The Marriage Trap

by Victoria Purman

From the bestselling author of The Radio Hour comes this charming but pointed look at the tumultuous extraordinary decade of the 1960s, and the effects of the pill, rebellion and new ideas on ordinary Australian women as alongside shorter skirts and the Beatles, they embrace freedom...


1960s The Langley family - Olive, Len and their two daughters, twenty-year-old Cathy and ten-year-old Evelyn - live a peaceful suburban life, although Grandma Langley turns up each Sunday lunch like a bad fairy to castigate them for their dubious morals.

Cathy, training to be a teacher, thinks women have it tough. No sex until marriage, then no work, child after child and the sacrifice of their desires to church, husband and family. Cathy is determined not to marry right away. Once married, it's all over. A life no longer her own.

Young Evelyn wants to be a fairy princess ... until she sees for herself the price women pay for such dreams.

When the new contraceptive pill arrives women can suddenly sense freedom. But powerful forces are aligned against women's reproductive choice and a fight begins. A fight that takes on their own doctors, the might of the Catholic church, and the outdated morality of previous generations.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Audiobook, Family

336 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 1, 2026

About the author

Victoria Purman is an Australian bestselling author.
If you want to know more about her and her books, visit www.victoriapurman.com or follow her on facebook at Victoria Purman Author or on twitter @VictoriaPurman.

Reviews

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Marriage Trap by Aussie author Victoria Purman is a well-written, thought-provoking story. By the end of chapter one, I was fully immersed in the story's plot.

This story takes us back to the 1960s and early 1970s and centers around the Langley family. Olive and Len Langley lived in Adelaide, who had five children, but only two remain living at home. Cathy is twenty years old and Evelyn is ten years old.

Throughout this story, we get a glimpse into an era that was difficult and frustrating for many women as they tried to navigate their way through womanhood. This book touches on many issues that may touch close to home, and although I never grew up in this era I can see how tough these times were for women and all I can say is thank goodness times have changed. A heartfelt, compelling, and beautifully written story. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I have no hesitation in highly recommending it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction or who enjoys a good read.

With thanks to Better Reading Preview and the publishers for my copy to read and review.

[Sandysbookaday (on indefinite hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

EXCERPT: Olive glances at her ten-year-old daughter, Evelyn, the youngest of five, unmoving in the chair beside her. She doesn't seem bothered at all by the waiting. Evelyn's favorite place is the library and her second favorite is anywhere she can read a book. No matter how much Olive has tried, because Dr Spock says fresh air and exercise is so good for growing children, Evelyn is simply not the outdoorsy type. Olive has spent many a night fretting that her youngest doesn't turn cartwheels on the back lawn like other children or hopscotch on the footpath. Instead, Evelyn plays with words. Everything Evelyn has ever read has been tumble-turned an pondered and kneaded and raked over and then stored in that brain of hers. How on earth does that girl settle her mind enough to sleep at night? Olive doesn't know where her daughter got her smarts from but there's no doubt she has them and Olive is mostly grateful for it, except for the times she fears her daughter will never find a husband because no man likes to think his wife is cleverer than he is, even though most wives are.

ABOUT 'THE MARRIAGE TRAP': 1960s Adelaide: The Langley family - Olive, Len and their two daughters, twenty-year-old Cathy and ten-year-old Evelyn - live a peaceful suburban life, although Grandma Langley turns up each Sunday lunch like a bad fairy to castigate them for their dubious morals.

Cathy, training to be a teacher, thinks women have it tough. No sex until marriage, then no work, child after child and the sacrifice of their desires to church, husband and family. Cathy is determined not to marry right away. Once married, it's all over. A life no longer her own.

Young Evelyn wants to be a fairy princess ... until she sees for herself the price women pay for such dreams.

When the new contraceptive pill arrives women can suddenly sense freedom. But powerful forces are aligned against women's reproductive choice and a fight begins. A fight that takes on their own doctors, the might of the Catholic church, and the outdated morality of previous generations.

MY THOUGHTS: The Marriage Trap begins in 1960s Australia and follows the lives of the Langley women into the 1970s as women finally win greater freedom from the social and moral mores of the time.

I found The Marriage Trap particularly interesting as I was growing up in this era, just a little younger than Evelyn but seeing and experiencing many of the same things she does.

Purman has written a book rich in the detail of 1960s life and with characters to match. The Marriage Trap is told from the points of view of the three Langley women: Olive and her daughters Cathy and Evelyn.

Olive is caught between her loyalty to her religion and her growing awareness of the narrowness of her life. Cathy has dreams of a career, but will falling in love derail her dreams? Evelyn watches and notes the battles between her mother and her elder sister, determined to live a very different life from theirs.

The characters are magnificently depicted, realistic and relatable. I couldn't help but root for these women as they faced the trials and tribulations in their lives. And "Mother Langley" - I wanted to boo and hiss her like a pantomime character!

This novel of love, ambition and social change is one I won't forget in a hurry.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

#TheMarriageTrap #NetGalley

MEET THE AUTHOR: VICTORIA PURMAN is a regular guest at writers festivals, a mentor and workshop presenter across Australia, and has judged the fiction category for the 2018 Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature and the 2022 ASA/HQ Commercial Fiction Prize for an unpublished manuscript.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Harlequin Australia, HQ & MIRA via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of The Marriage Trap by Victoria Purman for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

1960 in a suburban town in Adelaide and we meet the Langley family, Len, Olive, Cathy and Evelyn there are also another two sons and another daughter but they have married and moved out, this story concentrates on the three females Olive, Cathy and Evelyn and what life was like starting at 1960 and going through to 1970 and it was a bit different to what we know now come along and meet them.

Olive is sixty and is a strict catholic she has had five children the last one Evelyn was a change of life baby and born when she was fifty it was a big shock, did she ever want five children probably not but as a married woman and catholic there was not a lot she could do but she always hoped that her daughters would one day have a little more control over their lives.

Cathy is twenty and at teachers college she has her life planned teaching for a couple of years before she settles down and marries and starts a family of her own but she would like more control about those things but when she meets Andy she discovers that love is opening up a new world for her and one night will change all of her plans for the future and she finds herself married but one thing is for sure she is determined to decide how many children she has and she just might get that wish when there is talk of a contraceptive pill, this will change her life.

Evelyn is ten and is very smart she loves the family dictionary she uses it all the time she loves listening in on adult conversations and will look up any word that she does not know the meaning of and along the way she soon discovers that life for a woman is not all it is made out to be will things be different as she gets older, she certainly want sit to be.

I did enjoy this story and getting to know these three females and what life was like back then although I was born in the 1950’s and married in the 1970’s things were still changing for the better for me there is a lot of back story information throughout about the contraceptive pill and the catholic church and the thoughts of the men who ran it, did Olive’s ideas change over the years as her girls grew into woman? One thing is for sure I am glad things have changed for woman.

My thanks to HQ Fiction and Netgalley for my copy to read and review.

[Craig and Phil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aussie historical fiction author Victoria Purman is back with a story inspired by a time when the country was about to change and conventional personification were questioned.
Victoria takes us back to the 1960s where the world was a different place.
In a suburb of South Australia, the Langley family go about their daily lives.
Olive, her husband Len and two of their children, Cathy and Evelyn make the most of living together under the same roof.
Religious sermons is high on the list for Grandma, when she attends Sunday roast lunch.
For twenty year old Cathy, a no sex before marriage clause is embedded into her brain and she is expected to follow the rules.
Ten year old Evelyn just wants her inquisitive mind to be excited.
When the contraceptive pill is introduced, all their morals, values and beliefs are questioned……
Including those of the church and doctors as well.
We as the reader get a bird’s eye view into the 60s era, the introduction of contraception, traditional marriage roles, society’s expectation of women and the mentality of those involved.
Those of a certain vintage will get nostalgic, there’s lots of memorabilia to trigger those memories.
A vivid narrative, rich in history, high in emotion and bucket loads of enjoyment.
Victoria is well known for her exceptional storytelling in the region of historical fiction and The Marriage Trap is no exception.

[Kremena Koleva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Писателите имат правото да опишат събития от историята на човечеството и да ги наситят с примери,които да обрисуват напредъка в живота или застоя в разбиранията, а понякога и връщането към минали практики! Умението на един автор да разказва може да извика много емоции, впечатления и реакции.
Victoria Purman е писател, който открито, реалистично и въздействащо представя стремежа на жените да отстояват женствеността си наред с възможността да се развиват професионално и да вземат независими решения за собствената си съдба. А кой може да попречи на това? В миналото всичко и всеки е можел да следи за морала на жените. Помните ли Хестър Прим от " Алената буква"? Най - страшният съдник и подтисник на свободолюбието винаги е била Църквата с нейните догми и постоянни внушения. Религията в библията описва Бог като разбиращ и милосърден.Но религията, проповядвана от анвона, е наказваща инициативвостта, подтискваща свободния дух и анатемосваща инакомислещия. Религията е представлявана от мъже. Особено католическата - от мъже, отказали се от всички земни удоволствия, обрекли се на безбрачие и намиращи страст и подобие на щастие в четенето на библейски текстове и взиращи се в иконите. Такива мъже са далеч от живота и нуждите на обикновените енориаши. Някои от появилите се течения в Религията са се оформили като по - близки до реалността. Но не и католицизма! Закостенял и високомерен, той си затваря очите за проблемите и зловредието в редиците си и постоянно размахва пръст срещу правото на хората да живеят с удоволствие този земен живот.

" Според нейния опит, натрапването на вяра, не те прави набожен."

Младите хора през годините, са разкрили много нереалистични и фалшиви моменти в проповедите. Недоверието е стигнало до там, че много канони са обсъждани през смях, вместо с респект.
Война във Виетнам, смъртта на Джон Кенеди, създаването и славата на групи като Бийтълс и Ролинг Стоунс, кампаниите за обсъждането на противозачатъчните хапчета, мнението на Ватикана по въпросите, за които светът вече е надраснал религиозните норми и отживелици - това са част от темите, които не само Австралия, но целият свят вече преживяват. The Marriage Trap е хронология на осъзнаването и тихата, а понякога и бурна, еманципация на жените по света, за да поставят интелекта и желанията си наравно с тези на мъжете.

* „ - Майка ми казва, че само Бог може да реши колко деца има една жена.
- Тогава Той може да слезе на земята и да ги отгледа“, отговаря Уенди."
* " Такъв е светът и тя се страхуваше да не върви срещу течението. Винаги има цена за тези, които изминават този път."

[Helen - Great Reads & Tea Leaves · Rating 4 out of 5]

Victoria Purman has a gift for creating realistic windows into the Australian past, and The Marriage Trap is an excellent example of this. Set in suburban Adelaide during the late 1960s, the novel follows the Langley family - Olive, Len, and their two remaining children at home, Cathy and Evelyn. For those of us who remember the shifting tides of the 60s and 70s, Purman captures the exact moment when the rigid expectations of previous generations began to clash with radical new ideas emerging. 

The story centres on twenty-year-old Cathy, a student teacher who is acutely aware of the "trap" her society has set for women: the expectation of no sex before marriage, followed immediately by the end of a professional career and a lifetime of domesticity. Her younger sister, Evelyn, provides a poignant contrast - watching and learning from her older siblings.

The era is brought to life through the little perfect cultural touches - everything from music to advertisements. There is the new band called ‘The Beatles’ and Evelyn skips school to go and see them - perhaps a youthful rebellion - both thrilling and dangerous to the older generation. Meanwhile, on the domestic side of things, I had to smile when the familiar and iconic Louie the Fly from Mortein ads made an appearance.

As the contraceptive pill arrives in Australia, Purman brilliantly details the impact of reproductive freedom. She doesn't shy away from the serious opposition women faced from all corners - the medical establishment, the church, and traditional family structures (personified by the ever-critical Grandma Langley). The plot is a compelling look at the fight for agency and the beginning of a rebellion that would change the country forever. It’s a nostalgic yet poignant tribute to a decade of not only shorter skirts and the Beatles, but also, the ordinary women who dared to demand a life of their own.

[beccabeccabooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meet the Langley family, from suburban Adelaide. Len and Olive are parents to five children, with the fifth arriving in their fifties. They have created a happy home, even if Len's mother comes for Sunday lunch with her strong, outdated views.

With three children now married and families of their own, two remain at home.

Cathy is twenty, studying teaching, and has a boyfriend. As a modern sixties woman, she struggles to follow social expections. One snap of misjudgment will cause her life to inplode.

Evelyn is ten, inquestive, bookish, a word smith and is at that age where shell take things at face value. What lays in her future, when the world is constantly evolving?

Olive, their mother, is deep into menopause and likes to think that she's a good Christian. However, Olive doesn't like to cause a stir, prefering to keep her opinions to herself, especially against Mother Langley. She dreams of a better life than she did for her daughters and will do anything she can to ensure that.

There isnt a Victoria Purman novel that I havent enjoyed. Her perspective of social issues are enlighting and I always walk away learning something. In her 2026 release, Victoria explores those social issues of the sixties, where its tough to be a woman.

The swinging sixties are an impressable time. Beatlemania is sweeping up the nation in a frenzy, skirt lengths are getting shorter, and Australia is avidly following the leader of the free world. Yet- theres talk of a new contraceptive pill, giving women the choice of planning their family, but also causing controversary amongst the older generations.

The generational gaps between Olive and her daughters gave an insightful, wide spread look at female issues at different stages of life. Evelyn was my favourite though- as the youngest, she will have the brightest future, without expection, judgement or pressure from her elders, effectively breaking the cycle.

4.75 🌟

[Linda Richards · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars
Glad I didn’t have to deal with what the women did at that time.

[Karyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Victoria Purman’s The Marriage Trap is a compelling historical novel set in Adelaide during the 1960s and early 70s. It is a time when Australian society was beginning to change but still held tightly to traditional expectations for women. The story follows the Langley family, particularly the mother Olive and the two daughters that still live at home: Cathy and Evelyn, whose lives reflect the shifting roles and opportunities available to women during this period.

At the beginning of the novel, Cathy is eighteen and attending teachers college, looking forward to a future shaped by her education and independence. However, the conservative values of the time place strong expectations on young women to marry, raise children, maintain a home, and uphold religious traditions. Cathy’s life sadly takes a different path when she is forced to marry, give up her studies and the independence she had hoped for.

In contrast, her younger sister by 10 years, Evelyn grows up in a changing world. As the decade progresses, new ideas begin to challenge traditional roles for women. The introduction of the contraceptive pill and the emergence of the women’s liberation movement begin to give women more control over their bodies and their futures. Through Evelyn’s experiences, the novel shows how attitudes toward marriage, education, and independence were slowly shifting.

A central theme of the novel is the conflict between old and new values. The church, male doctors, and older generations often resisting these social changes, creating tension within families. The author explores how the Langley family navigates these pressures and the personal struggles that accompany the broader social changes .

Victoria Purman brings social history to life through relatable characters and family relationships. She shows how large societal changes directly affect the everyday lives of women.

The Marriage Trap is an engaging and thought-provoking novel that highlights an important period in Australia’s social history. Through the lives of Olive, Cathy and Evelyn, we have a sight into the challenges women faced and the slow shift toward greater independence and choice.

[Melissa Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a well written, researched and thought provoking read. Victoria Purman is the Queen of portraying a clear vision of the domesticity of women’s lives in the 20th Century. I have come to regard her books amongst my favourite go to reads that I can read in one sitting.
We meet three generations of women in the Langley family, set in the decade 1960-1970. Olive is the matriarch of her family and wants her daughters to have more opportunities from life than she did as wife/mother as was common in this time period. Olive has always been a good wife/mother and has followed her catholic religion and teachings. We see her throughout the book, become more disillusioned with the church, particularly after having a ‘change of life’ baby and seeing what her daughter goes through. Her daughter Catherine (Cathy), has high hopes of becoming a teacher, until she finds herself unexpectedly pregnant and forced to marry at a young age to keep her child. Finally, Olive’s youngest child Evelyn, is coming of age in the early 1970s. She is able to choose her own future and when she may want to have children or not, a luxury not afforded to her mother or sister with the introduction of the contraceptive pill.
It is quite infuriating to think of attitudes towards unmarried mothers, particularly born from religion which held such societal influence. Brandishing such women as having ‘loose morals’ and who were considered ‘sinners’ for being in the ‘family way’. If they were married, men and husbands had complete control over family planning.
Overall, somethings have changed for the better in 2026. We no longer have homes for unmarried mothers or forced adoptions, and there are more options for contraception, terminations and welfare support (although not in all countries), and many single mothers continue to live in poverty. There is also less stigma and societal pressure for marriage, even if attitudes still exist in particular religious circles. Women overall, would be considered to have more control and say in their futures and family planning and are not only reduced to the role of wife/mother if they choose.

[Kirsten · Rating 5 out of 5]

My mother-in-law introduced me to Victoria’s historical fiction books a few years ago and I have been eagerly enjoying her stories ever since. I have particularly enjoyed her more recent ones that give you a deep dive into what it’s like to live during a certain time period. The last two featured the 1950s, The Marriage Trap covers the 1960s and gives a fascinating look at how the introduction of the contraceptive pill changed women’s lives.

The Marriage Trap is a character driven story featuring Olive and her two daughters Cathy and Eleanor. I loved how all three were at very different stages of their lives and how things changed for each of them. Olive is 60, she’s made it through the war and has five children, 2 boy, 2 girls and then Eleanor as her surprise ‘change of life’ baby. Cathy is 20, the youngest of the two older daughters, studying to be a teacher and meets Andy. She becomes pregnant and the two are pushed to marriage. Eleanor is ten and has just experienced her first period.

Victoria’s research was meticulous. She really captured the feeling of change and empowerment that came with in 1960s. I loved all the little details from Olive unpicking jumpers to make new clothes, Beatlemania, the introduction of appliances like the washing machine, fridge and TV to the politics of the time, the Vietnam War and the Catholic guilt from their grandmother who felt books and dancing were a sin.

I really enjoyed seeing all three women take control over their bodies. I felt enraged in Cathy’s behalf when she went to see her family doctor and was told she needed her husband’s permission and was refused on the grounds of his religious beliefs and was pleased to see how easy it became for Eleanor in the future. It was lovely to see Cathy educating her younger sister to help her avoid her mistakes and the overall message of things becoming better for each generation. I definitely felt better about being a woman in todays’s time. I really enjoyed Victoria’s detailed notes about the politics and history of the introduction of the pill. An engaging, inspiring historical fiction novel of three different women coming of age in a powerful time of change.

[Lyn Richards · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mum (Olive), her daughter (Cathy) and a younger change of life daughter (Evelyn) live in a time where an unplanned pregnancy quickly snuffs dreams of a life other than motherhood. Doctors prescribe based on religious beliefs rather than medicine. Olive dreams of the life she could have had and wants her children to have better options. Purman takes us back in time, bringing the emotional frustration to the fore. Choices are made for women, who bear the biggest brunt of social backlash when things go wrong. The introduction of the contraceptive pill changes all this and Purman is excellent at showing us from three characters perspective just what this means in a realistic sense. Olive has her faith tested and for me, this book gave me perspective on my mothers and grandmothers reality’s and how hard it must have been. Many of the situations in this book are enlightening, especially when the overbearing grandmother espouses views that we now think are funny but plagued young daughters for generations such as not slouching to preserve your womanly organs to fulfil your duty as a wife and bear children once married of course. I asked around and there are still some in my generation that have these beliefs.

This is a book which is excellent at bringing to life history, even if it is only back 60 years. This book reminded me of the freedoms I enjoy and the choices that I can make and not made for me and made me grateful for the time in which I was born.

I enjoyed this book, although a little slow in the middle, possibly due to the sense that this was the reality for many Australian women or a sense that I wanted to know more about Olive, Cathy and Evelyn. I love a book that captures my attention and has me wanting to know about the characters. A great read!

Thank you to Better Reading for the opportunity to read this book before it's release.

[Emma Yin · Rating 5 out of 5]

can never go wrong with a victoria purman book 🥹

[Jessy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Marriage Trap is a heartfelt Australian historical novel that explores the pressures of marriage, family expectations, and women’s roles in 1960s society. Victoria Purman beautifully captures the era through strong female characters, emotional family dynamics, and rich historical detail. While the story moves gently at times, its warmth, authenticity, and meaningful themes make it an engaging and thought-provoking read. Perfect for readers who enjoy character-driven historical fiction with emotional depth.

[Justine Hill · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was definitely a political commentary on the hardships of women, as seen from someone in 2026, and less like the fictional light hearted book I enjoyed from Victoria Purman's earliest works. I will admit, I am not the appropriate/target vintage to be nostalgic for this era. Bravo to the author for her research, but there was so much historical information and criticism, it was hard to have the motivation to finish and with a plot that proved lacklustre!

[Kylie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was very keen to read this book. Topical, with some reproductive rights under threat in our state at present.
I was completely floored by realising that women and girls from that era and previous eras, had little to no knowledge of their own bodies and how it worked. It was like 'becoming a woman' was a dirty secret and the only direction came from your religious beliefs and those of the people around you: particularly the men.
Infuriating to think that men had all the power over a woman's body!
I would have liked more of an insight into the furore created with the introduction of the Pill. This was glossed over very quickly, and I wished there had been more covered.
I feel it was really a discussion of how religion and those dictates and beliefs shaped the world pre 1970's.
Overall, interesting. I particularly liked the history of the fight for acknowledgement of women's rights to have power of their own bodies, that was added at the end of the book.

[Janine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favourite of this Author as I found it a bit slow.

[Linda McGrath · Rating 3 out of 5]

Victoria Purman is a favourite of mine. She writes historical fiction about women, and as the reader, you almost feel you are part of the story. Here we have the Langley Family, Len, Olive, 20 year old Cathy and 10 year old Evelyn. I found The Marriage Trap a little slow paced, but I guess life in Adelaide in the 1960s was exactly that. It is interesting to read how restricted women were, not so long ago, by the morals and religion of the times. The contraception pill changed their lives, bringing choice and freedom previously unknown. The research pages at the end are quite fascinating. I did enjoy this book, maybe not as much as some of the author's previous works, but still a good read.

[Alicia Peters · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved The Marriage Trap, it definately made me think about what and when I want to tell my little girl certain things and how lucky I am to be living in 2026, where I could plan when I wanted to have children with the help of the contraceptive pill. Would definately recommend.

[Sariya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slice of life fiction surrounding the introduction of the oral contraceptive pill in 1960s Australia. It jumped perspectives between 3 members of the same family. I enjoyed it for the narrative history it provided but I can’t say it was immensely engaging - enraging is probably a better adjective.

[Nicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook. A bit boring. These facts are well known and the tone of the book is a bit patronizing…..

[Mandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this. It was a really easy read. It just felt like it was missing substance. The storyline was a good one and yes it was a crap time for women and it’s great how things changed for us women who came later.

[Peta · Rating 4 out of 5]

A time capsule - not just from 1960's to 1970's Australia, but of Adelaide - the Capital City of South Australia, and to this day, still a big country town in so many ways.
As someone born in 1960 in a regional town, when reading this story many of the social mores and prevailing attitudes of the time returned like it was yesterday. As to the story itself, Olive and Len are an everyday, struggling, working-class couple who have adult children and a change-of-life baby (Evelyn, aged 10) at home, along with their teenage daughter Cathy. Cathy becomes a single, pregnant teenager.
The story is driven by the unfolding daily events of these core members who each experience things that were not uncommon but are dealt with quintessentially in keeping with the prevailing laws, social values and religious teachings of that time.
The concepts of Church and State were very evident in this period of changing attitudes in Australia. The Roman Catholic church held great sway over Polititicians, the medical fraternity, as well as its own parishioners whom were heavily pressured to conform to the teachings and religious laws of Rome. The Federal and State Laws were not on the side of "families". Many people, the author included, might single out women alone as the victims (and they were victims), but they were not the only victims. When a pregnant single woman is subjected to the tyranny of gossip, of social, legal, medical and religious exclusions and worse, there are many victims; the woman is the face of them, but her child, the father of the child and their families, they are all victims of the collusion to prevent the formation of the bonds that define a family - keeping mother and child together and acknowledging that they are a family unit. This story highlights that as Olive (Cathy's mother) is required, years later, to acknowledge her own attitudes as guided by the local priest, and her treatment of Cathy at that time.
We often forget that humanity is an evolving process. Change happens when we are compelled to challenge a status.
Stolen generations are not limited to a particular culture, country, class or religion. This story is not uncommon. Many will know someone or have a story of their own.
Sadly, in the late 1980's in Sydney, I "benefitted" from a hastily whispered anti-contraceptive opinion offered by a doctor's nurse whilst he was out of the examination room. Afterall, why should a married woman use contraceptives? So..., it was not only men or male doctors delivering judgement, the nurses, midwives and social workers had their own methods of delivering the low blows.

I found the author's notes quite interesting - clearly a fan of former PM (Mr Whitlam). Such a pity he almost sent the country broke and to this day remains a divisive political figure from our past.

Thank you to the author for this confronting little return to 'another time'.

[Joanne McKinnon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Marriage Trap
When I first started reading this book, I wasn’t entirely sure it was for me. The writing style felt a little different to what I usually read, but as I settled into the story, I began to appreciate what the author was trying to capture. Having grown up during the 1960s myself, much of it felt familiar and deeply reflective of the times.

A beautifully nostalgic and thought-provoking novel, The Marriage Trap captures a transformative period in Australian history, when women were beginning to question the expectations placed upon them and fight for the freedom to choose their own futures. Set in 1960s Adelaide, the story follows Olive and her daughters, Cathy and Evelyn, as they navigate changing social attitudes, family pressures, religion, and the arrival of the contraceptive pill.

Olive, now sixty, is a strict Catholic woman who has spent most of her life raising her children. She had five children in total, with Evelyn arriving unexpectedly when Olive was fifty a “change of life” baby that came as a great shock. Although Olive never intended to have such a large family, as a married Catholic woman she felt she had little choice. Quietly, she hopes her daughters might one day have more control over their own lives than she ever did.

The story centres on twenty-year-old Cathy, the younger of the two older daughters, who is studying to become a teacher when she meets Andy. Cathy is painfully aware of the “trap” society has set for women, no sex before marriage, yet very little understanding or freedom surrounding relationships and contraception. When Cathy becomes pregnant, her dreams of a professional career come to an abrupt end. She and Andy marry just in time, and Cathy suddenly finds herself facing a future shaped by domesticity and expectation rather than personal ambition.

Meanwhile, young Evelyn, only ten years old and newly experiencing the changes of adolescence, watches and learns from the lives unfolding around her. Then there is Len’s mother, a woman full of rigid rules and strong opinions about what is right and wrong. Her regular Sunday lunch visits bring constant reminders that books, dancing, and certainly sex before marriage are considered sinful in her eyes.

One of the loveliest aspects of the novel was watching Cathy gently educate and guide her younger sister, hoping Evelyn might avoid some of the hardships and limitations she herself experienced. The story carries a strong sense that, with each generation, life may become a little fairer and women a little freer.

An engaging and inspiring historical novel about three women coming of age during a powerful time of social change. A very worthwhile read.

[Jackie McMillan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book that tries to pay homage to an important history in Australia, women's struggle for reproductive rights, but it does it in a way that felt too twee for me. I actually preferred the afterword outlining some of the political conditions that blocked women from accessing contraception in Australia, like the "shadow and influence of socially conservative Liberal governments [that] lasted twenty-three years, from 1949 until 1972". I wish there was more of this Australian history in the book, and less internal monologue from all three of the women it centres upon, Olive, Cathy and Evelyn. But as a feel-good journey from blind obedience to the church toward thinking "the word of God handed down by men doesn't resonate with her these days" it's a satisfying story arc.

In the early 1990s, two decades after the time period this book is set (1960–1970) I visited a medical centre in Darlinghurst and found I was pregnant. I asked if I could have the fetus removed that day. The doctor said to me, "I'm Roman Catholic." I was flabbergasted and confused, why was he telling me this? What relevance did it have to wanting an abortion? As The Marriage Trap makes clear, Pope Paul VI issuing Humane vitae in 1968 meant "Roman Catholic doctors cannot prescribe the Poll except for a menstrual disorder, even to a woman who is not Catholic." Shocking that one man's decree can have ripples in all women's lives more than twenty years later.

I liked seeing the resilience of young women, who schooled each other in what to say to get the prescription they needed to not be brood mares for the next generation. This included hiding it from partners who wanted to force them to do so, something we now would see as reproductive coercion: "I haven't told Derek I'm taking contraception. He's still going on about having four kids and won't take no for an answer. I hide the box in my pack of Modess so he won't find it." As Evelyn points out, "taking control of your fertility is a political act" to this day.

With thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Australia for sending me a copy to read.

[Karren Sandercock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suburban, Adelaide, 1960. Olive and Len Langley live with their two youngest daughters, twenty year old Cathy who’s attending teachers college and primary schooler, prolific reader and inquisitive ten year old Evelyn. The three older siblings have all moved out and are married and raising families of their own.

Cathy has a boyfriend and she’s finding it hard to abide by the long list of rules good girls must follow, one small lapse of judgment and her plans will change and damage her reputation.

Evelyn is a late-in-life baby, her mum and dad were in their fifties when she was born and they could see the parenting finish line in sight. Olive loves Len and her children, but she’s spent the last twenty five years, pregnant and giving birth, doing endless loads of washing, cleaning, cooking, and she’s tired.

Olive never vocalizes what goes on in her head, she wants a better life for Cathy and Evelyn, and she wishes her husband would stand up to his domineering mother. Many women didn’t have a lot of knowledge about how their bodies worked, found it rather embarrassing talking about any issues they were having and even to other females.

I received a copy of The Marriage Trap by Victoria Purman from NetGalley and Harlequin Australia in exchange for an honest review. The narrative is set in Adelaide in the 1960’s to early 1970’s and the story is told from Olive, Cathy and Evelyn’s points of view. Three different age groups and stages of life, a menopausal mother, and two daughters and one almost legally an adult and the other approaching puberty.

Politicians, men, doctors and the Catholic Church had opinions about contraceptive, the new pill and who could access it and the whole morale debate.

A time of major change from watching TV, skirt lengths, to music, Beatlemania, the Vietnam War, and you experience what life was like for Australian women and girls. Five stars from me, another unputdownable novel by Ms Purman, about what our grandmothers and mothers had to fight for and so we have rights and a choice and I highly recommend.

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5★s

Olive & Len Langley lived in Adelaide in the 1960s, and had five children, two whom were still living at home. Cathy, at university, studying to be a school teacher, and ten year old Evelyn, a change of life baby. Cathy and her boyfriend, Andy, loved each other, knew they'd marry one day, but wanted to complete their studies before that and children. Until the day their lives changed...

Grandma Langley was a staunch Methodist, widow of a preacher, and every Sunday when she arrived at Len & Olive's home for lunch, proceeded to preach her own sermon to the two girls. Sex before marriage was a sin; Olive was a sin as she was Catholic; her vitriol was constant. When the contraceptive pill was introduced - only for married women of course - women's rights improved - slightly. But definitely don't go to a Catholic doctor to ask for a prescription.

I myself lived through the 60s as a young teenager and remember it all. Aussie author Victoria Purman has detailed it all in The Marriage Trap, with Cathy and Evelyn perfect characters, sweet, innocent and unsuspecting. I've read and enjoyed most of this author's work (and will continue to do so), but unfortunately I don't think this one is her best. Recommended to fans.

With thanks to NetGalley & Harlequin AU for my digital copy to read and review.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Victoria Purman sets out to write about ordinary women living ordinary lives in times when just doing that made them quite extraordinary. Her latest book, The Marriage Trap spans a ten year period in Australia, 1960 – 1970. A time when life has settled down after two world wars, and life is expected to continue as it always has for women. She must marry, look after her home and her husband and produce babies. Then, look after her home, husband and children until they too follow this pattern of life, but the world is changing. Olive has four children with Len and in 1950,at 50 years old discovers she is pregnant with her fifth, Evelyn. By 1960 three of her children are married and Cathy, her 20 year old daughter, is training to be a teacher. She is coping with a weekly visit from her rude and opinionated Mother In Law and feeling all of her 60 years. The story continues following Olive, Cathy and Evelyn as they live through the many changes of that decade. For those of us old enough to remember that life, this will resonate and perhaps bring back memories, good and bad. Victoria has written very believable characters in situations all too common at that time, a time of great change, especially for women. She addresses the backlash from mainly men against the contraceptive pill, and opportunities for women to take their place in society outside the home and domestic duties. A well researched and enjoyable read.
Thanks to Better Reading and Harlequin Books for a copy to review.

[Shelagh · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Marriage Trap gives readers a marvelous look back to domestic Australia in the 1960’s, a time when family life was on the cusp of dramatic change. As always, author Victoria Purman has done a stellar job of research, all of which shines through as the story unfolds. While taking us back to a time I well remember growing up in, this is very much a character-driven book, centred around Olive Langley, mother of five, of whom her youngest daughters, ten year’old Evelyn and eighteen year-old Cathy also feature strungly. As the story opens, we see sixty-year-old Olive going through the daily chores faced by housewives of that time. While she clearly loves all her children and is a good Catholic, it is patently obvious that life is less than perfect for Olive. Cathy, meanwhile, is at teachers’ college and is planning out her future as a teacher. Despite loving her boyfriend Andy, marriage is not in her plans for the next few years as that would mean leaving her job. Finally we come to ten year-old Evelyn, a highly intelligent child, who has no qualms about asking tough questions and appearing to take the strict pronouncements of her Methodist Grandmother Langley to heart. I loved reliving my own history through these three as they navigated unexpected difficulties and forged their ways through the changing world in which they lived. For me, this was a compelling read for a lot of reasons but perhaps mostly because it reignited a nostalgia for the long-gone past and my fascination with the characters who brought it to life.

[Michelle Endersby · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Marriage Trap by Victoria Purman is an oh-so-nostalgic time capsule, it’s like opening your jewellery box and seeing the plastic ballerina spin around to Fur Elise. You’ll be transported back to your own childhood years or to tales from your grandmothers, when the social media of the day was the Women’s Weekly and the closest thing to Netflix was listening to Blue Hills on the wireless.

It is a story of different generations of women who struggle to communicate openly with each other because of ignorance, religion, societal norms and worrying about what the neighbours would think. Although it is a story of mothers and daughters, grandmothers (sit up straight) and sisters, my favourite character was Len, dutiful, devoted, steadfast and reliable, but most all, kind.

There is a poignancy in reading this book at this very moment in history, as it is set in turbulent times of war, politics, protests in the streets, and ignorant men in positions of power, out of touch with reality, influencing everyday lives. Sound familiar…

Warning: This book is likely to stir up all manner of emotions, memories and what-ifs, which will linger long after you read the final page.