novelesque_life's review against another edition
4.0
4 STARS
"For thirty-five years, Frankie, Linda, Kath, Brett, and Ally have met every Wednesday at the park near their homes in Palo Alto, California. Defined when they first meet by what their husbands do, the young homemakers and mothers are far removed from the Summer of Love that has enveloped most of the Bay Area in 1967. These "Wednesday Sisters"� seem to have little in common: Frankie is a timid transplant from Chicago, brutally blunt Linda is a remarkable athlete, Kath is a Kentucky debutante, quiet Ally has a secret, and quirky, ultra-intelligent Brett wears little white gloves with her miniskirts. But they are bonded by a shared love of both literature - Fitzgerald, Eliot, Austen, du Maurier, Plath, and Dickens - and the Miss America Pageant, which they watch together every year.
As the years roll on and their children grow, the quintet forms a writers circle to express their hopes and dreams through poems, stories, and, eventually, books. Along the way, they experience history in the making: Vietnam, the race for the moon, and a women's movement that challenges everything they have ever thought about themselves, while at the same time supporting one another through changes in their personal lives brought on by infidelity, longing, illness, failure, and success." (From Amazon)
I read an ARC of this novel and loved the story. The characters are realistic and engaging. I am looking forward to the next book by this author!
"For thirty-five years, Frankie, Linda, Kath, Brett, and Ally have met every Wednesday at the park near their homes in Palo Alto, California. Defined when they first meet by what their husbands do, the young homemakers and mothers are far removed from the Summer of Love that has enveloped most of the Bay Area in 1967. These "Wednesday Sisters"� seem to have little in common: Frankie is a timid transplant from Chicago, brutally blunt Linda is a remarkable athlete, Kath is a Kentucky debutante, quiet Ally has a secret, and quirky, ultra-intelligent Brett wears little white gloves with her miniskirts. But they are bonded by a shared love of both literature - Fitzgerald, Eliot, Austen, du Maurier, Plath, and Dickens - and the Miss America Pageant, which they watch together every year.
As the years roll on and their children grow, the quintet forms a writers circle to express their hopes and dreams through poems, stories, and, eventually, books. Along the way, they experience history in the making: Vietnam, the race for the moon, and a women's movement that challenges everything they have ever thought about themselves, while at the same time supporting one another through changes in their personal lives brought on by infidelity, longing, illness, failure, and success." (From Amazon)
I read an ARC of this novel and loved the story. The characters are realistic and engaging. I am looking forward to the next book by this author!
vick11's review against another edition
5.0
Looks good - reading it for June Book Club!
Loved it! What a unique perspective - I sometimes forgot it was not in present time and then they would mention some piece of history (well, their present day) or the inequalities they faced as women. I really enjoyed it!
Loved it! What a unique perspective - I sometimes forgot it was not in present time and then they would mention some piece of history (well, their present day) or the inequalities they faced as women. I really enjoyed it!
echo_finished_cake's review against another edition
4.0
Though it has been a few years since I've read this book, I remember it vividly. I love how the story takes place over some years, where these women react and support one another through some major historical events. The strong bond the ladies in the story share is unique to the point the reader almost longs for the same kind of bond. Through the highs, the lows and the pasts, these ladies never cease to stay strong for each other and their families. This is a beautiful story!
thelastnoelle128's review against another edition
1.0
Trite. Stereotypical characters, no challenging concepts. It's been done so many times, it's getting too predictable. This was Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood of the Traveling Jane Austen Book Club. And the ending?? How cheesy can you get? The only reason I read this was for a book club, which I decided to skip out on if this is the kind of novels we'd be reading.
melissakuzma's review against another edition
4.0
This was a surprisingly moving book. I was just expecting run of the mill women's fiction, but there's more to it. It's about five women, all young wives and mothers who meet and become friends in 1967 in Palo Alto. What makes it so special is that you get to experience all of the amazing things that occurred in the late sixties and early seventies through them. You forget how many momentous events took place during those years - the moon landing, the women's rights movement, the Civil Rights movement. And the women are all amateur writers who actually find success. Dr. Suess even makes an (off-stage) appearance! Very satisfying.
nferre's review against another edition
3.0
When I don't write a review within a few days of reading a book, I tend to lose interest (as well as memory...). This one is no different. It's a good solid read, an easy book about a group of women who get together while their children play at a San Francisco park. They bond in different ways and for different reasons and as the years go by, those of us who have had strong friendships which have lasted years will recognize many of the issues these women faced. What I loved about the book is that women were strong and faced their issues face first. They grew as a group and learned about themselves and each other through writing and critiquing each other's work. Some developed into writers, others didn't, but they all benefited from it. They weren't sisters and didn't meet on Wednesdays, yet they called themselves the Wednesday sisters. They were extraordinarily lucky to have each other.
I do wish the husbands' characters been a bit more developed.
I do wish the husbands' characters been a bit more developed.
chri5ti's review against another edition
4.0
Thouroughly enjoyed this book. Set in the 1960's a group of mothers come together over their love books and the Miss America Pageant. They start writing, not just reading, and their friendship grows and deepens. I loved how different the characters were, but that they were bound by motherhood in the early 1960's. As a 41 year old woman I take a lot of things for granted and reading this book reminded me of that. It makes you realize just how much the average housewife had to deal with in this period of american history. Womens equality in the workplace, racism, cancer/medical practices, and the breaking out of the working woman in society. Great read straight through to the end.
hlparis's review against another edition
2.0
This was a much needed lighter read than what I have been reading lately. I probably would give it 2 1/2 stars if I could make the stars cooperate. I was drawn to it because it was about a group of women...mothers, who meet and end up writing and critiquing each others' writing. However, I did not find it as good as The Fiction Class by Susan Breen. It was a decent read, though and being a mother in the 60's+ was certainly different than now. I can't remember the last time I watched the Miss America pageant.
What I probably liked the most is that none of the women were perfect and each one had different insecurities, just as we all do. And, they all evolved in one way or another, just as their world changed around them. While this will not be listed as one of my favorite books, it was a decent read.
What I probably liked the most is that none of the women were perfect and each one had different insecurities, just as we all do. And, they all evolved in one way or another, just as their world changed around them. While this will not be listed as one of my favorite books, it was a decent read.
rstashick's review against another edition
4.0
A wonderful novel centering around the friendship of five women. Woven into the story are events starting in the late 60's through Mid70's.