The 100 best books by women from Britain

No. 11 on this list. Wolf Hall · Hilary Mantel · 2009

The historical novel that changed the genre's literary status. Thomas Cromwell's rise, rendered in present tense and close third person, made Tudor politics feel immediate. Core text in contemporary fiction and historical fiction courses.

No. 12 on this list. The Mirror and the Light · Hilary Mantel · 2020

The final book in the Thomas Cromwell trilogy, following Cromwell from Jane Seymours death to his own execution.

No. 13 on this list. The Golden Notebook · Doris Lessing · 1962

Included in: Bokklubben World Library

The Golden Notebook appears on 139 university syllabi according to the Open Syllabus Project (53rd percentile) and is listed in Open Syllabus's Top 500 Literature titles. It appears on TIME's All-TIME 100 Novels list (2005) and holds Wikipedia articles in 20 languages. It is a standard text in women's literature, postcolonial literature, and 20th-century British fiction courses, though not at the frequency of The Great Gatsby or To Kill a Mockingbird.

No. 14 on this list. Villette · Charlotte Brontë · 1853

Widely taught in advanced 19th-century literature courses and Victorian fiction seminars, though less ubiquitous than Jane Eyre. Contemporary scholarship increasingly positions Villette as Brontë's most sophisticated novel; it appears regularly on university syllabi in feminist literary criticism and psychological realism tracks.

No. 15 on this list. The Bloody Chamber · Angela Carter · 1979

Taught in schools: OCR GCSE and A-level English Literature (UK)

The Bloody Chamber is among the most-taught works of feminist fiction in British and American university literature programs, appearing on A-level and undergraduate syllabi across the English-speaking world for over four decades. It anchors feminist fairy tale criticism as a field and appears on most 20th-century fiction retrospective lists. Its canonical standing exceeds Infinite Jest (78) in terms of institutional adoption.

No. 16 on this list. The Mill on the Floss · George Eliot · 1860

Taught in schools: AQA GCSE and A-level English Literature (UK)

Firmly established in the Victorian literature curriculum and regularly taught in surveys of 19th-century British fiction. It stands as Eliot's second-most-studied novel after 'Middlemarch,' valued for its feminist themes, psychological depth, and semi-autobiographical portrayal of female intellectual awakening in a restrictive provincial society.

No. 17 on this list. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie · Muriel Spark · 1961

Taught in schools: CSEC English B – Caribbean Examinations Council

Regularly taught in British literature and women's studies courses, considered essential modern Scottish fiction. Appears on A-level syllabi and university 20th-century literature surveys. Not as universally taught as The Great Gatsby, but firmly established in academic curricula focused on postwar British fiction and modernist technique.

No. 18 on this list. Blasted · Sarah Kane · 1995

Now recognized as one of the most important British plays of the late twentieth century. A landmark of in-yer-face theater and a standard text in contemporary drama courses.

No. 19 on this list. Piranesi · Susanna Clarke · 2021

Winner of the Women's Prize for Fiction (2021), with a Wikipedia presence in 39 languages — strong recognition for a novel published in 2020. Clarke's second novel after the celebrated Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, it arrived with significant literary anticipation and met it. Not yet in syllabi, which reflects recency rather than lack of merit.

No. 20 on this list. 4.48 Psychosis · Sarah Kane · 2000

Recognized as one of the most important plays of the late twentieth century and Kane's masterpiece. Widely performed, translated, and studied internationally.

No. 21 on this list. A Number · Caryl Churchill · 2002

One of Churchill's most frequently performed plays and a standard text in contemporary drama courses. Widely recognized as a landmark of twenty-first-century theater.

No. 22 on this list. Daniel Deronda · George Eliot · 1876

Daniel Deronda appears regularly on Victorian literature and nineteenth-century fiction syllabi at universities across the English-speaking world. While Middlemarch holds the stronger canonical position for Eliot, Daniel Deronda is widely assigned in courses on the Victorian novel, Jewish literature, and the literature of nationalism. Its Wikipedia article exists in numerous languages, reflecting its global scholarly recognition.

No. 23 on this list. White Teeth · Zadie Smith · 2002

White Teeth appears on 1,210 university syllabi (77th percentile by Open Syllabus), placing it well above cult favorites like Infinite Jest while falling short of Nobel-author anchors like Beloved. Its Wikipedia article spans 12 languages with dedicated Reception and Adaptations sections, reflecting a book that has entered postcolonial and British literature courses worldwide. Named to TIME's All-TIME 100 Novels list in 2005, it is now a standard text in contemporary fiction and multicultural British literature curricula.

No. 24 on this list. The Accidental · Ali Smith · 2005

The Accidental has achieved recognition as a significant 21st-century British novel, appearing on university syllabi and contemporary fiction reading lists. While not yet established in the permanent canon, it represents Smith's breakthrough to major literary prominence and exemplifies post-2000 experimental domestic fiction. Its status continues to grow with Smith's increasing reputation.

No. 25 on this list. Black Lamb and Grey Falcon · Rebecca West · 1941

Named to TIME Magazine's All-TIME 100 Best Nonfiction Books and to numerous 'greatest travel books' and 'greatest books of the 20th century' lists. Continuously in print since 1941 in Penguin Modern Classics. Not widely assigned in university courses relative to its reputation, but cited as essential reading by serious readers of 20th-century European history and political thought.

No. 26 on this list. The Grass is Singing · Doris Lessing · 1950

Taught in schools: CSEC English B – Caribbean Examinations Council

Included in: Heinemann African Writers Series

Regularly appears on postcolonial literature syllabi and is considered essential reading within Lessing's body of work. No syllabus data is available in the database, but the novel has maintained continuous presence in academic courses on African literature, colonial fiction, and twentieth-century British writing since its 1950 publication.

No. 27 on this list. Rebecca · Daphne du Maurier · 1938

Taught in schools: AQA GCSE and A-level English Literature (UK)

Appears on 337 university syllabi (63rd percentile in Open Syllabus) and on the BBC Big Read Top 100 and 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. It is a standard text in courses on the gothic and on women's writing, and has been in print continuously since 1938.

No. 28 on this list. Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit · Jeanette Winterson · 1985

Taught in schools: AQA GCSE and A-level English Literature (UK), WJEC/Eduqas GCSE and A-level English Literature (UK)

Taught widely in UK university literature courses and increasingly present in American women's literature and queer studies syllabi. Considered a landmark of LGBTQ+ fiction and British autofiction, and consistently appears on lists of the best British novels of the 20th century, though it has not achieved the universal curriculum presence of the major Anglophone classics.

No. 29 on this list. The Dressmaker · Beryl Bainbridge · 1973

Shortlisted for the 1973 Booker Prize and widely regarded as exemplary of Bainbridge's distinctive voice in postwar British fiction. While not achieving the absolute canonical status of genre-defining works, The Dressmaker is consistently included in discussions of late 20th-century British psychological fiction.

No. 30 on this list. Possession · A.S. Byatt · 1990

Taught regularly in postmodern fiction courses and neo-Victorian literature seminars. Appears on university syllabi exploring metafiction, historical fiction, and gender in Victorian studies. Not yet a universal high school text like canonical classics, but firmly established in undergraduate and graduate curricula as exemplar of 1990s literary fiction engaging with literary history.