Women is the semi-autobiographical story of Charles Bukowski's later career told through the avatar of Henry Chinaski, a loose analogue to the author. The novel centers itself on the varied but temporary and unsatisfying relationships with women that Chinaski repeatedly forms. Ultimately these encounters reveal Chinaski's deep-seated misogyny and his inability to form meaningful connections with women. He goes through a succession of romantic partners, then discards them after they begin to bore him.
Little Women tells the story of the four March sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, as they live in poverty during the Civil War. The novel follows the girls as they grow into womanhood, recounting the adventures, disagreements, and hardships, including Beth's death, that the girls experience along the way. The narrative illustrates the strong bond of family and sisterhood as Meg, Jo, and Amy struggle to be true to themselves and find love.
The Women of Brewster Place is Gloria Naylor's first novel published in 1982, dealing with issues of race, femininity, love and homosexuality. The book is comprised of seven stories centering around seven different African American women. Though each story focuses on a different woman, there is substantial overlap and characters appear in each others' stories. The stories depict the struggles and successes of women of color, their friendships and love lives.