“Like man, woman is a human being.” When The Second Sex was first published in Paris in 1949—groundbreaking, risqué, brilliantly written and strikingly modern—it provoked both outrage and inspiration. The Independent Woman contains three key chapters of Beauvoir’s masterwork, which illuminate the feminine condition and identify practical social reforms for gender equality. It captures the essence of the spirited manifesto that switched on light bulbs in the heads of a generation of women and continues to exert profound influence on feminists today.

Julia Gracey has always lived by the rule that women should stand on their own two feet. But whenever there's a problem, Professor Gerard van der Maes always seems to be on hand with the perfect solution! Gerard seems determined to steal Julia's heart—yet she's just as adamant that he won't take over her life. But when Julia is about to lose her home, Gerard offers one final proposition that she finds impossible to resist—marriage!

In Confessions of an Independent Woman: Truth, Lies, & Relationships, she stresses we must move on regardless, as dwelling on what might have been, or obsessing over problems is not a solution." Although she shares her own harrowing experiences with us, the point of this empowering, informative, and highly motivational book is to reveal the lessons she learned, and to show other women how she emerged triumphant--and remind them that they can too. "Sharing our stories with other women demonstrates huge growth and proves we are bigger than how we are all-too-often portrayed," she says, while she encourages us to "gain self-worth, value, and respect." This is the process that helped Aprille achieve what she really wanted in the end: to live freely and happily. "Our lives are a testimony, and we should look at how we overcome our struggles and use them as valuable lessons to help others."

She must fight to keep her new freedom The Great War is over at long last, and with it comes an inheritance that will free Serena Fleming from her bullying father. She can finally lead the life she has always wanted. But little does she know how far her father will go to prevent her leaving home. Meanwhile, Marcus Graye returns from the war, injured, to find his elderly aunt and a worn-out old house in his sole care. He’s content with his lot, despite daily stresses, but when he saves Serena from a kidnapping, things will never be the same again... Together, can they forge a brighter future? And can Serena at last get the new start she’s always wished for? A gritty and exciting wartime saga from the bestselling and much-loved Anna Jacobs. This inspirational saga is perfect for fans of Sheila Riley, Betty Firth and Katie Flynn.

Fanny Fern is a name that is unfamiliar to most contemporary readers. In this first modern biography, Warren revives the reputation of a once-popular 19th-century newspaper columnist and novelist. Fern, the pseudonym for Sara Payson Willis Parton, was born in 1811 and grew up in a society with strictly defined gender roles. From her rebellious childhood to her adult years as a newspaper columnist, Fern challenged society's definition of women's place with her life and her words. Fern wrote a weekly newspaper column for 21 years and, using colorful language and satirical style, advocated women's rights and called for social reform. Warren blends Fern's life story with an analysis of the social and literary world of 19th-century America.

Without Reservations is about a woman's dream come true – taking a year off to travel the world and rediscover what it is like to be an independent woman, without ties and without reservations. 'In many ways, I was an independent woman,' writes Alice Steinbach, single working mother and Pulitzer prize-winning journalist. 'For years I'd made my own choices, paid my own bills, shovelled my own snow, and had relationships that allowed for a lot of freedom on both sides.' Slowly, however, she saw that she had become quite dependent in another way. 'I had fallen into the habit – of defining myself in terms of who I was to other people and what they expected of me.' Who am I, she wanted to know, away from the things that define me - my family, children, job, friends? Steinbach searches for the answer in some of the most exciting places in the world: Paris, where she finds a soulmate in a Japanese man; Oxford, where she learns more from a ballroom dancing lesson than any of her studies; Milan, where she befriends a young woman about to be married. Beautifully illustrated with postcards Steinbach wrote home to herself, Without Reservations is an unforgettable voyage of discovery.