By 1960s standards, Margaret Ryan is living the American woman's dream. She has a husband, three children, a station wagon, and a home in Concordia--one of Northern Virginia's most exclusive and picturesque suburbs. She has a standing invitation to the neighborhood coffee klatch, and now, thanks to her husband, a new subscription to A Woman's Place--a magazine that tells housewives like Margaret exactly who to be and what to buy. On paper, she has it all. So why doesn't that feel like enough?
Margaret is thrown for a loop when she first meets Charlotte Gustafson, Concordia's newest and most intriguing resident. As an excuse to be in the mysterious Charlotte's orbit, Margaret concocts a book club get-together and invites two other neighborhood women--Bitsy and Viv--to the inaugural meeting. As the women share secrets, cocktails, and their honest reactions to the controversial bestseller The Feminine Mystique, they begin to discover that the American dream they'd been sold isn't all roses and sunshine--and that their secret longing for more is something they share. Nicknaming themselves the Bettys, after Betty Friedan, these four friends have no idea their impromptu club and the books they read together will become the glue that helps them hold fast through tears, triumphs, angst, and arguments--and what will prove to be the most consequential and freeing year of their lives.
Pick a format, then compare retailer prices. The main button points to the preferred option for the selected format.
Margaret never really meant to start a book club . . . or a feminist revolution, for that matter. On paper, she has it all—a husband, three children, a station wagon, and a home in Concordia. Yet, something feels missing. To explore her new neighbor Charlotte’s intriguing presence, Margaret initiates a book club with two other women, Bitsy and Viv. As they dive into the controversial bestseller The Feminine Mystique, they begin to uncover the truth about the American dream.
Join bks.social’s reader list for book recommendations, reader updates, featured titles, and occasional community news. No noise. Just the important things.
A concise view of the book’s strongest literary signals and the reading interests shared by people connected to it on bks.social.
Readers connected to this book most often reflect Psychological Moral Explorer reader archetypes. Their strongest shared genre interests include Crime, Mystery, Thriller, and Literary Fiction. They are commonly drawn to themes such as Psychological Moral Explorer, Exploring Justice And Consequence, Seeking Dark Psychological Tension, and Exploring The Fractured Self.
“"Ideal for fans of historical fiction and those who enjoyed Bonnie Garmus's Lessons in Chemistry." -- Library Journal, starred review”
Visit bks.social’s Book Hub for reader discussions, reviews, posts, quotes, questions, reading activity, related books, and G-NRIS story intelligence.
