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As If Women Mattered
1972 – A time of war and Watergate, of Ms. Magazine and consciousness raising. As the post-World War II era of peace, prosperity, and pointy bras gives way to the life-expanding changes of the women’s movement, four women meet and over the course of two decades, create a space that allows them all to thrive, with humor and irreverence, as they each struggle to reconcile the realities of adult life with the expectations of youth. “Virginia DeLuca’s captivating novel, 'As If Women Mattered', fuses compelling social drama with page-turning storytelling. Four women, whose consciousness-raising group becomes a life-long, life-saving family of the heart, wrestle with marriage, motherhood, careers and sex, during a time when no one knew the rules anymore, and it was all up for grabs. The entwined stories of these women will keep you up way past midnight, experiencing the extraordinary era when women rose up and found their voices, and each other.” Randy Susan Meyers, International Bestselling Author of "The Murderer’s Daughters" and "The Comfort of Lies" “'As If Women Mattered' takes me vividly back to my own experiences in the early second-wave women’s movement and, in its characters’ lives, highlights many of the dynamics and issues that made those years so fascinating, so fraught and so fruitful. Thank you especially, Ginny DeLuca, for following the ongoing friendship between these four women over time.” Wendy Sanford, cofounder and coauthor, "Our Bodies, Ourselves"
344 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 8, 2014
141 people are currently reading
2836 people want to read
About the author
Virginia DeLuca
5 books56 followers“You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world,” James Baldwin wrote, “but then you read.” That line has shaped both my writing and my work as a therapist. Stories remind us we are not alone—even when our experiences feel singular.
I’m a memoirist and psychotherapist in Boston. My debut memoir, If You Must Go, I Wish You Triplets, examines emotional inheritance, marriage, and what it means to begin again in one’s 60s. The book has been featured in The New York Times’ “Modern Love,” Vulture, and HuffPost, and has become one of the top-ranked divorce titles on Amazon.
I’m also the author of the novel As If Women Mattered, inspired by the exhilaration and upheaval of the women’s movement. My essays have appeared in the Iowa Review, The Writer, HuffPost, and other publications. I’m currently at work on The Shape of Later, a memoir about aging, identity, and the courage it takes to rewrite the stories we inherit.
I’m a memoirist and psychotherapist in Boston. My debut memoir, If You Must Go, I Wish You Triplets, examines emotional inheritance, marriage, and what it means to begin again in one’s 60s. The book has been featured in The New York Times’ “Modern Love,” Vulture, and HuffPost, and has become one of the top-ranked divorce titles on Amazon.
I’m also the author of the novel As If Women Mattered, inspired by the exhilaration and upheaval of the women’s movement. My essays have appeared in the Iowa Review, The Writer, HuffPost, and other publications. I’m currently at work on The Shape of Later, a memoir about aging, identity, and the courage it takes to rewrite the stories we inherit.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
February 26, 2018
Important Era
I grew up in the era written about in this novel. I often forget what an important time this was, how things were changing fast for women. I am not proud to admit that I only think about its importance when I see that a Planned Parenthood is shut down, or laws on the legality of abortion are changing. At these times I Remember how hard the struggle was in the 70's to get people to think about women's issues. I read this book in its Kindle version, and it drove me crazy that the scene and storyline would shift with no double space or break. It was very confusing. I also had trouble keeping the 4 main characters straight so perhaps the characters could have been better developed. I related to the cohesion between the women and how central the group was to each of them. I read in the acknowledgement section that the book was edited many times, so I'm not sure why breaks weren't inserted between scenes. Its the only problem I had with the book. It contains a need to be told part of history.
I grew up in the era written about in this novel. I often forget what an important time this was, how things were changing fast for women. I am not proud to admit that I only think about its importance when I see that a Planned Parenthood is shut down, or laws on the legality of abortion are changing. At these times I Remember how hard the struggle was in the 70's to get people to think about women's issues. I read this book in its Kindle version, and it drove me crazy that the scene and storyline would shift with no double space or break. It was very confusing. I also had trouble keeping the 4 main characters straight so perhaps the characters could have been better developed. I related to the cohesion between the women and how central the group was to each of them. I read in the acknowledgement section that the book was edited many times, so I'm not sure why breaks weren't inserted between scenes. Its the only problem I had with the book. It contains a need to be told part of history.
April 23, 2019
Woman to Woman, We Matter.
