We are careful in the shop not to have a favourite book or indeed a favourite author, which is why for us to say last week that Forster reigned supreme was quite radical. One or two people were surprised that our favourite wasn’t a woman, but that is why in the strapline we say ‘(mostly) women writers’ (if we were choosing only men, then R C Sherriff would probably come next). This week on the Post: our five favourite women writers who come scampering at Forster’s heels. First, obviously, George Eliot and Middlemarch. So much has been written about this great, great novelist and her extraordinary novel that there is no need to give any links. Suffice to say that if you have no time to read Middlemarch then there are several good audiobook versions; and the television adaptation a few years ago (with the blessed Rufus Sewell) was superb.