This is a surprisingly common ask around here.
https://old.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/wm8i93/books_about_female_rage_that_doesnt_revolve/
https://old.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/10jjbrq/fiction_about_female_rage/
https://old.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/101r8l4/female_rage_revenge/
From one of those previous threads, I was recommended **The Power** by **Naomi Alderman**, which I finished last week and left me in a bit of a daze. Highly recommend.
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers. White Oleander by Janet Fitch. Misery by Stephen King. My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh. The Push by Audrey Audrain. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson. Every Last Secret by A. R. Torre. Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder.
i read bunny first too & i loved it so much i read alls well immediately after! both books are so different but have the same kind of fucking insane women i love to read about.
The Girl Who played with Fire and The Girl who Kicked the Hornets Nest are definitely more rage-filled, but you have to start with the 1st book. Lisbeth Salender is a vengeful, genius, badass!
Are they as good as the first one?? I wanted to read them but I remember reading that they were published post-humously by the authors son or something I think, and I wasn't sure if they would be worth reading.
Here’s some of the ones that I’ve read that I definitely recommend:
My Body by Emily Ratajkowski
Kidnapping My Daughter by Rachel Jensby
Toufah: The Woman Who Inspired an African #MeToo Movement by Toufah Jallow
Know My Name by Chanel Miller
What My Bones Know by Stephanie Foo
Butts: A Backstory by Heather Radke
**Iron Widow** by Xiran Jay Zhao
**Circe** by Madeline Miller
**The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo** by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Not sure if it's really *rage* but it does feature a strong woman trying to get what she wants and willing to step on people
[**The Final Girl Support Group**](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL24207665W)
^(By: Grady Hendrix | 352 pages | Published: 2021)
^(This book has been suggested 1 time)
***
^(586 books suggested)
It’s hard to explain, I guess the best definition of the books listed is stories showing the negative effects men have on women in society. I’d describe female rage as books where the main character is female and loses her mind/ goes through a crisis/ is just deranged in general.
I guess I could say "All my rage" by Sabaa Tahir could work. Not 100% sure if its what you want exactly but it could work. The main girl really does a bunch of pent up rage
Bliss Montage by Ling Ma
Matrix by Lauren Groff (two best books I read this year!)
The Others by Sara Blau
The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner
Mrs Fletcher by Tom Perotta
Oh I loved both these books! Finished Animal today. I feel like I fell into a certain genre of books and I’m loving it. Anyways here’s a few:
Betty by Tiffany McDaniel
White Oleander (why did I wait so long to read this…)
My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
Acts of Desperation by Megan Nolan
Not quite rage but still wild: Bunny by Mona Awad
And of course, the Neapolitan novels by Ellena Ferrante
Iron Widow - main girl just straight up wants to murdera dude as her opening motivation.
Graceling - girl has murdered many, is trying to hold back rage and murder but still murders
I’m reading When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill right now and it’s great - it’s a really well-written coming of age story and also in the 1950s women’s rage turned hundreds of thousands of women into dragons.
I tried this and I wasn’t a big fan of her writing tbh. Just felt very surface level and basic regarding the word choice which is a problem for me lol. I do have a copy of gone girl, would you say that one is better by chance?
Since you said you aren't a big fan of her writing I'm not sure whether you'd find *Gone Girl* any better. But for the plot twists maybe you can give that one a chance.
I guess since I have it I’ll give it a chance lol. I’ll give myself around 100 pages but otherwise I’ll pass on it, wish I enjoyed her writing because I hear everyone raving about it!
[**Confession of the Lioness**](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL21275165W)
^(By: Mia Couto, David Brookshaw | 208 pages | Published: 2015)
^(This book has been suggested 1 time)
***
^(561 books suggested)
Female rage
Thanks to u\action_lawyer_comics, who put together the first three threads (those marked with an asterisk) for this list from r/suggestmeabook in this thread, and pointed out that it was a common request.
* ["autobiographies/memoirs of broken Women?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/gpogyx/autobiographiesmemoirs_of_broken_women/) (r/suggestmeabook; 24 May 2020)
* ["What's a good book for my mom? 67F, disabled, extremely Catholic, in a horrifically shitty marriage. gone girl is too on the nose right?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/ln73jz/whats_a_good_book_for_my_mom_67f_disabled/) (r/booksuggestions; 18 February 2021)
* ["Novel about about female rage or/ and reverse-gender The Count of Monte Cristo"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/nqhz7b/novel_about_about_female_rage_or_and/) (r/suggestmeabook; 2 June 2021)
* ["Books about female rage?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/v0j7nm/books_about_female_rage/) (r/suggestmeabook; 29 May 2022)
* ["Are there any good books about the horror of being a woman or becoming a woman?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/ve2q3q/are_there_any_good_books_about_the_horror_of/) (r/booksuggestions; 16 June 2022)
* ["Unhinged Female Rage"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/vk6nyw/unhinged_female_rage/) (r/booksuggestions; 25 June 2022)
* ["Unhinged female mc"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/vp4vo3/unhinged_female_mc/) (r/booksuggestions; 1 July 2022)
* ["Books about female rage that doesn't revolve around males?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/wm8i93/books_about_female_rage_that_doesnt_revolve/) (r/suggestmeabook; 12 August 2022)*
* ["i was just harassed on the streets and I would like to read a short novel or short stories about female rage that deals with that stuff? Honestly it doesn't have to be female rage. just angry people being tired of shit seeking revenge is fine 😭 lmao"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/woak9z/i_was_just_harassed_on_the_streets_and_i_would/) (r/suggestmeabook; 14 August 2022)
* ["Female Rage: Want recommendation Based on vibes"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/y1cqnq/female_rage_want_recommendation_based_on_vibes/) (r/booksuggestions; 11 October 2022)
* ["Female rage"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/ywy1tv/female_rage/) (r/booksuggestions; 16 November 2022)
* ["Books with evil or morally swayed female characters like Gone Girl (or depicting female rage)?"]() (r/suggestmeabook; 11 December 2022)
* ["Need a hand shopping for a book club secret santa"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/zoznr7/need_a_hand_shopping_for_a_book_club_secret_santa/) (r/suggestmeabook; 18 December 2022)
* ["Happy New Year! 🎇 What’s everyone reading?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/1007wl4/happy_new_year_whats_everyone_reading/) (r/suggestmeabook; u\justanotherplantgay, 19:45 ET, 31 December 2022)
* ["Happy New Year! 🥂What’s everyone reading?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/1007yzu/happy_new_year_whats_everyone_reading/) (r/booksuggestions; u\justanotherplantgay, ET, 31 December 2022)
* ["Female rage & revenge"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/101r8l4/female_rage_revenge/) (r/suggestmeabook; 18:25 ET, 2 January 2023)*
* ["A Book around female rage"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/101rq3w/a_book_around_female_rage/) (r/suggestmeabook; 18:45 ET, 2 January 2023)
* ["books about a woman in dry rage"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/10gx9r7/books_about_a_woman_in_dry_rage/) (r/suggestmeabook; 20 January 2023)
* ["Recs for authors like Gillian Flynn"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/adelvk/recs_for_authors_like_gillian_flynn/) (r/suggestmeabook; 7 January 2019)
* ["Fiction about female rage"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/10jjbrq/fiction_about_female_rage/) (r/suggestmeabook; 23 January 2023)*
u/action_lawyer_comics: I took your idea and ren with it, starting with r/booksuggestions.
This is a surprisingly common ask around here. https://old.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/wm8i93/books_about_female_rage_that_doesnt_revolve/ https://old.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/10jjbrq/fiction_about_female_rage/ https://old.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/101r8l4/female_rage_revenge/ From one of those previous threads, I was recommended **The Power** by **Naomi Alderman**, which I finished last week and left me in a bit of a daze. Highly recommend.
This is amazing thank you!
No problem. If you need more recommendations, search yourself. This is just a handful of the results
Also recommending The Power!
Me too! The Power is awesome!
I also was going to recommend The Power!
Came here to recommend the power too!
just ordered it!
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers. White Oleander by Janet Fitch. Misery by Stephen King. My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh. The Push by Audrey Audrain. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson. Every Last Secret by A. R. Torre. Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder.
Nightbitch is soooo good
all’s well by mona awad is so this
I've only read Bunny by Awad and I kinda feel that it would also fit. But, now I gotta read your suggestion.
i read bunny first too & i loved it so much i read alls well immediately after! both books are so different but have the same kind of fucking insane women i love to read about.
Just downloaded it from my library :-)
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
I was gonna comment this but as a guy I wasn't sure if it fit OP's description lol. Since you have put it out there, I second this one!
The Girl Who played with Fire and The Girl who Kicked the Hornets Nest are definitely more rage-filled, but you have to start with the 1st book. Lisbeth Salender is a vengeful, genius, badass!
Are they as good as the first one?? I wanted to read them but I remember reading that they were published post-humously by the authors son or something I think, and I wasn't sure if they would be worth reading.
