#BlogTour: The Divorcées by Rowan Beaird @rebeaird @bonnierbooks_uk @RandomTTours #TheDivorcees #RowanBeaird #HistoricalFiction #RandomThingsTours

Book Synopsis:

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 glamorous, dizzying world of 1950s Reno, THE DIVORCEES is a dark, riveting page-turner and a dazzling exploration of female friendship, desire, and freedom.

My Review:

The Divorcées is a book I’d been hearing lots of good things about so I was very excited to start reading it. It was a different book to what I was expecting but in a good way as I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

I thought the author did a great job of bringing the 1950’s to life and I enjoyed learning more about the period through the characters. I had never heard of the divorce ranches before so I found it fascinating to learn more about them. It was interesting to follow the woman through their time at the ranch and to discover more about society’s attitude towards the divorcées. It’s quite shocking to realise how little rights women had at this time still and how they were beholden to men, having to answer to either their father or their husband.

I thought that all the characters were fantastic creations and I enjoyed getting to know them throughout the group. It was very interesting to see the dynamics of the group and how they shifted when Greer arrived. The relationship that develops between Greer and Lois was especially fascinating to follow , with the reader never quite sure what direction it was going to take. I found myself feeling quite sorry for Lois as the awkward outsider of the group as I watched her slowly being drawn into Greer’s influence. I found myself wishing she had someone to guide her though I don’t think she’d have actually listened to anyone as she so wanted to be included in the group.

Overall, as you can probably tell, I really enjoyed this book and I will definitely be recommending it to others. It isn’t a fast paced book but it is very well written and I quickly felt drawn into the story. The tension in the book slowly creeps up as we discover more about Greer and the sense that the characters are heading towards a disaster made the book quite gripping to read on places. I found myself simultaneously wanting to read more but also not sure I wanted to find out what would happen next!

This is the author’s debut novel and I’m very excited to read more from her in the future.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to the publishers for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Rowan Beaird is a fiction writer whose work has appeared or is forthcoming in The Kenyon Review, The Southern Review, and The Common, among others. She is the recipient of the Ploughshares Emerging Writer Award, and her work has been nominated for a Pushcart. She has received scholarships from the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference and StoryStudio, and she currently works at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her first novel, The Divorcées, will be published by Flatiron Books in spring of 2024.