Five of the best books about female friendship
Sally Rooney, Alice Walker and Nancy Mitford are among the writers who have charted complex and profound bonds that can last a lifetime
Michaela Makusha
Thursday 12 September 2024
The joys and complexities of female friendships have long been an intriguing theme for writers, with novelists exploring their ups and downs: the mutual comfort and growth women can experience together, girlhood bonds that last decades, and the toxic codependency and competitiveness that can sometimes emerge.
Jacqueline Wilson’s work has often focused on the messy friendships of girls and women. Her new book publishing on Thursday, Think Again, is the sequel to her Girls series and brings us back to the close knit group of Nadine, Magda and Ellie – who are now older and facing the surprises and difficulties of adulthood. Here are five more stories about the highs and lows of female friendship.
Conversations With Friends by Sally Rooney
Rooney is known for her ability to dive into the messiness and complexities of relationships. In her 2017 debut novel, she applies this to the friendship between Bobbi and Frances, who are also exes. Their relationship is tested as they become increasingly involved with an older couple and long-held feelings – love, lust, envy and anger – come to the surface.
Her Majesty’s Royal Coven by Juno Dawson
No group is closer than a coven. In Dawson’s alternate Britain, politics and witchcraft are intertwined: HMRC is short for Her Majesty’s Royal Coven, a covert government department of witches established to protect the country from all manner of supernatural threats. Four witches who grew up together – Leonie, Niamh, Elle and Helena – must reunite following a prophecy that may destroy the coven itself. Dormant tensions rise to the surface, threatening to tear the witches apart yet again. This fantasy book is a fun read, with plenty of Spice Girls references and sharp observations on gender and power.
Brown Girls by Daphne Palasi Andreades
This lyrical choral novel tells the story of a group of second-generation immigrant women in Queens, New York. It is an achingly relatable ode to the experiences of black and brown girls growing up, navigating microaggressions and identity but maintaining friendships as life throws up its challenges. There is safety and familiarity in these ties and the neighbourhood the women grew up in.
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
At the heart of Walker’s classic novel are the bonds formed between women in an environment of violence. Celie is helped on her journey to self-love and determination by the women around her who have had similar experiences – notably Shug Avery, who helps Celie find her outer and inner beauty. In turn, they both find the strength to share their stories and break an abusive cycle.
The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford
Cousins Linda and Fanny prove that friendship can endure anything – from divorce to scandalous affairs and war. This semi-autobiographical novel by one of the most notorious bright young things of the early 20th century is a lesson in love most of all, exploring the nature of friendship and family for women who live outside the norms of aristocratic society.
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