A Woman of Independent Means

by Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey

A bestselling sensation when it was first published by Viking in 1978, A Woman of Independent Means has delighted millions of readers and was the inspiration for the television miniseries starring Sally Field. At the turn of the century, a time when women had few choices, Bess Steed Garner inherits a legacy — not only of wealth but of determination and desire, making her truly a woman of independent means. From the early 1900s through the 1960s, we accompany Bess as she endures life's trials and triumphs with unfailing courage and indomitable the sacrifices love sometimes requires of the heart, the flaws and rewards of marriage, the often-tested bond between mother and child, and the will to defy a society that demands conformity. Now, with this beautiful trade paperback edition, Penguin will introduce a new generation of readers to this richly woven story. . .and to Bess Steed Garner, a woman for all ages.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Book Club, Classics, Historical, Novels, Feminism

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1978

Reviews

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not about the book itself.

Found my copy of this book as I was gathering books to take to the Half-Price Book seller/buyer. (My husband does this for me so I won't come home with more than I took there. So I've never been in the store. Not that I need to with a Kindle Fire and a hot Amazon account.) I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw an inscription from my mother who has been gone from this life so many years ago. She always gave me a book for my birthday, a hard back book with an inscription inside. Those I have held onto forever. Some, my dad even wrote a note inside. She quit giving me books as I grew up and moved on with my life. Until I found this book. It was quite the exception. These pages are brown now since it was a 1st printing of the paperbacks. First Avon Printing, July, 1979. "Laurie Darling - Hope you enjoy this book as much as I did - Love, Mom" . My heart is full and hurting a little. I will reread this book and remember..... her and the book - again.

[Linda Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not many books do I read more than once. This was one. I read it about 35 years ago when I was busy raising 5 kids, and a husband, and it had a big impact on my life. I have just requested it from the library so that I can read it again! I can’t think of higher praise I could give for any book. It was recommended to me by my mother who, I believe, identified with Bess. I certainly saw the comparisons when I read it, as did my sisters.

One reviewer described the story as "A portrait of a woman with all her frailties, strengths, failures and victories combining to prove that living a life is an accomplishment.” Told through personal letters covering a period of about 60 years, it introduced several significant characters without having to keep track of too many. The author was skillful with the flow and cohesiveness of the story despite the lack of return letters, and I enjoyed this epistolary style. One of its strengths was giving the reader the opportunity to read between the lines and see the letter writer’s flaws revealed, flaws of which the character herself was unaware. It made her presence real and authentic. Another thing I found interesting was how she described events in her life differently, depending to whom she was writing. She acknowledges this very human trait in herself when she writes the following:

"by compressing and editing the events of my life, I infuse them with a dramatic intensity totally lacking at the time, but oddly enough I find that years later what I remember is not the event as I lived it but as I described it in a letter.”

Bess, the protagonist, was a fully fleshed out, sympathetic character. I cried when she cried and rejoiced when she rejoiced. I understood her struggles between social conventions and personal choices. She was not a perfect person and some of those choices were unwise. They conveyed a feeling to her children that foreign travel and social status were more valued than they. She was more excited about an article mentioning her in the New York Times than she was about the arrival of another great-grandchild. In her latter years she did not seem to recognize this choice as the cause of a distance between herself and her children.

My feelings for Bess veered between deep admiration and frustration: admiration for her optimism and determination in the face of all the misfortunes in her life, and frustration for her prideful opinions and treatment of others. She maintained a fine thread of control in the lives of her children, and then was truly surprised and hurt by the distance between her and them as adults.

The book inspired me to consider the influence and extent (and limits) of my own words and actions upon the lives of my children and gave me a determination to establish a close relationship with them, especially with my daughters. There were a few of scenes that were so moving I'll never forget them. One of these was a point where she expressed her opinion that a woman needs to have some money of her own. Due to circumstances and persons in my own life at the time, this was something that had a strong impact. Another was a point when Bess realized that if she wanted something done right, she would have to do it herself, a realization I came to myself at the time I read it.

The book clearly gives a social picture of each generation covered. The huge historic and cultural changes of the era come alive through Bess's gaze, and it's fascinating to see her struggling. Her determination and success in handling those things were admirable and inspiring.

This is a short read with a good deal of depth. There is some humor and the story is wonderful.
It will touch your heart, inspire you and make you think. In the words of another reviewer, “Read it slowly, savor it, enjoy it, and then... remember it forever.”

[Wendy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is the life story of a woman born in the 1890’s through 1960’s told via her letters to friends and family. I did not know this was the book’s formats and it took me awhile to get used to. The book kept my interest and I read it in 3 days, but there were so many things I didn’t like about it. They all had to do with the heroine. I could not relate to her on so many fronts.

If you don't want to read all my ramblings: in a nutshell, she was too materialistic, too concerned about status and wealth, and both her relationships with her husbands were unhealthy, both in totally different ways.

Here’s a parital list of her traits and actions that bugged me:

She was so concerned about her status in the community. She constantly rehearsed to newspapers editor’s her social prominence (p.271) She wanted to be friends with her neighbor because he was the newspaper editor and was so proud of her second husband's social progression.

So negative about her second husband. p.262 “ you do not know how fortunate you were to lose your husband while you still loved him.” OUCH!

So concerned that Cousin Josie’s will be to her and her father’s benefit.

So much emphasis on her wealth and in her later years on her material things; how to divide them among her heirs etc. She was so diligent to keep her money separate from her second husbands. She even disparaged Sam's connection to her house even though he didn't pay for it, as if ownership was the only mechanism to emotional connection (p. 253 "You would think he owned this house instead of just paying board all these years.")

That “affair” with Richard Prince. Next door hotel rooms, her defensiveness about it… so many problems on that front!

Why on earth did she marry Sam if she was so opposed to marriage?
“I escaped the manacles of motherhood when I remarried.” Another OUCH!

Disconnect in story: If Sam divorced his first wife because she wouldn't give him children, why did he not want children when Bess and Sam married? Were her kids enough for him? That's never resolved in the story.

Her first husbands' withdrawal from her was so obvious to me, but never caught her attention. She dismissed it as his dedication to work. I kept waiting for her to discover him having an affair. I don’t feel his emotional (& physical) distance from her was ever resolved in the book. That was a big failing for me in the story. How could Bess not see that and yet see her second husband’s faults so easily?

To think that the charity you want to be remembered for most, to mention on your obituary was the Shakespeare Club?

However, she was rich and could afford to travel, I do love to travel, but unfortunately I do not have the limitless funds to do it justice.

I wish the French letters would have been translated. No idea what was said in those couple letters.

Cute quotes:
p. 254 “I find the television seldom engages the mind as fully as it does the eye.” Ha!
p. 250 “be my guests for dinner at the airport restaurant. The food is always excellent.” Oh, how things have changed since 1955!

Hmmm.. maybe after all this ranting, I should have rated it one star. But, the writing was fine, it captured my attention, the book was clean, no swear words that I remember (that was one of its only saving graces). I just despised the heroine.

[David Carrasco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recuerdo aquella vez que encontré una carta de mi abuela entre libros viejos, al vaciar su piso después de fallecer. La leí con cuidado, como si cada línea contuviera un secreto que solo yo podía descifrar. Esa sensación, como de asomarse a otra vida a través de un papel, se repite al abrir las páginas de Una mujer de recursos, de Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey.

Un sobre amarillo, tinta ligeramente corrida, olor a papel antiguo: así comienzan las décadas de vida de Bess Steed Garner narradas a través de cartas que cruzan la historia de Estados Unidos —a través de dos guerras mundiales, una depresión económica, los felices años veinte y los convulsos años treinta en Europa, con el ascenso de los fascismos de Hitler y Mussolini— y nos muestran a una mujer que aprendió a valerse por sí misma y siempre lo hizo a su manera.

Y es justo esa sensación de intimidad epistolar la que nos hace preguntarnos: ¿Hasta qué punto una vida puede sostenerse a base de cartas? Tal vez todas nuestras vidas sean, en el fondo, un hilo de palabras enviadas y silencios guardados, ecos que dejan huella aunque nunca lleguen a destino. Porque, al fin y al cabo, ¿qué otra cosa somos sino un puñado de correspondencias con el mundo, algunas enviadas y otras jamás escritas?

En esas correspondencias es, justamente, donde Hailey empieza a trazar la vida de Bess Steed Garner. La autora construye la vida de su protagonista a través de cartas, telegramas y notas que se extienden desde finales del siglo XIX hasta los años sesenta del siglo XX. Una mujer que nace en una América que aún miraba con desconfianza a las mujeres con voz propia, y que muere cuando el país ya había dado varias vueltas sobre sí mismo. Lo que el lector recibe es un mosaico de vida en forma epistolar: fragmentos que, al unirse, revelan una existencia entera. No hay narrador omnisciente, ni confesión directa, ni intento de justificar nada: solo las huellas de una voz que, con la precisión y el pudor de su época, se abre camino entre las convenciones.

Bess tiene dinero, educación y una voluntad férrea. Pero la novela no va de fortuna. Va de cómo una mujer usa —y es usada por— sus recursos: materiales, emocionales, sociales. El dinero aquí no compra libertad; la alquila por temporadas. Lo que Hailey muestra, con sorprendente sutileza, es el delicado equilibrio entre el poder y la soledad, entre la independencia y la pérdida. Y es curioso cómo, a través de la frialdad aparente del formato epistolar, consigue una intimidad casi brutal: la vida de Bess no se cuenta, se nos filtra entre líneas.

Esa estructura epistolar no es un simple capricho formal: es el mecanismo que sostiene el alma del libro. Cada carta funciona como una instantánea de carácter, una prueba de que el yo también se construye en los márgenes de lo que se comunica. El resultado es un retrato tan íntimo como fragmentario, en el que las ausencias pesan tanto como las palabras. Hay una elegancia en la forma en que Hailey evita el sentimentalismo fácil: la emoción llega sin subrayado, con la naturalidad con la que uno recuerda a quienes ya no están.

Pero lo más fascinante de la estructura epistolar es que solo leemos las cartas de Bess; no tenemos acceso a las respuestas. Y aun así, Hailey consigue que sepamos cómo Bess se ve a sí misma y cómo la perciben los demás. Esa ausencia de réplica convierte cada carta en un espejo múltiple: vemos su vanidad, su astucia, su ternura y su vulnerabilidad, y al mismo tiempo percibimos, a través de deducciones y omisiones, la reacción de quienes la rodean. Es un juego sutil de percepciones que obliga al lector a leer entre líneas y a reconstruir relaciones enteras sin necesidad de que nadie más hable. La autora logra así un retrato psicológico y social completo a pesar de dar voz solo a una parte: solo a base de silencios inteligentemente calculados.

Hailey escribe con una prosa limpia y eficaz, sin grandes alardes —no sería lógico con la estructura epistolar que eligió— pero con un oído impecable para el ritmo. Es la clase de escritura que parece sencilla hasta que uno intenta imitarla. A veces recuerda a las narradoras de Cartas de una pionera o a la precisión doméstica de La señora Dalloway, aunque sin su carga experimental: aquí la modernidad viene disfrazada de sencillez. La autora prefiere el trazo discreto, el subtexto, la pausa antes de la emoción. Y eso funciona, porque el lector termina sintiendo que ha acompañado a Bess no como testigo, sino como cómplice.

Y esta cercanía, que nace de la escritura contenida, nos prepara para encontrarnos con Bess en toda su complejidad: un personaje de esos que incomodan porque no encajan en ninguna etiqueta fácil. Tiene una seguridad que roza la soberbia y una capacidad de resistencia casi agotadora, además de un talento sutil para la manipulación que despliega con tal elegancia que su maquiavelismo pasa —casi— desapercibido; aunque tampoco parece que le importe lo contrario. Vive varias vidas dentro de la misma, y en todas ellas deja una marca, aunque no siempre una feliz. A veces resulta entrañable; otras, insufrible. Pero siempre humana. No hay complacencia en su retrato, y eso es quizás lo más atractivo de la novela: no busca gustar, sino mostrar. Como lector, acabas con la sensación de haber conocido a alguien de verdad, con sus grandezas y sus mezquindades.

En el fondo, Una mujer de recursos es un largo ensayo sobre el precio de la independencia. No solo el de las mujeres, sino el de cualquiera que pretenda vivir bajo sus propias reglas. Bess aprende —y el lector con ella— que toda autonomía tiene un coste, que toda libertad se paga con una forma de soledad. Su “independencia” es menos un estandarte feminista que una forma de supervivencia emocional. Y en ese sentido, la novela resulta moderna incluso leída medio siglo después de su publicación.

Hay momentos en los que el relato puede parecer cómodo, demasiado pulido, como si Hailey temiera asomarse al abismo del desgarro real. Pero esa contención también es parte del encanto: el libro no busca el impacto fácil ni el dramatismo impostado. Su fuerza está en la acumulación de los años, en la manera en que las cartas se van oxidando junto con los afectos, en ese paso del tiempo que borra nombres y certezas. Es, en definitiva, la biografía epistolar de una mujer que envejece con dignidad en un mundo que preferiría verla callada.

La novela se presta a comparaciones: tiene el aliento de Olive Kitteridge en su retrato de la vida cotidiana como materia épica, la elegancia de Una habitación con vistas en su crítica a las convenciones sociales, y la melancolía doméstica de Stoner , aunque desde otra orilla. Todas ellas comparten algo con Bess: la conciencia de que vivir, al final, es una forma de resistencia.

Y es precisamente esta resistencia la que hace que, leída hoy, cincuenta años después de su publicación, Una mujer de recursos tenga algo de arqueología emocional. Porque nos enfrenta a un tipo de correspondencia que ya no existe, a una forma de introspección que dependía del silencio entre una carta y otra. Y también nos recuerda algo esencial: que la independencia, tan celebrada, no siempre es sinónimo de felicidad, sino de responsabilidad, de cargar con el peso de las propias decisiones.

Cuando Hailey escribió esta novela, se inspiró en su abuela. Y se nota. Hay una verdad íntima, casi doméstica, que atraviesa las páginas. No hay grandes discursos ni moralejas: solo una mujer intentando ser fiel a sí misma mientras el mundo cambia a su alrededor. Y es justamente esa falta de impostura lo que la hace tan humana.

La última carta de Bess —sin revelar nada— te deja con el corazón en un puño y con una sensación ambigua: ni triunfo ni derrota, solo la serenidad de quien ha vivido como quería, a su manera. Quizá ahí esté la verdadera independencia. Y quizás por eso el libro sigue teniendo vida: porque todos seguimos intentando hacer lo mismo, con más o menos éxito, en nuestras propias cartas invisibles al tiempo.

Por eso las cuatro estrellas. No le niego la quinta por falta de calidad, sino porque en su búsqueda de equilibrio se le escapa a veces un poco de riesgo. Pero es un libro honesto, lúcido y conmovedor en su sobriedad. Ideal para lectores que disfrutan de esas historias que te acompañan durante días, y que te hacen pensar que vivir —como escribir— siempre es cuestión de recursos.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a book of letters from a woman of high society, beginning with her childhood letters to her sweetheart. She later marries him and they enjoy a life of luxury until his death. The book is touching, but I find the main character to be a bit bossy. Her insistence to have things her way all the time becomes a bit annoying, and she is outspoken to a fault. Her children, especially her daughter, become estranged from her near the end of her lift, as a result of her intrusive personality. The book is, as previously stated, touching, even if I don't always agree with the points-of-view of the persona.

[Linda Paupst · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book thirty years ago and it was a light bulb moment for me - the first time I had read a 'how-to' on becoming independent in a relationship. Not meant to be a how-to book, this is a beautiful story of a woman, her loves and life, told in diary format. It is a page turner, but the take-away for me was how Bess illustrates the importance of every woman having her own financial security, her own thoughts and dreams. I thought it was so important that I bought copies for my own three daughters (who are inherently more independent that women were in past eras. But we all need this reminder).A Woman Of Independent Means

[Tamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I tried a book without a single recommendation - very scary for me! I picked it up at the dollar store or a clearance rack and I fell in love with it. The entire book was written in letters over the span of an American women's life (late 1800's - 1969ish). She was a great character of strength and determination albeit selfish at times. Life deals her tragedy yet she often rises and grows from her losses. The word independent describes her perfectly (a bit like Scarlett O'Hara ) I am not sure if anyone else out there will love this book as I did but I would recommend it.i would give 4 1/2 stars

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book to be such a page-turner! Bess was a captivating character and even if she was often abrasive and, at times, unlikable, her strength and resilience over a life filled with, joy, anguish, sorrow, and hope was inspiring.

Written entirely as letters from Bess to her family and friends, I was amazed at how Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey allowed us to visualize Bess and full and complete person, flaws and all. This is one of those books that I won’t soon forget. While I wouldn’t want to be, or even know, Bess, she is a spirit I will always keep with me.

Brilliant.

