The best books that feature a feisty female

This book was recommended by a creative writing teacher as a perfect example of how a plot should develop – the three-act structure, the perfect arc of the story, the pace, with rising and falling tension and edge-of-the-cliff plot points. 

But I love it because of the protagonist, Katniss Everdeen, surely one of the most endearing heroines in literature. It’s a classic story of a character overcoming all the odds, and while it’s widely perceived as a dystopian novel for young adults, I found it much more than that.

I was gripped by Katniss and her challenges – all of which she finds a way to overcome – as well as the enormous themes of poverty, oppression, war, and survival. She’s young but steely, resourceful, clever, and feisty. 

This is a book of many parts. It’s essentially a coming-of-age murder mystery, but there’s so much more to enjoy in this book – not least the wonderful filmic descriptions of the setting. 

The lead character is a young girl named Kya who grows up alone in the marshes of North Carolina when her family deserts her. For me, she’s the classic clever, feisty girl who has no choice but to survive on her wits.

She learns to feed herself and finds ways to survive on her own – she’s a problem-solver, a lover of nature, a free spirit – and when the locals decide she’s bad news, she gets herself out of an accusation of murder. What a girl!

I couldn’t do a list of books under this title without including the epitome of feistiness, Lisbeth Salander.

Anyone who has ever felt put down by men can’t help but admire her style. She refuses to conform, she looks and acts like the maverick she is, and however powerful you are, you wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of her. She’s a world-class computer hacker with attitude, and when you discover what has happened to her, you can’t help admiring her courage. 

In this book, the first in the Millennium trilogy, Lisbeth joins financial journalist Mikael Blomkvist when he’s hired to investigate the disappearance of a young woman. When the pair uncover a link to a number of grotesque murders they begin to unravel a dark and appalling family history.

The protagonist of this beautifully written, heart-rending book is the wonderfully-named Tequila Leila, a sex worker from Istanbul who, as the book begins, is dying in a rubbish bin on the outskirts of the city.

As her brain begins to shut down, Leila goes back in time to trace her story, while her friends, who she remembers in those ‘in-between’ moments between life and death, desperately look for her. 

Leila, for me, is ebullient, larger than life, and intensely lovable. Despite being brutalised and living much of her life in danger, her humanity shines through. Leila has heart and soul and her friends, a strange group of ‘undesirables,’ adore her. A life-affirming read. 

One of my favourites, this story is narrated by Elly, a girl who befriends Mr. Golan, her elderly neighbour. But their friendship takes a dark turn, and only Elly’s brother, Joe, knows her secret. Joe gives Elly a pet rabbit, which she names God, to alleviate the loneliness of her childhood. 

As an adult, Elly finds her calling as a newspaper columnist, writing about the relationships she has lost and found, and eventually learns to rely on the family and friends who have stood by her during her years of silence about what happened to her as a child.

Elly as a child is innocent but no-nonsense, learning to rely on herself when the family moves, causing her to lose touch with her best friend. The story is both funny and tragic, but it’s Elly who makes it such a good novel.