"Set on a divorce ranch in 1950s America, this remarkable debut unpacks female friendship, charisma, patriarchal constraints, and the desire for freedom with tinderbox tingles and thought-provoking punch."
Set in Reno, Nevada, in 1951, back when the casino city was known for its liberal divorce laws at a time when divorce was all-but impossible, Rowan Beaird’s The Divorcees casts a captivating, menacing spell. Delicately characterful, and sharp as a shard of ice in a martini cocktail, it balances loss and longing, in limbo stasis, and the awakenings of desire and a new sense of self through an intoxicating story that takes unexpected turns.
Lois has come to exclusive Golden Yarrow to find freedom from a lonely, loveless marriage. Staying here for six weeks as a resident of the state of Nevada means she can be legally granted divorce. While this is something Lois needs and longs for, her post-divorce future is uncertain: “She hated being a wife, was terrified of becoming a mother, but couldn’t stomach the idea of once again being only a daughter. Each role an ill-fitting dress.” Such was women’s lot — utterly dependent on men, with the “freedom” of divorce leaving divorcees tainted and moneyless i.e. providing no kind of freedom at all.
As Lois and the other women spend their days riding horses or lying by the pool, and their evenings in bars or casinos, a charismatic new arrival, Greer, shakes things up, especially for Lois. Greer arrives bruised, but beautiful and bold, telling the women they can “do whatever you want”.
As Greer and Lois come to “speak with the casual intensity of sisters”, and Lois’ post-divorce options feel increasingly unbearable (what do you do when your rich daddy pretty much sides with your rich ex-husband-to-be and it looks like you’ll be forced to re-marry?), Lois is convinced to take more drastic measures.
There’s boldness and betrayal. Fresh awakenings and recovery. Grit and glamour. The Divorcees is nothing but tense and tantalisingly stirring.
| Primary Genre | Historical Fiction |
| Other Genres: | |
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A dark and dazzling debut from a beguiling new voice - for fans of Beautiful Ruins and Lessons in Chemistry.
Lois Saunders thought that marrying the right man would finally cure her loneliness. But as picture-perfect as her husband is, she is suffocating in their loveless marriage. In 1951, though, unhappiness is hardly grounds for divorce - except in Reno, Nevada.
At the Golden Yarrow, the most respectable of Reno's 'divorce ranches' Lois finds herself living with half a dozen other would-be divorcees, all in Reno for the six weeks' residency that is the state's only divorce requirement. They spend their days riding horses and their nights flirting with cowboys, and it's as wild and fun as Lake Forest, Illinois, was prim and stifling. But it isn't until Greer Lange arrives that Lois's world truly cracks open . . .
Gorgeous, beguiling, and completely indifferent to societal convention, Greer is unlike anyone Lois has ever met - and she sees something in Lois that no one else ever has. Under her influence, Lois begins to push against the limits that have always restrained her. But how much can she really trust her mysterious new friend? And how far will she go to forge her independence, on her own terms?
Set in the glamourous, dizzying world of 1950s Reno, THE DIVORCEES is a dark, riveting page-turner and a dazzling exploration of female friendship, desire, and freedom.
The Divorcees features in the following genres: Audiobooks of the Month, Debut Books of the Month, Debuts, Recommendations, Star Books, Family Drama, General Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Fiction, Literary Fiction
The Divorcees is available in Paperback, Hardback, Audiobook
The Divorcees was written by Rowan Beaird and published by Manilla an imprint of Bonnier Books UK
The Divorcees has 336 pages
£8.99
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