Great story about women finding themselves in an era when women were being suppressed. Four women build a relationship and discover they do matter and have much to contribute to the Women's Movement
as well as to each other . Over the years they reveal their strength, weakness and love. A great book for women who made it through the 70's era.
Great story about women finding themselves in an era when women were being suppressed. Four women build a relationship and discover they do matter and have much to contribute to the Women's Movement
as well as to each other . Over the years they reveal their strength, weakness and love. A great book for women who made it through the 70's era.
January 27, 2020
Sisterhood is Powerful!
This book traces the friendship of 4 women over about 40 years, from their start as a Consciousness Raising (or CR) Group, as we called it back in the 1960s throughout the years as their lives unfolded. Set in Cambridge, this novel brings back lots of memories for me. On the early years of "Women's Liberation," these included our certainty that we wouldn't turn into our mothers, The kinds of conversations we had over glasses of wine or cups of coffee with toddlers underfoot or being "babysat" by our husbands, who were "helping us out" and resenting the time we spent away from them in the evening, The compromises, and trying to do it all: keeping the household together, raising children, and working, while feeling guilty about everything we didn't do. On a personal level, I'm very familiar with that place and time, from coffee at the long-gone Pewter Pot to Sunday afternoons on Cambridge Common to sexual harassment on the job or in the classroom (not that it even has a name then) to married Harvard professors carrying on with their students or colleagues. I enjoyed many aspects of the novel quite a bit, while other aspects resonated with my own experience.
What I did not enjoy was the writing style. The book got a bit too preachy and repetitious in way too many places. The characters were more stereotypes than fully realistic, and they blended together to a certain extent for the first part of the book. This wasn't helped by jumping from one character 's thoughts or story to another's with no more transition than a new paragraph -without any cues or extra spacing, which was confusing at times, disruptive of the narrative flow at others, and mostly just plain annoying. I've seen multiple voices and points of view and varying narrative styles handled well in many other books, but it was mostly an irritating muddle in this one. If it were better written, I'd likely give it 4 stars.
This book traces the friendship of 4 women over about 40 years, from their start as a Consciousness Raising (or CR) Group, as we called it back in the 1960s throughout the years as their lives unfolded. Set in Cambridge, this novel brings back lots of memories for me. On the early years of "Women's Liberation," these included our certainty that we wouldn't turn into our mothers, The kinds of conversations we had over glasses of wine or cups of coffee with toddlers underfoot or being "babysat" by our husbands, who were "helping us out" and resenting the time we spent away from them in the evening, The compromises, and trying to do it all: keeping the household together, raising children, and working, while feeling guilty about everything we didn't do. On a personal level, I'm very familiar with that place and time, from coffee at the long-gone Pewter Pot to Sunday afternoons on Cambridge Common to sexual harassment on the job or in the classroom (not that it even has a name then) to married Harvard professors carrying on with their students or colleagues. I enjoyed many aspects of the novel quite a bit, while other aspects resonated with my own experience.
What I did not enjoy was the writing style. The book got a bit too preachy and repetitious in way too many places. The characters were more stereotypes than fully realistic, and they blended together to a certain extent for the first part of the book. This wasn't helped by jumping from one character 's thoughts or story to another's with no more transition than a new paragraph -without any cues or extra spacing, which was confusing at times, disruptive of the narrative flow at others, and mostly just plain annoying. I've seen multiple voices and points of view and varying narrative styles handled well in many other books, but it was mostly an irritating muddle in this one. If it were better written, I'd likely give it 4 stars.
February 4, 2020
I loved this book. A great look back at women's group and the feminist movement from everyday people who saw the significance and what it meant for women then and now. That group, those friends, it is what every woman wants! People who commit, want to talk about more than weather, who agree to share their lives and focus on issues bigger than themselves (though completely relevant to themselves). To have friends that make you more of yourself is a true blessing. The writing and editing was on point. Storytelling at its finest.
June 2, 2018
This was a fantastic read. It really resonated . As frustrating a the world sometimes is for women, it was much worse. We owe so much to the women who marched, struggled and proved themselves in the 60’s and 70’s.
I would have enjoyed knowing the 4 women in this book. In addition to reporting on the women’s movement this book was also fun, exciting and a little heartbreaking.
I wish I could read it for the first time all over again.
I would have enjoyed knowing the 4 women in this book. In addition to reporting on the women’s movement this book was also fun, exciting and a little heartbreaking.
I wish I could read it for the first time all over again.