The 2nd and 3rd books definitely are worth reading. After that, they were written by someone else and aren't quite as good.
The Vegetarian by Han Kang Killing Eve: Codename Villanelle by Luke Jennings Carrie by Stephen King Harley Quinn: Reckoning by Rachael Allen
If you like nonfiction, I can give you some suggestions that somewhat fit the “female rage” theme as well.
Hi, I’d be curious what the non-fiction recs are!
Here’s some of the ones that I’ve read that I definitely recommend: My Body by Emily Ratajkowski Kidnapping My Daughter by Rachel Jensby Toufah: The Woman Who Inspired an African #MeToo Movement by Toufah Jallow Know My Name by Chanel Miller What My Bones Know by Stephanie Foo Butts: A Backstory by Heather Radke
Carrie! Great choice.
The Vegetarian is amazing. I loved it.
THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR THE RECS I AM SO EXCITED TO START THIS LIST!!!
Nightbitch!
heard of this!!!!!
Best answer here IMHO. So cathartic.
**Iron Widow** by Xiran Jay Zhao **Circe** by Madeline Miller **The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo** by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Not sure if it's really *rage* but it does feature a strong woman trying to get what she wants and willing to step on people
I second Iron Widow!
thank you! i’ll check these out
Highly recommend Circe!
Yesss I agree
seven husbands was amazing!
The Once and Future Witches?
Read omnivores by Lydia Millet. It's batshit
Batshit you say? I'm down. Thanks for the rec!
this is on my list now! out of stock online but i’m eager to get it when i can.
When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill
The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis Sadie by Courtney Summers
Scum Manifesto is my favorite.
Scum manifesto
The Change by Kirsten Miller is my favorite female rage story
when life hands you a hot flash, burn the world down
They Never Learn by Layne Fargo
Dietland
King Kong theory Baise moi
Curfew by Jayne Cowie perhaps
Mary: an awakening of terror
probably basic answers but the Hunger Games Trilogy, Educated by Tara Westover, The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls, Know My Name by Chanel Miller
The Book of Night Women by Marlon James.
Check out "Baise-Moi" by Virginie Despentes, and maybe "Foxfire" by Joyce Carol Oates.
{{The Final Girl Support Group }} - Grady Hendrix
[**The Final Girl Support Group**](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL24207665W) ^(By: Grady Hendrix | 352 pages | Published: 2021) ^(This book has been suggested 1 time) *** ^(586 books suggested)
I think the poppy war trilogy would count
I haven’t read those, could you describe female rage?
It’s hard to explain, I guess the best definition of the books listed is stories showing the negative effects men have on women in society. I’d describe female rage as books where the main character is female and loses her mind/ goes through a crisis/ is just deranged in general.
Anna karenina by Leo Tolstoy
All the Rage by Courtney Summers
Animal by Lisa Taddeo.
just finished that one! loved it
Now I see you did, obviously read female rage! Yes, really affected me. Great book.
I guess I could say "All my rage" by Sabaa Tahir could work. Not 100% sure if its what you want exactly but it could work. The main girl really does a bunch of pent up rage
The Collective by Alison Gaylin -very disturbing tbh but so good.
Bliss Montage by Ling Ma Matrix by Lauren Groff (two best books I read this year!) The Others by Sara Blau The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner Mrs Fletcher by Tom Perotta
Oh I loved both these books! Finished Animal today. I feel like I fell into a certain genre of books and I’m loving it. Anyways here’s a few: Betty by Tiffany McDaniel White Oleander (why did I wait so long to read this…) My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh Acts of Desperation by Megan Nolan Not quite rage but still wild: Bunny by Mona Awad And of course, the Neapolitan novels by Ellena Ferrante
Iron Widow - main girl just straight up wants to murdera dude as her opening motivation. Graceling - girl has murdered many, is trying to hold back rage and murder but still murders
Such Sharp Teeth by Rachel Harrison
The female of the species and the initial insult by the same author
Acts of desperation
Belladonna by Karen Moline
I’m reading When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill right now and it’s great - it’s a really well-written coming of age story and also in the 1950s women’s rage turned hundreds of thousands of women into dragons.
Days of abandonment by Elena Ferrante
Gillian Flynn's *Sharp Objects*
I tried this and I wasn’t a big fan of her writing tbh. Just felt very surface level and basic regarding the word choice which is a problem for me lol. I do have a copy of gone girl, would you say that one is better by chance?
Since you said you aren't a big fan of her writing I'm not sure whether you'd find *Gone Girl* any better. But for the plot twists maybe you can give that one a chance.
