Novels or biographies to motivate older soon-to-be divorced woman

My 60 year old mom is going to be left by herself soon – her youngest kid is soon leaving for college, and husband asked for a divorce. After 40 years of raising kids and being a mom and the head of a household, she'll have "no purpose" and she'll probably live alone at some near future. She's afraid. Do you know any strong stories of women, that found their strength and independence and discovered there's more to do in life even in older age? Or just in general some strong inspiring female characters / real people, regardless of age or situation.

She likes novels without fantasy, supernatural or sci-fi environments, although she also likes Stephen King, so it's not a strict condition.