The Divorcées by Rowan Beaird [Family Reads]

Why we chose Rowan Beaird’s The Divorcées

Shazzie @ Reader at Work put this book on my radar. I suggested it for Mom because she reads a lot of WWII historical fiction. While this book is historical fiction, it’s from a different time period (post-WWII) and explores a unique topic.

Lois Saunders thought marrying the right man would 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 famous “divorce ranches,” Lois finds herself living with half a dozen other would-be divorcées, 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, is prim and stifling. But it isn’t until Greer Lang 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?

Goodreads

Our Discussion 💬

**Discussion best enjoyed if you have already read the book – spoilers abound!**

Dull Characters

Mom finished reading this book well before I started it. She made a passing comment about how she suffered throught it. I was surprised to hear that, because if I disliked a book that much, I would have DNF’d it. But she stuck it out since I chose it for our buddy read. My mistake 😅

Mom had a stronger reaction to this book than I. Overall, I thought it was alright. I found the plot a bit dry, but I liked the prose so that seems to have pushed me to a neutral opinion. Mom, on the other hand, enjoyed neither the plot nor the characters and had quite a few comments on both.

Mom found the characters completely disinteresting. I agreed that protagonist Lois was a bit of a snooze, but thought that was kind of the point of the story. I asked Mom if she would rather have read more about the other chracters, like Greer. Mom thought Greer just liked to stir the pot and didn’t have much else going for her. There were times while reading where I wondered if Greer was truly who she said she was or if she was just a ‘pot stirrer’ but there wasn’t much to question on that point. We thought Greer mostly viewed the other women as toys for her own entertainment purposes, and wasn’t sincerely trying to help them gain freedom.

Unexpected Climx and Conclusion

Something else Mom didn’t appreciate was how the story seemed to evolve into something else part way through. Mom was interested in reading about the women’s experiences on the ranch. Greer’s thieving plot line pulled too far away from that into sensationalism. The story became flashy and over-the-top, taking away from what Mom was more interested in: the experience of what women had to to do obtain a divorce at that time.

I asked Mom how she thought the book would end, since it didn’t go the way I expected. Mom thought Greer and Lois would simply be caught out and kicked out of the ranch, with Lois returning to her father in shame. I wasn’t entirely sure what I expected. Perhaps Greer would be caught while Lois hid in the shadows and saw her friend’s true identity revealed. I did not expect Greer to bail and vanish and the entire plot to fizzle out instantly. Pretty anticlimatic, though not unrealistic.

I was also surprised to see how far the story continued after the failed ‘heist’. But I did like seeing where Lois ended up after her divorce. Mom didn’t care much for that, since she wasn’t at all invested in Lois. Lois is easily manipulated throughout the story and doesn’t have much of a mind of her own. We discussed whether she wanted to be manipulated into a better life, without having to really do anything herself.

Final Thoughts 💭

I gave this book ★★½ and Mom gave it ★. Mom didn’t get any entertainment value out of the story. Taury on GoodReads wrote: “Not sure what this book was about, except divorced women before divorce was common. No action. Weak plot. Weak characters. Slow moving. No connection.” Mom found this review accurately reflects her reading experience.

We agreed, however, that we may yet pick up another novel from this author – if it is more focused on everyday lives and experiences, as we did enjoy the writing style. You may enjoy The Divorcées if you like stories with a strong sense of place that explore the position of white women in the 1950s, but don’t hold your breath for a captivating plot or characters.

Further Reading 📰

🍂 Read an excerpt
🍂 Author website
🍂 Interview @ Chicago Review of Books
🍂 Reviews: Shazzie @ Reader at Work
🍂 Related: My sister and I previously discussed When Women Were Dragons, another 1950s tale about white women pushing back against patriarchy.

Have you heard of divorce ranches?
Is there a book whose ending coloured your opinion of the entire work?