The Divorcees

A slow paced novel which reminded of just how far views and laws had changed. The history of a divorce ranch in Reno had a lot of scope and I would have liked more detail about the other characters.
Interesting how characters changed as they became influenced by 1 strong person and at times reminded me of teenagers being influenced by their peers.
Looking to read something different? This is different novel

Such a fantastic read, really loved every page and every character and every word. Highly recommended and definitely an author to watch out for.

Thanks to netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I found the book slow paced and was waiting for something to happen..
The divorce ranch was interesting and I liked Greer as a character more than Lois.

I was first drawn to The Divorcées by its beguiling cover; I stayed for the 1950s Nevada setting and the classy writing. This is a coming of age story, except that the protagonist has already been married and is still finding out who she really is.

This slow-paced debut novel is an atmospheric story about Lois Saunders and a group of women spending six weeks on a ranch in Reno, Nevada, while they wait for their divorces to come through. Divorce is hard to come by in 1950s USA, and Reno is a refuge for women fleeing abusive and unhappy marriages.

The women’s uneventful stay is upended when Greer Lang, a sophisticated and charismatic woman arrives at the ranch. Greer and Lois form an instant bond that deepens over the weeks as they plan for life after the ranch post-divorce.

The story takes some unexpected turns but maintains its languorous pace throughout - don’t expect a thrilling ride. It’s elegantly written though and perfect if you’re a fan of period feminist fiction at a slower pace. Bonus points for the Thelma and Louise vibes. 3.5-4/5 ⭐️

*Many thanks to the author, publisher Manila Press and @netgalley for the arc. As always, this is an honest review.

Loved the atmospheric setting Rowan Beaird carefully creates. The bond between Lois and Greer is deftly captured, it all heads towards a satisfying ending. Loved it!

When I read any book I try to take into account the following:
Was the story engaging? Do I like the writing style? Are the characters plausible/relatable? Am I interested enough in the plot to continue reading? Is the subject matter something I am familiar with or am I learning something new? and The Divorcees is a YES to all these questions.
Now, if YOU only read fast paced, suspense thrillers then this book is NOT for you and I wouldn’t even expect you to read the rest of my review. But, if you do enjoy literary or contemporary fiction then you may enjoy The Divorcees.
Set in the early 50’s divorce laws in many states were quite restrictive and often faced lengthy waiting periods and stringent grounds for divorce, but in Nevada the laws were different. As long as the couple established residency and resided in the state for six weeks, they could obtain a swift divorce. A “Divorce Ranch” was a place where individuals stayed to establish their residency for the required six weeks, whilst enjoying the daytime outdoor activities and glittery nightlife of Reno and socialising with other guests in the same situation.
Lois is the main character. In her mid-twenties, she has been married to wealthy Lawrence for four years, but she has never been happy. Finally, she has found the strength to walk away and is sent to the Golden Yarrow, a divorce ranch for the rich and affluent by her disappointed father.
I thought Lois was a fascinating character. Her insecurities and flaws brought her to life in my mind. Reading about her childhood, the loss of her mother, the emotional abandonment of her father and the desperate marriage to Lawrence made me feel very sorry for her and her bravery in finally walking away from her marriage despite the stigma gave me hope that she might find happiness eventually.
Personally, I enjoyed the book. I thought it was atmospheric, and the author described Reno with such depth and vivid clarity that I could feel the heat and oppression of being in the desert. I could imagine myself sitting by the pool with Greer and Lois listening to them chatting.
Sometimes it’s nice to take a step away from the crime and embrace other genres. Overall I would give this 4 stars as it ticked all my requirements in a book.

It’s 1950s America and Lois, in her 20s, is making her way west. Stuck in a loveless marriage, Nevada’s laws will allow her a quick, clean divorce. All she has to do is be resident there for six weeks. So she spends her weeks at the Golden Yarrow, one of the more upmarket ‘divorce ranches’ on the outskirts of Reno, lounging by the pool or in her room. She has always had awkward relationships with the women around her, and things are no different here, as she finds herself shunned, an outsider; until beautiful, magnetic, elusive and carefree Greer arrives, taking Lois under her wing, drawing her into the fold and out on the group nights to the local bars and casinos. But Greer’s defying of convention stretches far and, as Lois’ need for Greer’s approval grows, Lois finds her limits being put to the test.

Despite the slow building, character driven nature of the story, it’s a quick read, broken down into short chapters. Beaird’s descriptive and evocative writing beautifully captures the small details of dress, the interiors, the Nevada landscape, climate and desert nightlife, but it’s Lois’ evolution, and the developing dynamic between the women, that is the heart of the story. All here for a shared reason, even if travelling on different paths, we see the small ways they uphold each other, and the small ways they kick each other down when at their most vulnerable. All on the cusp of leaving an old life behind and striding into a new one - some simply a new version of the previous one - initially the women still judge each other, exploring what being a divorcée means to them. Lois astounds the others by sharing that she envisions her new life without a man by her side.The story is a portrait in Lois’ personal journey; in how Greer, completely comfortable in her lack of convention, has a transformative effect, for better for worse, on the more timid Lois who, in her own quiet way, has also made her stand against settling and accepting an unfulfilling life purely for security or convenience. Exploring friendship and betrayal, loneliness and agency, the identities we create in our present and the future versions of ourselves we strive towards, this was an immersive read and highly enjoyable debut.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my eARC.

In 1950s Nevada, a wealthy woman can obtain a divorce by becoming resident after a six week stay at a 'divorce ranch'. Lois comes to stay at the Golden Yarrow and struggles to fit in with the other women until Greer arrives. But her impact on Lois and the other guests has wide-ranging repercussions.

What a fantastic book! I'd never heard of divorce ranches and found the whole story absolutely fascinating. Added to that the characters of Lois and Greer were really complex and intriguing. I raced through the book and really loved the ending. The time period (especially clothes), Nevada desert setting and the fabulous story all lend themselves to a Netflix series I think! Very VERY highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

Loved this!!!
Lois Saunders has always been an outsider, having married to fit in she has now found the courage to divorce her husband and heads to the Golden Yarrow divorce ranch in Reno - paid for by her father with strict conditions applied. After the late night, mysterious arrival of a new guest Greer, Lois starts to find her true self.
A story of female friendship and finding who you are.
If you are looking for a book to read on the beach I would highly recommend this.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read The Divorcees.

The premise of The Divorcees is a very intriguing. I didn't know places like these existed before, which is a good thing, making it possible for women to get out of a marriage they no longer want to be trapped in.

The descriptions and the setting up of the story's world was beautifully written. Unfortunately, I really didn't connect with the characters and felt that the story was very slow.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bonnier Books UK for a copy of the books in exchange for an honest review.

In 1951, twenty-something Lois Saunders (née Gorski) arrives at the Golden Yarrow ranch in Reno for a mandatory six week reprieve to obtain residency in Nevada and file for divorce. When the mysterious and beguiling Greer arrives at the ranch, she becomes the object of Lois’s attention and causes Lois to question what life could be like after the ranch.

The Divorcées is a novel largely exploring female agency in a patriarchal society. The concept and history of “divorce ranches” was new to me and I thoroughly enjoyed the exploration of female community (and the waxing and waning of intimacy and distance between the women), and the shared experience of risking public reputation for personal happiness and empowerment.

I found Lois as a protagonist engaging, particularly in her yearning for validation and connection. Observing her personal growth over the length of the novel from at first struggling to legitimise her reasons for divorcing her husband, to reclaiming her sense of self and gaining independence was fantastic to read.
Furthermore, Beaird’s writing style was a treat to digest — beautifully crafted and visceral. I’ll definitely be on the look out for further releases in the future.

Well... this book didn't really end up being what I though it would be. That said, I did get through it, but I did leave the book not feeling as satisfied as maybe I would have like to be.
I did find the concept of "Divorce Ranches" to be quite fascinating. And I have never heard of them either. But it is to one of these, the Golden Yarrow, that Lois travels when she needs to get a divorce from her husband. Apparently, all you need is to "live" in Reno for 6 weeks to become a resident and you can get a quickie divorce...! Anyway, she is billeted there along with a whole host of other women in the same situation. Spending their days walking, riding, swimming, lounging around, and their evenings/nights "on the town". Apart from Lois who stays in. Things change dramatically with the arrival of Greer Lang... And that's all I'm saying about that... I'm leaving you to discover what happened next.
This was a very slow burn book for me. We went round and round in circles for a while. Eat sleep socialise repeat. Until Greer's entrance which did mix it all up a bit and changed Lois. Not sure whether for the better, I thought she was a bit flaky anyway, but she really descended into puppy following master territory when she started hanging round with her. I though she was a bit wet and vulnerable and all that. Obviously knowing what I do now having finished the book, I can see why some of the stuff was so easy, but by then the damage had been done. Along the way, we witness a host of small vignettes which appear isolated, some of which are never fully developed.
There was a lot of hinting at stuff along the way too but not too much actual action which meant that the book dragged a little for me, and I did get a bit bored. But I held onto my hopes that I would be rewarded for my persistence but, by the end, sadly that wasn't to be. Although it ended well for what had gone before, it didn't really leave me satisfied.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

This wasn’t my usual type of book but the blurb sounded good and I wanted to read more. I’d never heard of the Reno divorce ranches and was intrigued to find out more.

Lois got married to Lawrence after meeting him in the cinema. Lois wasn’t happy in her marriage and felt under pressure to have a child- something she didn’t want to do. She left her husband and went back to stay with her father - somewhere she didn’t particularly went to be either.

Lois went to The Golden Yarrow divorce ranch in Reno and hoped she’d settle in and make some friends. She’d never really had a close friend and when Greer came along she hoped they’d get closer. The ladies went out to the bars and casinos of Reno every night and lived life to the full. Greer challenged everyone’s behaviour and Lois began to do things she’d never imagined she’d do.

This was an easy to read story with some interesting characters. I felt like I was counting down the days with Lois to see what she did after her six weeks required stay at the Golden Yarrow.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advance copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I was pretty impressed with The Divorcees, written by Rowan Beaird. I was given a copy by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Although this book starts pretty slowly, the action does crank up a notch as the book reaches the middle. We follow a somewhat unassuming divorcee to be, Lois, who has reached Divorce City USA, Reno, to secure a quickie divorce. Along the way, she meets a variety of divorcees to be, all of which have some degree of trauma regarding their divorce. All that is, expect Greer, who offers a confident, mysterious energy.

As the story continues, we fall down the rabbit hole with Lois as she seems to be rebelling against societal expectation of how she should feel.

I found the writing, although slightly languid at times to have some beautiful turns of phrase, which left me contended. The book being set in the fifties also offer a unique nostalgia of something which has become commonplace (divorce.) I will look out for further titles.

A slow burner about a historical situation regarding divorce in the 1940s. Lois, the main character, wants to remain childless and leave her husband. Divorce is difficult, but she goes to a ranch in Texas as it is easier to divorce there, but she must prove residency and remain at the ranch, Yellow Yarrow, for 6 weeks and be seen everyday. She meets other women in similar positions, all wanting to divorce for differing reasons. At times, the story drags, but this is to emphasise the slow passing of time whilst they wait. Their relationships at times awkward for Lois as she doesn't really fit in with the other women. This changes with the mysterious arrival of Greer. The characters need more development, and although well written, the story didn't engage me as much as it could have done. With thanks to Netgalley and Tracy's BOTM in exchange for my honest review

I didn't know anything at all about the divorce ranches in Nevada so this novel was really interesting from a historical perspective too. I enjoyed the story although ultimately it's a bit of a shaggy dog and the sub-plot wasn't entirely needed in my opinion. A fun and engaging read i'd have ripped through on a beach though! Recommended and thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

This was hard to get into and a bit of a slow read for me. There were a lot of characters I found hard to differentiate between.

Told from the perspective of Lois who moves temporarily to the Golden Yarrow Ranch in Reno in order to be able to divorce her husband, this is a tale of women in the 1950s all wanting a divorce. Reno has different laws so if they reside there for 6 weeks, they are granted a quickie divorce.

Lois and the other girls are getting on fine until Greer appears. Very mysterious as she doesn’t open up like the others have, she soon becomes friends with Lois. I found her to be very manipulative and didn’t like her character from the off.

The girls went out every night, either to the Highlands bar or to the casino, which was hard to believe really and they had cocktail hour every night at the ranch.

I just found it all a little far-fetched but if you take it as a purely fictitious story, it’s a okay read.

3⭐️

I read this book as part of my online book club. I really enjoyed the book up until the end, which I found a bit of a let down. It came to a sudden end. However I did like the rest of it and zipped through it quite quickly as it kept me reading.

DNF. After a promising start, the book started to fall apart for me - I really, really don't enjoy character-driven pieces where there isn't much plot to speak of. While the underlying concept was strong, the writing lost me after a few chapters. People that like literary fiction will love this, but it wasn't for me.

The Divorcees by Rowan Baird ⭐️⭐️
Set in 1950’s Nevada on a divorce ranch. These ranches existed to give wealthy women a quick divorce, they resided there 6 months before the divorce. All was going well with Lois until Greer arrives.
This book needs a warning on it …. It’s slow. Very very slow. Plods along without anything really happening. Around 80% it slightly picks up. The only upside was learning about these ranches and the writing was very descriptive. Thank you to #netgalley for an advance copy of this book