The Divorcees : The dark, atmospheric 1950s-set debut everyone is talking about

Author: Beaird, Rowan

Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945)

Published on 28 March 2024 by Bonnier Books Ltd (Manilla Press) in the United Kingdom.

Hardback | 416 pages
241 x 160 x 26 | 474g

'LOVED it. Tightly-plotted elegance, 50s glamour and suspense. Put it on your lists' Jessie Burton'Excellent . . . riveting to the last page' The Times'Dark and compelling. Fans of Lessons In Chemistry will adore it' RedLois 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.

'I straight up loved it. It's so stylish, so elegant, each sentence a delectable little treat . . . and the nods towards darkness and things unravelling are so thrilling and chicly done'Elizabeth Macneal, bestselling author of The Doll Factory'As stylish as it's cover, with razor sharp prose and an atmosphere simmering with tension, I have savoured every word'Jennie Godfrey, author of The List of Suspicious Things'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 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'I adored The Divorcees - 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'Julie Mae Cohen'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 Divorcées captivated me . . . an unforgettable, lushly assured novel'Clare Beams, author of The Illness Lesson'A stunning portrayal of the lengths women in 1950s America must go to in order to ensure their safety and freedom. Compelling, rich and with a dark undercurrent, I couldn't put it down. An outstanding debut'Marianne Cronin, 100 Years of Lenni and Margot'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'Julie Owen Moylan