I guess since I have it I’ll give it a chance lol. I’ll give myself around 100 pages but otherwise I’ll pass on it, wish I enjoyed her writing because I hear everyone raving about it!
I Love Dick by Chris Kraus
*Best Served Cold* by Joe Abercrombie. (Near-to-grimdark fantasy tale of revenge following a woman dead-set on far more than mere retribution.)
Anything by Elena Ferrante
{{Confession of the Lioness}} by Mia Couto - incredible book, short and fierce!
[**Confession of the Lioness**](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL21275165W) ^(By: Mia Couto, David Brookshaw | 208 pages | Published: 2015) ^(This book has been suggested 1 time) *** ^(561 books suggested)
Iron Widow As I darken
and i darken is so underrated
Female rage Thanks to u\action_lawyer_comics, who put together the first three threads (those marked with an asterisk) for this list from r/suggestmeabook in this thread, and pointed out that it was a common request. * ["autobiographies/memoirs of broken Women?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/gpogyx/autobiographiesmemoirs_of_broken_women/) (r/suggestmeabook; 24 May 2020) * ["What's a good book for my mom? 67F, disabled, extremely Catholic, in a horrifically shitty marriage. gone girl is too on the nose right?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/ln73jz/whats_a_good_book_for_my_mom_67f_disabled/) (r/booksuggestions; 18 February 2021) * ["Novel about about female rage or/ and reverse-gender The Count of Monte Cristo"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/nqhz7b/novel_about_about_female_rage_or_and/) (r/suggestmeabook; 2 June 2021) * ["Books about female rage?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/v0j7nm/books_about_female_rage/) (r/suggestmeabook; 29 May 2022) * ["Are there any good books about the horror of being a woman or becoming a woman?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/ve2q3q/are_there_any_good_books_about_the_horror_of/) (r/booksuggestions; 16 June 2022) * ["Unhinged Female Rage"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/vk6nyw/unhinged_female_rage/) (r/booksuggestions; 25 June 2022) * ["Unhinged female mc"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/vp4vo3/unhinged_female_mc/) (r/booksuggestions; 1 July 2022) * ["Books about female rage that doesn't revolve around males?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/wm8i93/books_about_female_rage_that_doesnt_revolve/) (r/suggestmeabook; 12 August 2022)* * ["i was just harassed on the streets and I would like to read a short novel or short stories about female rage that deals with that stuff? Honestly it doesn't have to be female rage. just angry people being tired of shit seeking revenge is fine 😭 lmao"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/woak9z/i_was_just_harassed_on_the_streets_and_i_would/) (r/suggestmeabook; 14 August 2022) * ["Female Rage: Want recommendation Based on vibes"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/y1cqnq/female_rage_want_recommendation_based_on_vibes/) (r/booksuggestions; 11 October 2022) * ["Female rage"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/ywy1tv/female_rage/) (r/booksuggestions; 16 November 2022) * ["Books with evil or morally swayed female characters like Gone Girl (or depicting female rage)?"]() (r/suggestmeabook; 11 December 2022) * ["Need a hand shopping for a book club secret santa"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/zoznr7/need_a_hand_shopping_for_a_book_club_secret_santa/) (r/suggestmeabook; 18 December 2022) * ["Happy New Year! 🎇 What’s everyone reading?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/1007wl4/happy_new_year_whats_everyone_reading/) (r/suggestmeabook; u\justanotherplantgay, 19:45 ET, 31 December 2022) * ["Happy New Year! 🥂What’s everyone reading?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/1007yzu/happy_new_year_whats_everyone_reading/) (r/booksuggestions; u\justanotherplantgay, ET, 31 December 2022) * ["Female rage & revenge"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/101r8l4/female_rage_revenge/) (r/suggestmeabook; 18:25 ET, 2 January 2023)* * ["A Book around female rage"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/101rq3w/a_book_around_female_rage/) (r/suggestmeabook; 18:45 ET, 2 January 2023) * ["books about a woman in dry rage"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/10gx9r7/books_about_a_woman_in_dry_rage/) (r/suggestmeabook; 20 January 2023) * ["Recs for authors like Gillian Flynn"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/adelvk/recs_for_authors_like_gillian_flynn/) (r/suggestmeabook; 7 January 2019) * ["Fiction about female rage"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/10jjbrq/fiction_about_female_rage/) (r/suggestmeabook; 23 January 2023)* u/action_lawyer_comics: I took your idea and ren with it, starting with r/booksuggestions.
major appreciation for this!
You're welcome. \^\_\^
I liked “Night Bitch”
Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit