10 Most Important Women Fiction Writers of Our Time

When it comes to American fiction, we are lucky to have available to us some of the most talented and inspiring women writers. There is fiction - the kind of novel that entertains and you can breeze through in a couple of days. But then there is literary fiction - the kind of novel that grabs you and spits you out at the end. The following contemporary novelists will suck you in with not only the beauty of their prose, but with their ability to climb into your window and make you part of the story. Following are the best of the best.

Elizabeth Berg - From Chicago, Elizabeth Berg was a registered nurse before becoming a full time writer. Perhaps this is why she is able to capture the nuances and emotions of ordinary people, particularly women. She knows how women think, she explores the very real drama of common circumstances.

Durable Goods (1993)
Talk Before Sleep (1994)
Range of Motion (1995)
The Pull of the Moon (1996)
Joy School (1997)
What We Keep (1998)
Until the Real Thing Comes Along (1999)
Open House (2000)
Never Change (2001)
True to Form (2002)
Say When (2003)
The Art of Mending (2004)
The Year of Pleasures (2005)
We Are All Welcome Here (2006)
The Handmaid and the Carpenter (2006)
Dream When You're Feeling Blue (2007)
Home Safe (2009)

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/writers/writerdetails.asp?cid=883100

Barbara Kingsolver - From Kentucky, Barbara Kingsolver has mastered the art of writing outstanding literature. Her work has a literary quality like no other and she sees her literature as a tool for social awareness. If you read one book this year, read "The Poisonwood Bible".

Animal Dreams (1987)
The Bean Trees (1988)
Pigs in Heaven (1993)
The Poisonwood Bible (1998)
Prodigal Summer (2000)
The Lacuna (2009)

http://www.kingsolver.com/

Anne Tyler - From Maryland, Anne Tyler is one of the most beloved contemporary fiction writers. He understanding of relationships and the quirks of maintaining them is paramount. He prose flows, her characters could be members of your own family.

If Morning Ever Comes (1964)
The Tin Can Tree (1965)
A Slipping Down Life (1969)
The Clock Winder (1972)
Celestial Navigation (1974)
Searching for Caleb (1975)
Earthly Possessions (1977)
Morgan's Passing (1980)
Dinner At the Homesick Restaurant (1982)
The Accidental Tourist (1985)
Breathing Lessons (1988)
Saint Maybe (1991)
Tumble Tower (1993)
Ladder of Years (1995)
A Patchwork Planet (1998)
Back When We Were Grownups (2001)
The Amateur Marriage (2004)
Digging to America (2006)
Noah's Compass (2009)

Anna Quindlen - From New York, Anna Quindlen is great at exploring the individual's need to be true to herself. She creatively reveals the steps people take when given a particular situation. He novels can make you cry but you'll rejoice in the end at the human way we all eventually succeed.

Object Lessons (1991)
One True Thing (1994)
Black and Blue (1998)
Blessings (2002)
Being Perfect (2005)
Rise and Shine (2006)

http://www.biblio.com/author_biographies/2152492/Anne_Tyler.html

Margaret Atwood - From Canada, Magaret Atwood received her education in Massachusetts. Known as an accessable writer, she enjoys taking sarcastic jabs at social situations. She often examines the relationship between men and women. Her protagonists are usually strong but flawed women. Once you read a Margaret Atwood novel, you'll wonder why you haven't doe so before.

The Edible Woman (1969)
Surfacing (1972)
Lady Oracle (1976)
Up in the Tree (1978)
Life before Man (1979)
Anna's Pet (1980)
Bodily Harm (1981)
Unearthing Suite (1983)
The Handmaid's Tale (1985)
The Labrador Fiasco (1986)
Cat's Eye (1988)
For the Birds (1990) (with Shelly Tanaka)
The Robber Bride (1993)
Princess Prunella and the Purple Peanut (1995)
Alias Grace (1996)
The Blind Assassin (2000)
Oryx and Crake (2003)
The Year of the Flood (2009)

http://www.notablebiographies.com/An-Ba/Atwood-Margaret.html

Toni Morrison - From Ohio, Toni Morrison has a keen ear for dialogue combined with a powerful writing seldom seen. Her expressive depiction of Black America and distinctive prose, make her a novelist not to skip. She is a classy, smart, and energetic writer.

The Bluest Eye (1969)
Sula (1973)
Song of Solomon (1977)
Tar Baby (1981)
Beloved (1987)
Jazz (1992)
Paradise (1997)
Love (2003)
A Mercy (2008)

http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1993/morrison-bio.html

Jacquelyn Mitchard - From Wisconsin, Jacquelyn Mitchard, more than most writers, has a grip on the emotional vulnerability of each of us. Readers identify wih her because of her authentic human voice. Her characters are far from perfect but they are real.

The Deep End of the Ocean (1996)
The Most Wanted (1998)
A Theory of Relativity (2001)
Twelve Times Blessed (2003)
Christmas, Present (2003)
Starring Prima!: The Mouse of the Ballet Jolie (2004)
Rosalie, My Rosalie: The Tale of a Duckling (2005)
The Breakdown Lane (2005)
Now You See Her (2005)
Cage of Stars (2006)
Still Summer (2007)
All We Know of Heaven (2008)

http://www.jacquelynmitchard.com/mitchard-bio.htm

Jane Hamilton - From Wisconsin, Jane Hamilton possesses the ability to use descriptive phrases that make ordinary life extraordinary. She has the knack for placing the reader at the scene where one is able to see, smell, hear and feel what she writes - the mark of good writing.

A Map of the World (1994)
The Short History of a Prince (1998)
Disobedience (2000)
When Madeline Was Young (2006)
Laura Rider's Masterpiece (2009)

http://www.randomhouse.com/features/janehamilton/author_bio.html

Sheri Reynolds - From South Carolina, Sheri Reynolds is a contemporary southern writer who has a great feel for her roots. Her novels make you feel like you are participating in a play, only the acting can be a heart-wrenching or jubilant experience.

Bitterroot Landing (1994)
The Rapture of Canaan (1995)
Gracious Plenty (1997)
Firefly Cloak (2006)
The Sweet In Between (2008)

http://www.sherireynolds.com/

Jane Smiley - From California, Jane Smiley is one of America's most beloved literary writers. Her characters are vibrant and complex. Her work takes the reader for a ride they'll never want to end.

Barn Blind (1980)
Duplicate Keys (1984)
The Greenlanders (1988)
A Thousand Acres (1991)
At Paradise Gate (1993)
Moo (1995)
The All-true Travels and Adventures of Lidie Newton (1998)
Horse Heaven (2000)
Good Faith (2003)
Ten Days in the Hills (2007)
Ordinary Love (2008)

http://www.bookbrowse.com/biographies/index.cfm?author_number=298

Readers would be doing themselves a favor by picking up any of the books by any of these authors who make us proud to be Americans.