I feel like nothing in the description of this book is actually what this book is about. Yes, it does take place in Reno in the 1950's, and it's about divorcees but it's not about friendship and it's not glamourous. We never meet Lois's husband and the reason she gives for divorce is basically indifference. They were not a good fit. She only got married to get away from her controlling father. The book is more about how a manipulative grifter disrupts life on this divorce ranch. She pits woman against woman and entangles Lois in a dangerous scheme. There's not much of an ending. Lois gets a life of her own but the grifter still affects her. The story is well written and I look forward to more books by Rowan Beaird. Thank you to NetGalley, Rowan Beaird, and Flatiron books for the arc.

I must say, this book was really enlightening about divorce in the 50's. I was born at the end of this period but I do recall divorced women being regarded differently when I was little.
The main character, Lois, starts off as an insecure, confused and with very little self worth woman. She goes to Reno and interacts with other women getting divorces. That they had so few options is revealing. Without ruining the plot, she finally grows up with some hard lessons along the way. I would recommend this book for its good storyline but with a warning that it is a rather sad story.

The Divorcees by Rowan Beaird

I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley for review. My opinions are my own.

3/5 stars

Apparently there was a time in history that Reno was known as the divorce capital of the world. I had no idea! This book is about an affluent woman who spends 6 weeks at a “divorce ranch” during her divorce. She becomes very close with the other women, especially Greer.

I loved learning about this part of history because it’s something I didn’t know about. I also thought it was well-written, but I was hoping for a bit… more?

Thank you to Netgalley, publisher Flatiron Books, and author Rowan Beaird for providing an eARC of this book in exchange for a review. All thoughts are my own.
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I love historical fiction. I love women's fiction. I love historical women's fiction. I love a little drama, a little glitz and glamour. So when I saw this book described as 1950s housewives getting lit on gin and patronizing casinos in Reno and exploring the complex friendships between women, I requested a copy and crossed my fingers, hoping for the best.

What I got instead was a sad story about a sad girl who doesn't know who she is or what she wants, only that she doesn't want to be married. Protagonist Lois has the most severe case of ennui I've ever seen, and since its the '50s, she should probably find some barbiturates, and wash them down with her gin.

I don't like books that mislead me.

As for the writing itself, it was fine. Not my favorite. Books written in third-person present-tense aren't my jam. There were a lot of characters, and I had trouble keeping them straight. I can tell you Mary Elizabeth was sweet but a bit of a mess, Dorothy had red hair (I think? But maybe she was the one with the fickle beau, George. Or maybe they're the same person?), Rita and Bailey owned the ranch, and Rita had a couple kids. I can't tell you anything about June or the other girls at the ranch or the roommate in LA, whose names I can't remember. Even still, each person had exactly one personality trait, and that was usually to Be Divorced, to Protect the Divorcees, or to Steal Shit.

The Divorcees was a very interesting book for me. It was part historical fiction, part mystery, and part literary fiction. I had no idea women would go to Nevada to seek divorces back in the 1950s. They received so much shame and embarrassment. I loved how Lois changed for the better in the book even though she was in a bad friendship with a mysterious woman. The story kept my interest, although at times it did feel a bit slow. Overall it was a good book!

Enjoyed this story about women traveling to Nevada to secure a divorce. Well written with a decent pace, it held my interest. The ending was a bit weird but overall a decent read.

This was so long and drawn out. The ending was a complete snooze fest. When this is described as historical fiction… they really meant it would bore you back to last century. This was really bad I don’t know where the 5 star reviews are coming from

Lois grew up in a loveless home in Chicago. Her father, the wealthy owner of a meat packing industry, had no affection for her whatsoever and was grateful to marry her off to a lawyer. Her mother, having died earlier, was also unloving. Lois felt the marriage might supply her with the love she had always wanted. However, she soon found herself in a loveless marriage as well. In 1951, leaving a marriage on grounds of unhappiness was unheard of. The only way to get a divorce was to go to Reno, Nevada.

Her father, furious at Lois for choosing to divorce her husband, sends her to a Divorce Ranch in Reno for the six weeks needed for the divorce. Run by a woman named Rita, the Golden Yarrow provides a place for women awaiting their divorce in Reno. At the time, divorce was shameful and the women on the Ranch were often in a precarious state. It was thought unacceptable for a woman to live alone. She must stay in a rooming house or live with a roommate. The goal of most of the women, therefore, was to remarry as soon as possible.

Lois doesn't go out at night to the Casinos and Clubs with the others and keeps mainly to herself. She plans to move into a place of her own and has no plans to remarry. This choice, alone, sets her apart from them. She lounges by the pool during the day, which is where she meets a new, mysterious guest at the ranch.

Greer has come to the ranch awaiting her divorce. She has a giant bruise on her face, which the others whisper about. Choosing not to take meals with the others, and not allowing maid service, Greer remains in the shadows of the Golden Yarrow.

One day, while lounging at the pool. Lois meets Greer. The two form a friendship and soon, they are going out with the others to the Casinos. Greer is independent and encourages Lois to follow her dreams. Unlike the others, Greer thinks every woman should follow her own desires and not become merely a man's accessory.

As Greer begins to have more influence over the others, she and Rita become at odds. Rita sees Greer as a troublemaker. The others see her as a sort of leader, giving them new ideas about life.

But is Greer who she seems to be? What dark past sent her to the Golden Yarrow? When tragedy happens and the others find out the truth, will it be too late?

This story keeps you guessing. I rooted for Lois to the very end. I can not imagine the courage it took her to leave her marriage and search for her own happiness in a world that saw her as nothing but a housewife. A must-read for modern women, this novel is a stark reminder of how far women have come.

Some books just don’t match their respective blurbs. It was the blurb that attracted me to this novel. Set in the 1950s, this novel tells the story of a rich woman escaping a loveless marriage by obtaining a quickie Reno divorce. The only way “respectable ladies” did this was to maintain six-week residency, promise to permanently reside in Nevada and name grounds. These residences were called “ranches”. Think sorority houses where grown women are watched.

That explains the main part of the novel. Lois, the protagonist, goes to the ranch at the insistence of her father. Lois is the typical rich housewife. She wants out from what she knows she shouldn’t have entered in the first place. The ranch is run by Rita and Bailey. Confidentiality is their main goal. Who wants this kind of information to get out to society?

I think this is the best part of the novel. There is a sense of female solidarity within the ranch and most of these women are just lost. I do enjoy reading about this time period and found the characters richly drawn and interesting.

Then enters the Gatsby-esque Greer under cover of night. She takes her meals privately, and after some snooping, Lois finds her with a large discolored bruise on her face. Greer takes Lous under her wing, teaching her how to dress “better” and challenging her ideas. But Greer isn’t all she seems. And Lois is under her spell.

I’m not sure what I’m supposed to think of this relationship. I thought Greer would be the catalyst for Lois’ maturity. But it seems that part of the point is that all women also but a price of friendship.

The last third of the novel didn’t really work for me, and the last few pages end the novel entirely too abruptly. On the strength of the first part of the novel, I will rate this three stars. But I’m not sure if the author really knew where these characters were going. Unfortunately it just didn’t work.

Thanks for the ARC. This book was not the book for me - I had a hard time settling into the book, and found myself wanting to go a layer deeper the whole time. I felt like it was a lot of rinse and repeat for the plot and wanted something big to happen. The big thing finally happened, and it still felt a bit small. I wanted an epilogue or something to wrap this book up in a bow.

I had a very hard time staying interested in this book.

I was interested in the fact that women had to go somewhere to get a divorce years ago, and thought the storyline would be much better. I liked Lois's character, but thought from the first time that Greer entered the story, that Greer would end up not being the person Lois thought she was.

I thought the story line dragged on for most of the book and got tired of them going to the bar every night. I almost DNF this book, but I don't like to not finish them.
I would still like to read another book from this author. Maybe I will like another of her books more.

I had a very hard time settling into this book! For me, it was extremely slow, and I almost gave up several times.

However, it picked up a little over halfway through, and I was very curious about what would happen next and on down the road.

The saga of women who wanted to divorce their husbands and went to Nevada to accomplish that seems very sad when reading this. Lois is from the Midwest and is staying at the Golden Yarrow Ranch—-sounds more glamorous than it likely was. There are several women at the ranch, and then Greer appears, an enigma from the beginning. She seemed a mystery, but it took quite awhile to find out the truth about her.

These women had very few choices. It’s easy to see why they might have done some of the things described in these pages.

After sticking it out, I am now a fan of the author. This story is worth it!

Women go to this Reno ranch to establish residency in order to get a divorce. They must live there for at least 6 weeks and have a lawyer assigned. They must get along and be seen every day and follow other rules of the ranch.

•Plot: 4/5 (A young woman temporarily moves to Reno so she can divorce her husband.)

•Characters: 3/5 (I really enjoyed Lois’ character development throughout the novel, but she also felt very detached to me.)

•Writing: 4/5 (Very to the point and straight forward style; I really enjoyed the first half and last quarter of the book. There is one section that lagged for me.)

•Ending: 3/5 (So abrupt, but you also get to see what happened to Lois and can fill in the blanks.)

I kept humming “You’re on Your Own, Kid” while reading this one. It’s truly amazing how far women have come- did y’all know that not too long ago we couldn’t have credit cards or divorce our husbands?! I really enjoyed the overall story of Lois finding herself and the vibe of Reno in the 50s/60s. Special thanks to the author, NetGalley, and Flatiron Books for my ARC.

Welcome to 1951 Reno, Nevada where woman can live on a “divorce ranch” for six weeks to establish residency while filing for a divorce from their husband. Here we meet Lois, a bored and stifled housewife, winding her way to Reno via Chicago to seek a divorce from her husband. After arriving at the Golden Yarrow ranch, Lois has a hard time connecting with the other women present and withdrawals into herself until an exciting new guest arrives in the middle of the night. Greer turns up with a nasty bruise, a hastily packed suitcase, and air of mystery that no one can unfurl.

As the novel progresses, the reader spends time debating whether Greer with be Lois’s salvation to discovering the life she always wanted or lead her to her ruin.

This book was quite the sleeper in regards to pacing. It’s a quick read though and one that keeps the reader intrigued enough over the mystery of Greer to make it overall enjoyable.

For me, the highlight characters in the book were Bea, one of the girls’ caretakers at the ranch, and Mary Elizabeth, a woman seeking a divorce who arrives on the same train as Lois. If this book had been their story, I could see myself rating it much higher.

The Divorcees explores an exciting premise about The Golden Yarrow, one of the divorce ranches in Reno, Nevada. It is a coming-of-age novel in which the main character discovers herself and her independence.

The women on the ranch must stay for six weeks before getting their divorce. Lois Sauders escapes from a loveless marriage and a controlling father. And then she meets Greer, and her life immediately changes.

The novel develops slowly, specifically revealing the relationship between the naïve Lois and the manipulative Greer, who wields power and influence over the women at the ranch. But the novel ramps up at the end when Lois realizes the truth about Greer and her real intentions. I enjoyed reading about divorce ranches in the 50s and the novel’s focus on female relationships and friendship. I thank Net Galley for allowing me to read and review it. #NetGalley #The Divorcees #Women's Fiction

I would like to thank Net galley and Flatiron Books for the opportunity to read this as an ARC. The topic of this book, the "Divorce ranches " in Nevada in the 50's and 60's was one that seemed fascinating.I have seen movies ( the Women, and The Misfits)and recently read a book- Better luck Next Time, that were on this topic. I enjoyed the aforementioned movies and books. I did not enjoy this book. I really wanted to like it, a lot.It started out promising, following 2 women who take a train to a ranch to wait out their 6 weeks prior to a divorce. Lois left her husband, because he wanted children and she did not. She seemed to have gotten married because she wanted to leave her father, and now she seems headed back to him. Mary Elizabeth seems more distressed, hiding something, and frail. I really thought the book would be about the two of them. And while there are many characters in the story,a new one comes in about a third of the way through-Greer. And everyone takes a back seat to her. We lean about her in bits and pieces, through Lois's viewpoint. Greer is also seeking a divorce, and befriends Lois, but why, and for what purpose is what drives the story. The story is slow moving and ponderous. I enjoyed the first part, but liked it less as the book continued. I give 3 stars for the first third of the book.

If you read my reviews, you know I'm a fan of slower-paced, character-driven novels. I also enjoy historical fiction that doesn't revolve around wars. This one was slower paced (VERY slow paced). I did encounter some struggles with it.

In this debut, our main character Lois is seeking a divorce from her husband in 1951. She needs to go to a "divorce ranch" (which actually has horses!) in Reno for six weeks to get the divorce. Once at the ranch, she's rather withdrawn until fellow divorcee Greer shows up. Greer gets her out on the town and going to casinos.

Lois is enamored by Greer. So at halfway I think this novel is going to turn into a lesbian love affair. It seemed to have some erotic undertones, and I was trying to figure out Lois's character. And this was a problem with me because I didn't feel like I ever really understood Lois. I *think* Lois felt like she never had any say in her life because she went from a controlling father to a controlling husband. So Greer got her out of her shell and gave her the confidence to try things.

The novel doesn't end up explore their relationship, but it does veer directions again and becomes a heist novel of sorts. I wasn't expecting that.

I found the pace of this novel to be achingly slow. I thought that Reno in 1951 would be a great backdrop, but there was precious little about the setting other than a few outside desert scenes. The old-time casinos didn't come to life liked I had hoped they would. There are some other residents at the divorce ranch, but I didn't feel like I got to know them especially well - or even Lois for that matter. The character I felt I knew the best was Greer. Hmmm, maybe I would have liked the novel more if it were from Greer's perspective.

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Takes place in the 1950s when women were basically the property of their husbands. You went from your childhood home to your husbands home - you did not live on your own. Lois was an only child and when her mother died, she was left with her father, who worked all the time or sat alone in his den, and the housekeeper, Ela. She was lonely. Marrying Lawrence was a way out. But the marriage was loveless and she wanted out. Spending six weeks in Reno allows you to divorce. Lois stayed at the Golden Yarrow, a famous "Divorcee ranch" There she meets and befriends other women, many with worse issues than Lois. Then Greer shows up. Lois is intrigued and makes future plans with Greer. Will it all work out or will Lois have to return to her father's house and marry again?

I had no idea that divorce ranches even existed and learning about the inner workings of these places and the women who are patrons is quite interesting. The main character, Lois, is less interesting; she is superficial and detached from the others. While this is likely truthful characterization, it also makes for a very unrelatable character. I was more interested in the other guests and the women who run the ranch.

The history of the area and the concept of the novel are appealing, but it is a very slow read.