Best Female Lead Characters (1225 books)

Best Female Lead Characters

This list features books from all genres with the most interesting female lead characters.

1	The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1) by Suzanne Collins 4.54 avg rating — 429,592 ratings score: 37,656, and 381 people voted	My rating:
2	Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen 4.22 avg rating — 558,865 ratings score: 29,692, and 303 people voted	My rating:
3	To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee 4.18 avg rating — 888,478 ratings score: 19,936, and 205 people voted	My rating:
4	Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë 4.03 avg rating — 384,512 ratings score: 19,774, and 204 people voted	My rating:
5	Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell 4.16 avg rating — 266,860 ratings score: 17,132, and 176 people voted	My rating:
6	Little Women (Little Women, #1) by Louisa May Alcott 3.93 avg rating — 473,611 ratings score: 13,352, and 140 people voted	My rating:
7	Anne of Green Gables (Anne of Green Gables, #1) by L.M. Montgomery 4.21 avg rating — 117,553 ratings score: 12,905, and 135 people voted	My rating:
8	The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank 4.02 avg rating — 522,381 ratings score: 11,556, and 121 people voted	My rating:
9	Graceling (The Seven Kingdoms, #1) by Kristin Cashore 4.13 avg rating — 47,388 ratings score: 11,394, and 117 people voted	My rating:
10	City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments, #1) by Cassandra Clare (Goodreads Author) 4.17 avg rating — 108,523 ratings score: 11,136, and 114 people voted	My rating:
11	The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson 3.98 avg rating — 288,078 ratings score: 10,983, and 114 people voted	My rating:
12	The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials, #1) by Philip Pullman 3.83 avg rating — 278,463 ratings score: 10,550, and 108 people voted	My rating:
13	Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy, #1) by Richelle Mead (Goodreads Author) 4.24 avg rating — 66,437 ratings score: 9,642, and 99 people voted	My rating:
14	Matilda by Roald Dahl 4.20 avg rating — 97,485 ratings score: 8,925, and 93 people voted	My rating:
15	The Angel Experiment (Maximum Ride, #1) by James Patterson (Goodreads Author) 4.07 avg rating — 41,065 ratings score: 8,206, and 84 people voted	My rating:
16	Alanna: The First Adventure (Song of the Lioness, #1) by Tamora Pierce (Goodreads Author) 4.25 avg rating — 21,479 ratings score: 7,117, and 74 people voted	My rating:
17	Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll 4.03 avg rating — 98,895 ratings score: 7,100, and 75 people voted	My rating:
18	The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett 4.08 avg rating — 136,702 ratings score: 7,054, and 76 people voted	My rating:
19	Poison Study (Study, #1) by Maria V. Snyder (Goodreads Author) 4.21 avg rating — 21,127 ratings score: 6,882, and 71 people voted	My rating:
20	Emma by Jane Austen 3.96 avg rating — 108,417 ratings score: 6,858, and 74 people voted	My rating:
21	Moon Called (Mercedes Thompson, #1) by Patricia Briggs 4.17 avg rating — 26,787 ratings score: 6,322, and 65 people voted	My rating:
22	Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren 4.02 avg rating — 27,642 ratings score: 6,126, and 66 people voted	My rating:
23	The Mists of Avalon (Avalon, #1) by Marion Zimmer Bradley 4.06 avg rating — 45,320 ratings score: 5,915, and 62 people voted	My rating:
24	Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding 3.60 avg rating — 237,520 ratings score: 5,756, and 63 people voted	My rating:
25	Outlander (Outlander, #1) by Diana Gabaldon (Goodreads Author) 3.97 avg rating — 115,435 ratings score: 5,749, and 60 people voted	My rating:
26	A Great and Terrible Beauty (Gemma Doyle, #1) by Libba Bray (Goodreads Author) 3.76 avg rating — 53,161 ratings score: 5,712, and 60 people voted	My rating:
27	The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne 3.27 avg rating — 149,827 ratings score: 5,586, and 60 people voted	My rating:
28	The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris 3.88 avg rating — 179,916 ratings score: 5,410, and 57 people voted	My rating:
29	Coraline by Neil Gaiman (Goodreads Author) 3.91 avg rating — 64,765 ratings score: 5,202, and 55 people voted	My rating:
30	Catching Fire (The Hunger Games, #2) by Suzanne Collins 4.38 avg rating — 293,831 ratings score: 5,182, and 56 people voted	My rating:
31	City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments, #2) by Cassandra Clare (Goodreads Author) 4.30 avg rating — 78,399 ratings score: 5,137, and 54 people voted	My rating:
32	The Color Purple by Alice Walker 4.06 avg rating — 87,009 ratings score: 5,084, and 54 people voted	My rating:
