Anna Quindlen's six favorite books by contemporary female authors

Anna Quindlen's new novel is Alternate Side. One of her six favorite books by contemporary female authors, as shared at The Week magazine:

The Ninth Hour by Alice McDermott

The latest of McDermott's deeply felt novels is the story of a girl who grows up among the Little Sisters of the Poor in a Brooklyn convent. With her deft use of detail and her profound understanding of human nature, McDermott creates a world entire in a slender volume.

Read about the other entries on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue