THE BOOK CLUB FOR TROUBLESOME WOMEN

HISTORICAL • FEMINIST • SUBURBAN • POST WORLD WAR II • FRIENDSHIP

Margaret Ryan never really meant to start a book club . . . or a feminist revolution in her buttoned-up suburb.

SAMPLE CHAPTERS + AUDIO

DESCRIPTION

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.

The Book Club for Troublesome Women is a humorous, thought provoking, and nostalgic romp through one pivotal and tumultuous American year--as well as an ode to self-discovery, persistence, and the power of sisterhood.

A humorous, thought provoking, and nostalgic romp through one pivotal and tumultuous American year.

“In 1963 picture-perfect suburbia, expectations for women are clear: the house is clean, the children are well cared for, and dinner is on the table at 6 PM sharp. But when Margaret, Viv, Bitsy, and Charlotte read Betty Friedan’s seismic new book, The Feminine Mystique, for their book club, fault lines in their own lives shift and a new path forward for each of the women gapes open. In a 1960s world Bostwick expertly describes as equal parts hilarious, frustrating, and challenging, these four women form a bond that changes their lives forever as they each explore what it means to be a woman and a friend.” —Elizabeth Bass Parman, author of The Empress of Cooke County

“In the stultifying world of 1960s suburbia, four women discover that their seemingly perfect lives are missing something essential. Bound by a shared sense of longing and dissatisfaction, they form a book club that will challenge their assumptions, ignite their ambitions, and forge an unbreakable bond of sisterhood. A powerful tribute to friendship and self-discovery, this captivating novel celebrates the power of women to find their voices and create a better future for themselves, one page at a time.” —Christina Baker Kline, author of The Exiles

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COMING SOON

MARIE BOSTWICK

A New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of nineteen uplifting works of historical and contemporary fiction, Marie’s books are beloved by readers across the globe.

Drawing on her lifelong love of quilting and her unshakable belief in the power of sisterhood, Marie’s popular Cobbled Court Quilt series has been embraced by quilters and non-sewers alike. Her standalone books have also found a passionate following among lovers of women’s fiction. Marie’s novel, “The Second Sister” was adapted into the 2018 Hallmark Hall of Fame feature film “Christmas Everlasting”, starring Patti LaBelle. Marie’s novel, Hope on the Inside, was published in March 2019 and was chosen as a Reader’s Digest “Select Editions” book.

Marie lives in Washington state with her husband and a beautiful but moderately spoiled Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.

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