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Well Behaved Wives
Perfect wives, imperfect lives, and upending the rules of behavior in 1960s America.
Law school graduate and newlywed Ruth Applebaum is acclimating to life and marriage in a posh Philadelphia neighborhood. She’ll do almost anything to endear herself to her mother-in-law, who’s already signed up Ruth for etiquette lessons conducted by the impeccably accessorized tutor Lillian Diamond. But Ruth brings something fresh to the small circle of housewives—sharp wit, honesty, and an independent streak that won’t be compromised.
Right away Ruth develops a friendship with the shy Carrie Blum. When Carrie divulges a dark and disturbing secret lurking beneath her seemingly perfect life, Ruth invites Lillian and the Diamond Girls of the etiquette school to finally question the status quo.
Together they form an unbreakable bond and stretch well beyond their comfort zones. For once, they’ll challenge what others expect from them, discover what they expect from themselves, and do whatever it takes to protect one of their own—fine manners be damned.
Law school graduate and newlywed Ruth Applebaum is acclimating to life and marriage in a posh Philadelphia neighborhood. She’ll do almost anything to endear herself to her mother-in-law, who’s already signed up Ruth for etiquette lessons conducted by the impeccably accessorized tutor Lillian Diamond. But Ruth brings something fresh to the small circle of housewives—sharp wit, honesty, and an independent streak that won’t be compromised.
Right away Ruth develops a friendship with the shy Carrie Blum. When Carrie divulges a dark and disturbing secret lurking beneath her seemingly perfect life, Ruth invites Lillian and the Diamond Girls of the etiquette school to finally question the status quo.
Together they form an unbreakable bond and stretch well beyond their comfort zones. For once, they’ll challenge what others expect from them, discover what they expect from themselves, and do whatever it takes to protect one of their own—fine manners be damned.
319 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2022
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13689 people want to read
About the author
Amy Sue Nathan
6 books544 followersWriter of novels, lover of cats, morning coffee, dark chocolate, and bold lipstick. Former vegetarian, occasional crafter, adequate cook, loyal friend, proud mom to two awesome adults.
Website: AmySueNathan.com
Twitter: @AmySueNathan
Facebook: Amy Sue Nathan
Instagram: @AmySueNathan
(Are you sensing a theme, here?)
Website: AmySueNathan.com
Twitter: @AmySueNathan
Facebook: Amy Sue Nathan
Instagram: @AmySueNathan
(Are you sensing a theme, here?)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 820 reviews
October 14, 2022
This was one of my two free selections from Amazon First Reads for October. It started out with so much promise. I love stories set in the 60’s and 70’s, and when I learned that this one was about well off Jewish characters, I had visions of Mrs Maisel in my mind. Maybe my hopes were just set too high.
Things turned very dull very quickly, and also I started to feel that I was reading a (very young) adult book. The characters were flat, cardboard, weak, non distinguishable from each other. Super simple prose, and overly explanatory. I would say it was like a combination after school special/public service announcement about domestic abuse.
Let’s hope my other October selection is better.
Things turned very dull very quickly, and also I started to feel that I was reading a (very young) adult book. The characters were flat, cardboard, weak, non distinguishable from each other. Super simple prose, and overly explanatory. I would say it was like a combination after school special/public service announcement about domestic abuse.
Let’s hope my other October selection is better.
October 4, 2022
gripping and realistic
1962 was an interesting and exciting time for women; opportunities were opening up in their chosen careers, but there was still pressure for women to be perfect wives and mothers. Ruth is a newlywed, living with her in-laws, and hiding her desire to become a lawyer and work outside the home. When she begins etiquette lessons with a small group of women, she’s reluctant, but also hopeful she will make friends. I loved that Ruth is honest and outspoken, whose views make Lillian, the teacher of these lessons, question her own beliefs and standards. This book digs deep into the quandary that young women found themselves in at that time in our history, and it also delves into other subjects that were distressing and polarizing. Well Behaved Wives is a thought-provoking and poignant book. I especially loved this line: “Real women were not a chain of cutout dolls, as some would have people believe.” This was certainly true about Ruth, Lillian, Shirley and the rest of the complex women portrayed in this book.
1962 was an interesting and exciting time for women; opportunities were opening up in their chosen careers, but there was still pressure for women to be perfect wives and mothers. Ruth is a newlywed, living with her in-laws, and hiding her desire to become a lawyer and work outside the home. When she begins etiquette lessons with a small group of women, she’s reluctant, but also hopeful she will make friends. I loved that Ruth is honest and outspoken, whose views make Lillian, the teacher of these lessons, question her own beliefs and standards. This book digs deep into the quandary that young women found themselves in at that time in our history, and it also delves into other subjects that were distressing and polarizing. Well Behaved Wives is a thought-provoking and poignant book. I especially loved this line: “Real women were not a chain of cutout dolls, as some would have people believe.” This was certainly true about Ruth, Lillian, Shirley and the rest of the complex women portrayed in this book.
October 10, 2022
Not A Single Thing I Would Change
I loved everything about this book. From the time I started reading it to the end.
It’s not easy to channel feminine rage while also still being ‘feminine’ and you have to admire the characters from these stories.
There’s just SO much good to say about this book but just know it all ends up AMAZING in the end with a pretty spectacular HEA.
I loved everything about this book. From the time I started reading it to the end.
It’s not easy to channel feminine rage while also still being ‘feminine’ and you have to admire the characters from these stories.
There’s just SO much good to say about this book but just know it all ends up AMAZING in the end with a pretty spectacular HEA.
December 31, 2022
A little predictable and jumpy, but based on the times and the inherent bias against women as their own person having any kind of rights.
One has to wonder what American society would have been like if women would not have started to organize and stand up for their rights in the 50s and 60s.
My sweet 89 year old mother would have loved this book. Maybe she, who went to heaven in December, was reading over my shoulder and saying, yep, that's why I went to nursing school and got my masters. She fought hard. Now I realize what she was fighting against.
One has to wonder what American society would have been like if women would not have started to organize and stand up for their rights in the 50s and 60s.
My sweet 89 year old mother would have loved this book. Maybe she, who went to heaven in December, was reading over my shoulder and saying, yep, that's why I went to nursing school and got my masters. She fought hard. Now I realize what she was fighting against.
November 17, 2022
Well Behaved Wives transported me to the 1960s, one of my favorite times to read about. Ruth is newly married and dreams of being a lawyer, but her mother in law has other plans, including sending her to etiquette school to be a proper wife.
This book makes me feel like a lipstick failure IYKYK 😂 and I I know I'd fail etiquette school. I do envy the simpler times of the 60s but the gender divide is enough to keep me away. So if the DeLorean comes around ready to transport me to the era of my desire, I'm gonna pass on the 1960s 🤣
This story was about girl power, women banding together to right the wrongs, to protect each other and stand up for the greater good. It does feature domestic abuse, but I thought it was handled well and I didn't find it to be too disturbing, but please use caution if that is a trigger.