33	City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments, #3) by Cassandra Clare (Goodreads Author) 4.41 avg rating — 77,484 ratings score: 4,836, and 51 people voted	My rating:
34	Fire (The Seven Kingdoms, #2) by Kristin Cashore 4.11 avg rating — 22,705 ratings score: 4,738, and 50 people voted	My rating:
35	The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (Goodreads Author) 4.33 avg rating — 148,499 ratings score: 4,659, and 50 people voted	My rating:
36	The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (Goodreads Author) 3.95 avg rating — 130,881 ratings score: 4,658, and 51 people voted	My rating:
37	Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë (Author) 3.71 avg rating — 181,656 ratings score: 4,585, and 51 people voted	My rating:
38	Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier 4.11 avg rating — 70,157 ratings score: 4,500, and 49 people voted	My rating:
39	Marked (House of Night, #1) by P.C. Cast 3.84 avg rating — 84,259 ratings score: 4,239, and 45 people voted	My rating:
40	Wicked : The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (Wicked Years, #1) by Gregory Maguire 3.36 avg rating — 172,270 ratings score: 4,095, and 44 people voted	My rating:
41	The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson 4.14 avg rating — 154,031 ratings score: 3,960, and 43 people voted	My rating:
42	The Chronicles of Narnia (#1-7) by C.S. Lewis 4.23 avg rating — 116,026 ratings score: 3,957, and 43 people voted	My rating:
43	Sabriel (Abhorsen, #1) by Garth Nix (Goodreads Author) 4.17 avg rating — 29,029 ratings score: 3,895, and 41 people voted	My rating:
44	The Witch Of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare 3.86 avg rating — 34,873 ratings score: 3,813, and 41 people voted	My rating:
45	Frostbite (Vampire Academy, #2) by Richelle Mead (Goodreads Author) 4.38 avg rating — 50,633 ratings score: 3,780, and 40 people voted	My rating:
46	Howl's Moving Castle (Castle, #1) by Diana Wynne Jones 4.27 avg rating — 26,411 ratings score: 3,698, and 39 people voted	My rating:
47	Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy 3.96 avg rating — 78,789 ratings score: 3,598, and 39 people voted	My rating:
48	A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith 4.20 avg rating — 85,713 ratings score: 3,560, and 38 people voted	My rating:
49	Pretties (Uglies, #2) by Scott Westerfeld 3.84 avg rating — 54,265 ratings score: 3,559, and 38 people voted	My rating:
50	One for the Money (Stephanie Plum, #1) by Janet Evanovich (Goodreads Author) 3.99 avg rating — 72,191 ratings score: 3,515, and 37 people voted	My rating:
51	The Host (The Host, #1) by Stephenie Meyer 3.87 avg rating — 150,810 ratings score: 3,434, and 37 people voted	My rating:
52	Halfway to the Grave (Night Huntress, #1) by Jeaniene Frost (Goodreads Author) 4.28 avg rating — 22,113 ratings score: 3,384, and 36 people voted	My rating:
53	The Subtle Knife (His Dark Materials, #2) by Philip Pullman 4.03 avg rating — 71,768 ratings score: 3,304, and 35 people voted	My rating:
54	Twilight (Twilight, #1) by Stephenie Meyer 3.67 avg rating — 841,434 ratings score: 3,219, and 35 people voted	My rating:
55	Dead Witch Walking (The Hollows, #1) by Kim Harrison 3.99 avg rating — 21,263 ratings score: 3,124, and 33 people voted	My rating:
56	A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini 4.28 avg rating — 195,715 ratings score: 3,037, and 33 people voted	My rating:
57	Magic Bites (Kate Daniels, #1) by Ilona Andrews (Goodreads Author) 4.06 avg rating — 11,898 ratings score: 3,029, and 32 people voted	My rating:
58	Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy 3.59 avg rating — 41,437 ratings score: 3,019, and 33 people voted	My rating:
59	Table 21 by T. Rafael Cimino (Goodreads Author) 4.50 avg rating — 88 ratings score: 3,000, and 30 people voted	My rating:
60	Shadow Kiss (Vampire Academy, #3) by Richelle Mead (Goodreads Author) 4.47 avg rating — 53,385 ratings score: 2,963, and 32 people voted	My rating:
61	Guilty Pleasures (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #1) by Laurell K. Hamilton 3.94 avg rating — 32,728 ratings score: 2,894, and 31 people voted	My rating:
62	The Awakening by Kate Chopin 3.58 avg rating — 43,792 ratings score: 2,875, and 31 people voted	My rating:
63	Charlotte's Web/Stuart Little Slipcase Gift Set by E.B. White 4.12 avg rating — 781 ratings score: 2,810, and 31 people voted	My rating:
64	The Hero and the Crown (Damar, #2) by Robin McKinley 4.19 avg rating — 12,779 ratings score: 2,631, and 28 people voted	My rating:
65	The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia, #2) by C.S. Lewis 4.11 avg rating — 246,518 ratings score: 2,561, and 28 people voted	My rating:
66	Blood Promise (Vampire Academy, #4) by Richelle Mead (Goodreads Author) 4.43 avg rating — 43,594 ratings score: 2,552, and 28 people voted	My rating:
