Series: Vintage Heroines

In My Year of Rest and Relaxation, acclaimed author Ottessa Moshfegh presents a darkly comedic and profoundly moving exploration of a young woman's desire to abandon the chaos of life. The protagonist, a nameless narrator, appears to have it all: youth, beauty, and financial security that allows her to live in a luxurious apartment on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. However,...

Meet ten of literature's most iconic heroines, jacketed in bold portraits by female photographers from around the world. I'm alive inside. A bird is my heart. Mama and Daddy is not win. I'm winning. This is the story of Precious, a sixteen-year-old illiterate Black girl who has never been out of Harlem. Pregnant by her own father for the second...

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë is a timeless classic that weaves a compelling narrative of resilience, love, and mystery. Set against the backdrop of Victorian England, this poignant story follows the life of Jane Eyre, an orphaned girl subjected to the harsh cruelty of her aunt and the austere regime of the charity school she is forced to attend. Despite...

Meet ten of literature's most iconic heroines, jacketed in bold portraits by female photographers from around the world. 20 Fragments of a Ravenous Youth tells the story of Fenfang, who is determined to carve out a life more independent than her provincial roots. She secures a job as a film extra in Beijing, but living a modern life is not...

Meet ten of literature's most iconic heroines, jacketed in bold portraits by female photographers from around the world. 'I write this sitting in the kitchen sink...' This is the story of Cassandra, precocious and charming, who begins a journal detailing her life with her bohemian family in a crumbling old castle. On the cusp of adulthood, Cassandra meets the family's...

Meet ten of literature's most iconic heroines, jacketed in bold portraits by female photographers from around the world. 'At that time I could not imagine what would become of me, and I didn't care. It was not judgement day, but another morning.' This is the story of Jeanette, adopted and brought up by working-class evangelists in the North of England...

Meet ten of literature's most iconic heroines, jacketed in bold portraits by female photographers from around the world. 'There are times, though, that no matter how much food I eat, I find the food does nothing for me, like I am hungry for my country and nothing is going to fix that.' This is the story of Darling, uprooted from...

‘Look for your sister after each dive. Never forget. If you see her, you are safe.’ This is the story of Hana and her little sister Emi, who are part of an island community of haenyo, women who make their living from free diving off the southernmost tip of Korea. One day Hana sees a Japanese soldier heading for where...

Meet ten of literature's most iconic heroines, jacketed in bold portraits by female photographers from around the world. He must know by now, I should think, that I can give as good as I get! This is the story of Gigi, educated as a future courtesan in Paris. Her days are filled with cigars, lobster, lace, and superstitions. Bored and...

Meet ten of literature's most iconic heroines, jacketed in bold portraits by female photographers from around the world. Madame Bovary tells the story of Emma, who is trapped in a disappointing marriage with a dull country doctor, and dreams of a life more like the sentimental novels she reads. In an attempt to escape the drab reality of her provincial...