August 14, 2018
Every baby boomer should read this! We are all in this story!
This book moved me. I'm 71 years old. I had been looking back on my life and analyzing it.... when I came upon this book. This book clarified for me my past and the way the world around me moved as I grew older. The HUGE changes we all went through. I want my daughter to read this, to understand why I raised her to be strong and independent. Thank you Virginia DeLuca for this revaluation.
This book moved me. I'm 71 years old. I had been looking back on my life and analyzing it.... when I came upon this book. This book clarified for me my past and the way the world around me moved as I grew older. The HUGE changes we all went through. I want my daughter to read this, to understand why I raised her to be strong and independent. Thank you Virginia DeLuca for this revaluation.
June 11, 2023
I was only a few years behind these women, and the themes and stories touched me deep inside. I realized some things have barely changed, too.
Along with questions such as "why would she go into a dark parking garage at night alone" instead of "why aren't parking garages safe for *anyone*" is a telling statement about the tendency to make assault and rape cases about the victim:
“Everyone hates victims, and soon you will too. You see, if she really is a victim, then these things could happen to anyone. We can’t tolerate knowing that. And so.” He put his coffee down on a pile of manila files on her desk, making a little brown ring, and patted his chest pocket for cigarettes. “We make it her fault. She did something wrong or was just plain stupid.”
I found myself pondering bigger questions after reading this. Are our daughters hardwired to want to be different from us? Is society so very different in small(er) towns versus cities? (I grew up in relatively small town, and while the gender norms existed, women who broke them were not persecuted but rather just seen as "different", where in cities, it seems they are often downright vilified.)
What did the women's movement really bring us? Isn't our first mental image of "doctor" or "professor" male? Isn't our first mental image of "secretary" or "assistant" female? Besides being able to get credit cards, birth control, and an education, are we really much further than we were in 1972? (And here in 2023, are we going backward?)
Now, I did not like the literary technique in which all four main characters act without any differentiation but a new paragraph. I had to keep telling myself "That's Gemma; she's the lawyer" and "That's Vivian; she's the fixer", and I was halfway through the book before I was able to keep them all straight. Still, the larger themes, the super truths, and the lifestyles made me grateful for those women who *did* consciously try to improve things for those of us who just skated on their successes - or those such as myself who simply ignored many of the "rules" I didn't like.
Along with questions such as "why would she go into a dark parking garage at night alone" instead of "why aren't parking garages safe for *anyone*" is a telling statement about the tendency to make assault and rape cases about the victim:
“Everyone hates victims, and soon you will too. You see, if she really is a victim, then these things could happen to anyone. We can’t tolerate knowing that. And so.” He put his coffee down on a pile of manila files on her desk, making a little brown ring, and patted his chest pocket for cigarettes. “We make it her fault. She did something wrong or was just plain stupid.”
I found myself pondering bigger questions after reading this. Are our daughters hardwired to want to be different from us? Is society so very different in small(er) towns versus cities? (I grew up in relatively small town, and while the gender norms existed, women who broke them were not persecuted but rather just seen as "different", where in cities, it seems they are often downright vilified.)
What did the women's movement really bring us? Isn't our first mental image of "doctor" or "professor" male? Isn't our first mental image of "secretary" or "assistant" female? Besides being able to get credit cards, birth control, and an education, are we really much further than we were in 1972? (And here in 2023, are we going backward?)
Now, I did not like the literary technique in which all four main characters act without any differentiation but a new paragraph. I had to keep telling myself "That's Gemma; she's the lawyer" and "That's Vivian; she's the fixer", and I was halfway through the book before I was able to keep them all straight. Still, the larger themes, the super truths, and the lifestyles made me grateful for those women who *did* consciously try to improve things for those of us who just skated on their successes - or those such as myself who simply ignored many of the "rules" I didn't like.
May 28, 2018
Emotional...Supportive....The Group
This female reader was born in 1950 to a wonderful family with four sisters in a small town in central PA. This story of the women who formed a group during this period in our history actually occurred in many homes, schools, towns and cities across the US. I liked how the author portrayed the group of women as gentle activists recognizing what needed changed for women while struggling with both sides of the feminist issues. It is great fun to connect the people and events of this story with my own memories of this time . You might recognize friends, family, attitudes, awakenings, frustrations and successes of the era. I particularly liked how each woman handled challenges with no unbelievable drama nor predictable reasoning but rather by understanding the unofficial sisterhood and support of "the group". The book proved to be quite a page turner for me for two days.
This female reader was born in 1950 to a wonderful family with four sisters in a small town in central PA. This story of the women who formed a group during this period in our history actually occurred in many homes, schools, towns and cities across the US. I liked how the author portrayed the group of women as gentle activists recognizing what needed changed for women while struggling with both sides of the feminist issues. It is great fun to connect the people and events of this story with my own memories of this time . You might recognize friends, family, attitudes, awakenings, frustrations and successes of the era. I particularly liked how each woman handled challenges with no unbelievable drama nor predictable reasoning but rather by understanding the unofficial sisterhood and support of "the group". The book proved to be quite a page turner for me for two days.
July 29, 2025
Enjoyed this book so much. Maybe because I lived through the Women's Movement as it brought back memories of that time when women were being listened to; not necessarily heard, but our voices were allowed.
It follows a group of young women who after one was asked to leave a women's group in 1972 because she brought her male baby to the no men/males allowed, 3 other women left with her and started their own women's group.
It follows their lives from 1972 to 1989. The group is their safe place where they can be themselves, complain about jobs, children, husbands, boyfriends and their goals without being judged too harshly. To me it was so realistic that I felt like it was more of an biography of a women's group and their members than fiction.
It follows a group of young women who after one was asked to leave a women's group in 1972 because she brought her male baby to the no men/males allowed, 3 other women left with her and started their own women's group.
It follows their lives from 1972 to 1989. The group is their safe place where they can be themselves, complain about jobs, children, husbands, boyfriends and their goals without being judged too harshly. To me it was so realistic that I felt like it was more of an biography of a women's group and their members than fiction.
May 20, 2025
Powerful Women in a powerful robbing time.
Loved the era that was about five mins before my time. Four women meet at a woman in power event. Hated the archaic rules and split. However, they band together and become a powerful support group in a time that women’s rights were finally peaking out of the blanket. I loved their relationship; joy, sorrow, and everything in between. Navigating life with or without husbands/partners with plenty of child rearing drama. Along the way finding their true selves.
Loved the era that was about five mins before my time. Four women meet at a woman in power event. Hated the archaic rules and split. However, they band together and become a powerful support group in a time that women’s rights were finally peaking out of the blanket. I loved their relationship; joy, sorrow, and everything in between. Navigating life with or without husbands/partners with plenty of child rearing drama. Along the way finding their true selves.
February 5, 2020
This is not my usual taste in books but something drew me to it, and I am so very glad...
I'm not what you would call a FEMINIST - Mum brought me up to be Independent and anything I wanted to be, without ever using that word.
This Book though, has brought back memories of events, people, places, conversations and actions/reactions.
I would seriously encourage my Female friends to read it, as sadly I do think the worlds attitude to Women is regressing.
Its only 4 stars as in my humble opinion the ending was a little weak and felt like a mash up of two specific other books.
KINDLE.
I'm not what you would call a FEMINIST - Mum brought me up to be Independent and anything I wanted to be, without ever using that word.
This Book though, has brought back memories of events, people, places, conversations and actions/reactions.
I would seriously encourage my Female friends to read it, as sadly I do think the worlds attitude to Women is regressing.
Its only 4 stars as in my humble opinion the ending was a little weak and felt like a mash up of two specific other books.
KINDLE.
June 14, 2019
Heart warming
You don’t get engrossed with just one person but love every character that are in this story. The ending and the 5 years later worked too and the author has weaved a solid tale with books mentioned that I have put on my kindle wish list. I will read this one again and again 🙏🏻
You don’t get engrossed with just one person but love every character that are in this story. The ending and the 5 years later worked too and the author has weaved a solid tale with books mentioned that I have put on my kindle wish list. I will read this one again and again 🙏🏻
July 4, 2021
I really loved the first half of the book. The woman were about the same age as me, living in the same state as I did, encountering some of the same issues. Then, about half way through I realized that nothing much was happening. And the book dragged on longer than it needed to, with a common, unhappy ending. So 4 1/2 for the first half, but a 2 for the second half.
September 6, 2021
This book teaches us 2 things.
1. How far women have come
2. How much more we need to go
The only problems I had with this book was the editing. The e-book did not have chapter breaks which made it very confusing at times. I also thought the ending fell into typical "chick lit" which I felt was counter to the meaning of the book.
All and all a good and important read.
