Fierce, Willful, and Defiant: Our Readers' Favorite Fictional Heroines

On the subject of women, Jane Austen once wrote, "None of us want to be in calm waters all our lives." And so it goes for the heroines we meet in books. Not only are they admired for their spirit and independence, but also for their fears and flaws.



In honor of Women's History Month, we asked our fans on Twitter and Facebook which fictional heroines have captured their hearts. We limited our roundup to the most popular answers and added an inspiring quote from each character.


If you don't see your fictional heroine on this list, be sure to add their names in comments. Don't forget to add new favorites to your Want-to-Read shelf!

Jane Eyre




from Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Quote: "I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will."

Elizabeth Bennet




from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Quote: "There is a stubbornness about me that never can bear to be frightened at the will of others. My courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate me."

Hermione Granger




from the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling

Quote: "Books! And cleverness! There are more important things: friendship and bravery!"

Starr Carter




from The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Quote: "What's the point of having a voice if you're gonna be silent in those moments you shouldn't be?"

Make sure to check out our interview with Angie Thomas.

Katniss Everdeen




from The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins

Quote: "No one will forget me. Not my look, not my name. Katniss. The girl who was on fire."

Sayuri




from Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

Quote: "Every time I caught a glimpse of myself in the glass of a shop, I felt I was someone to be taken seriously; not a girl anymore, but a young woman."

Brienne of Tarth




from the A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin

Quote: "All my life men like you've sneered at me, and all my life I've been knocking men like you into the dust."

"Offred"




from The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

Quote: "My name isn't Offred, I have another name, which nobody uses now because it's forbidden. I tell myself it doesn't matter...but what I tell myself is wrong, it does matter."

Jo March




from the Little Women series by Louisa May Alcott

Quote: "I want to do something splendid before I go into my castle, something heroic or wonderful that won't be forgotten after I'm dead. I don't know what, but I'm on the watch for it, and mean to astonish you all someday."

Sula




from Sula by Toni Morrison

Quote: "I don't want to make somebody else. I want to make myself."

Lisbeth Salander




from the Millennium series by Stieg Larsson

Quote: "I hate this society where we're watched over all the time. I've had enough of Big Brother and the authorities in my life."

Claire Fraser




from the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon

Quote: "One dictum I had learned on the battlefields of France in a far distant war: You cannot save the world, but you might save the man in front of you, if you work fast enough."

Who are your favorite fictional heroines? Let us know in the comments!



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posted by Marie on March, 29

Source: Goodreads Blog