You already know how much of a 'mood' reader I am. And I am in the mood once again for a particular sort of book/story. It was spurred on by my reading of Parnassus on Wheels and the lovely main character, Helen, who I got such a kick out of. She is indeed a very spirited heroine. Not perfect--either physically or personality-wise but in my eyes entirely likable. What I especially like is that she is a woman, the main protagonist too, who is 'of a certain age'. And unmarried and with no children. I have a feeling that I am somewhere in the middle of that span of 'a certain age'. I am now a single woman and have no children.
When I was younger the idea of reading about a heroine over the age of thirty was not very appealing. Now I almost prefer reading about women over thirty (not exclusively by any means, but I can relate to a woman who has more experience in life). I certainly don't mind reading about married women or mothers, but sometimes it's hard finding a heroine who is slightly older and shall we say, unencumbered. A heroine that is, who is not looked down upon as being a spinster or added appendage since she has no family.
So, this is what I am in search of. A good story about a strong woman who is on her own and unapologetic about it. Fairy tale endings not a requirement. Ideas? I'll start, to give you an idea of what I have in mind (have read and loved both of these stories . . .).
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson (and you have to love Persephone Books for having a category in their online catalog called Single Women--I have already requested two of their titles from my public library--Lettice Delmer by Susan Miles and Tea with Mr. Rochester by Frances Towers.
Excellent Women by Barbara Pym--as a matter of fact I think a number of Pym's books would work quite nicely in this case, so I will be investigating my Pym collection (I have a stack of books by her!).
I'm making good progress in my 'in progress' books and will continue reading them, but if I can find an equally enjoyable book as Parnassus was, I will happily add it to my reading pile.
As always, suggestions most welcome!