Damsel-in-distress is a popular female character trope in novels. Often, these women wait for someone else to take care of their problems for them.
But the women in these nine novels don’t wait to be taken out of their circumstances or for their situation to change on its own. They work on their own or with others to tackle their problems head-on. Sometimes it’s through physical strength. Other times, it’s through the strength of mental resilience or emotional intelligence. The women might be working to solve a mystery, or to make their dreams come true, or to protect those more vulnerable than them.
No matter their circumstances, the strong female characters in these novels will inspire you as you read.
And if you’re following along with the Crazy4Fiction Reading Challenge, pick a book to fulfill the strong female character prompt!
Meredith
The Lies We Trade
By Kristine Delano
Meredith Hansel is a portfolio manager at a prestigious Wall Street firm, a loving wife, and a doting mom. But just as her career seems primed to take off, her world comes crashing down: her teenage daughter starts acting out, her marriage reaches a breaking point, her home is vandalized, and she’s blackmailed by her most trusted colleague.
Not one to take things lying down, Meredith is determined to get to the bottom of the threats. But as her troubles seem to be wrapped up in the ugly underbelly of her investment company, Meredith will fight to bring the truth to light.
Lena, Ans, and Miriam
Chasing Shadows
By Lynn Austin
In Lynn Austin’s Chasing Shadows, three womens’ lives change completely when the Netherlands are invaded during World War II. Lena, a farmer’s wife, relies on her faith as she faces life-and-death dilemmas. Her daughter, Ans, fights the enemy as part of the Resistance far away in the city. And Miriam is a Jewish violinist who immigrated to Holland hoping for safety but now fears for her life.
As each woman explores courage and sacrifice, these three characters pay homage to the real-life heroines of World War II.
Elizabeth and Clara
War Room
By Chris Fabry, based on the film by the Kendrick Brothers
Elizabeth and her family appear to have it all, but only they know appearances aren’t the full story. When Elizabeth meets Clara, she’s intrigued by the woman who turned a closet into a prayer room. Clara’s room is covered in requests and answered prayers. When Clara suggests Elizabeth start her own prayer room, Elizabeth shrugs it off. But as tensions at home rise, Elizabeth realizes her family is worth fighting for and prayer is the first step.
For a bonus pick, read The Forge, where Elizabeth’s twin sister, Cynthia, raises her teenage son as a single mom. Elizabeth and Clara make cameos in the novel as well!
Demitria
As Sure as the Sea
By Jamie Ogle
Demitria makes a meager living diving for coral and pearls off the coast of the Mediterranean. Life in the Roman Empire in the third century is difficult, especially when her faith puts her life in danger. And when she travels up and down the coast to help her fellow believers.
Not only is Demi strong because she dives in shark-infested waters and risks her life helping others, she’s also strong when she’s vulnerable. When Demi shares her greatest failure with a mysterious stranger-turned-friend, she doesn’t experience the rejection she expected.
Kathryn
The Lady’s Mine
By Francine Rivers
New England suffragette Kathryn travels to California to claim her inheritance. She arrives to find a seemingly worthless mine and a defunct newspaper in a seedy former boomtown. Instead of endearing herself to the town, Kathryn finds enemies in the town’s most powerful men.
Kathryn’s feisty personality challenges the status quo in town. Her willingness to speak out in the face of oppression repeatedly gets her in trouble. But Kathryn’s strength is staying true to who she is and what she believes in despite her circumstances.
Liesl
Code Name Edelweiss
By Stephanie Landsem
After losing her job at MGM during the Great Depression, Liesl is desperate for work. She’s approached by a Jewish lawyer who believes Germany is looking to infiltrate Hollywood. He convinces Liesl to join his amateur spy ring to compile evidence of a plot to take to the authorities. But the job is harder than she thought when she must spy on her friends in the German American community.
Liesl, like her real-life counterparts, is an ordinary person forced into unusual circumstances. She has a family to care for during a tumultuous time in history. She doesn’t know who she can trust. But Liesl also knows her bravery could save a nation.
Frances, Annabelle, and Charlotte
Dysfunction Junction
By Robin W. Pearson
In this novel about mother-daughter relationships and sisterly connections, three sisters reckon with a lifetime of memories they’ve tried to bury. Frances Mae lives her life so as not to repeat her mother’s mistakes, even if she loses parts of herself. Annabelle battles old memories of abandonment and new fears of rejection. Charlotte helps others with their emotional baggage while ignoring her own.
Sometimes the strongest thing you can do is admit you need help. These sisters meet at the junction of broken and whole, and work through their inability to forgive and forget.
Kathryn and Melissa
If It Rains
By Jennifer L. Wright
Sisters Kathryn and Melissa overcome unexpected hardships during the Dust Bowl. Melissa’s new marriage and life of wealth is tarnished by her husband’s abusive behavior. Fourteen-year-old Kathryn reluctantly agrees to move away from home with the promise of surgery to fix her severe clubfoot. But she gets separated from her family along the way. Kathryn will need her grit and what she’s learned from her favorite book—The Wonderful Wizard of Oz—to survive.
The different adversities the sisters face showcase different types of strength. Melissa displays the strength it takes to stand up to a toxic relationship and bring it to light. Kathryn has the resilience and smarts to keep working to get back to her family, despite her age and physical limitations.
Cassie
Where Dandelions Bloom
By Tara Johnson
In 1860s Michigan, Cassie is stuck in an unhealthy homelife. Cassie and her mother try to keep the family farm alive despite her father’s neglect and alcoholic rages. When her father arranges her marriage to a despicable man, Cassie knows she needs to find an escape. She sees her opportunity as the Civil War starts: she’ll disguise herself as a man and enlist in the Union army.
While she escapes an abusive situation, not only does Cassie have to fight in a war, she also has to keep her identity a secret. In a time when women didn’t have many options for independence available to them, Cassie—like her real-life counterparts—does what she can to survive.