[Takoneando entre libros · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hacía tiempo que no leía un libro que me hiciera obligarme a leerlo poco a poco. Un libro de los que gustan y se degustan, de los de saborear cada palabra, cada frase, cada pensamiento. Un libro entre cuyas páginas descubrimos a un personaje con tanta fuerza que, al menos para mí, será imposible olvidar.
Mediante una narrativa epistolar, Bess nos va mostrando su vida, sus alegrías, sus pesares y su fascinante personalidad. Y a la vez, mediante sus cartas vamos descubriendo que el libro es un retrato en miniatura de los grandes cambios que se produjeron en el siglo XX en la vida estadounidense: la guerra, el primer voto femenino, la ley seca... Pero además, también nos muestra retazo de la historia mundial: Hitler, Musolini, hasta las inundaciones de Monterrey de 1938. Casi podría decirse que es un libro de viajes.
El personaje narrador (Bess) es absolutamente fascinante. Una mujer manipuladora, irónica, emprendedora, independiente y vuelvo a repetir... Manipuladora, pero de las que lo hace con mucho arte y no te puede caer mal.
Si bien en el libro se hace hincapié en su independencia y arrojo, ella como bien deja caer al principio con mucha ironía, ya dice que con dinero es más fácil tener autoestima y valentía. Pero que sea rica no la hace menos válida, otras en su lugar habrían vivido una existencia anodina sin preocuparse de mirar más allá de su estola de piel.
¿Recomendaría este libro? Sí, sin duda alguna. Con Bess he reído, he llorado (muchísimo) he dicho "amén, hermana" a muchas de sus reflexiones y sobre todo, la he disfrutado. Si no me equivoco, será una de mis lecturas favoritas a lo largo de los años.
Os dejo un pequeño retazo:

"Según mi punto de vista, la educación es el reconocimiento continuo de lo poco que sabemos y, cuanto más mundo veo, mejor me doy cuenta de lo mucho que me queda por aprender.

"¿Cuándo deja una de ser el rehén de su familia?"

"Cada vez me doy más cuenta de que tenemos que esforzarnos en ser amigos de las personas de nuestra familia en la misma manera en que lo intentamos con los extraños, haciéndoles preguntas y saboreando sus respuestas

[Marci · Rating 4 out of 5]

My dear friend told me to run, not walk, to the bookstore and purchase a copy of this book. And my, am I glad I did. This epistolary novel is written through a series of letters throughout the life of Bess Steed Armstrong, a forthright woman of the early 1900s who believes in living life on her own terms. Because of inherited money, she is indeed a woman of independent means, which helps her fulfill her chosen life's paths. Through her letters we come to intimately know this woman of indomitable spirit and follow her as she experiences the sacrifices of love, the complexities of motherhood, the problems and joys of marriage, and the pain of great loss. At times I wasn't sure I even liked Bess. She is pushy and forthright to a fault...dare I say bossy? Or was she the pillar post of her family and friends, the strong one doing what no one else wanted to do? Love her or despise her, getting to know Bess is a wonderful read.

[SilveryTongue · Rating 4 out of 5]

4, estrellas


Esta novela epistolar fue de menos a más. Aunque tiene sus altos y bajos, terminó cautivándome completamente. Una historia que abarca desde la juventud de la protagonista, una joven adinerada y con un futuro prometedor que se ve entorpecido por la desgracia, hasta sus últimos días convertida en bizabuela. Había leído que se parecía a 84, Charing Cross Road de Helene Hanff, pero a mi no me lo pareció en absoluto.

Lo recomiendo.

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second reading — It’s rare that a second reading lives up to the first experience. But this book does. Bess Alcott Steed is such a well drawn character—intelligent, domineering, overbearing, determined, bossy, snobby and insensitive yet a person I wanted to spend time with. To say a book written entirely as letters from the same person could be a page-turner seems ridiculous but her thoughts and opinions and outpouring of emotions kept me reading. She’s in the same mold as Elizabeth I or Cleopatra, ambitious, calculating and manipulative, but one the reader still cares about and eagerly awaits the next letter.

It starts just before the turn of the century (1900) and we follow Bess as she lives through two wars, the loss of two husbands, and her oldest child. At times she was so brutally honest, it made me cringe. By the end (1968) the reader is sorry she’s gone, like an old friend has died. That’s why it’s still a 5 star rating.

First impressions - A friend lent me this book when I was about to take a road trip. I sat in the back seat and read it straight through in one reading. The style of writing through letters is unusual and I marveled at how easily the story unfolded. The main character is a woman with an independent mind and she is not always likable but certainly a woman I respected and admired. There are a couple of scenes that are so moving I'll never forget them. There's a point when Bess realizes that if she wants something done right, she's going to have to do it herself.

It's a marvelous portrait of a smart, intelligent woman which can be unsettling in any period.

[Graceann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This excellent novel, made up of a lifetime's correspondence from a woman to her family and friends running from the turn of the last Century to 1968, is a page-turner in all the best senses of that phrase. I cried at least twice while I was reading this story (an unusual occurrence for me) and couldn't read it quickly enough in order to find out what would happen next.

The author is very sneaky in that she gives Bess noble motives but a less-than-ideal way of going about them. She runs a fine thread of control through the lives of her loved ones, and then is truly surprised and hurt when they rebel. I was always interested in Bess, sometimes exasperated by her, but never bored with her. I loved every moment I was allowed to spend in her presence and hated getting to the last page of the book, because it meant that I'd have to say goodbye to Bess and her loved ones.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was different, but overall, I liked it.

In the beginning, I was a little put off by the frivolity of this woman. It had me wondering why this book has received so many 4 and 5 star rating. As I read further, there were threads of truth that remain poignant even in this century, that were woven throughout.

It is a short book, so this isn't an in depth look at the MC. But there were plenty of glimpses, both subtle and powerful, into the woman she was becoming.

[Shelley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Written by Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey in epistolary form, A Woman of Independent Means, portrays the life of a middle to upper-middle-class white woman, Elizabeth Alcott, coming of age at the turn of the 20th century. Through letters written by Elizabeth we are shown portions of her life, though because these are letters, we are never able to get as truly close to Elizabeth as we would like. She is honest and forthcoming in many of the letters she writes, including those to her father, her cousin and her best friend, and even apologizes for how much emotion she is showing in some of her letters. However, she comes across as meddlesome and presumptuous most of the time. Letters can be great vehicles for openness because the person writing them does not see the immediate reaction of the person reading them. At the same time, letters can also be a facade because people tend to paint a rosier picture of their life to others who aren't immediately involved in it. Elizabeth retains an unparalleled stoicism throughout her life that is sometimes difficult to believe.

What Hailey attempts to do, and I am still not sure if she is successful at it, is to create a feminist tale set in a time when the concept did not exist. This isn't about burning bras or staging protests; it's about a woman who shows great fortitude and triumph over the common travails of life – the deaths of loved ones, the unexpected turns in career and relationships, etc., when all of society expects her to wither like a fragile, dying flower. It's about an intelligent woman with a mind of her own who is determined to live out her dreams, even if they include marriage and children. Though I know there many stories like this one to be treasured by their own genealogies, I was never that interested in this woman's story. Sure, she fought some adversity, but it never deterred her custom of living – she still always had a maid, she still was able to travel whenever and wherever she wanted – and I think this is what makes me more ambivalent about the book as a whole. She still relied on the finances of men to live out the life she wanted to live and she was able to experience things that were very rare occurrences for others. And in writing those final lines, I've answered my question – no, Hailey does not succeed at writing a pre-feminist feminist tale.

[Alberto Delgado · Rating 3 out of 5]

A todos mis amigos de goodreads:

No puedo hacer otra cosa al terminar de leer este libro que escribiros esta carta para que en algún momento la podáis leer. Acabo de terminar de leer la historia de la abuela de la escritora Elizabeth Forsythe a la que ella dio vida en su primer libro en forma de novela epistolar. Nos encontramos con una mujer que fue una adelantada a su época y que con su fuerte personalidad derribó muchos de los convencionalismos que se suponía que tenían que llevar las mujeres hace 100 años en sus relaciones tanto matrimoniales como sociales. Le doy solo 3 estrellas porque aunque me ha gustado la historia en comparación con otros libros como 84 charing croos que utilizan la misma técnica de narración este me parece inferior. El libro nos lleva por la vida de esta mujer desde su juventud durante las primeras 6 décadas del siglo xx. Las diferentes cartas que nos vamos encontrando se centran sobre todo en la vida familiar y social de la protagonista donde para mi están los mejores momentos de la novela, en cambio la forma en que utiliza los momentos históricos para la narración como las guerras mundiales me ha parecido demasiado superfluo y en algún momento incluso sonrojante como por ejemplo cuando nos encontramos la carta que escribe durante la segunda guerra mundial.
A pesar de los defectos que encuentro al libro es una lectura amena que recomiendo y posiblemente las mujeres aprecien mas este libro que los hombres.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read (well listened to) this for a book club and I guess I’m missing something because I thought it was just okay (I rounded up from 2.5 stars). Maybe it’s because times have changed since this was released, or because I just grew up differently, but I didn’t find Bess particularly independent or charming. To me she seemed demanding and self-absorbed. She certainly wasn’t afraid to speak her mind or let it be known what she wanted, but does that make one independent?

