I knew nothing of Marjorie Hillis before I read this book. The subtitle intrigued me but it was different then what I expected. It was a combo biography of Miss Hillis and maybe a sociologists look at single woman from the turn of the century. There were parts I found really interesting not only about the live-aloner, but also about the time period. I love old movies and to hear discussed some of my favorites gave a different perspective. There were parts I didn’t care for as much and there were times I felt it was incredibly repetitive. But I did come away knowing more then I did before.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

The beginning was very interesting. I learned a little more about the early twentieth century single woman. I had never heard of Marjorie Willis before reading this. However, after about 45% through it felt like it was rather repetitive. I quickly lost interest after that. I felt like I had been reading forever even though it had only been a few days.

I read and loved Kathleen Rooney's novel _Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk_ as a NetGalley ARC a couple of years ago, so I was delighted when I started reading this book to discover that it is, in part, the story of the real-life woman who inspired the character of Lillian Boxfish, Margaret Fishback. Fishback was an advertising copywriter and poet in the mid-20th century who managed to be wildly successful at both of those seemingly disparate pursuits, becoming the highest-paid advertising copywriter of her day, and publishing her poetry in the New Yorker and then in several volumes on E. P. Dutton publishers.

But the real inspiration for Scutts' book is Marjorie Hillis, whose 1936 book _Live Alone and Like It_ became a bestseller, inspiring single women across the U. S. to embrace their independence and showing them how to live frugal and full lives on their own.

Scutts deftly shows the reader how scandalous all of this was in her day: despite the fact that Hollywood movies had long championed the "career girl," in real life, women who worked and lived on their own were more often objects of pity, scorn, and scandal. A fascinating piece of social history!

The Extra Woman addresses a subject that is quite relevant today. While inspirational, it is also a little depressing to see that many of these issues still exist. I knew nothing about Marjorie Hillis and enjoyed learning about her in The Extra Woman. I received this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.

More than just the fascinating story of Marjorie Hillis, The Extra Woman explores the cultural moment that allowed her to flourish and the movement that her books helped shape. Helen Gurley Brown is often cited as the original “single girl,” but I was fascinated by the generation of women that came before her, the daughters of suffragettes who paved the way for women to explores new paths in careers and family structure. This is a well-researched and engagingly written book, a great choice for anyone interested in women’s history.

As something of a feminist, I always appreciate learning more about the strength and independence of women in history. The story of Marjorie Hillis is one that will remain with me for quite some time because she did something other women simply weren't doing during her time and helped other women understand that doing the same was okay. This book is well-written and never seems to lag, as other historical nonfiction can, and the information Scutts includes about other pertinent figures and movements are critical to understanding the context of Hillis's time and the boldness of her ideas.

I expected that I would like this book; however, I didn't expect that I would find it inspirational, nor did I expect for any of it to move me emotionally. I was very pleasantly surprised by how much I connected with the material. Prior to reading this book, I had never heard of Marjorie Hillis, now I want to track down all of her books and read them. Joanna Scutts did an admirable job of using Marjorie's work to trace the social rise and fall of women (both single and married) from the tail end of the Roaring 20s to today. Of course, there is more focus on the single woman, but as Marjorie Hillis would immediately recognize, the search for fulfilment doesn't have a marital status. The things Marjorie Hillis advocated for in the 1930s - " happiness, independence, pleasure, and the right to be alone," were revolutionary then, and still far too difficult for most people to attain. I am walking away from this book with a renewed sense of determination and optimism that it is possible to create the life I want and find happiness within myself.

The format of this book is a mix of historical context and personal memoir, both surrounding the figure of Marjorie Hillis and her collected works. Much like the author, I'd never heard of Marjorie and was blown away by the success and influence of her books once we delved into the story. I enjoyed the book immensely and was very drawn in to the changing cultural mindsets in the US through the years towards independent single women ... more so than about Marjorie's personal history in the end!

There is a good balance between the author's story, Marjorie's, and a rotating cast of women highlighted as the book moves through the decades. I found the historical context more interesting than anything else, but still found myself enjoying the passages about Marjorie's love life. Certainly the themes are very relevant today, and I'm sure i won't be the only one interested in tracking down the original Hillis source material after finishing this book!

I was highly disappointed with this. I was hoping for an interesting look at the lives of women living alone, or at least a look at the woman who lived her life alone and was inspired to write these books. Instead there was little detail about Marjorie Hillis beyond her books, and some additional information about the books and times of the book.