7) The woman in white

Author

Collins, Wilkie, 1824-1889

Earliest Publication Date

1939

Summary

Click to view

"Published in 1859, we are immediately intrigued by the narrative - a young and genial tutor of arts, Walter Hartright, encounters a woman dressed head to toe in white who is lost in the streets of London. After reporting her to the authorities Walter is informed that the lady was an escapee from a mental asylum. However, when Walter takes a new position in teaching art he encounters a girl named Laura, whose looks are stunningly similar to those...

8) Villette

Author

Brontë, Charlotte, 1816-1855

Earliest Publication Date

1899

Summary

Click to view

With neither friends nor family, Lucy Snowe sets sail from England to find employment in a girls' boarding school in the small town of Villette. There she struggles to retain her self-possession in the face of unruly pupils, an initially suspicious headmaster, and her own complex feelings, first for the school's English doctor and then for the dictatorial professor, Paul Emmanuel. Charlotte Brontë's last and most autobiographical novel is a powerfully...