Highlighting Women’s Voices: The Best Audiobooks for Women In 2022
In honor of Women’s History month, as a female-founded/owned company, the audio enthusiasts at Buderflys thought it would be appropriate to guide our fellow female listeners to the best audiobooks for women. These listens are sure to ignite your curiosity and satiate your quest for knowledge.
Whether you’re walking to work in the morning, working out, or on a long flight, Buderflys earbuds take care of your ears while you fill your head with knowledge on all sorts of topics. If you’re looking to expand your knowledge with some inspiring stories about women that are narrated by women, you’ve come to the right place.
Continue reading to discover some of the must-listen audiobooks for women.
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What Are the Best Audiobooks for Women?
H Is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald
After her father’s death, Macdonald trained a hawk named Mabel for a year. Mostly isolated in her own grief, she poured herself into the task and compiled the part-memoir, part nature writing. The book is loosely based on Macdonald’s journey to self-discovery after her father’s death and the lessons she learns from training the hawk. Written in a restrained, poignant manner, Macdonald shows us vulnerability can be empowering and inspiring.
Circe by Madeline Miller
Circe is a spin-off of the epic tale, The Odyssey. In it, the exiled witch/nymph Circe faces many creatures, gods and goddesses along her travels. The novel recaptures some of the forgotten folklore of a bygone era. Perdita Weeks narrates and captures the magic and Circe’s mysterious character with her smooth voice. With vivid prose and characters that jump into your ears, this audiobook is for anyone who wants a deep dive into history and epics.
Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover
A liberating coming of age story about a woman’s escape from under the yoke of her parents, Educated is a fixture on many best audiobook lists. It tells the tale of Westover’s sheltered life as the daughter of a fundamentalist, survivalist family. Taking place in Idaho, Westover recounts her journey from the rural isolation of her Mormon family to her Harvard and Cambridge education, where she finally found freedom.
Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
Atkinson’s mesmerizing structure in her novels is unique and profound. Life After Life begins with Ursula Todd’s (the main character) birth in 1910 and evisions her life unfolding in several different patterns. This imaginative book explores the alternative paths her life takes based on one pivotal moment being different. We’ve all wondered what life would be like if we had done things differently. Kate Atkinson gives us a window into what that would look like. Fenella Wooglar’s precise and captivating narration smooths the transition into Atkinson’s literary style.
The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
This award winning novel written in verse is narrated by the author, Elizabeth Acevedo, a National Poetry Slam Champion. Xiomara, the main character, is tired of putting up with others’ definitions regarding her character. She feels trapped by their expectations and finds her voice through poetry. She finds affirmation, builds her strength, and sharpens her abilities under the guidance of her mentor. As with all of the best coming of age stories, Acevedo captures the unease we all feel during our teenage years and the clarity that comes from our most trying experiences.
Hunger: A Memoir of My Body by Roxanne Gay
Bold, honest, and written with firery prose, this memoir details Gray’s strained relationship with food and how she learned how to accept her body in the wake of sexual assault during her childhood. Gay unabashedly shares insights on the damaging messages from society stemming from the tendency to equate thinness with beauty and value. Narrated in her own voice, Hunger is a raw, powerful tale unique in its ability to elicit emotion.
We Are Okay by Nina Lecour
Narrated by Jorijeana Marie, this is a harrowing young adult novel both inspiring and moving in its layers of grief. Marin, the main character, grapples with death and must navigate the confusing transition into adulthood. Lacour tackles a lot in a short novel but stays focused on the young woman’s journey through grief. The story captures the feeling of loss and the need to belong.
The Cutting Season by Attica Locke
A dead body is discovered in Louisiana and Caren, a property manager, gets entangled in a web of mysteries. Caren and her daughter struggle as the shocking murder unearths connections to her family’s past. A character-centric story, the story also touches on the nature of post-Civil War Reconstruction and modern racism. As Quincy Tyler Bernstine brings Caren to life, the listener can emotionally connect with the character amidst the backdrop of the country’s complicated history.
Mrs. Dalloway by Virgina Woolf
What is an audiobook list without Virgina Woolf, anyway? Juliet Stevenson, the consummate audiobook narrator, never disappoints. No one can doubt Woolf’s enticing stream of consciousness writing style but Stevenson gently relates the words to you, magnifying the correct tones and clarifying the intonation needed to comprehend the literary giant. The book takes place over the course of a day in June, placing you inside the mind of Clarissa Dalloway as she prepares to host a party and reflects on her life, death, and missed opportunities.
Gabi, a Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero
Isabel Quintero’s Gabi, a Girl In Pieces, is told through the author’s witty, sharp voice derived from journal entries of the protagonist. Set in Modern America, the story tells of the main character’s quest to rebel against her family’s – and the world’s – expectations. Gabi utilizes a 90s magazine format for her diary. Unfortunately, those visuals don’t translate to the audio version of the story. However, narrator Kyla Garcia rolls enough passion into her performance to make up for the lost visual elements. This one grabs you quick and doesn’t let go. You’ll be rooting for Gabi before the end of the first chapter.
Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson
Told in fragments and memories by the main character, August, this book recounts her childhood and adolescence as a young, black child raised motherless in Brooklyn. The book explores grief, disillusionment, and the feeling of being unwanted. Woodson’s prose is intoxicating and beautiful, making for an excellent audiobook narrated by Robin Miles. Miles handles the lyrical prose with adept skill, using her lilting voice to reel the listener in with hypnotic ease.
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Published in 2014, Station Eleven was a massive hit and shouldn’t need much introduction. Kristen Potter narrates with her warm and inviting voice, remaining firm in the correct spots to convey the intense emotion the book elicits. As the characters’ world gradually crumbles, Potter gives accents and lightens her voice when needed.
Listen to Your Favorite Audiobooks With Buderflys
At Buderflys, we believe you shouldn’t have to take a break while listening to the best audiobooks for women. The hard, inflexible plastic earbud design you’re accustomed to with other earbuds won’t keep your ears comfortable for the long haul.
With a proprietary silicone that flexes and forms to your ears, adjusting to your body temperature, Buderflys lets you listen to all of these audiobooks comfortably and without interruption.
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