I will say, this passage from Bess did make me think:

“Are other woman as frightened as I am wondering how much of what they are, is merely a reflection of what others see in them? What am I when I am all alone; am I strong and brave without the children to assure me that I am, out of their own need?”

Don’t we all (women and men, girls and boys alike) have moments in life, where we wonder what makes each of us, us? I know I certainly have. But I also can identify with fitting into the role of daughter, sister, wife, mother, employee, coworker, friend, etc. and sometimes it’s easy to lose myself in those various roles.

Maybe the title, “A Woman of Independent Means” gave me a preconceived notion. Perhaps, the independence referenced is not truly living completely independently, but living free of societal pressures? All in all, although it wasn’t my favorite, I’m sure it will be a great book to discuss at book club and perhaps my opinion of this will improve after said discussion.

[Lowry Mainereader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I re-read this book every 10 years or so and love it every time. Linda Hart's review of the book here on Goodreads reflects my response to the book. That's a good review to read.
It is so interesting to read the reviews that describe the main character, Elizabeth, as strong-willed and meddlesome - words that would not be applied to full-featured male characters who live comfortably with strong personalities who not only speak their truths but also learn from seeing their impacts on others and strive to remain consistently open-hearted and connected to others. So many responses to Elizabeth Strout's book Olive Kitteridge registered the same complaint - that the main character is not likeable. It was as if those readers couldn't see the times she reached out to help others and the times she was scarred by others' response to who she was.
I am annoyed when people find fully-expressed impactful women to be annoying. We still have a long way to go.

[Heather Stock · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am shocked that most people reviewed this book with 3 to 4 stars. I was excited when I started reading this book as it is in letter format (the book is a series of letters written to different people from Bess) and I have a fasination with other people's letters. However, Bess is a terrible human being and so unaware of herself and her letters to others were shocking. Ex: she writes a letter to her cousin stating that when her cousin dies, Bess wants the bed that she sleeps in. There are pages upon pages of these terrible letters that seem so unaware of her own nasty written words. I don't think that Bess is a woman of independent means, I think she is a horrible woman and I didn't find her letters or this book enjoyable.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm really not sure how this book is rated so highly. On the up side, the writing was good, it was short and it made me want to travel. On the down side... The main character was absolutely awful, almost comically so. It really made me wonder if I missed something and was reading a parody. She was the most passive-aggressive, spoiled, shallow person. She didn't come off as independent to me at all. She was provided for her entire life. She didn't work and always had hired help. I really don't understand how this book is seen as pro-feminist.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the creative way in which this book was written, through letters and other types of correspondence from Bess to various people in her life. We learn a lot about her not only from what she writes, but from her references to what other have written to her. She is a very controlling woman, who seeks to manipulate everyone and everything to her wishes and usually gets her way, but sometimes at a price to her personally. Very well written and wonderful 3-dimensional character development.

[Mary Horne · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have rarely read a book in which I disliked the narrator as much as this one. I won’t do a litany of negative adjectives, but I thought she wasn’t just independent, she was very self centered. I was hoping she would eventually become humble and more worthy of admiration for being a woman before her time, a leader, perhaps. Mainly she was just a woman who had enough money to be demanding and self-indulgent.

[Talya Boerner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this oldie for the first time and feel I’ve discovered a hidden treasure. This story is told entirely in letters written by Bess throughout her life from 1899 to 1968. I enjoyed seeing references to familiar Dallas streets and places and reading about historic events through her eyes. This book is another reminder there are a lifetime of books waiting to be discovered. This book is an homage to the lost art of letter-writing.

[Melanie Humphrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Possibly my all-time favorite book. I first read it in 1997 and have read it 10-15 times since. I discover new things to appreciate each time. I am all in on the storytelling via letters (exclusively). The heroine is a piece of work and her self-awareness increases over the works. In response to one of tragedies in her life, she exhibits profound grace and forgiveness. She is a force; and embodies independence of mind, finances, and spiritual strength.

[Markelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this pretty short book, just short of 2 hours. Enjoyed the narrator. It was written all in letters to, and mostly from, Bess Steed Garner beginning in her youth in the early 1900's for about 60 years. I really liked the word choices Bess made, and her directness in getting her point across at times. Cute little harmless book, maybe more meat to it if I had not been listening while on vacation, mostly while driving. But fun to have this book added to my repertoire.

[C-shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite books. It has been years since I've read it and I wanted a friend to enjoy it too, so I ordered another copy and I'm reading it again. Tres fabu!
* * * * *
I do love _Fair and Tender Ladies_ too, but this one is even better. Best book I've ever read!

[Yolanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Es la historia de la generación de mi madre: una generación de mujeres en conflicto con sus hijas, que parecían pedir a la vida mucho más que ellas y, por eso mismo, era como si juzgaran a sus madres y la encontraran insuficiente”.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am going out on a limb by rating this historical work of fiction 5 stars because I feel it has provided a thoughtful pivotal reflection of my own life. Not that in any way I consider my life worth documenting, but, like Bess, my thoughts, ambitions, desires and accomplishments deserve a recognition of sort which, in my case, is evidenced by many unfinished journal pages. This contemporary classic novel will soon celebrate a 50 year publishing anniversary that has been recognized with not only literary awards but also screen credits with a mini-series starring Sally Fields.

In reading the novel, written in epistolary format, the life of Elizabeth Steed Garner is revealed through her letters written to family, friends, business associates and passing acquaintances in a chronological order. Although from a prosperous, affluent family she was financially “A Woman of Independent Means”, however, her life is anchored by her choices, decisions, opinions and her fearless quest for obtaining only the best for her family and friends. She is loving, courageous, and caring but often manipulative in getting her own way and unobtrusively directs situations and people by taking charge. Through her letters she exerts control and initiates actions that secures the stability and security of her family proving her to be a woman of strength and endless capabilities. Despite her well-to-do background her life is impacted by tragic accidents, influenza, deaths of family members, financial uncertainties, estrangements and depression. In these periods it is her resilience that proves to be her true strength. She has a feminist heart and ignores traditional female roles electing to be a business woman, financial manager, globe-trotting traveler, and pushes boundaries placed on women in the early to mid 1900s. I appreciate her acknowledgment that her control and desire to keep her daughter/family close caused estrangements that hurt her emotionally later in her life. Relinquishing that control allowed her close genuine relationships with her grandchildren. Bess was such an interesting character with so many facets of her personality revealed through her letters.

It is just a coincidence that I am reading another novel that is also based on letters written by an independent woman of means. The Correspondent by Virginia Evan reveals the character of Sybil Van Antwerp through her letters as she adjusts to a retiring lifestyle after a successful law career. This epistolary literary format works in both cases and highlights the depth and beauty of the focused written word. I think I will get out my stationary and pen a letter to my daughter recommending both novels.

[Donna Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this because it is a family member's favorite book and we're doing some female bonding--bit out of my usual lane, but the character is interesting.

[Lynette · Rating 3 out of 5]

A full, well-lived life, told in correspondence, by a woman of independent means, born in the late 1800s. Over all I enjoyed the journey alongside this fully drawn lady with her flaws and strengths, fortunes and misfortunes.

I have never been fond of epistolary novels, however, or I probably would have given this book an extra star. It seems I had to keep checking back to a previous page to remind myself whom Bess was writing to because the letters were seldom personal enough to distinguish whom the addressee might be, without the author's help: "Dear Eleanor," etc. (four pages back.) Also, I came to dread the all-caps telegrams because they so often contained extremely bad news. They affected me like e-messages written that way would. Just one more gripe and I'll be done complaining: the style seemed overly clever at times or like the letter-writer was trying too hard to be witty and I think that was because Bess was not communicating in person, in which case the dialog would surely have been more natural.

But the writer was indeed clever, and witty, and got her point across well, if in a manner that was a bit stilted. I do think the story would have flowed much more naturally without the letters, but Bess does more than an adequate job of telling her story, regardless. As with any situation grounded in reality, I do wish I knew exactly which occurrences were real and which made up, but tried not to let that get in the way.

The main character, Bess, was quite her own person, and her life was well worth having a book written about. It was also fun to watch the movie starring Sally Field because in the movie, Bess is more rounded than in her own descriptions of herself in her letters. But that's to be expected. Reading the novel and also seeing the movie made me appreciate both that much more.

My book group is going to discuss this novel tomorrow and I have a feeling that the ladies will be lively and opinionated, just like Bess and her friends and relations. We are now in the final decades of our lives here on earth, just as Bess was, in the last of her letters. It should be interesting and fun to compare impressions.