38 Books like The Awakening

The Transit of Venus

by Shirley Hazzard

An Australian orphan loves a playwright she cannot have, blind to the astronomer who waits.

4.01

5k+

🎭 Literary Tragedy 💔 Doomed Affair 🥺 Unrequited Love 🥀 Quiet Devastation 🇬🇧 Postwar England

The Transit of Venus 88%

An Australian orphan loves a playwright she cannot have, blind to the astronomer who waits.

by Shirley Hazzard 1980

4.01

5k+ ratings

🎭 Literary Tragedy 💔 Doomed Affair 🥺 Unrequited Love 🥀 Quiet Devastation 🇬🇧 Postwar England

The Age of Innocence

by Edith Wharton • 1920

An engaged New York lawyer falls for his fiancée's cousin, a countess who fled her marriage.

3.97

198k+

🏙️ Gilded Age New York 💔 Forbidden Love ⚖️ Duty Versus Desire 🎭 Unconventional Woman 🥀 Restrained Longing

The Age of Innocence 90%

An engaged New York lawyer falls for his fiancée's cousin, a countess who fled her marriage.

by Edith Wharton 1920

3.97

198k+ ratings

🏙️ Gilded Age New York 💔 Forbidden Love ⚖️ Duty Versus Desire 🎭 Unconventional Woman 🥀 Restrained Longing

The House of Mirth

by Edith Wharton • 1905

Penniless and nearly thirty in Gilded Age New York, Lily Bart's social currency is expiring.

3.98

107k+

🎭 Tragedy Of Manners 💍 Marriage Market 📉 Social Downfall 💔 Unspoken Love 🏛️ Gilded Age

The House of Mirth 90%

Penniless and nearly thirty in Gilded Age New York, Lily Bart's social currency is expiring.

by Edith Wharton 1905

3.98

107k+ ratings

🎭 Tragedy Of Manners 💍 Marriage Market 📉 Social Downfall 💔 Unspoken Love 🏛️ Gilded Age

Ifigenia

by Teresa de la Parra • 1924

Europe freed her. Caracas demands a proper husband and the quiet burial of her desires.

4.06

573

✉️ Epistolary Novel 🌎 Latin American Classic ⚖️ Duty Over Desire 💔 Forbidden Love 🔒 Trapped By Society

Ifigenia 89%

Europe freed her. Caracas demands a proper husband and the quiet burial of her desires.

by Teresa de la Parra 1924

4.06

573 ratings

✉️ Epistolary Novel 🌎 Latin American Classic ⚖️ Duty Over Desire 💔 Forbidden Love 🔒 Trapped By Society

The Lioness of Boston

by Emily Franklin • 2023

A New York heiress marries into Boston society and discovers every door is bolted shut.

3.64

10k+

🏛️ Gilded Age Boston 🚪 Outsider In Society 🏗️ Woman Builds Legacy 🎨 Grief Into Art 👥 Chosen Family

The Lioness of Boston 89%

A New York heiress marries into Boston society and discovers every door is bolted shut.

by Emily Franklin 2023

3.64

10k+ ratings

🏛️ Gilded Age Boston 🚪 Outsider In Society 🏗️ Woman Builds Legacy 🎨 Grief Into Art 👥 Chosen Family

Until August

by Gabriel García Márquez • 2024

Each August she visits her mother's island grave. This year she does not sleep alone.

3.55

61k+

🖤 Literary Infidelity 🌺 Midlife Awakening 💋 Married Woman's Desire 🪦 Mother's Hidden Past 🌴 Caribbean Island

Until August 89%

Each August she visits her mother's island grave. This year she does not sleep alone.

by Gabriel García Márquez 2024

3.55

61k+ ratings

🖤 Literary Infidelity 🌺 Midlife Awakening 💋 Married Woman's Desire 🪦 Mother's Hidden Past 🌴 Caribbean Island

Daisy Miller

by Henry James • 1879

In Europe, an American girl flouts convention, and one man can't decide: innocent or reckless flirt?

