Novels on Women on their own

There are many novels on women alone, women on their own. The works of three twentieth century British women novelists stand out in this regard. They all often focus on lone women, their complicated and often sad entanglements that never seem to last, and their efforts to manage living and making their way alone. Each of the three novelists has a different approach, and employs a different tone. The novels of Jean Rhys (1890-1979), such as "Good Morning, Midnight," "After Leaving Mr. Mackenzie," and "Voyage in the Dark," have a desperate, tragic, hopeless, depressing tone; the main characters are often too dependent on alcohol to help them cope with their loneliness and sometimes poverty. The single women characters of Barbara Pym (1913-1980) take a more humorous, "chin-up" attitude toward life. They are often unhappy, but they believe in making the best of a situation, and keeping up a good front. They are often involved with the arts in a sort of peripheral way, and/or volunteer at their churches (Church of England, of course!); their attitudes are very "British," but often with a slightly satirical edge. Pym's wonderful novels include "Excellent Women," "A Glass of Blessings," "Less than Angels," and "Some Tame Gazelle." The third novelist, Anita Brookner (born in 1928 and still living), also frequently writes about women alone. Her characters are often sad as well, but feel it is their duty to appear calm, cool, collected, somewhat stoic. Brookner's characters don't often have financial problems, and are sometimes well-connected, but they are very reserved and have trouble opening up to anyone about their feelings. Brookner's novels include "Hotel du Lac," "The Rules of Engagement," "Leaving Home," and "The Misalliance." I have read and very much liked most or all of each of these writers' novels, but the author I keep going back to over the years is Barbara Pym. A ridiculous number and variety of authors are -- with no basis or justification -- compared to Jane Austen, but in Pym's case, the comparison is actually apt; although of course NO author can live up to Austen's level of writing, Pym's writing is squarely in the same tradition and style, and Pym is a worthy follower.