The Help by Kathryn Stockett

A caveat first - I have not actually read this book - I'm afraid my native masculinity militates against my perusing books of such overwhelming... girliness.  My beloved sister, the Contessa of Haut-Eigenwald, however, has read this book, and apparently quite liked it.  She appreciated its strong characterization of three women living the deep south of the early 1960s:  Skeeter, a white college student trying to avoid immediate marriage, Abileen, a black housemaid mourning her own son, while raising those of her employers, and Missy, Abileen's free-spirited best friend.
Together they cooperate in a daring conspiracy to overturn the status quo of their imprisoned lives.  So, if you're a woman, you might find this one just the thing.  Give it a whirl, with the Contessa's compliments, and my own, of course.