3.37

38k+

🗽 American Abroad 🥀 Tragic Heroine 👥 Social Ostracism ❓ Ambiguous Innocence 👁️ Unreliable Observer

Daisy Miller 89%

In Europe, an American girl flouts convention, and one man can't decide: innocent or reckless flirt?

by Henry James 1879

3.37

38k+ ratings

🗽 American Abroad 🥀 Tragic Heroine 👥 Social Ostracism ❓ Ambiguous Innocence 👁️ Unreliable Observer

Washington Square

by Henry James • 1880

A plain, shy heiress is courted by a charming man her father calls a fortune hunter.

3.71

26k+

🧠 Psychological Realism 💰 Fortune Hunter 🌸 Quiet Heroine 🏠 Father-Daughter Conflict 😔 Melancholy

Washington Square 89%

A plain, shy heiress is courted by a charming man her father calls a fortune hunter.

by Henry James 1880

3.71

26k+ ratings

🧠 Psychological Realism 💰 Fortune Hunter 🌸 Quiet Heroine 🏠 Father-Daughter Conflict 😔 Melancholy

The Portrait of a Lady, Volume 1

by Henry James • 1881

Her inheritance bought her Europe and a season of suitors. She intends to refuse them all.

3.93

593

🧠 Psychological Realism 🎭 Novel Of Manners 💪 Independent Heroine 💍 Marriage As Trap 💰 Inheritance Plot

The Portrait of a Lady, Volume 1 Summary

The Portrait of a Lady, Volume 1 89%

Her inheritance bought her Europe and a season of suitors. She intends to refuse them all.

by Henry James 1881

3.93

593 ratings

🧠 Psychological Realism 🎭 Novel Of Manners 💪 Independent Heroine 💍 Marriage As Trap 💰 Inheritance Plot

Their Eyes Were Watching God

by Zora Neale Hurston • 1937

She returned to town in overalls, the story of three husbands and a hurricane inside her.

3.99

391k+

👩🏿 Black Women's Journeys 💔 Tragic Love Story 🔗 Oppressive Marriage 🌸 Sensual Awakening 🌿 Everglades Life

Their Eyes Were Watching God 89%

She returned to town in overalls, the story of three husbands and a hurricane inside her.

by Zora Neale Hurston 1937

3.99

391k+ ratings

👩🏿 Black Women's Journeys 💔 Tragic Love Story 🔗 Oppressive Marriage 🌸 Sensual Awakening 🌿 Everglades Life

Near to the Wild Heart

by Clarice Lispector • 1943

An orphan girl who asked too many questions becomes a woman who abandons every answer.

4.02

19k+

🌊 Stream Of Consciousness 🌌 Existential Novel 🕯️ Female Solitude 💔 Marital Disillusionment 🌱 Female Awakening

Near to the Wild Heart 89%

An orphan girl who asked too many questions becomes a woman who abandons every answer.

by Clarice Lispector 1943

4.02

19k+ ratings

🌊 Stream Of Consciousness 🌌 Existential Novel 🕯️ Female Solitude 💔 Marital Disillusionment 🌱 Female Awakening

La monaca

by Simonetta Agnello Hornby • 2010

A noble family in decline has only one use for its most rebellious daughter: the convent.

3.51

542

🏛️ 19th Century Italy ⛪ Convent Life 💔 Love Vs Duty 🕊️ Female Emancipation 🏚️ Aristocratic Decline

La monaca 88%

A noble family in decline has only one use for its most rebellious daughter: the convent.

by Simonetta Agnello Hornby 2010

3.51

542 ratings

🏛️ 19th Century Italy ⛪ Convent Life 💔 Love Vs Duty 🕊️ Female Emancipation 🏚️ Aristocratic Decline

El hombre semen

by Violette Ailhaud • 2015

Purged of men, a Provençal village of widows swears to share the first man who arrives.

3.67

1k+

✊ Feminist Historical 🇫🇷 19th Century France 🔗 Shared Husband Pact 👭 Women's Commune 🖤 Mournful Sensuality

El hombre semen 88%

Purged of men, a Provençal village of widows swears to share the first man who arrives.

by Violette Ailhaud 2015

3.67

1k+ ratings

✊ Feminist Historical 🇫🇷 19th Century France 🔗 Shared Husband Pact 👭 Women's Commune 🖤 Mournful Sensuality

Madame Bovary

by Gustave Flaubert • 2004

To escape provincial boredom, a doctor's wife pursues lovers and luxury until the debts close in.