1. How far women have come
2. How much more we need to go
The only problems I had with this book was the editing. The e-book did not have chapter breaks which made it very confusing at times. I also thought the ending fell into typical "chick lit" which I felt was counter to the meaning of the book.
All and all a good and important read.
September 21, 2024
Thank you for this book
I didn't want this story to end .
These characters are the close knit family of friends and community I dream of... the power of femmes ,when they come together, is a life giving experience .
The timeline was perfectly done .
I really loved everything about this book.
I didn't want this story to end .
These characters are the close knit family of friends and community I dream of... the power of femmes ,when they come together, is a life giving experience .
The timeline was perfectly done .
I really loved everything about this book.
July 27, 2020
This is how we have evolved over the past 60 years
You had to have been there to really “get” some of the scenarios in this story and know that they are absolutely a true reflection of the way culture existed here in America.
You had to have been there to really “get” some of the scenarios in this story and know that they are absolutely a true reflection of the way culture existed here in America.
May 24, 2021
I grew up in the time written about in this novel. I forgot what an important time this was. I don't think many realize what women had to go through to get the rights we have and what they are trying to take away from us, shutting down Planned Parenthood or laws on the legality of abortion.
July 20, 2021
Very relatable for me since they were in my age group. I was born just a couple of years after the main characters. The issues were real and the disillusionment also real. Good read about friendship and relationships.
August 18, 2020
Good read yet I actually had difficulty keeping the protagonists apart. Once I quit trying and just read, much better. Portrayed 1970s accurately and realistic.
July 15, 2022
excellent writing
This book warms the heart and reminds of how we got here. Excellent writing and weaving the lives of a few into such a flourishing experience. Highly recommend.
This book warms the heart and reminds of how we got here. Excellent writing and weaving the lives of a few into such a flourishing experience. Highly recommend.
October 16, 2025
This book is well-crafted with strong writing, engaging dialogue, and a clear sense of direction. The author’s ability to balance character depth with a fast-moving plot made it a compelling read
July 21, 2014
The author, Virginia DeLuca, has been a student in my writing class for a number of years, so I know this book well. I have seen it go through various iterations, as Virginia cut and rewrote and polished and cut some more, getting rid of all the extraneous material (though much of it was wonderful and we were sorry to see it go) until she was left with a strong, compelling story about four strong, compelling women.
The four main characters--Emily, Alix, Gemma, and Vivian--are each unique, distinct, and captivating. The book follows their individual lives and their unbreakable friendship over nearly twenty years. Nothing earth-shaking happens to any of them. They are not rich and famous; none of them discovers the cure for cancer. Yet in their ordinary lives they are all of us as we struggle to make sense of the bad things in life and to hold on to the good things.
I strongly recommend this book, for I feel I found friends in it and I continue to be inspired by these women's strength and loyalty.
The four main characters--Emily, Alix, Gemma, and Vivian--are each unique, distinct, and captivating. The book follows their individual lives and their unbreakable friendship over nearly twenty years. Nothing earth-shaking happens to any of them. They are not rich and famous; none of them discovers the cure for cancer. Yet in their ordinary lives they are all of us as we struggle to make sense of the bad things in life and to hold on to the good things.
I strongly recommend this book, for I feel I found friends in it and I continue to be inspired by these women's strength and loyalty.
June 27, 2015
A good fictional overview of challenging times and different choices for women. Piscataqua Press fiction winner - local author and publishing
I gravitated towards Alix.
pg 260-261 "The rules were changing....all the women she knew were involved in map making, re-envisioning the contours of a women's life. For them the change risked being a narrative of failure...failure of floors to sparkle, of children to thrive, of careers to be recognized."
pg 301 "We started out adulthood believing we would live differently, do it better. Do you remember that? At what point do we recognize there are not that many different lives to life?"
I gravitated towards Alix.
pg 260-261 "The rules were changing....all the women she knew were involved in map making, re-envisioning the contours of a women's life. For them the change risked being a narrative of failure...failure of floors to sparkle, of children to thrive, of careers to be recognized."
pg 301 "We started out adulthood believing we would live differently, do it better. Do you remember that? At what point do we recognize there are not that many different lives to life?"
July 2, 2014
i was utterly engrossed in this story! it was a joy getting to know these four women -- each so brilliantly and beautifully drawn -- and witnessing their lives as they support each other through the timeless challenges of relationships, parenthood, and friendship. this novel is a captivating window into the lived experience of second-wave feminism -- but it is also a testament to the way some things never change. i couldn't put this book down.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews