Five of the best novels about women discovering unimaginable strength through tragedy

Melanie Maure holds a Master’s in Counselling Psychology and lives in central British Columbia. She is second generation Irish and spends a great deal of time in Ireland, which is an enduring source of inspiration for her work.

Sisters of Belfast is Maure's debut novel.

[The Page 69 Test: Sisters of Belfast; My Book, The Movie: Sisters of Belfast; Q&A with Melanie Maure]

At Shepherd Maure tagged five of the "best novels about seemingly ordinary women discovering unimaginable strength through tragedy." One title on the list:

The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd

The narrator and protagonist, Ana, grabbed my heart and imagination immediately. Her tenacity, vulnerability, heartbreak, and clarity brought me into every experience she had throughout the story, one of which was being Jesus' wife. I loved that the experience of being Jesus’ wife was not the epicenter of her being. Instead, the depth of her longing to write and find her purpose in that calling shone through.

This book resonated deeply with me, helping to round out my childhood experience of religion, in particular, the bible being held in a very patriarchal view.

This book grabbed my heart and mind and would not let me go. I cried several times and finished it in a week, which is fast reading for a slow reader like me.

Read about the other entries on the list.

The Book of Longings is among Glennon Doyle's six soulful, life-changing books.

--Marshal Zeringue