This novel is a work of literary fiction about a time, not so long ago, when most women trapped in loveless, impossible marriages had essentially no rights, no agency, and no resources to enable escape. They remained, in essence, the property of a man. Nevada provided what was then the least onerous route to obtain a divorce, and much of the book covers the six-week period of residency required to file there.

During this time, Lois begins to sort out not only the details of the process, but also – and more importantly – what comes afterward. Who will she be when she is no longer a wife, what will she do with her new freedoms, how will she survive? She has never had a profession, has never been responsible for herself, has not ever been allowed to make decisions for herself.

She, and the other divorcees at the ranch, have much to learn, with little guidance. When Lois finally encounters a woman who, unlike herself, appears to actually know what she’s doing, appears to have agency, it transforms her. But this event also highlights some of the dangers of a world that has literally been beyond her ability to imagine. In this sense, the book is a kind of modern Bildungsroman, which also reminds us just how recently basic human rights were extended to women, and how fragile they remain. I loved this book, both because it matters, and because the exquisite prose is such a joy to read.

I got hooked from the start on this story.

Lois Saunders felt crushed by her loveless marriage and besides has always felt like an outsider, a young woman with a suspect background of new money and ethnicity in a staunch and wealthy WASP stronghold.

We meet Lois as the novel opens on her train ride to the Golden Yarrow, a glamorous Nevada divorce ranch where six weeks of residency will qualify you for a divorce in 1951 America, when women have few rights.

Lois has taken the plunge and abandoned her insulated life but comes to realize that all she has before her after the divorce is the prospect of going back to live in her father's house. At the Golden Yarrow, though, she meets a new guest — Greer is enigmatic and fascinating and a bit dangerous, and through her Lois begins to see herself in a new light. The novel builds to a crisis where Lois is forced to ask, how far will she go to create a new life for herself?

After reading a couple of reviews I want to add: do not expect a frothy romp about swinging divorcees. This novel builds slowly and powerfully to a very satisfying conclusion. Highly recommend.

Set on a 1950's divorce ranch, this excellent debut novel taps into the fascinating, not-often-explored history of Reno, Nevada's quickie divorce industry. Lois Saunders, née Gorski, loves her alone time, her free time, especially when it comes to movies and movie ephemera. She has a talent for bringing out a woman's best features with makeup, but she's not great with other women in general, or at least the socially-reined-in women she's been around all her life. She doesn't 'get' them; they don't 'get' her. So when she meets fellow divorcée Greer, an odd but charismatic and glamorous woman who seems to see Lois, she's drawn into Greer's orbit. Will Lois be able to shrug off her past, the social constraints and men -- her father and soon-to-be-ex-husband -- who have prescribed her life thus far? Will Greer be there for her instead? I was enthralled with the characters, the historical details, and the vibrant writing of this novel, but I especially appreciated the literal ending of the book, which uses a classic and powerful storytelling technique that signals a pivot. Brava, Rowan Beaird. I can't imagine this book won't be a movie itself someday soon.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Beaird's novel, the Divorcees. I liked this author's writing style especially since I had no prior knowledge of Reno's famous 'divorce ranches'. So, I was intrigued from the start. Add in interesting characters, especially Greer Lang and this book becomes very hard to put down. It was definitely a page turner for me! I'm looking forward to reading Rowan's next book.

THE DIVORCÉES, a novel by Rowan Beaird, invites us into the peculiar world of an up-scale "divorce ranch" in 1950s Reno, Nevada where women come to establish a six-week residency before filing for a quick and easy divorce. Lois Saunders arrives by train from Lake Forest Illinois to stay at the Golden Yarrow, one of the posher divorce ranches in this self-described "divorce capital of the world." Lois, 25, naïve and dependent on her father to pay for her stay, joins four other women, each from elsewhere, each seeking to escape a troubled marriage.

Along with a divorce lawyer, the ranch provides each guest with activities like swimming and horseback riding, introducing them to the surrounding desert landscape and raucous cowboy culture, which are artfully drawn by the author. Lois fights feelings of inferiority, a fear of not fitting in. From inside her head, we sense her discomfort, believing she's "not one of them." "Worry worms through her" when she learns that her soon-to-be ex-husband and her controlling father have been meeting to parse out her future. Through the experiences of Lois and the other women, we witness some of the legal and cultural inequities many married women endured in the 50s.

When an enigmatic new arrival shows up the tables tilt. Greer, free thinking and magnetic, encourages Lois and the others to indulge in the freewheeling world of gambling and excessive drinking. Vivid tableaux of the wannabe glamorous Harrah's casino are replete with divorcées and disreputable men on the prowl. Nightly, liquor flows like raging rapids and women never say no to another drink. Greer wields mysterious sway over them all, but she homes in on Lois, sensing she needs a push toward independence. Greer teaches her protégée to regard male casino patrons as convenient marks, good for a quick tryst, free drinks and pilfered poker chips.

Beaird challenges the reader to guess what Greer is up to. Why has she revealed so little about herself? Why does she befriend Lois, teaching her aggressive moves like how to spit in a man's face after knocking his drink from the bar?

A plan hatched near the climax of the novel is telegraphed in the prologue, but the reader must plow to the end to find out the "what, why and where" of Greer's scheme. Overall, The Divorcées is a romp loaded with fascinating details evoking a time and place you can verify with a simple google search. Great for a vacation read!

The reader is in for a delightful treat with this debut novel Divorcee's by Rowan Beaird. Although this novel was an easy read, it was filled with the complexities of choices. Set in the 1950's where life for women was mostly dictated to them by men, a divorce could be granted with enough money and means to arrange the legal work. Located in Reno Nevada lies an established ranch for women, (a haven run by a woman), to reside for six weeks in order to be granted an uncontested, legally binding quick divorce.

Here we meet Lois, a rather lonely, naïve young woman who craves friendship and whose imagination is fluid with dreams of a happy future. Always with a deep desire to fit in, Lois is introduced to Greer, who is thought to be wealthy, independent and somewhat reckless in her behavior. They form a bond based on future adventures, trust and a new acceptance. Lois believes in all the plans that she and Greer have made together and what the future will bring.

In general, people weigh out their options in making a decision. Those decisions are often based on what is known and a bit of the unknown. This novel shows clarity of intentions based on personal knowledge but not always shared with one another.

The Divorcees by Rowan Beaird is a splendid novel. I was expecting a cliched telling of various women and their problems (like an old, stereotyped B movie) and instead I got a pulsating, well written plot with two amazing characters: awkward literate and movie lover misfit Lois and entitled, mysterious Greer. Power struggles abound: men over women, women within their social circle, Greer over ranch owner Rita and fellow divorcees. I truly did not see the ending coming! I just may reread this before passing it on to my book club; it's that good!

This book is fascinating. A group of very diverse come together at a "Divorce Ranch" in the early 1950s. They must spend six weeks in Reno, NV to obtain a divorce. These women, who have used to living with a husband are adjusting to living together as well as the house rules. The group, being women, are bitchy and catty and an "in" group develops. Then a new mysterious women comes and the dynamics change and life becomes dangerous.