Friendship between women is a powerful force and has inspired some powerful reads. Our librarians have gathered the best titles that explore female friendships, including some classic tales, some heart warmers and a few about when friendships go wrong!
Enjoy the fabulous work of Australian authors such as The strays* by Emily Bitto, Tiddas by Anita Heiss and The natural way of things by Charlotte Wood. We also have smash hits that have made it to the big screen such as My brilliant friend* by Elena Ferrante and Ladies in black* by Madeleine St John.
Try classic reads like Cat's eye* by Margaret Atwood, The color purple by Alice Walker and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, all of which show how friendship is the same across the ages. Finally, take a walk on the darker side of friendship with The day she disappeared by Christobel Kent, All the missing girls* by Megan Miranda, Eileen* by Ottessa Moshfegh or The woman upstairs by Claire Messud.
Stories about female friendship
- Cat's eye* by Margaret Atwood
- A simple favour by Darcey Bell
- The strays* by Emily Bitto
- Small blessings by Emily Brewin
- Look at me by Anita Brookner
- Bad behaviour* by Liz Byrski
- The girls: a novel* by Emma Cline
- Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
- My brilliant friend* by Elena Ferrante
- Her pretty face by Robyn Harding
- The rules of seeing by Joe Heap
- Tiddas by Anita Heiss
- Her perfect life by Sam Hepburn
- The art of friendship by Lisa Ireland
- The day she disappeared by Christobel Kent
- Adoration by Doris Lessing
- Puberty blues by Kathy Lette and Gabrielle Carey
- Hot milk* by Deborah Levy
- Tangerine by Christine Mangan
- The jade lily by Kirsty Manning
- All the missing girls* by Megan Miranda
- The last house guest by Megan Miranda
- The woman upstairs by Claire Messud
- Skylarking* by Kate Mildenhall
- The perfect mother by Aimee Molloy
- Sula by Toni Morrison
- Arcadia* by Di Morrissey
- Eileen* by Ottessa Moshfegh
- Little fires everywhere by Celeste Ng
- I invited her in by Adele Parks
- The geography of friendship by Sally Piper
- The land girls by Victoria Purman
- Not bad people by Brandy Scott
- The island of sea women by Lisa See
- Lovesome by Sally Seltmann
- Swing time* by Zadie Smith
- The girls of slender means by Muriel Spark
- Ladies in black (The women in black)* by Madeleine St John
- Four respectable ladies seek part-time husband by Barbara Toner
- The color purple by Alice Walker
- The natural way of things by Charlotte Wood
- Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
Reserve a book on our list
To reserve a book, click the title and use your membership number and PIN to place a reservation.
Titles with an asterisk (*) are also available from our eBook collection.
More recommended reading
To view booklists on a variety of subjects, visit Booklists from our librarians.