Inspired Adventures Reading Guide: Strong Female Protagonist
23 October 2020
Need a little inspiration of women kicking butt and taking names? Struggling to find your willpower and inner drive to keep training and working towards the adventure that from the outlook appears inconceivable? Our reading guide this week is women who are strong, capable and determined as all hell. Take inspiration from them (wouldn’t apply their morals to your own lives but feel grit & determination should work).
Anne of Green Gables
by L.M. Montgomery
Here's another oldie but goodie. When we meet the protagonist Anne Shirley she is an inquisitive 11-year-old raring to learn and engage with the world around her. We are taken on a journey of her adolescence (and through the following novels her adulthood) and the scrapes, mistakes and learning curves that entails. As a reader we follow her through her trials and tribulations in Avonlea and see her grow into a remarkable young woman with a moral fortitude uncommon in women of her age.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
by Steig Larsson
We absolutely recommend the trilogy in its entirety. Following this book is ‘The Girl Who Played With Fire’ and then finally with ‘The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest’.
The protagonist is the stoic and gutsy Lisbeth Salander. She's a diminutive genius, a computer hacker with a photographic memory and attitude in spades. The story follows what happens when her life intersects with that of Mikael Blomkvist and the long-running family mystery behind the disappearance and assumed murder of Harriet Vanger. The novel is a dark and twisty so prepare for a tumultuous ride.
Lisbeth is just about as badass as they come and known for having her own personal brand of justice. She’s a fighter by nature, her heart appears to be ice cold and yet you know that at her core she has depth and a surprisingly rich emotional capacity.
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
by Gail Honeyman
Eleanor is by no means what you would consider the stock-standard strong female lead. It’s not until you uncover more and more of Eleanor’s hardships do you realise how much she’s been through. As a reader we garner understanding and respect for a woman struggling but soldiering on in trying times. With very little support in her life, Eleanor is at all times protecting #1. She’s willing to fight and continues to do so wholeheartedly as we follow her adventure.
Jane Eyre
by Charlotte Bronte
A Victorian feminist centuries ahead of her time, Jane Eyre is an unforgettable governess with an innate confidence and fierce intellect. The story is about a forbidden love and a young woman learning self-assurance despite the contextual limitations of her class and gender.
Pride and Prejudice
by Jane Austen
To this day ‘Pride and Prejudice’ is one of the most popular books of all time and remains a literary masterpiece. Protagonist Elizabeth is brilliantly smart, with a biting wit and an endless supply of pre-planned retorts. You'll get great enjoyment reading through the complex relationship of her and Mr. Darcy and listening in on their verbal sparring matches.
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