The Divorcees

"The Divorceés" by Rowan Beaird is a beautiful exploration of female friendship. The way the author delves into the dynamics of the characters' relationships is captivating. The novel also gives a fascinating insight into what divorce was like in the 1950s, shedding light on the social norms and challenges of that time.
The book is enriched by a whole host of complex characters, each with their own struggles and triumphs, making the story even more engaging. There’s also a MASSIVE plot twist that came out of no where but really added another layer of drama to the book that had me thinking back on the beginning of the story in a whole new light.

The book is a slow one as per my liking and the author has taken sufficient time to pen down the characters of the book. The protagonist was marvelously drafted as the words express her scenarios perfectly and it lets the readers understand her more.
I had a great time listening to the audiobook.

Living in Nevada for the required six weeks to get a Reno divorce in 1958, several divorcées get to know each other on a ranch, swimming, horseback riding, flirting with cowboys...and one of them has a strong pull on Lois, Thanks to NetGalley for the freebie, the audiobook was okay, but the pauses between chapters was too long.

I downloaded the audioARC of this novel via NetGalley because I was intrigued by the concept of divorce ranches, where women with some wealth could spend the six weeks residency they needed to file for divorce successfully in Nevada.

Told in third person, we nonetheless see most of the action close to Lois, whose husband has never hit her but has indulged in what we would nowadays classify as coercive control. Her father is clearly also a horrible man, who has said she can stay with him post-divorce for six months, which should be long enough to find a new husband!

This debut novel by Rowan Beaird plays well with Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar, in which we similarly see 1950s women living for a short while outside their everyday conventional lives.

Only one woman in The Divorcees seems to have total freedom, but she is living on the run from the law. Through her Lois gradually realises that although she doesn’t have the opportunities a man does, she can take some steps towards autonomy and control.

We are left, I think, with a little bit of hope for Lois, even though she has had to turn her back on her middle class life.

Really enjoyed this novel. Felt I learned a lot without being lectured, which is always good.

I absolutely loved this tale; very different from my usual read and I became totally immersed in the setting and characters. I thought the premise was different and unusual. Set in early 1950s America, to obtain a divorce Nevada had a rule that required six weeks residency. The setting is a ranch, basically a boarding house for women applying for divorce, and it centres on Lois, one of the temporary residents. She’s escaped a loveless marriage to a rich husband only to have a future imprisoned with her father until she finds another husband. She’s from Chicago, a Polish immigrant background and nouveau riche.

However, although Lois is the main character, the author explores the back stories of the other women and those who run the ranch. It’s a compelling mix of individuals with all their foibles, airs and graces and prejudices. There’s sympathy, backbiting, nosiness, but overall an almost claustrophobic sense of how powerless and constrained they were. Although buying their way out of sometimes abusive relationships, there was little sense that they were going to learn and develop from their mistake.

The story takes a new turn when Greer arrives and bonds with Lois. It’s an intriguing friendship and well depicted. Then there’s the final twist which I didn’t see coming at all. I really enjoyed the narration. It has a slow, slightly laconic approach which suited the story and captured the characters well. There’s a real sense of drought and heat which adds to the cloying at of the tale. Kept me listening well into the night and finished in a coup,e of sessions.

I'm not normally a fan of the "naive woman" trope but this was done well with a protagonist who is not a complete idiot but just not as smart as she thinks and who has been brought up on movies that she confuses with reality.

Thank you to NetGalley and Roman Beaird for an ARC audio book of this title.

I really enjoyed listening to The Divorcees. I felt immersed into the 1950s as the scene setting and atmosphere set by the narrator were both culturally and contextually rich.

The characters all escaping unhappy marriages were well built and the plot was also a slow burn I felt invested in. A bit of mystery and toxic friendship thrown in to really bring it to life too. I could imagine really enjoying this on the beach with a cocktail!

One critique only of the audio production itself would be that the pause between chapters was sometimes so long I thought it had stopped!

I enjoyed listening to The Divorcees by Rowan Beaird, expertly narrated by Bailey Carr.

In the 1950s Reno was billed itself as the “Divorce capital of the world”. It really became an industry and women from across the United States of America travelled there to establish residency and then get a quick no questions asked divorce.

This book centres on Lois Saunders travelling across America to the Golden Yarrow Ranch in Reno, Nevada and her time there. The ranch has around a dozen women waiting out their six week residency requirement. They are a transient group and friendships are formed as they ride horses, swim in the pool, drink cocktails and go to the casinos at night. During Lois’s stay, Greer arrives at the ranch to wait out her residency and she forms a friendship with Lois. Lois hasn’t formed firm friendships with the other women and finds Greer fascinating. Greer and Lois form a firm friendship.

I found the backdrop of the book at a Reno divorce ranch fascinating. The expectations of women in the 1950s are so markedly different compared to now. I found the friendships formed at the ranch interesting. The women are there only for six weeks, and the women could be who they are or who they want to be.

I will most definitely look out for other books by Rowan Beaird in the future.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and to the publishers of the e-audiobook, Bonnier UK Audio, for making this ARC available to me in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I really enjoyed this! The narration was wonderful and the tension simmered so slowly at first before it began to ramp up and come to a head. An intriguing thriller about love, obsession, and identity amongst a group of soon to be divorced women.

I was drawn to this book by its beautiful cover and I am so glad I was. I really enjoyed this and thought the author skillfully captured the place and time so vividly.
After a couple of years, Lois has realised her marriage was a mistake and Lois can't continue in her suffocating loveless state and makes the decision to leave before having a child as that will keep her there. In 1951 divorce wasn't easily accessible in the US unless you reside in Nevada and so Lois has to travel and stay in a "divorce ranch" for six weeks to meet the legal requirements to have her divorce granted.. While there she meets a number of other woman in the same situation. The divorce ranges offer a more elegant form of divorce and the woman can horse ride during the day and flirt with cowboys in the bars of Reno at nighttime.
When glamourous Greer arrives at the range, Lois is bewitched by her as she is not like anyone she has known before and soon the two strike up a friendship and Lois begins to plan for her future.

I really liked this. I loved the pace and reading about this time. The characters aren't always likeable but they are so well captured , I was fully drawn into their lives. This is a really well written exploration of female friendship and dynamics and of personal freedom and choice. A beguiling and fascinating read. Recommend.


I really enjoyed the narration also, such a soothing voice.