nekare

Taken directly from my women's literature and british literature courses:
(1)North and South, by Elizabeth Gaskell. It's English Victorian, so it was written at the same time as Jane Austen's and the Bronte sisters' novels, but the main character is much, MUCH stronger and less whiny than any of Austen's or the Brontes'. Same with
(2)Romance of the Republic, by Lydia Maria Child. Set during the American Civil War, a little less omg!women-power!, but definitely strong in terms of the definition of sisterhood/mother-daughter relationships.
(3)The Shawl, by Cynthia Ozick, is a little more, um, 'artsy.' I don't remember a lot about it, but it DOES do a fanstastic job with the portrayal of motherhood.
(4)The Yellow Wall-Paper, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. The first 'feminist' novella. (It's only 60 or so pages.) READ IT.
(5)A lot of Toni Morrison's novels are very female-driven--Song of Solomon is about a lead male character, but is really about how the women in his life affect him. Tar Baby is very female-driven.
(6)William Faulkner's work is less overly feminist, but As I Lay Dying is about the absence of a woman, if I remember correctly.
(7)Love Medicine, by Louise Erdrich. One of the most heart-breaking books I've ever read, but also one of the most honest.
(8)The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald) does a particularly good job of conveying the role of a woman's love... but I think it might objectify Daisy a bit too much.
(9)I think Jonathan Safran Foer's Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close has some fantastic female characters, even if they're not voiced often.

Iiiiii think that should be it for now, lol. Enjoy!