Five Books To Read With Strong Female Characters

Amid women-oriented series and movies releasing every day based on mythological stories, there are strong women literary characters from epics and classics who are making sense to 21st-century women. Strong Willed Women from all eras are the heroines of the 21st century. In the world of video content, literature has taken a back seat, but not for long. We have curated a list of books presenting strong women characters of all eras, reviving the literary reading spirit in you. 

Five Books To Read With Strong Female Characters

The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

We all have grown up listening to the various versions of Mahabharata and inculcated prejudiced perspectives on it. While most of us believe that the reason for the great war was Draupadi, it could also be seen as the war fought for her. Often, Draupadi is misinterpreted for her polyandrous marriage. She should be the protagonist but treated as a supporting character. Divakaruni in the Palace of Illusions for a change, represents Draupadi as the narrator of the greatest epic. Chitra Divakaruni shows Draupadi in the light of a 21st-century woman- a fearless, outspoken, open-minded, and progressive woman. The author tells the story of Mahabharata without changing the plot, but this time Draupadi narrates Mahabharata through her perspective.

Forest of Enchantments by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Sitayan- The Story of Sita. We have continued to address Adipurush as Ramayana, the story of Rama, where he frees his captured wife from the imprisonment of Ravana. Meanwhile, missing the point that it is Sita’s story too. In the novel, the author gives Sita a voice and calls her story Sitayan. Sita takes us through the whirl of emotions she feels right from her marriage to Rama, to her acceptance of death over integrity and sinking into earth. Though the author shows Sita as a traditional woman, committed and devoted to her husband, she presents Sita as an individual too. 

Ms. Draupadi Kuru: After the Pandavas by Trisha Das

This novel is a fictional recreation of some of the characters from Mahabharata. When Draupadi in heaven requests Krishna for a visit to earth after years of Mahabharata, and on permission, Draupadi, Kunti, Amba, and Gandhari visit for a while, their visit turns into an incredible adventure. Astonished by how much the world has changed, these female characters take up different roles, with new names in disguise, and tend to emerge as a 21st-century women, taking up all the decisions by themselves. This satirical read is as much a roller coaster for the readers as for the characters.

 Calling Sehmat- by Harinder Sikka

All of us have watched the movie, Raazi starring Alia Bhatt. Although how many of us have read this novel, the movie is adapted on? The book covers the story in much detail, persuading us to fall in love with the character, Sehmat. A Kashmiri-Muslim girl comes out as an Indian spy and serves as a medium to deliberately convey the essential news that saves India from a terrifying conspiracy and attack.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice remains a successful and loved novel to date because of the strongly opinionated character Elizabeth Bennet. The novel was quite ahead of its time, leading to its success. As much as the characters in the story are very true to human nature, their actions to set define their personality. The female characters tend to present the new coming age of freedom, romance, and dignity. The female protagonist tends to challenge and break the social and cultural norms expected of women and comes out as a fierce character.

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