About the Book
A dark and dazzling debut from a beguiling new voice - for fans of Beautiful Ruins and Lessons in Chemistry.
Lois Saunders thought that marrying the right man would finally cure her loneliness. But as picture-perfect as her husband is, she is suffocating in their loveless marriage. In 1951, though, unhappiness is hardly grounds for divorce - except in Reno, Nevada.
At the Golden Yarrow, the most respectable of Reno's 'divorce ranches' Lois finds herself living with half a dozen other would-be divorcees, all in Reno for the six weeks' residency that is the state's only divorce requirement. They spend their days riding horses and their nights flirting with cowboys, and it's as wild and fun as Lake Forest, Illinois, was prim and stifling. But it isn't until Greer Lange arrives that Lois's world truly cracks open . . .
Gorgeous, beguiling, and completely indifferent to societal convention, Greer is unlike anyone Lois has ever met - and she sees something in Lois that no one else ever has. Under her influence, Lois begins to push against the limits that have always restrained her. But how much can she really trust her mysterious new friend? And how far will she go to forge her independence, on her own terms?
Set in the glamourous, dizzying world of 1950s Reno, THE DIVORCEES is a dark, riveting page-turner and a dazzling exploration of female friendship, desire, and freedom.
'An excellent, deeply compelling read'
Lauren Groff, bestselling author of Matrix and Fates and Furies
'A delicious literary page-turner from a fierce new voice'
Rebecca Makkai, bestselling author of I Have Some Questions for You and The Great Believers
'A stunning debut. Tense, dark, and richly layered, lovers of Patricia Highsmith will devour this compulsively readable, standout novel'
Katy Hays, New York Times bestselling author of The Cloisters
'A sultry fever dream of a novel . . . This book shimmers and startles on every page'
Whitney Scharer, author of The Age of Light
'The women of The Divorcees captivated me . . . an unforgettable, lushly assured novel'
Clare Beams, author of The Illness Lesson
About the Author :
Rowan Beaird is a writer whose work has appeared or is forthcoming in The Kenyon Review, The Southern Review, and The Common, among others. She is the recipient of the Ploughshares Emerging Writer Award, and her work has been nominated for a Pushcart. She has received scholarships from the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference and StoryStudio. She currently works at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. THE DIVORCEES is her first novel.
Review :
The Divorcées is gorgeously crafted, perfectly balanced, and full of complex, moving and vividly wrought characters. The sunshot pool at the Golden Yarrow, the searing desert heat, the dark glamor of the casinos will stay with me for a long time. Rowan Beaird writes with such ease and confidence that it's hard to believe this novel is her first. An excellent, deeply compelling read
A delicious literary page-turner from a fierce new voice
A stunning debut, Rowan Beaird's The Divorcées is a glittering desert mirage behind which lurks a shocking web of secrets . . . Tense, dark, and richly layered, lovers of Patricia Highsmith will devour this compulsively readable, standout novel
The Divorcées, a sultry fever dream of a novel set on a Reno divorce ranch in the 1950s, should be read by a pool on a blisteringly hot day, preferably with a drink in hand. Its lush, perfectly wrought prose-and the secrets and deceptions at the center of the seductive plot-will unsettle you and keep you turning the pages. This book shimmers and startles on every page
The women of The Divorcées captivated me: drenched in desert light, searching for themselves in every possible mirror. Their relationships to one another, gorgeously rendered, have an intensity fueled by self-discovery-these are connections full of deep understanding, shocking deception, devastating betrayal, and real love. Beaird is a wondrous new talent who has given us an unforgettable, lushly assured novel
As stylish as it's cover, with razor-sharp prose and an atmosphere simmering with tension, I have savoured every word.
I adored The Divorcées - such an atmospheric and layered story of female independence, solidarity and deception, set on a Reno 'divorce ranch' in 1951. As a divorcée, I devoured it
A stunning portrayal of the lengths women in 1950s America must go to in order to assure their safety and freedom. Compelling, rich and with a dark undercurrent, I couldn't put it down. An outstanding debut
This exquisite book needs to be read slowly and savoured as if it was rich dark chocolate. This tale of complicated women waiting in 1950s Reno for their divorce is threaded with a tension that grips you. A sultry page turner. I highly recommend
An evocative period tale. Beaird's impressive debut is filled with evocative period detail and populated with an intriguing tapestry of beautifully drawn characters