I highly recommend this amazing book. Would love to see it come to the big screen 🤞
This book makes me feel like a lipstick failure IYKYK 😂 and I I know I'd fail etiquette school. I do envy the simpler times of the 60s but the gender divide is enough to keep me away. So if the DeLorean comes around ready to transport me to the era of my desire, I'm gonna pass on the 1960s 🤣
This story was about girl power, women banding together to right the wrongs, to protect each other and stand up for the greater good. It does feature domestic abuse, but I thought it was handled well and I didn't find it to be too disturbing, but please use caution if that is a trigger.
I highly recommend this amazing book. Would love to see it come to the big screen 🤞
November 27, 2022
Well Behaved Wives will transport you back to the 1960s. With the descriptions of the clothes, jell-0 salads, and the need to be the perfect wife. The woman must not draw attention to herself. She is there to boost her husband, which is her main job in life. "Behind every successful man there stands a woman," this quote could not be truer for this time and why I myself would not have made it. I want to believe I would be one of the few fighting for woman to be able to have a job, and to step out from beneath your husband's thumb.
Ruth is an intelligent, strong woman who has just married the man of her dreams. They have moved in with his parents and he is asking her to put her dreams and aspirations of becoming a lawyer on hold for a moment until they can break it to his traditional Jewish parents. It appears Ruth disappoints her mother-in-law Shirly just by breathing air. Every wrong step, every wrong lipstick shade, makes Shirley grimace in Ruth's direction. When etiquette classes are suggested, Ruth decides to make the best of it and dives. She finds something so powerful in these classes, beautiful friendships that will be tested as the darker sides to some marriages make a disturbing appearance.
This book completely floored me, and I loved every minute of it. At times I could envision the cast of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. The intense pressure that woman put upon themselves to be pure perfection. The characters were phenomenally formed and draw you beneath the pages. This book is about friendships and family. What families do to hide certain horrifying details that they do not want anyone to know. While on the other hand, your friends can lift you up and be there for you during any moment in your life. Thank you to Amy Sue Nathan, Lake Union, and Kate Rock Book Tours for gifting me this powerful story.
Ruth is an intelligent, strong woman who has just married the man of her dreams. They have moved in with his parents and he is asking her to put her dreams and aspirations of becoming a lawyer on hold for a moment until they can break it to his traditional Jewish parents. It appears Ruth disappoints her mother-in-law Shirly just by breathing air. Every wrong step, every wrong lipstick shade, makes Shirley grimace in Ruth's direction. When etiquette classes are suggested, Ruth decides to make the best of it and dives. She finds something so powerful in these classes, beautiful friendships that will be tested as the darker sides to some marriages make a disturbing appearance.
This book completely floored me, and I loved every minute of it. At times I could envision the cast of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. The intense pressure that woman put upon themselves to be pure perfection. The characters were phenomenally formed and draw you beneath the pages. This book is about friendships and family. What families do to hide certain horrifying details that they do not want anyone to know. While on the other hand, your friends can lift you up and be there for you during any moment in your life. Thank you to Amy Sue Nathan, Lake Union, and Kate Rock Book Tours for gifting me this powerful story.
October 7, 2022
The 1960s were transformative years for America, particularly for women. Coming out of the 1950s, many women felt constrained by limiting gender roles. However, in the early 1960s, feminism had not yet taken deep root. Women began to ask spiritual questions about whether there was more to life than being “well behaved.” This book chronicles women’s challenges of this era while shining light on repressive issues like domestic violence.
Ruth Applebaum is a newlywed with a law degree. She is supposed to be studying for the bar exam and lives with her husband in Philadelphia in her in-laws’ attic. Her mother died when Ruth was a child, so she is seeking to live her life without a traditional model. Secrets constrain her. She does not share with her in-laws that she has legal aspirations because she is afraid to buck the social pressure of being the perfect housewife. Jewish family culture is featured prominently in this story – a trait I love.
Ruth’s mother-in-law suggests that she take etiquette lessons. While at first insulted, she decides to join a group run by a neighbor Lillian. During these lessons, Ruth discovers a small group of friends joined by their early stage in life. Yet Ruth’s persistent questioning, honed by Columbia Law School education, leads this group to self-awakening – including Lillian, their well-behaved leader, with her own private history.
Soon, a case of domestic violence emerges. Ruth has experience in these cases because of hopes of serving in this aspect of family law. She discovers, however, that each member of her group has their own attitude and issues towards this case. They learn that telling the truth to friends is much more important than keeping secrets. And each grows past her sticking point. By the end of the novel, they are set to move on with their lives and with the unfolding of the 1960s.
As I write 60 years later, it’s easy to forget the expanse of social progress that has been made through decades of struggles for women’s rights. Novels like this – set in history and in touch with the struggles of the age – can joggle readers’ historical memory. It can refocus and deepen current efforts. Nathan clearly wants to explore the history of domestic violence and the oppressive social structures that perpetuated it. Unfortunately, women of that era were encouraged to keep such things private, and many lived under the false pretense that “things like that can’t happen here.” Those situations still happen today though there are more established mechanisms to help. We are reminded of our own personal histories and how difficulties confront us still today.
Ruth Applebaum is a newlywed with a law degree. She is supposed to be studying for the bar exam and lives with her husband in Philadelphia in her in-laws’ attic. Her mother died when Ruth was a child, so she is seeking to live her life without a traditional model. Secrets constrain her. She does not share with her in-laws that she has legal aspirations because she is afraid to buck the social pressure of being the perfect housewife. Jewish family culture is featured prominently in this story – a trait I love.
Ruth’s mother-in-law suggests that she take etiquette lessons. While at first insulted, she decides to join a group run by a neighbor Lillian. During these lessons, Ruth discovers a small group of friends joined by their early stage in life. Yet Ruth’s persistent questioning, honed by Columbia Law School education, leads this group to self-awakening – including Lillian, their well-behaved leader, with her own private history.
Soon, a case of domestic violence emerges. Ruth has experience in these cases because of hopes of serving in this aspect of family law. She discovers, however, that each member of her group has their own attitude and issues towards this case. They learn that telling the truth to friends is much more important than keeping secrets. And each grows past her sticking point. By the end of the novel, they are set to move on with their lives and with the unfolding of the 1960s.
As I write 60 years later, it’s easy to forget the expanse of social progress that has been made through decades of struggles for women’s rights. Novels like this – set in history and in touch with the struggles of the age – can joggle readers’ historical memory. It can refocus and deepen current efforts. Nathan clearly wants to explore the history of domestic violence and the oppressive social structures that perpetuated it. Unfortunately, women of that era were encouraged to keep such things private, and many lived under the false pretense that “things like that can’t happen here.” Those situations still happen today though there are more established mechanisms to help. We are reminded of our own personal histories and how difficulties confront us still today.
October 23, 2022
Having grown up in Philadelphia as a Jewish woman in the '60s, I so looked forward to reading this book hoping to be able to reminisce and relate to the characters in the stories. Unfortunately all I got was one disappointment after another. I found unrelatable characters, flat shallow writing, and unrealistic dialog. Dropping an occasional Yiddish word here and there does not make a book about Jewish people, just as mentioning the names of a few businesses in Philadelphia does not give you the feeling of the neighborhood or the people within it. The book did touch on some important issues but in such a superficial and juvenile way that I literally began to skim pages in an effort to be done with the book as quickly as possible so as to get to the end to prove to myself that the story was as predictable as I had assumed. I'm not sure how a book can manage to feel both rushed and draggy at the same time yet this one did.
December 18, 2022
This was a feminist screed set in 1960s wealthy Jewish Philadelphia. I could forgive the blatant agenda if the writing were good quality, but sadly that was not the case. The characters were virtually indistinguishable from each other, and all were flat. The writing was repetitive, yet at the same time melodramatic and over the top. The author is fond of short choppy sentences, I guess because used sparingly these can add drama; used excessively they're just sloppy.
The story itself centers around some wealthy suburban women who are taking 'etiquette' classes so they will know how to keep up appearances in their social circles. There's an awful lot of blame placed on the husbands for these poor women being unable to do anything other than what's expected of them. But it seemed to me that the women themselves did just as much to keep each other down with their sniping and criticisms of each other.
There's a fairly unbelievable plot device that literally just fizzled out. The final chapter takes place 42 years or so afterwards and must include mention of a minor character being gay, because virtually no book these days will avoid that gratuitous kind of detail.
Here's an example of the sloppy writing.
In one scene Ruth is delighted because a desk has been delivered for her. In one sentence Shirley, her mother in law, is described as having arranged for this. In the next sentence it's Ruth's husband Asher (a completely superfluous character if ever there was one) who has done this, because he's perfect.
There were some themes of spousal and family abuse, as well as the dichotomy between traditional female roles and the desire for something different, but because the story was flat and cardboard, it just felt like a lecture. 'Patriarchy' and basically most men, bad. Feminism, good.
No thanks.
The story itself centers around some wealthy suburban women who are taking 'etiquette' classes so they will know how to keep up appearances in their social circles. There's an awful lot of blame placed on the husbands for these poor women being unable to do anything other than what's expected of them. But it seemed to me that the women themselves did just as much to keep each other down with their sniping and criticisms of each other.
There's a fairly unbelievable plot device that literally just fizzled out. The final chapter takes place 42 years or so afterwards and must include mention of a minor character being gay, because virtually no book these days will avoid that gratuitous kind of detail.
Here's an example of the sloppy writing.
In one scene Ruth is delighted because a desk has been delivered for her. In one sentence Shirley, her mother in law, is described as having arranged for this. In the next sentence it's Ruth's husband Asher (a completely superfluous character if ever there was one) who has done this, because he's perfect.
There were some themes of spousal and family abuse, as well as the dichotomy between traditional female roles and the desire for something different, but because the story was flat and cardboard, it just felt like a lecture. 'Patriarchy' and basically most men, bad. Feminism, good.
No thanks.
January 15, 2023
Do you get along with your inlaws?
Well Behaved Wives
by Amy Sue Nathan 4/5
My thoughts:
It took me a while to fully immerse myself in this book, but I found the story very compelling. Domestic abuse and women's rights are discussed. Since the 1960s, women have worked hard to establish their voices. Despite being fiction, this story represents those women well.
Synopsis:
Ruth Appelbaum is adjusting to life in the 60's and marriage in a posh Philadelphia neighborhood after graduating from law school. In order to obtain the approval of her mother-in-law, Ruth agrees to enroll in etiquette lessons with Lillian Diamond, an impeccably dressed tutor.
Ruth brings wit, honesty, and an independent streak that will not be compromised to the small circle of housewives where she forms a friendship with Carrie Blum. Their bond is unbreakable and their comfort zones are stretched beyond belief. In order to protect someone they love, they are willing to go above and beyond what others expect of them.
#Well Behaved Wives #bookishcommunity #bookstagramcommunity #blogtour #readingcommunity #Books #bookfriends #booksbooksbooks #booksta #bookstagram #newtobookstagram #bookreview #bookreviews #instabookstagram #bookish #bookishielife #Audible #newtobookstagram #newtoinsta #newtoinstagra #Bookishcom #trending #bestsellingbooks #b
Well Behaved Wives
by Amy Sue Nathan 4/5
My thoughts:
It took me a while to fully immerse myself in this book, but I found the story very compelling. Domestic abuse and women's rights are discussed. Since the 1960s, women have worked hard to establish their voices. Despite being fiction, this story represents those women well.
Synopsis:
Ruth Appelbaum is adjusting to life in the 60's and marriage in a posh Philadelphia neighborhood after graduating from law school. In order to obtain the approval of her mother-in-law, Ruth agrees to enroll in etiquette lessons with Lillian Diamond, an impeccably dressed tutor.
Ruth brings wit, honesty, and an independent streak that will not be compromised to the small circle of housewives where she forms a friendship with Carrie Blum. Their bond is unbreakable and their comfort zones are stretched beyond belief. In order to protect someone they love, they are willing to go above and beyond what others expect of them.
#Well Behaved Wives #bookishcommunity #bookstagramcommunity #blogtour #readingcommunity #Books #bookfriends #booksbooksbooks #booksta #bookstagram #newtobookstagram #bookreview #bookreviews #instabookstagram #bookish #bookishielife #Audible #newtobookstagram #newtoinsta #newtoinstagra #Bookishcom #trending #bestsellingbooks #b
August 21, 2024
Un romanzo che mi è piaciuto veramente tanto. Inneggia all’amicizia, alla vita e al coraggio, e ci ricorda che la perfezione non esiste ma le amiche si:
“Le amiche sono gli angeli che ti prestano le ali”.
Un romanzo tutto al femminile che ha conquistato le classifiche americane. Segreti, intrighi e macchinazioni, ma il tema principale è la solidarietà femminile, quattro donne che negli anni 60 stringono una sorta di patto.
Lilian è il personaggio che mi è piaciuto molto, dalle mille sfaccettature non si può non amarla. Shirley è una protagonista emblematica che mi ha sorpresa e spiazzata.
Una figura matriarcale protettiva a tratti audace a tratti ancorata alle vecchie tradizioni che mostra al lettore l’emancipazione femminile ai suoi esordi, quando il ruolo della donna veniva relegato ai soli lavori domestici.
Le minigonne, lo sbarco sulla luna, il movimento dei diritti civili verranno dopo.
Una straordinaria storia di sorellanza, coraggio e riscatto.
*Ringrazio la Casa Editrice per la collaborazione e la copia
“Le amiche sono gli angeli che ti prestano le ali”.
Un romanzo tutto al femminile che ha conquistato le classifiche americane. Segreti, intrighi e macchinazioni, ma il tema principale è la solidarietà femminile, quattro donne che negli anni 60 stringono una sorta di patto.
Lilian è il personaggio che mi è piaciuto molto, dalle mille sfaccettature non si può non amarla. Shirley è una protagonista emblematica che mi ha sorpresa e spiazzata.
Una figura matriarcale protettiva a tratti audace a tratti ancorata alle vecchie tradizioni che mostra al lettore l’emancipazione femminile ai suoi esordi, quando il ruolo della donna veniva relegato ai soli lavori domestici.
Le minigonne, lo sbarco sulla luna, il movimento dei diritti civili verranno dopo.
Una straordinaria storia di sorellanza, coraggio e riscatto.
*Ringrazio la Casa Editrice per la collaborazione e la copia
October 5, 2022
I got this book free from Amazon First Reads. I have given the book 3 stars. I think it is better than that - really a 3.5 star book to me, but I could not possibly round it up to 4 stars, so 3 stars it is. I found this book irritating, exciting, eye rolling and, at times, too contrived. I am a great believer in not judging the past on today's standards, but I found some of the expectations utterly non relatable too. I tried very hard to remember what is was like in 1962, but as a young child much of it would have gone over my head. Once I got into the book I found it very difficult to relate to the main character - I found her extremely irritating and prompted much eye rolling from me, but when the book suddenly became more serious, things changed and I found I was enjoying the book and I could begin to see where the various players were coming from, even if I didn't agree with them. The book covers a very serious subject, which is still with us today, unfortunately.
November 27, 2022
I'm old enough that I remember what life was like for women in the early 60s. None of the moms in my neighborhood worked (except for my mom). Dinner was on the table at exactly 5 and then the man went to read the paper while the wife cleaned up. Thanks to major cultural changes during the 60s, everything changed and women were encouraged to get an education and to work outside the home. Well Behaved Wives is set in the middle 60s when things were changing. The older generation wanted to stick to the old ways while the younger women were anxious for an education and a career.
Ruth is a law school graduate from New York City and studying for the bar exam. She married well and she and her husband moved in with his parents in an affluent neighborhood in Philadelphia. Ruth's mother in law, Shirley, is old school and more interested in manners and etiquette than in women being educated and getting jobs. Even though Ruth's new husband has encouraged her in her future plans, he wants to keep her education history a secret from his mother. When Shirley suggests (or demands) that Ruth go to etiquette classes, Ruth only goes along with it to keep the peace in the family. Surprisingly she makes new friends in the group especially with Carrie. When secrets are revealed in the group, it begins to appear that life isn't all wonderful. The author treats the subject of domestic abuse very gently and there are no difficult scenes to get through. As the women in the group begin to change, they realize that there are more important things in life than good manners and what really counts are your friends.
I enjoyed this look back at the 60s and it reminded me how in some ways, women have come a long way but negative things like domestic abuse are still an ongoing issue. I thought the author did a great job of explaining life during this tumultuous decade when everything was changing and reminded us all of the importance of female friendships.
Ruth is a law school graduate from New York City and studying for the bar exam. She married well and she and her husband moved in with his parents in an affluent neighborhood in Philadelphia. Ruth's mother in law, Shirley, is old school and more interested in manners and etiquette than in women being educated and getting jobs. Even though Ruth's new husband has encouraged her in her future plans, he wants to keep her education history a secret from his mother. When Shirley suggests (or demands) that Ruth go to etiquette classes, Ruth only goes along with it to keep the peace in the family. Surprisingly she makes new friends in the group especially with Carrie. When secrets are revealed in the group, it begins to appear that life isn't all wonderful. The author treats the subject of domestic abuse very gently and there are no difficult scenes to get through. As the women in the group begin to change, they realize that there are more important things in life than good manners and what really counts are your friends.
I enjoyed this look back at the 60s and it reminded me how in some ways, women have come a long way but negative things like domestic abuse are still an ongoing issue. I thought the author did a great job of explaining life during this tumultuous decade when everything was changing and reminded us all of the importance of female friendships.
December 23, 2022
4 1/2 Stare
Great book with an amazing ending. However , the beginning is very weird so I could not give it the 5 stars.
Great book with an amazing ending. However , the beginning is very weird so I could not give it the 5 stars.
Read
July 28, 2023Trigger Warning: Domestic Violence and Mental Illness/ Mental Health crisis
I am in my mid sixties. When I was growing up in the sixties and seventies, I remember my Spanish American/German/Irish Catholic upbringing was not much different from the Jewish one in this book. As a spinster, I have gotten the looks of pity, as well as numerous lessons from one of my Tia's on how to cut up a chicken so I could catch a husband.The novenas that were said; the advice to settle/not be so picky; the loud whispers of younger women saying they were never going to turn into me. I am fortunate. I have been loved and accepted, and I have been able to support myself. I have had choices and opportunities that previous generations fought so hard to make possible. I have had a blessed life.
I did not expect domestic violence and mental illness to be a part of the storyline. Ms. Nathan nailed the fear, the blame game, the guilt, the sense of helplessness... As much as I loved the book, and as much as I loved the way Ms. Nathan handled the topics, if domestic violence and mental illness has a personal meaning to you, be ready to handle the emotions and memories or choose another of her excellent books.
Well Behaved Wives is set in Philadelphia in the days when married women generally did not work outside the home for pay, nor did they have credit cards in their own names. They were expected to obey their husbands, and to devote their time and attention to making him successful. A group of young Jewish ladies, 3 married and 1 engaged, take an etiquette class taught by an older Jewish matron with the focus on learning to be a proper wife, mother, and daughter-in-law.
It is certainly true that no one knows what goes on behind closed doors and drawn curtains. No one knows if smiles are genuine or if they are forced to hide fear and pain. Are photos telling the truth, or are they carefully crafted to tell a story? One young wife is secretly studying to take the bar exam--afraid to tell her mother-in-law that she graduated at the top of her class in law school. One young wife is hiding a potentially deadly secret behind long sleeves and scarves and make up heavily applied. The teacher herself makes a discovery about her own parents and childhood that is both painful and healing.
Ms. Nathan tells a well researched and crafted story about a group of women who are faced with a series of choices to make in a short period of time. When domestic violence raises it's ugly head: who is at fault; when is enough enough; will the law really protect... what is a friend supposed to do...
I am in my mid sixties. When I was growing up in the sixties and seventies, I remember my Spanish American/German/Irish Catholic upbringing was not much different from the Jewish one in this book. As a spinster, I have gotten the looks of pity, as well as numerous lessons from one of my Tia's on how to cut up a chicken so I could catch a husband.The novenas that were said; the advice to settle/not be so picky; the loud whispers of younger women saying they were never going to turn into me. I am fortunate. I have been loved and accepted, and I have been able to support myself. I have had choices and opportunities that previous generations fought so hard to make possible. I have had a blessed life.
I did not expect domestic violence and mental illness to be a part of the storyline. Ms. Nathan nailed the fear, the blame game, the guilt, the sense of helplessness... As much as I loved the book, and as much as I loved the way Ms. Nathan handled the topics, if domestic violence and mental illness has a personal meaning to you, be ready to handle the emotions and memories or choose another of her excellent books.
Well Behaved Wives is set in Philadelphia in the days when married women generally did not work outside the home for pay, nor did they have credit cards in their own names. They were expected to obey their husbands, and to devote their time and attention to making him successful. A group of young Jewish ladies, 3 married and 1 engaged, take an etiquette class taught by an older Jewish matron with the focus on learning to be a proper wife, mother, and daughter-in-law.
It is certainly true that no one knows what goes on behind closed doors and drawn curtains. No one knows if smiles are genuine or if they are forced to hide fear and pain. Are photos telling the truth, or are they carefully crafted to tell a story? One young wife is secretly studying to take the bar exam--afraid to tell her mother-in-law that she graduated at the top of her class in law school. One young wife is hiding a potentially deadly secret behind long sleeves and scarves and make up heavily applied. The teacher herself makes a discovery about her own parents and childhood that is both painful and healing.
Ms. Nathan tells a well researched and crafted story about a group of women who are faced with a series of choices to make in a short period of time. When domestic violence raises it's ugly head: who is at fault; when is enough enough; will the law really protect... what is a friend supposed to do...
November 1, 2022
I was only a child in the sixties so, for me, this novel is full of revelations and I was hooked!
Ruth had a warm upbringing and has worked hard to gain her law degree. Newly married, she is now living in Philadelphia with her new husband and his parents. Her mother-in-law has certain ways of doing things, and has enrolled Ruth in etiquette classes to get her up to scratch. As well as learning how to do things in the 'proper' manner, these classes give Ruth the opportunity to forge friendships, but when all is not well with another's marriage, she finds it impossible to let it be . . .
This is a novel full of surprises. Nothing is quite as it first seems, and there is always something going on making it a hard book to lay aside. Again, I learned a lot not just about the sixties but about the Jewish faith and it all added up to a fascinating read. Great characterisation, really well-written and definitely an author to look out for. 4.5* and my recommendation.
Ruth had a warm upbringing and has worked hard to gain her law degree. Newly married, she is now living in Philadelphia with her new husband and his parents. Her mother-in-law has certain ways of doing things, and has enrolled Ruth in etiquette classes to get her up to scratch. As well as learning how to do things in the 'proper' manner, these classes give Ruth the opportunity to forge friendships, but when all is not well with another's marriage, she finds it impossible to let it be . . .
This is a novel full of surprises. Nothing is quite as it first seems, and there is always something going on making it a hard book to lay aside. Again, I learned a lot not just about the sixties but about the Jewish faith and it all added up to a fascinating read. Great characterisation, really well-written and definitely an author to look out for. 4.5* and my recommendation.
October 7, 2022
A Mystery in the Making
I would not be able to give this book a high rating in my book nook of my head. I did find the historical depiction of how marriage was expected to be then interesting. I missed that by several years but while I totally agree with the assistance of women in crisis it took a decade of sloshing through words to get to it. If Ruth said she wanted to get ready for the bar exam once she said it 1000 times. Her MIL was a pain in the patoot and I don't believe in working that hard to please anyone. Shirley's remarkable personality change as well as Lillian's was a bit hard to swallow. I get it. Life was different then. Spousal abuse makes me sick. However,the medium used to get the point across fell short for me.
I would not be able to give this book a high rating in my book nook of my head. I did find the historical depiction of how marriage was expected to be then interesting. I missed that by several years but while I totally agree with the assistance of women in crisis it took a decade of sloshing through words to get to it. If Ruth said she wanted to get ready for the bar exam once she said it 1000 times. Her MIL was a pain in the patoot and I don't believe in working that hard to please anyone. Shirley's remarkable personality change as well as Lillian's was a bit hard to swallow. I get it. Life was different then. Spousal abuse makes me sick. However,the medium used to get the point across fell short for me.
December 31, 2022
Although this was an interesting and worthy topic to explore I found the writing tedious and repetitive. I could not feel great sympathy for any of the characters as I didn’t feel I got to know them. The ending was unsatisfactory. What happened to Carrie? What happened to Anna? Did Ruth and Asher move out of his family home? Forty two years completely skipped ! Whereas pages/words wasted in the first 70% of the book. I couldn’t believe this book received so many 5 stars
November 15, 2022
Well Behaved Wives follows the story of two women who strive to "have it all." Ruth is a young newlywed and recent graduate looking forward to becoming a lawyer and starting her family. Lydia is an established member of her community, doting wife and mother, and the epitome of proper. The two women's lives collide when Ruth is encouraged (forced?) to take etiquette lessons under Lydia's tutelage. What unfolds is a wonderful tale of friendship, womanhood, independence, strength, and rebellion.
It's amazing how much of the world in 1960 feels eerily similar to the world of 2022. So much of this story resonated with me as a (fairly) new mother trying to juggle home life, career, and self-care. I related to both Lydia and Ruth's stories as they navigated their life choices and tried to make decisions that were best for their families and for their personal happiness.
I loved that the novel was about so much more than women learning to be proper wives. The friendships were touching and the deeper messages were profound. Characters surprised me and it served as a good reminder to withhold judgment as everyone is fighting a battle to which we may not be privy.
This would be a good novel to read with friends or a book club. From the ethical dilemmas to women's roles to society in general, there is a lot to discuss.
Thank you to the author, Lake Union Publishing, and Kate Rock's Book Tours for the copy of this novel.
It's amazing how much of the world in 1960 feels eerily similar to the world of 2022. So much of this story resonated with me as a (fairly) new mother trying to juggle home life, career, and self-care. I related to both Lydia and Ruth's stories as they navigated their life choices and tried to make decisions that were best for their families and for their personal happiness.
I loved that the novel was about so much more than women learning to be proper wives. The friendships were touching and the deeper messages were profound. Characters surprised me and it served as a good reminder to withhold judgment as everyone is fighting a battle to which we may not be privy.
This would be a good novel to read with friends or a book club. From the ethical dilemmas to women's roles to society in general, there is a lot to discuss.
Thank you to the author, Lake Union Publishing, and Kate Rock's Book Tours for the copy of this novel.
March 11, 2024
I didn't know where this story was going and it was a bit boring in the beginning. But I'm so glad I continued on. Great story about women empowerment. Great story about friendship. Domestic violence so beware of triggers. All for women going for what they really want.
October 11, 2022
I guess my first thought after reading this book is thank God I was not a young women in the early 60s!
The pressure these young women faced was tremendous: to be perfect according to a very prescribed set of rules, to obey their husbands to the degree that it caused some of them bodily harm, to subsume their own ambitions because that was what was expected of them. My second thought, after just finishing The Marriage Portrait, was how the treatment of wives had not progressed as much as we’d like to think since the time of the Renaissance.
The structure of the book, to write from the POVs of both Ruth and Lillian, provided a good contrast: between a young woman trying to live within the constraints upon her while also trying to break free of them, and the somewhat older woman who has lived within the rules and is just now questioning them.
I found the historical aspects of Jewish families in the Philadelphia area in the 50s and 60s quite interesting. And I wanted to know more about Ruth and her husband in their life ahead.
This was an Amazon First Reads freebie.
The pressure these young women faced was tremendous: to be perfect according to a very prescribed set of rules, to obey their husbands to the degree that it caused some of them bodily harm, to subsume their own ambitions because that was what was expected of them. My second thought, after just finishing The Marriage Portrait, was how the treatment of wives had not progressed as much as we’d like to think since the time of the Renaissance.
The structure of the book, to write from the POVs of both Ruth and Lillian, provided a good contrast: between a young woman trying to live within the constraints upon her while also trying to break free of them, and the somewhat older woman who has lived within the rules and is just now questioning them.
I found the historical aspects of Jewish families in the Philadelphia area in the 50s and 60s quite interesting. And I wanted to know more about Ruth and her husband in their life ahead.
This was an Amazon First Reads freebie.
December 7, 2022
There were a lot of things to like about this book, but the execution was lacking for me. So much of the plot line relied on two characters thinking for page after page and making assumptions about others repetitively so that you would not forget how they felt/thought. An otherwise good framework and concept of a novel got bogged down by all this internal thought process that could’ve been turned external with more interaction and moving things forward in an interesting way.
Again, good premise and story, some tedious pages to get there. Overall I’d say that I’m neutral— there are other books I’d recommend to someone, but I wouldn’t slap it out of your hands if you were standing in line at the bookstore either.
Again, good premise and story, some tedious pages to get there. Overall I’d say that I’m neutral— there are other books I’d recommend to someone, but I wouldn’t slap it out of your hands if you were standing in line at the bookstore either.
October 15, 2022
Love a good feminism-inspired story. Very pro-women and pro-female friendships. I loved the ending too!
January 7, 2023
Amy Sue Nathan is a friend, a fellow writer, both of us having lived, raised our children in a suburb of Chicago. But life is change, Amy eventually moving east and publishing her first novel,
The Glass Wives. It’s a perfect title, referring to the two women who married Richard Glass—one the ex-wife, the other the current wife, their lives becoming complicated, emotional walls challenged and broken when Richard Glass suddenly dies. Now these two women and their families are thrown together, facing difficult decisions: how can they both heal, each having their own hurts, each needing to move toward love and loyalty. Nathan skillfully brings it all to the page.
Then my book club read Nathan’s next novel, LEFT TO CHANCE. We enjoyed meeting Nathan’s cast of characters who live in Chance, Ohio, the book relating the main character’s return, her slowly discovering that Chance truly was a major part of her past, and she thus allowing herself to reconnect might be the best way to determine her future, heal her hurts.
I could continue these short summaries, stressing I have read, enjoyed all of Amy’s books. But as a fellow writer, this review is to stress that Amy has perfected her craft…Well Behaved Wives being my new favorite.
Reading Nathan, we can see how she weaves her own history, her own hurts and challenges into her work. That’s the best way for a writer to bring flesh and blood characters to the page, to evoke emotion and allow us to live in the “place” of the story. Research helps. That might mean reading or an actual car trip. It might mean long phone conversations and research. Nathan did all of this to create Well Behaved Wives, to bring to the page distinct characters of a different moment in time, but a moment that has boiled up, arousing anger, need, and realization in women—we will not be abused by anyone, even a partner, a husband. And I’m not giving the plot away…Nathan provides Domestic Violence Resources at the end of the novel…the reader knows the topic and issue the novel will be dealing with. And there is the title.
Well Behaved Wives. It’s brilliant. Maybe we think of being well-behaved when we were children! “Behave yourself,” might even be a sentence that mothers no longer use. There are other ways to guide children into society. Sometimes they even become our teachers!
But Nathan is writing about a different time and she records it in spades: how the wives relate to one another, their insecurities and how they often seem to have lived their lives by only moving forward, not looking back to question: is this the right move? Am I on the right pathway?
Goodreads does warn the reader: Perfect wives, imperfect lives, and upending the rules of behavior in 1960s America.
It doesn’t matter, though it adds to the portrait that Nathan provides—that the perfect wives living in the posh suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania are Jewish. Nathan sets tables of ethic foods all through the novel, so even if you can’t picture the sweet, you are already craving it. But as modern readers, modern women, we aren’t craving the need for being well-behaved, for spending hours learning from one who knows the etiquette of setting a table, pleasing your spouse. I must comment these women spend a great deal of time worrying about dress, food, and decorating. Sure, many of us have, so thank God Nathan has created Ruth (the perfect name echoing Ruth Bader Ginsberg) who has attained a law degree, but is basically hiding that fact until she can meet other requirements and become a full-fledged lawyer. And until she stops at Carrie’s home to find she is bruised, and probably beaten, though immediately denying it, the oh I just tripped and fell routine. This is the heart, the true purpose of the novel. It takes us a while to get there, but then we know these women, wonder how they will react. And Nathan doesn’t disappoint.
Because COME ON! These are well behaved wives. When they go to bed at night they are planning dinner parties and outfits for luncheon. They don’t have nightmares of beatings and abuse… until reality provides day mares and these women must change. Nathan creates a parallel story line. One of the wives has a secret about her own mother. That helps tear down the walls of disbelief, the fragility of a time when preparing for Jewish feasts and pleasing husband provided the main content of these women’s lives. But there is always Ruth.
Nathan has done it again, with skill, knowledge and real characters that might make you want to scream. But hey! It’s history. And Nathan has dealt with history before…she knows how to pull you into the story, so that when you close the book, you make sure your husband has cleaned up the snack he made for himself!
The Glass Wives. It’s a perfect title, referring to the two women who married Richard Glass—one the ex-wife, the other the current wife, their lives becoming complicated, emotional walls challenged and broken when Richard Glass suddenly dies. Now these two women and their families are thrown together, facing difficult decisions: how can they both heal, each having their own hurts, each needing to move toward love and loyalty. Nathan skillfully brings it all to the page.
Then my book club read Nathan’s next novel, LEFT TO CHANCE. We enjoyed meeting Nathan’s cast of characters who live in Chance, Ohio, the book relating the main character’s return, her slowly discovering that Chance truly was a major part of her past, and she thus allowing herself to reconnect might be the best way to determine her future, heal her hurts.
I could continue these short summaries, stressing I have read, enjoyed all of Amy’s books. But as a fellow writer, this review is to stress that Amy has perfected her craft…Well Behaved Wives being my new favorite.
Reading Nathan, we can see how she weaves her own history, her own hurts and challenges into her work. That’s the best way for a writer to bring flesh and blood characters to the page, to evoke emotion and allow us to live in the “place” of the story. Research helps. That might mean reading or an actual car trip. It might mean long phone conversations and research. Nathan did all of this to create Well Behaved Wives, to bring to the page distinct characters of a different moment in time, but a moment that has boiled up, arousing anger, need, and realization in women—we will not be abused by anyone, even a partner, a husband. And I’m not giving the plot away…Nathan provides Domestic Violence Resources at the end of the novel…the reader knows the topic and issue the novel will be dealing with. And there is the title.
Well Behaved Wives. It’s brilliant. Maybe we think of being well-behaved when we were children! “Behave yourself,” might even be a sentence that mothers no longer use. There are other ways to guide children into society. Sometimes they even become our teachers!
But Nathan is writing about a different time and she records it in spades: how the wives relate to one another, their insecurities and how they often seem to have lived their lives by only moving forward, not looking back to question: is this the right move? Am I on the right pathway?
Goodreads does warn the reader: Perfect wives, imperfect lives, and upending the rules of behavior in 1960s America.
It doesn’t matter, though it adds to the portrait that Nathan provides—that the perfect wives living in the posh suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania are Jewish. Nathan sets tables of ethic foods all through the novel, so even if you can’t picture the sweet, you are already craving it. But as modern readers, modern women, we aren’t craving the need for being well-behaved, for spending hours learning from one who knows the etiquette of setting a table, pleasing your spouse. I must comment these women spend a great deal of time worrying about dress, food, and decorating. Sure, many of us have, so thank God Nathan has created Ruth (the perfect name echoing Ruth Bader Ginsberg) who has attained a law degree, but is basically hiding that fact until she can meet other requirements and become a full-fledged lawyer. And until she stops at Carrie’s home to find she is bruised, and probably beaten, though immediately denying it, the oh I just tripped and fell routine. This is the heart, the true purpose of the novel. It takes us a while to get there, but then we know these women, wonder how they will react. And Nathan doesn’t disappoint.
Because COME ON! These are well behaved wives. When they go to bed at night they are planning dinner parties and outfits for luncheon. They don’t have nightmares of beatings and abuse… until reality provides day mares and these women must change. Nathan creates a parallel story line. One of the wives has a secret about her own mother. That helps tear down the walls of disbelief, the fragility of a time when preparing for Jewish feasts and pleasing husband provided the main content of these women’s lives. But there is always Ruth.
Nathan has done it again, with skill, knowledge and real characters that might make you want to scream. But hey! It’s history. And Nathan has dealt with history before…she knows how to pull you into the story, so that when you close the book, you make sure your husband has cleaned up the snack he made for himself!
November 13, 2022
This story is set in mid-upper class suburb of Wynnefield, Philadelphia, early 1960s. This is where Ruth has moved to with her newlywed husband Asher after she graduated law school in New York and eloped with Asher. They are living with Asher’s parents Shirley and Leon, with the secret that Ruth is a liberal woman who is studying for the bar exam, and decide not to tell Asher’s parents because his pushy mother Shirley expects Ruth to be an obedient, good Jewish wife and be subservient to her husband.
Shirley decides to send Ruth to her friend Lillian’s private housewife etiquette school at her home where a small group of girls learn how to become the perfect wives, shop, cook, clean, have babies, praise their husbands, and of course, after a day’s work, make sure they get changed into fancy dresses and put on make-up to greet their husbands when they return from a hard day’s work at the office, complete with a cocktail in hand upon their return – almost Madmen-esque. Except Ruth is a sharp and educated young woman and has seen and dealt with things growing up and living in New York that this group of girls she meets are oblivious to – until they become woke.
Ruth came from a family where women were treated equally and she lost her mother at four years old. She is forward thinking for the times. She didn’t want to upset the apple cart by sharing her becoming a lawyer intentions with anyone, until she befriends a few girls in the etiquette class and reveals her education to one of them. These girls also went to college, but not so much for the education, but to snag a husband. Ruth also volunteered to help abused women while back in New York, and somehow observes that there is indeed abuse going on in high society where she now lives, which isn’t exposed, nor believed around the good family value circles she’s now living among. The other girls in her group are Carrie, still childless with a secret, Irene who was made to give up her nursing career once married, and now has four young kids, and Harriet, newly engaged to be married, and both envious and curious about Ruth’s ambition.
Through the story we learn that Lillian’s seemingly perfect life isn’t as fulfilling as she wishes it could be Lillian could have had a career too, she comes to realize, once she learns how independent Ruth is. We can sympathize with Lillian, despite how she comes off at first as ‘Miss Manners’, as we get to know more about her sad childhood that comes to light in conversations, discovering she was raised by her grandparents because her mother was put in an institution when Lillian was only eleven and her father was dead. Until one day, Lillian discovers an old photo of herself with her parents, which compels her to go visit her institutionalized mother – with said, dementia, to see if the picture stirs anything of recognition – then a whole new kettle of fish is discovered – and a terrible secret exposed about what caused her mother to be institutionalized.
Ruth’s husband is crazy about her but keeps putting off the time to share Ruth’s ambitions with his parents. Ruth befriends one of the girls in particular and shares her secret that she has graduated law school and studying for the bar. She suspects this friend is being physically abused by her husband, but the girl denies it and makes excuses for her husband and tries to shut Ruth out of her life, afraid to cause trouble. But Ruth instinctively wants to help her, because it’s part of who she is and what she does – defend powerless women. Later in the book the women are forced to confront the realism of domestic abuse and many secrets of the past are revealed about Lillian and Shirley’s past, and secret lives.
This story takes on many issues about women back in the early 60s. Society dictates what’s expected of them, but some have a voice and go against the norm. Spousal abuse in an upper class surburbia just couldn’t be possible. Respectable men with important jobs would never abuse their wives, would they? And awakenings stir on the topic of mental health, which back in those days didn’t take much to have a woman committed for hysteria or any other dispicable label they could place on one to have them certifiably locked up because their men declared them so.
