Women’s happiness – what is it? Most would answer that the main thing for any woman is to love and be loved. But is it really so? It’s time to admit that love is not the only thing that limits our lives. We, no less than men, yearn to find themselves, to succeed in their favorite business and develop fully. We have created for you a selection of delightful books, the authors of which showed the variety of female characters, reflecting the dreams of representatives of the beautiful half of humanity. And what about love? And there is a place for it!
Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
As a 10-year old girl, impressed by the great film adaptation of Vivien Leigh, I sat down to read Mitchell’s novel. It is an indescribably masterful book, a textbook of life. Scarlett in the original, I must admit, is not as beautiful as on the screen. All the more impressive for her natural charm with which she managed to succeed in life. Yes, she’s a lousy mother. Yes, she’s a squabbling wife and the world’s worst sister. But Scarlett has traits worthy of true respect. Having survived the harsh times of war, this young girl has managed to rebuild the family estate and become rich, feeding herself and a horde of relatives and acquaintances, including her hated rival, her lover Ashley’s wife. Scarlett is a role model, even if not in every aspect, and she teaches us how to bravely fight the obstacles to happiness.
Scarlett, Alexandra Ripley
The continuation of the story of the daring owner of Tara was not to everyone’s liking, but it is impossible to avoid this book if you love Scarlett with all your heart. In Ripley’s novel, the character of the main character undergoes significant changes. Scarlett becomes wiser, more tolerant, and kinder to those around her. She goes to her father’s homeland of Ireland. There she must endure many dangers and give birth alone to a child from Rhett, who has left her. Scarlett realized that her love for Ashley was a childish caprice and that only Butler, strong in spirit, can be the man with whom she will be simply happy as a woman.
The Ladies’ Paradise, Emile Zola
If you like this work, be sure to watch the TV series of the same name. The main character of the novel is a provincial girl looking for a job in the capital. She manages to get a place in a large supermarket of ladies’ accessories. It’s a real woman’s paradise, with everything from pins to wedding dresses. Kind and affectionate Denise finds her vocation here: she has a great understanding of fashion and a natural instinct for business. But trying to build a successful career in her era is an inappropriate path for a woman.
Vanity Fair, William Thackeray
How many arguments I have had with friends about this novel. They have been negative about my admiration for the main character, the mercenary Becky Sharp. Let me explain why I liked her so much as a wilful liar, eager to get into high society and become rich with the help of a wealthy man. No, she is not a role model, but she reflects our darkest dreams, which we are ashamed to admit to ourselves. On the surface, we are all so noble and honest, condemning women who prey on the profits. But deep down inside, we want to enjoy all the benefits of wealth: to get an education at the best universities in the world (not in some dull post-Soviet Institute with moldy classrooms), to eat delicacies (not choke on eggs), wear fancy clothes (not a pathetic synthetic), to travel around the world (not to go to grandma in the village to harvest potatoes)! Want to be beautiful, but without money it is difficult. And without beauty it is difficult to make a man fall in love with you. In general, it is difficult to be happy, with a broken penny in his pocket. Eh… Can you understand Becky Sharp’s motives?
Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Truman Capote
Everyone somehow ignored the fact that Tiffany was not a person, but a jewelry store, by the window of which Holly liked to snack, admiring the inner luxury. I just hated Emilia Clarke when she dared to play the role of Golightly. She may be good as the Mother of Dragons, but it’s not enough to have huge eyebrows to match Audrey and convey the fragility and tenderness of the heroine of Capote’s novel. The critics’ scathing reviews of Emilia’s performances were a balm to my soul. There is nothing to encroach on the sacred! It may seem that Holly is similar to Becky Sharp, because she also craves wealth and is looking for a wealthy gentleman. But her true motives are much more complex and profound. I will not reveal to you all the difficulties of this girl’s life, so as not to spoil the pleasure of reading the book. Believe me, you will be surprised how complex nature hides behind a mask of a frivolous idler. Happiness for her is not about money at all. Wealth is only a tool to achieve happiness: bright, pure, human.
Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything, Elizabeth Gilbert
One of the most popular books of our day about women and their search for peace of mind and happiness. Certainly, the work is fascinating, but to me the main character seemed too detached from most women. Tell me honestly: you have the opportunity to give up everything (work, relatives) and go on a year trip? Many of us are like flies in the sticky web of the daily grind. We are not free to flutter like butterflies, flying from flower to flower. And the money for such long trips 9 out of 10 women just do not have enough! In short, I envy the main character terribly. And you do not? In any case, the novel is worth reading, because it makes it possible to forget about everyday life and, together with Elizabeth Gilbert (if only mentally) to go to different countries: to know their carnal desires and their soul.
