The Book Club for Troublesome Women: A NovelUSA TODAY BESTSELLER · SOUTHERN INDIE BESTSELLER · A BRENDA NOVAK BOOK GROUP PICK · GLOSS BOOK CLUB PICK · THE GIRLFRIEND BOOK CLUB PICK · A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF 2025 (SheReads) · Margaret never really meant to start a book club . . . or a feminist revolution, for that matter in this bold and plucky novel from New York Times bestselling author Marie Bostwick. "Ideal for fans of historical fiction and those who enjoyed Bonnie Garmus's Lessons in Chemistry." --Library Journal, starred review "Readers will cheer." --Kirkus "Perfect for those who love book club, nostalgia for the 1960s, and stories of female friendship." --Booklist "A feel-good beach read with . . . elements that spark a revolution." --Southern Review of Books 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. |
Contents
| 1 | |
| 16 | |
Chapter 3 What the Neighbors Think | 32 |
Chapter 4 Taking the Cake | 46 |
Chapter 5 Truth Serum | 50 |
Chapter 6 A Womans Place | 61 |
Chapter 7 The Definition of Fun | 72 |
Chapter 8 Art Lover | 79 |
Chapter 24 Two Places at Once | 225 |
Chapter 25 Not Paid to Think | 238 |
Chapter 26 Truthtelling | 245 |
Chapter 27 Simultaneous Circumstances | 254 |
Chapter 28 A Shell of a Man | 267 |
Chapter 29 Day of Jubilee | 271 |
Chapter 30 Something Rash | 279 |
Chapter 31 Being Brave | 287 |
Chapter 9 Help Wantedfemale | 91 |
Chapter 10 A Highly Curated Collection | 103 |
Chapter 11 Mothers and Daughters | 113 |
Chapter 12 Perfectly Normal | 122 |
Chapter 13 Wee Small Hours of the Morning | 135 |
Chapter 14 Most Important Meal of the Day | 137 |
Chapter 15 Slammed Doors | 147 |
Chapter 16 Threedonut Day | 155 |
Chapter 17 Simple Requests | 160 |
Chapter 18 Dropping Bombs | 171 |
Chapter 19 Dearly Beloved | 181 |
Chapter 20 Absent Hosts | 192 |
Chapter 21 Click | 202 |
Chapter 22 Argument Interrupted | 206 |
Chapter 23 The Way Things Are | 217 |
Chapter 32 Calling the Shots | 295 |
Chapter 33 Choices and Consequences | 302 |
Chapter 34 The Group | 306 |
Chapter 35 Fan Mail | 314 |
Chapter 36 Im Afraid Our Time Is Up | 320 |
Chapter 37 Timing is Everything | 328 |
Chapter 38 Women Worth Knowing | 332 |
Chapter 39 Before and After | 343 |
Chapter 40 Who Were Are and Will Be | 353 |
A Letter to Readers | 365 |
Acknowledgments | 369 |
Discussion Questions | 371 |
About the Author | 373 |