Congratulations Marie
on the recent release of
The Book Club for Troublesome Women!
The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick
Historical Fiction, 384 pages
Published April 22, 2025 by Harper Muse
Four dissatisfied sixties-era housewives form a book club turned sisterhood that will hold fast amid the turmoil of a rapidly changing world and alter the course of each of their lives.
By early 1960s standards, Margaret Ryan, Viv Buschetti, and Bitsy Cobb, suburban housewives in a brand-new "planned community" in Northern Virginia, appear to have it all. The fact that "all" doesn't feel like enough leaves them feeling confused and guilty, certain the fault must lie with them. Things begin to change when they form a book club with Charlotte Gustafson--the eccentric and artsy "new neighbor" from Manhattan--and read Betty Friedan's just-released book, The Feminine Mystique.
Controversial and groundbreaking, the book struck a chord with an entire generation of women, helping them realize that they weren't alone in their dissatisfactions, or their longings, lifting their eyes to new horizons of possibility and achievement. Margaret, Charlotte, Bitsy, and Viv are among them. But is it really the book that alters the lives of these four very different women? Or is it the bond of sisterhood that helps them find courage to confront the past, navigate turmoil in a rapidly changing world, and see themselves in a new and limitless light?
My thoughts about The Book Club for Troublesome Women ~~
(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first lines.)
First lines—"On a Wednesday morning in March 1963, twenty-five miles and yet a world away from the nation's capital and the rumblings of change that were beginning to be felt there, in a northern Virginia suburb called Concordia, so new that the roots of the association-approved saplings were still struggling to take hold, and so meticulously planned that when the first wave of residents moved in the year before, the shops, library, and church opened on the very same day, as if God smote the ground and a fully formed suburb has erupted from the crack, Margaret Ryan stood in a sunny kitchen with appliances and matching Formica countertops of egg-yolk yellow, trying to decide what to serve the three women who would be coming to the first meeting of her new book club.
Whew! That's quite a first line, probably the longest one I can remember reading. It's a great first line and the book only gets better from here.
I am a big fan of historical fiction and all things books and book clubs so when I was offered the chance to read The Book Club for Troublesome Women, I immediately said yes! Plus there was the fact that I have been wanting to read something by Marie Bostwick. This was a win-win for me! And then I found out that it is set in the 1960's. I was a youngin at that time but not so young that I don't remember things that were going on in my little bit of the world. Reading this book took me back to those times that I remembered.
I truly loved everything about this book. Like I said, first there were the books and the book club. But then there are the four neighbor women, who all have completely different personalities and lives but who become great friends and allies. And then there were the historical parts of the story, showing the struggles that women in the early sixties had to endure and try to change. It brought back so many memories for me, reliving that time again and remembering the way things were.
These four women, in addition to being involved in their book club, supported and grew in their personal lives thanks to the other three women in the group. It was beautiful to see how each one of them were there for their friends and got them through the bad times and celebrated the good ones.
I adored this book and enjoyed every page. I'm ready to read it again! This is definitely a 5+ star read for me. I highly recommend it. Go and add The Book Club for Troublesome Women to your reading list!
I received an ARC of The Book Club for Troublesome Women and this is my honest opinion of the book.
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About the author
Marie Bostwick is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of uplifting historical and contemporary fiction. She lives in the state of Washington and travels frequently to sign books, speak to reading groups, and meet her readers. Keep up with Marie, her travels, new releases and lifestyle blog, Fiercely Marie, at www.mariebostwick.com. ~ Goodreads
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