67	Bloodlines (Bloodlines, #1) by Lindsay Anne Kendal (Goodreads Author) 3.83 avg rating — 295 ratings score: 2,535, and 26 people voted	My rating:
68	The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Goodreads Author) 4.45 avg rating — 298,728 ratings score: 2,523, and 28 people voted	My rating:
69	Bitten (Women of the Otherworld, #1) by Kelley Armstrong (Goodreads Author) 4.05 avg rating — 19,162 ratings score: 2,472, and 27 people voted	My rating:
70	Mansfield Park by Jane Austen 3.74 avg rating — 59,445 ratings score: 2,470, and 28 people voted	My rating:
71	Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare 3.73 avg rating — 629,886 ratings score: 2,443, and 27 people voted	My rating:
72	Spirit Bound (Vampire Academy, #5) by Richelle Mead (Goodreads Author) 4.48 avg rating — 38,626 ratings score: 2,432, and 27 people voted	My rating:
73	The Amber Spyglass (His Dark Materials, #3) by Philip Pullman 3.97 avg rating — 66,591 ratings score: 2,405, and 26 people voted	My rating:
74	The Blue Sword (Damar, #1) by Robin McKinley 4.24 avg rating — 14,278 ratings score: 2,353, and 25 people voted	My rating:
75	Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote 3.85 avg rating — 32,220 ratings score: 2,315, and 26 people voted	My rating:
76	Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey (Goodreads Author) 4.12 avg rating — 14,096 ratings score: 2,254, and 24 people voted	My rating:
77	Dead Until Dark (Sookie Stackhouse, #1) by Charlaine Harris 3.91 avg rating — 120,660 ratings score: 2,169, and 25 people voted	My rating:
78	Last Sacrifice (Vampire Academy, #6) by Richelle Mead (Goodreads Author) 4.52 avg rating — 33,772 ratings score: 2,068, and 23 people voted	My rating:
79	The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver 3.88 avg rating — 234,872 ratings score: 2,039, and 23 people voted	My rating:
80	The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan 3.76 avg rating — 240,712 ratings score: 2,002, and 23 people voted	My rating:
81	Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen 4.02 avg rating — 281,080 ratings score: 1,993, and 24 people voted	My rating:
82	The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova 3.66 avg rating — 65,375 ratings score: 1,930, and 22 people voted	My rating:
83	Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray 3.65 avg rating — 18,371 ratings score: 1,922, and 21 people voted	My rating:
84	Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier 3.63 avg rating — 48,250 ratings score: 1,916, and 21 people voted	My rating:
85	Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand 3.75 avg rating — 73,083 ratings score: 1,894, and 20 people voted	My rating:
86	Torment (Bloodlines, #2) by Lindsay Anne Kendal (Goodreads Author) 4.34 avg rating — 82 ratings score: 1,872, and 20 people voted	My rating:
87	Revelations (Bloodlines, #3) by Lindsay Anne Kendal (Goodreads Author) 4.53 avg rating — 66 ratings score: 1,774, and 19 people voted	My rating:
88	Daughter of the Forest (Sevenwaters, #1) by Juliet Marillier (Goodreads Author) 4.29 avg rating — 10,212 ratings score: 1,717, and 19 people voted	My rating:
89	The Awakening (Darkest Powers, #2) by Kelley Armstrong (Goodreads Author) 4.18 avg rating — 23,817 ratings score: 1,705, and 19 people voted	My rating:
90	Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg 4.11 avg rating — 37,594 ratings score: 1,703, and 19 people voted	My rating:
91	The Net Present Value of Life by Michael Di Lauro (Goodreads Author) 4.17 avg rating — 6 ratings score: 1,700, and 17 people voted	My rating:
92	Medea by Euripides 3.74 avg rating — 8,172 ratings score: 1,688, and 18 people voted	My rating:
93	Dealing With Dragons (Enchanted Forest Chronicles, #1) by Patricia C. Wrede 4.17 avg rating — 15,010 ratings score: 1,662, and 18 people voted	My rating:
94	The Red Tent by Anita Diamant 4.08 avg rating — 122,162 ratings score: 1,660, and 19 people voted	My rating:
95	The Secret of the Old Clock (Nancy Drew, #1) by Carolyn Keene 3.89 avg rating — 12,620 ratings score: 1,649, and 18 people voted	My rating:
96	Circus of the Damned (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #3) by Laurell K. Hamilton 4.09 avg rating — 24,874 ratings score: 1,641, and 18 people voted	My rating:
97	Crocodile on the Sandbank (Amelia Peabody, #1) by Elizabeth Peters 3.99 avg rating — 9,927 ratings score: 1,625, and 18 people voted	My rating:
97	The Eyre Affair (Thursday Next, #1) by Jasper Fforde 3.89 avg rating — 31,859 ratings score: 1,625, and 19 people voted	My rating:
99	Immortal Embrace (Embrace, #1) by Charlotte Blackwell (Goodreads Author) 3.78 avg rating — 211 ratings score: 1,600, and 16 people voted	My rating:
100	Stolen (Women of the Otherworld, #2) by Kelley Armstrong (Goodreads Author) 4.10 avg rating — 12,123 ratings score: 1,521, and 17 people voted	My rating: