Bonus if it's not horrifically sad and the main character doesn't have an avalanche of tragic events happen to them. One terrible event to kick off the book or be the climax? Sure. One after another after another, though, gets to be a bit much.
by MissBee123
12 Comments
Frozen River
The Perveen Mistri series by Sujata Massey is fantastic. The first, The Widows of Malabar Hill, has a rough interval in the middle, but it’s background that isn’t the main story — they’re primarily mysteries and the subsequent books don’t have trauma like that.
Kate Morton has a couple good ones. You’d have to check the synopsis to see which cus at least 2 do have tragic events, sorry I don’t remember, but I did enjoy all her books.
*The Lost Ones* by Anita Frank (Gothic)
*The Winter Sea* by Susanna Kearsley and other books of hers.
It starts >!with some trauma!< but it doesn’t stay that way for long
Anything by Fiona Davis would fit the bill! They are mostly dual narratives that take place in the same NYC building decades apart. “It’s 1927 and Dorothy is fulfilling her dreams of being a commercial illustrator while taking classes at the art school in the new Grand Central Terminal…it’s 1977 and Carol takes the first job of her life after a divorce as a ticket taker at the run down Grand Central Terminal.” Stuff like that.
Hardland by Ashley Sweeney was fun if you like the American Southwest. There’s some DV, but ultimately it’s about a woman making it on her own.
Isola was my favorite read of 2025. It is beautiful and haunting. And tragic, but it’s a slow burn rather than break your heart.
Dusk by Robbie Arnott is about a set of vagabond twins in Tasmania who meet a puma. Captivating!
Avoid Kristin Hannah 😉
anything by Madeleine Brent
I loved The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
**The Observations** by Jane Harris has nothing to do with war, and two female main characters.
Isola – lots of hardship but not tragedy upon tragedy, if that makes sense? Also Burial Rites – similar vibes. I also read and loved Caroline, which tells the story of Little House on the Prairie from Ma Ingalls’ perspective and turns a lot of it on its head.
Galileo’s Daughter