Growing up from girlhood to womanhood is no easy feat; many face challenges along the way, including love, pressure, and, most importantly, the journey of understanding one’s identity. Coming-of-age stories perfectly resemble this growth and change within us, as they are narratives of self-discovery, experience, and the characters transitioning into adulthood. Today, we’ve gathered a list of phenomenal books with themes that represent girlhood and womanhood, so take a look and see if you recognize some of these remarkable classics!
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Arguably the greatest coming-of-age classic for girls, Little Women tells the tale of the four March sisters. With Meg’s traditional dreams, Jo’s independent lifestyle, Beth’s timid nature, and Amy’s ambitions, the March sisters couldn’t be any more different. But with their father away at war, they must work hard with their mother to support their family and rely on one another. This timeless classic will captivate your heart as you read about the beauty of sisterhood and how there is strength in every variation of women, as we are all made of different dreams.
“Women, they have minds, and they have souls, as well as just hearts. And they’ve got ambition, and they’ve got talent, as well as just beauty. I’m so sick of people saying that love is all a woman is fit for.”
Little Women
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
In a poor neighborhood in the 1950s, Ela Ferrante’s four-volume story spans across sixty years. It features the fiery but unforgettable Lila and the bookish narrator, Elena, as they become women, wives, mothers, and eventually leaders, all while maintaining a complex friendship. The first novel of the series follows the two girls from their fateful meeting at ten years old through their school years and adolescence.
“Nowhere is it written that you can’t do it.”
My Brilliant Friend
Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery, Illustrated by Anna Bond
A heartwarming story has beckoned generations of readers into the world of Green Gables, an old farm outside of Avonlea. An inspiration of the Netflix series, Anne With an E, Anne of Green Gables presents an eleven-year-old orphan who has arrived to her new family only to discover they actually wanted to adopt a boy, not a feisty redheaded girl. But before they send her back, Anne impeccably wins them over completely. This loved classic explores all the vulnerability, expectations, and dreams of a child growing up.
“Life is worth living as long as there’s a laugh in it.”
Anne of Green Gables
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
A coming-of-age classic about a young Latina girl growing up in Chicago, The House on Mango Street is one of the most cherished novels of the last fifty years! As readers follow Esperanza Cordero, she grows up to invent herself in who and what she will become. Told in a series of vignettes, either heartbreaking or joyous, Cisnero’s novel is a wonderful story of childhood and self-discovery; it creates a world through the voices of the people and uses poetic language to celebrate the power of being proud of where you come from.
“At school they say my name funny as if the syllables were made out of tin and hurt the roof of your mouth. But in Spanish my name is made out of a softer something, like silver”
The House on Mango Street
Coming-of-age stories bring beautiful and heartwarming messages, especially to young girls as they transition into adulthood!
For more coming-of-age novels, read our article here.
Be sure to check out our Bookstr Team Recommendations list on bookshop.org!
