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This is the story of Mira Ward, a wife of the Fifties who becomes a woman of the Seventies. From the shallow excitements of suburban cocktail parties and casual affairs through the varied nightmares of rape, madness and loneliness to the dawning awareness of the exhilaration of liberation, the experiences of Mira and her friends crystallize those of a generation of modern women.
User reviews
LibraryThing member dolly22
t least once a year, I take my well used copy down from the library shelf and each time it feels like welcoming home a favourite, old friend. This was the book which introduced me to feminism, many years ago and one which literally changed my life. I have grown up with this book; it has seen me
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through early adulthood, motherhood and beyond. In every difficult time of my life it has always given me some insight into my predicament as sadly some of the frustrations and resentments which women experienced in the fifties are still present today. I have bought copies for my daughters and friends as I believe young women can still learn so much from this insightful and beautifully written book Show Less
LibraryThing member Clatters
This was my first real introduction to adult women and our role in society. It opened my eyes in a huge way, I never was the same afterwards. Not long after that, I read The Handmaid's Tale, I credit both books for who I am today. A must read! In fact, I am digging out my 35 year old copy and
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re-read. Show Less
LibraryThing member traveltrish
A book that still resonates decades after it was written. Shows how far we have and yet at the same time haven't come.
LibraryThing member karriethelibrarian
I read this book in college and at the same time my mom was getting divorced and reading it. I'll never forget the conversations we had about it, and how empowered this book made me feel. I should it again now that my 24-year marriage is over and I'm finding myself again.
LibraryThing member Marjorie
The book had a powerful effect on me when I read it in the late 70s. I have not reread it.
LibraryThing member erinclark
I read this book many years ago and it made a lasting impression on me as a young woman. I still remember the line by one of the characters, something to the effect of "Why bother drying the dishes! Dishes dry themselves!" Still true today;)
LibraryThing member ladysunshine
the best book ever written about womens lives, their minds their bodies, their loves their children, ambitions and most of all friendships. This is a book I have read over and over again each time finding something new as I grow older.
LibraryThing member tixylix
A story about a group of American women in the late sixties and early seventies struggling to find their own identities. I thought it was an interesting read, especially 30 years on from when it was written. Many things in the world have not changed very much...
LibraryThing member oephylia
I first read this when I was younger, this is one of the definitive books about women and the changes we've had to go through.
LibraryThing member realsupergirl
A really important book in the feminist canon. Although it's written to be a work of fiction, it conveys a certain era (1970's) and wave of the feminist movement with accuracy and poignancy.
LibraryThing member Lyn.S.Soussi
A life changing and challenging book - ladies, consolidate your feelings about the current love of your life BEFORE reading this... Gentlemen; every one of you should read this.
LibraryThing member AriadneAranea
This is a winding narrative, a soap opera that follows its main protagonist Mira from her youth into marriage and motherhood, and then from divorce into her new life as a post-graduate student at Harvard. Along the way, Mira’s friends from her two lives have their own stories, each woven into the
The trouble is, that the feminist agenda is sometimes just a bit too painfully obvious. It feels as though characters are invented and incidents are included merely to show off or drive home a second wave slogan, merely as a vehicle for the feminism and not because they are valuable or interesting in their own right. They are a little two-dimensional, a little bit stereotypical: they are rarely surprising.
So, yes, this is a grand tour of second wave feminism in novel form: here, the personal is political from beginning to end. Worthy and readable? yes. Great art? not really.
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fabric of Mira’s own. As the narrative develops, so does Mira's feminist consciousness.The trouble is, that the feminist agenda is sometimes just a bit too painfully obvious. It feels as though characters are invented and incidents are included merely to show off or drive home a second wave slogan, merely as a vehicle for the feminism and not because they are valuable or interesting in their own right. They are a little two-dimensional, a little bit stereotypical: they are rarely surprising.
So, yes, this is a grand tour of second wave feminism in novel form: here, the personal is political from beginning to end. Worthy and readable? yes. Great art? not really.
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LibraryThing member flydodofly
Such an important and wonderful book. It explained so many things I noticed but obviously did not understand in my childhood and youth, things I was told/taught about relationships and men and freedom and will - all kinds of things. The book made me wince many times, but it felt good to see certain
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things written out on the page. I would definitely recommend this book, especially to all women, and ask them nicely to consider recommending it to their daughters, and sons, too. Show Less
LibraryThing member otterley
This is an important book, full of emotion - anger, hope, frustration, love, sadness, regret. Mira moves from housewifery to Harvard, through relationships with family, friends, lovers and children, to a present as a writer, alone on a beach - but somehow whole. This is a book that matters because
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of what it says and what it feels - not because of the way it is written. Any woman will recognise parts of the book and argue with others - and will live through some of it. A life of liberated academia will never be for everyone, but a life of self awareness and choice is what French demands. It's closer now for more of us, but still too many women are locked in their rooms. Show Less
LibraryThing member joeydag
Published in 1977, mostly set in Cambridge MA in the years 1968-71, I found this a profoundly thought provoking novel. I attended college in Boston during that era and as I read this account of the lives of a group of Harvard graduate students - all women - I kept thinking of my foolish life during
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those tumultuous times. So many tragic stories about women dealing with the challenges of their lives. After reading this I wonder how one can not sympathize with the feminine movement. Show Less
LibraryThing member pamfb7557
Whenever my ex-husband would see me re-reading this book, he hid, because he knew I would hate men for about a month afterward. This is one book that I truly think changed how I looked at my life. Younger women should read it so they can realize how much life has changed for women in the past five
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decades. One of my all-time favorite books. Show Less
LibraryThing member Cecilturtle
This book was a real disappointment. The excruciating detail in which the author indulges cuts off all imagination on reader's part. It creates a distance, as though the reader were an uninvolved observer, which prevents any kind of identification with the characters. The structure is lopsided -
The politics themselves are virulent and outdated. Certainly a reflection of the times but today unconvincing. The story is too one-sided.
Frankly, there is not much to redeem this book. I recommend Betty Friedan's Feminine Mystique instead.
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sometimes a personal account, sometime a long-winded narrative. It's neither an essay nor a novel. The great cast of characters is difficult to follow - people drift in and out. Each woman seems to be a "case" or political example rather than a person.The politics themselves are virulent and outdated. Certainly a reflection of the times but today unconvincing. The story is too one-sided.
Frankly, there is not much to redeem this book. I recommend Betty Friedan's Feminine Mystique instead.
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