FEMALE FICTION

1 Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-valdez (Orion, £14.99). This drama, inspired by true events, sees a nurse take on the establishment to win back the rights of women for their bodies. 2 Sorrow And Bliss by Meg Mason (Orion, £8.99) is a sharp novel about a writer hitting 40 and discovering whether she can ever be truly happy in the face of her mental illness. 3 Reputation by Sarah Vaughan (Simon & Schuster, £8.99). The double standards imposed on women in public life is at the heart of this courtroom thriller about an MP facing a murder trial.