3.71

384k+

🖋️ Literary Realism 🏘️ Provincial Discontent 💔 Romantic Disillusion 💍 Marital Infidelity 🎩 Bourgeois Satire

Madame Bovary 88%

To escape provincial boredom, a doctor's wife pursues lovers and luxury until the debts close in.

by Gustave Flaubert 2004

3.71

384k+ ratings

🖋️ Literary Realism 🏘️ Provincial Discontent 💔 Romantic Disillusion 💍 Marital Infidelity 🎩 Bourgeois Satire

The Woman Destroyed

by Simone de Beauvoir • 1967

A husband's affair, a son's betrayal, a lifetime of grievance: three women unravel in midlife Paris.

4.01

47k+

🕊️ Feminist Classic 💔 Marriage Breakdown ⏳ Midlife Crisis 🔥 Jealousy Spiral 🌑 Existential Despair

The Woman Destroyed 88%

A husband's affair, a son's betrayal, a lifetime of grievance: three women unravel in midlife Paris.

by Simone de Beauvoir 1967

4.01

47k+ ratings

🕊️ Feminist Classic 💔 Marriage Breakdown ⏳ Midlife Crisis 🔥 Jealousy Spiral 🌑 Existential Despair

The Moviegoer by Walker Percy

by Walker Percy • 1961

A New Orleans stockbroker drifts through pleasure and routine, searching for a life that feels true.

3.64

31k+

🎭 Southern Gothic 🤔 Existential Novel 🎬 Disaffected Narrator 🌊 Melancholy 🏙️ Mid-Century America

The Moviegoer by Walker Percy 88%

A New Orleans stockbroker drifts through pleasure and routine, searching for a life that feels true.

by Walker Percy 1961

3.64

31k+ ratings

🎭 Southern Gothic 🤔 Existential Novel 🎬 Disaffected Narrator 🌊 Melancholy 🏙️ Mid-Century America

Love Is Blind

by William Boyd • 2018

When a piano tuner falls for a virtuoso's mistress, her husband pursues them across Europe.

3.98

9k+

🎼 Classical Music World 💔 Forbidden Love 🧳 Exile And Displacement 🕰️ Belle éPoque 🎭 Artistic Obsession

Love Is Blind 88%

When a piano tuner falls for a virtuoso's mistress, her husband pursues them across Europe.

by William Boyd 2018

3.98

9k+ ratings

🎼 Classical Music World 💔 Forbidden Love 🧳 Exile And Displacement 🕰️ Belle éPoque 🎭 Artistic Obsession

A Well-Behaved Woman

by Therese Anne Fowler • 2018

Her family ruined, Alva Smith marries a Vanderbilt. But old New York keeps its gates shut tight.

3.96

24k+

🏛️ Biographical Novel 🪜 Social Climbing 💍 Marriage Of Convenience 🥀 Mother-Daughter Conflict 💔 Betrayed Wife

A Well-Behaved Woman 88%

Her family ruined, Alva Smith marries a Vanderbilt. But old New York keeps its gates shut tight.

by Therese Anne Fowler 2018

3.96

24k+ ratings

🏛️ Biographical Novel 🪜 Social Climbing 💍 Marriage Of Convenience 🥀 Mother-Daughter Conflict 💔 Betrayed Wife

Sisi

by Allison Pataki • 2016

A restless empress flees the gilded cage, chasing wild freedom across Europe, but tragedy follows.

4.00

12k+

📖 Biographical Fiction 💔 Forbidden Love 💧 Estranged Marriage 🏰 Gilded Prison 🥀 Doomed Romance

Sisi 88%

A restless empress flees the gilded cage, chasing wild freedom across Europe, but tragedy follows.

by Allison Pataki 2016

4.00

12k+ ratings

📖 Biographical Fiction 💔 Forbidden Love 💧 Estranged Marriage 🏰 Gilded Prison 🥀 Doomed Romance

Sentimental Education

by Gustave Flaubert • 1869

Paris, the 1840s. A young dreamer falls for a married woman and never quite recovers.

3.81

25k+

😔 Novel Of Disillusionment 🇫🇷 French Realism 💔 Unattainable Love 😶 Passive Protagonist 🏛️ Bourgeois Society

Sentimental Education 88%

Paris, the 1840s. A young dreamer falls for a married woman and never quite recovers.

by Gustave Flaubert 1869

3.81

25k+ ratings

😔 Novel Of Disillusionment 🇫🇷 French Realism 💔 Unattainable Love 😶 Passive Protagonist 🏛️ Bourgeois Society

Mr. Bridge

by Evan S. Connell • 1969

A Kansas City attorney orders his family's life with quiet precision, mistaking provision for love.

4.00

3k+

📖 Character Study 🎩 Novel Of Manners 👔 Repressed Patriarch 💔 Unspoken Love 🌉 Generational Divide

Mr. Bridge 88%

A Kansas City attorney orders his family's life with quiet precision, mistaking provision for love.

by Evan S. Connell 1969

4.00

3k+ ratings

📖 Character Study 🎩 Novel Of Manners 👔 Repressed Patriarch 💔 Unspoken Love 🌉 Generational Divide

Wide Sargasso Sea

by Jean Rhys • 1966

A Creole heiress marries an English stranger only to watch her name and her sanity dissolve.

3.59

108k+

🏚️ Caribbean Gothic 📖 Literary Retelling 💍 Arranged Marriage 🌀 Unreliable Narrator 🔒 Forced Confinement

Wide Sargasso Sea 88%

A Creole heiress marries an English stranger only to watch her name and her sanity dissolve.

by Jean Rhys 1966

3.59

108k+ ratings

🏚️ Caribbean Gothic 📖 Literary Retelling 💍 Arranged Marriage 🌀 Unreliable Narrator 🔒 Forced Confinement

Summer and Smoke

by Tennessee Williams • 1948

From her rectory window, she watches the doctor's son chase everything she cannot give him.

3.99

3k+

🏚️ Southern Gothic 💔 Unrequited Love 🔥 Repressed Desire ⏳ Missed Connection 🪞 Divided Self

Summer and Smoke 88%

From her rectory window, she watches the doctor's son chase everything she cannot give him.

by Tennessee Williams 1948

3.99

3k+ ratings

🏚️ Southern Gothic 💔 Unrequited Love 🔥 Repressed Desire ⏳ Missed Connection 🪞 Divided Self

The Home and the World

by Rabindranath Tagore • 1916

A colonial Bengali wife falls for a nationalist leader; her principled husband refuses to stop her.

3.83

6k+

🏛️ Colonial Bengal 💔 Love Triangle 🌸 Female Awakening ⚖️ Torn Loyalties 💍 Marriage Under Strain

The Home and the World 88%

A colonial Bengali wife falls for a nationalist leader; her principled husband refuses to stop her.

by Rabindranath Tagore 1916

3.83

6k+ ratings

🏛️ Colonial Bengal 💔 Love Triangle 🌸 Female Awakening ⚖️ Torn Loyalties 💍 Marriage Under Strain

The Invention of Wings

by Sue Monk Kidd • 2014

Given an enslaved child, a Charleston girl becomes an abolitionist as that child plots her escape.

4.26

334k+

🏛️ Antebellum South ✊ Abolitionist Movement 🌸 Feminist Awakening 🤝 Interracial Friendship 🧵 Mother-Daughter Legacy

The Invention of Wings 88%

Given an enslaved child, a Charleston girl becomes an abolitionist as that child plots her escape.

by Sue Monk Kidd 2014

4.26

334k+ ratings

🏛️ Antebellum South ✊ Abolitionist Movement 🌸 Feminist Awakening 🤝 Interracial Friendship 🧵 Mother-Daughter Legacy

Stoner

by John Williams • 1965

William Stoner turns from the soil to the sonnet, and a quiet, unremarkable life begins.

4.36

260k+

📚 Campus Novel 🖋️ Quiet Life Portrait 💔 Unhappy Marriage ❤️‍🔥 Forbidden Love Affair 🪨 Stoic Protagonist

Stoner 88%

William Stoner turns from the soil to the sonnet, and a quiet, unremarkable life begins.

by John Williams 1965

4.36

260k+ ratings

📚 Campus Novel 🖋️ Quiet Life Portrait 💔 Unhappy Marriage ❤️‍🔥 Forbidden Love Affair 🪨 Stoic Protagonist

So Long a Letter

by Mariama Bâ • 1980

Her husband dead, a Senegalese widow writes one long letter, untangling years of love and betrayal.

4.00

13k+

✉️ Epistolary Novel 🌍 Postcolonial Fiction 💔 Polygamy 👭 Female Friendship 🌱 Quiet Resilience

So Long a Letter 88%

Her husband dead, a Senegalese widow writes one long letter, untangling years of love and betrayal.

by Mariama Bâ 1980

4.00

13k+ ratings

✉️ Epistolary Novel 🌍 Postcolonial Fiction 💔 Polygamy 👭 Female Friendship 🌱 Quiet Resilience

The Painted Veil

by W. Somerset Maugham • 1925

An unfaithful colonial wife follows her betrayed husband into a cholera epidemic in rural China.

3.98

53k+

🏛️ Colonial Expat Life 💔 Loveless Marriage 📖 Literary Infidelity 🌅 Moral Awakening 🦠 Epidemic Journey

The Painted Veil 88%

An unfaithful colonial wife follows her betrayed husband into a cholera epidemic in rural China.

by W. Somerset Maugham 1925

3.98

53k+ ratings

🏛️ Colonial Expat Life 💔 Loveless Marriage 📖 Literary Infidelity 🌅 Moral Awakening 🦠 Epidemic Journey

Other Voices, Other Rooms by Truman Capote

by Truman Capote • 1948

At a decaying Southern mansion, an orphan finds silence and a cousin who mirrors his strangeness.

3.74

18k+

🏚️ Southern Gothic 🌈 Queer Coming Of Age 🕯️ Decaying Mansion 👤 Absent Father ⚧️ Gender Nonconformity

Other Voices, Other Rooms by Truman Capote Summary

Other Voices, Other Rooms by Truman Capote 88%

At a decaying Southern mansion, an orphan finds silence and a cousin who mirrors his strangeness.

by Truman Capote 1948

3.74

18k+ ratings

🏚️ Southern Gothic 🌈 Queer Coming Of Age 🕯️ Decaying Mansion 👤 Absent Father ⚧️ Gender Nonconformity

The Custom of the Country

by Edith Wharton • 1913

A small-town beauty carries herself into old New York, where acceptance only sharpens her appetite.

4.07

16k+

🎭 Novel Of Manners 🥂 Gilded Age New York 🏙️ Social Climber 💔 Doomed Marriage 🗼 Belle ÉPoque Paris

The Custom of the Country 88%

A small-town beauty carries herself into old New York, where acceptance only sharpens her appetite.

by Edith Wharton 1913

4.07

16k+ ratings

🎭 Novel Of Manners 🥂 Gilded Age New York 🏙️ Social Climber 💔 Doomed Marriage 🗼 Belle ÉPoque Paris

Revolutionary Road

by Richard Yates • 1961

Frank and April Wheeler are sure they're exceptional. Their suburban marriage says otherwise.

3.93

94k+

📚 Midcentury American Fiction 🏡 Suburban Disillusionment 💔 Marriage As Prison 🎭 Performative Domesticity 🔒 Claustrophobic Atmosphere

Revolutionary Road 88%

Frank and April Wheeler are sure they're exceptional. Their suburban marriage says otherwise.

by Richard Yates 1961

3.93

94k+ ratings

📚 Midcentury American Fiction 🏡 Suburban Disillusionment 💔 Marriage As Prison 🎭 Performative Domesticity 🔒 Claustrophobic Atmosphere

The Forsyth Saga

by John Galsworthy • 1921

A possessive husband drives his wife away. A generation later, their children fall in love.

4.19

21k+

🌳 Family Saga 🎭 Social Critique 💔 Forbidden Love 🔒 Obsessive Love ⛓️ Generational Conflict

The Forsyth Saga 88%

A possessive husband drives his wife away. A generation later, their children fall in love.

by John Galsworthy 1921

4.19

21k+ ratings

🌳 Family Saga 🎭 Social Critique 💔 Forbidden Love 🔒 Obsessive Love ⛓️ Generational Conflict

Martin Eden

by Jack London • 1909

A sailor meets a refined girl and destroys himself trying to become worthy of her love.

4.48

56k+

🔨 Working Class Fiction 🏛️ Gilded Age Fiction 💔 Doomed Ambition 🎨 Artist As Outsider 💕 Class Divide Romance

Martin Eden 88%

A sailor meets a refined girl and destroys himself trying to become worthy of her love.

by Jack London 1909

4.48

56k+ ratings

🔨 Working Class Fiction 🏛️ Gilded Age Fiction 💔 Doomed Ambition 🎨 Artist As Outsider 💕 Class Divide Romance

The Lover

by Marguerite Duras • 1984

A French girl, a Chinese millionaire, and a colonial affair that becomes her lifelong wound.

3.70

75k+

📖 Autofiction 🇫🇷 French Colonialism 💰 Transactional Desire 💔 Age Gap Romance 🌸 Sexual Awakening

The Lover 88%

A French girl, a Chinese millionaire, and a colonial affair that becomes her lifelong wound.

by Marguerite Duras 1984

3.70

75k+ ratings

📖 Autofiction 🇫🇷 French Colonialism 💰 Transactional Desire 💔 Age Gap Romance 🌸 Sexual Awakening

The Buccaneers

by Edith Wharton • 1938

Snubbed by New York, Nan St George sails to England to hunt a title, whatever the price.

3.85

9k+

🏙️ Gilded Age 🎭 Social Satire 💍 Marriage Of Convenience 💔 Forbidden Love 🏰 Gilded Cage

The Buccaneers 88%

Snubbed by New York, Nan St George sails to England to hunt a title, whatever the price.

by Edith Wharton 1938

3.85

9k+ ratings

🏙️ Gilded Age 🎭 Social Satire 💍 Marriage Of Convenience 💔 Forbidden Love 🏰 Gilded Cage

Marshlands

by André Gide • 1895

To write about a man at peace with stagnation, a writer must confront his own paralysis.

3.58

1k+

📖 Novel Within A Novel 🤔 Philosophical Fiction ✒️ Writer Protagonist 🥀 Ennui 🗼 Belle Epoque Paris

Marshlands 87%

To write about a man at peace with stagnation, a writer must confront his own paralysis.

by André Gide 1895

3.58

1k+ ratings

📖 Novel Within A Novel 🤔 Philosophical Fiction ✒️ Writer Protagonist 🥀 Ennui 🗼 Belle Epoque Paris

مرگ ایوان ایلیچ و داستان های دیگر

by Leo Tolstoy • 1886

A minor accident leaves a Russian judge dying, confronting the emptiness of his respectable life.

4.12

17k+

🖤 Deathbed Reckoning 📖 Philosophical Stories 🎭 Bourgeois Emptiness 💔 Marital Hypocrisy 🔥 Destructive Desire

مرگ ایوان ایلیچ و داستان های دیگر Summary

مرگ ایوان ایلیچ و داستان های دیگر 87%

A minor accident leaves a Russian judge dying, confronting the emptiness of his respectable life.

by Leo Tolstoy 1886

4.12

17k+ ratings

🖤 Deathbed Reckoning 📖 Philosophical Stories 🎭 Bourgeois Emptiness 💔 Marital Hypocrisy 🔥 Destructive Desire

The Personal Librarian

by Marie Benedict • 2021

A Black woman passing as white builds J.P. Morgan's legendary library, one secret away from ruin.

4.05

234k+

📖 Biographical Fiction 🏛️ Gilded Age 🎭 Passing As White 📚 Rare Books 💔 Forbidden Love

The Personal Librarian 87%

A Black woman passing as white builds J.P. Morgan's legendary library, one secret away from ruin.

by Marie Benedict 2021

4.05

234k+ ratings

📖 Biographical Fiction 🏛️ Gilded Age 🎭 Passing As White 📚 Rare Books 💔 Forbidden Love

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