This book was a time capsule about the place of women back in the early 60s, a nod to how far we’ve come since then, but then again, how much further we have yet to go. I enjoyed this book so much – the characters, the issues, and the development of these ‘Diamond’ girls who learned to take their power. The writing was beautiful, and I should look forward to reading more from this author. At the end of the book, the author offers many resources for abused women to seek help. I’ll definitely be reading more from this author.
Shirley decides to send Ruth to her friend Lillian’s private housewife etiquette school at her home where a small group of girls learn how to become the perfect wives, shop, cook, clean, have babies, praise their husbands, and of course, after a day’s work, make sure they get changed into fancy dresses and put on make-up to greet their husbands when they return from a hard day’s work at the office, complete with a cocktail in hand upon their return – almost Madmen-esque. Except Ruth is a sharp and educated young woman and has seen and dealt with things growing up and living in New York that this group of girls she meets are oblivious to – until they become woke.
Ruth came from a family where women were treated equally and she lost her mother at four years old. She is forward thinking for the times. She didn’t want to upset the apple cart by sharing her becoming a lawyer intentions with anyone, until she befriends a few girls in the etiquette class and reveals her education to one of them. These girls also went to college, but not so much for the education, but to snag a husband. Ruth also volunteered to help abused women while back in New York, and somehow observes that there is indeed abuse going on in high society where she now lives, which isn’t exposed, nor believed around the good family value circles she’s now living among. The other girls in her group are Carrie, still childless with a secret, Irene who was made to give up her nursing career once married, and now has four young kids, and Harriet, newly engaged to be married, and both envious and curious about Ruth’s ambition.
Through the story we learn that Lillian’s seemingly perfect life isn’t as fulfilling as she wishes it could be Lillian could have had a career too, she comes to realize, once she learns how independent Ruth is. We can sympathize with Lillian, despite how she comes off at first as ‘Miss Manners’, as we get to know more about her sad childhood that comes to light in conversations, discovering she was raised by her grandparents because her mother was put in an institution when Lillian was only eleven and her father was dead. Until one day, Lillian discovers an old photo of herself with her parents, which compels her to go visit her institutionalized mother – with said, dementia, to see if the picture stirs anything of recognition – then a whole new kettle of fish is discovered – and a terrible secret exposed about what caused her mother to be institutionalized.
Ruth’s husband is crazy about her but keeps putting off the time to share Ruth’s ambitions with his parents. Ruth befriends one of the girls in particular and shares her secret that she has graduated law school and studying for the bar. She suspects this friend is being physically abused by her husband, but the girl denies it and makes excuses for her husband and tries to shut Ruth out of her life, afraid to cause trouble. But Ruth instinctively wants to help her, because it’s part of who she is and what she does – defend powerless women. Later in the book the women are forced to confront the realism of domestic abuse and many secrets of the past are revealed about Lillian and Shirley’s past, and secret lives.
This story takes on many issues about women back in the early 60s. Society dictates what’s expected of them, but some have a voice and go against the norm. Spousal abuse in an upper class surburbia just couldn’t be possible. Respectable men with important jobs would never abuse their wives, would they? And awakenings stir on the topic of mental health, which back in those days didn’t take much to have a woman committed for hysteria or any other dispicable label they could place on one to have them certifiably locked up because their men declared them so.
This book was a time capsule about the place of women back in the early 60s, a nod to how far we’ve come since then, but then again, how much further we have yet to go. I enjoyed this book so much – the characters, the issues, and the development of these ‘Diamond’ girls who learned to take their power. The writing was beautiful, and I should look forward to reading more from this author. At the end of the book, the author offers many resources for abused women to seek help. I’ll definitely be reading more from this author.
October 22, 2022
We were offered 2 Kindle First offers this month and this was one of my choices. LOVE the cover and hope the publisher won't keep messing about and amending it for no reason whatsoever, as they're wont to do !! Drives me to utter distraction....
Some terrific characters in this story. Loved Ruth and Shirley, Lillian not so much....I made a note that she began to get on my bloody nerves. Ruth's father sounds a gem and my most favourite was Lillian's lovely, lovely Peter.....I want a Peter, too !!
I did comment about a third of the way in that it was a bit fractured and was jumping around here and there but then it must've settled into a rhythm because I didn't mention it again.
Though there are serious issues tackled here it does have some very giggly moments. And I had me a couple of tearful moments towards the end. So something for all tastes !
It wasn't error-free. On one page Shirley thanks Ruth upon her return with some shopping but then on the ensuing page it said no thanks were forthcoming.....there were some missed apostrophes here and there, too, (mainly with plurals she gets it wrong) and nose to clothes warrants a couple of hyphens and forward thinker also needed one. Then we had a 'mind the gap' moment with roller coaster, though she's not the only one to do that. She also wrote great-granddaughter at one point when I'm sure granddaughter was meant...these mistakes cost it a star for me as Lake Union are an established publishing house so should've done a more capable job.
Over all I enjoyed this and I have put the Bathing Beauty book into my wishlist too.
Some terrific characters in this story. Loved Ruth and Shirley, Lillian not so much....I made a note that she began to get on my bloody nerves. Ruth's father sounds a gem and my most favourite was Lillian's lovely, lovely Peter.....I want a Peter, too !!
I did comment about a third of the way in that it was a bit fractured and was jumping around here and there but then it must've settled into a rhythm because I didn't mention it again.
Though there are serious issues tackled here it does have some very giggly moments. And I had me a couple of tearful moments towards the end. So something for all tastes !
It wasn't error-free. On one page Shirley thanks Ruth upon her return with some shopping but then on the ensuing page it said no thanks were forthcoming.....there were some missed apostrophes here and there, too, (mainly with plurals she gets it wrong) and nose to clothes warrants a couple of hyphens and forward thinker also needed one. Then we had a 'mind the gap' moment with roller coaster, though she's not the only one to do that. She also wrote great-granddaughter at one point when I'm sure granddaughter was meant...these mistakes cost it a star for me as Lake Union are an established publishing house so should've done a more capable job.
Over all I enjoyed this and I have put the Bathing Beauty book into my wishlist too.
November 26, 2022
I am not one to write reviews.
With that said, I would recommend this book for all to read. It is a book that will bring a good discussion. Having raised two daughters this is that book that talks about how you want to raise your own daughters.
It does take place in the late 50’s when women did not have much of a voice and those mothers paved the way for their daughters.
With that said, I would recommend this book for all to read. It is a book that will bring a good discussion. Having raised two daughters this is that book that talks about how you want to raise your own daughters.
It does take place in the late 50’s when women did not have much of a voice and those mothers paved the way for their daughters.
December 26, 2022
Fun book to read about what life as a housewife in the 60’s would be like! It took a turn that I wasn’t expecting (I obviously didn’t read the bio very well), but made it hard to put down once you connected the dots of what happens behind closed doors of these women’s lives. Once I was about 60% of the way through, I couldn’t put it down until I finished!
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