The Divorcées

A Novel

By: Rowan Beaird

Narrated by: Bailey Carr

A "delicious" (Rebecca Makkai) and "deeply compelling" (Lauren Groff) debut novel set at a 1950s Reno "divorce ranch," about the complex friendship between two women who dare to imagine a different future

Lois 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 famous “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, is prim and stifling. But it isn’t until Greer Lang 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. How far will she go to forge her independence, on her own terms?

Set in the glamorous, dizzying world of 1950s Reno, where housewives and movie stars rubbed shoulders at gin-soaked casinos, The Divorcees is a riveting listen and a dazzling exploration of female friendship, desire, and freedom.

A Macmillan Audio production from Flatiron Books.

©2024 Rowan Beaird (P)2024 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

A Most Anticipated Book (Entertainment Weekly, Elle, Today.com, Goodreads, Good Housekeeping, Chicago Review of Books, BookBub, Paste, Zibby Mag)

“Beaird digs into the idiosyncrasies of midcentury Reno, Nevada, when it was the divorce capital of the world in this journey into an oft-untapped era in fiction…Through the eyes of a more glamorous world, Beaird examines the true meaning of friendship and freedom.” —Entertainment Weekly

“In The Divorcées, the 1950s-era women deposited at the Golden Yarrow are waiting out the six-week residency that the state of Nevada requires for divorce, only for one of them (the aforementioned Lois) to encounter the entrancing Greer Lang. Their ensuing trip through sun-baked desert and neon-lit casinos tempts Lois to shed the restraints of her former self—even if she isn’t sure who she’ll be on the other side.”—Elle

“An eye-opening and unforgettable read about the lives whose stories were frequently left untold…It immediately marks Beaird as a writer to watch for years to come.”—Chicago Review of Books

Odd

The book, beginning to end, was just really odd, weird, random, no direction…then it suddenly ends.

Mispronouncing words!!

Coop instead of cup is ridiculous. I couldn’t hear past it every time. Just terrible.

It was different

I feel like the premise was so good but the execution was weird. This is kind of a rebirth story with the promise of a big payoff that never happens, but instead it just quietly ends with the main character being OK after all. Boring, interesting and weird by turns, I feel like there was a larger, richer story to tell.

The Ending

I enjoyed the book however the ending was anticlimactic. I was expecting more from the ending.

Ok

It was an interesting premise. The book was hard to follow with so many names, and then it didn’t have the closure I wanted. I was left feeling like I wanted more. Overall I was disappointed.

Niavete

The author jumps back and forth far too much. I found myself becoming confused about the time periods being read. Not the narrators fault, but I don’t think this lent itself well to beating read aloud.

Interesting

While it was interesting, the writing was dull and the story just sort of drop kicks you at the end.

Unexpectedly blah

I was hoping to learn more about the divorce hotels, instead this was a sorry story about a popular mean girl and insecure women who drink too much.

Disappointing Ending

The premise of this book was promising, as I knew nothing about Nevada ranches that hosted women who were waiting to divorce their husbands in the 1940s. However i was expecting much more from the story line. There is a lot of time spent on developing the main two characters, and I was hoping for more plot development in the last couple of hours. However after the climax, everything fell flat. The story could have been so much more, but just fell flat.

slow

The story was very slow and drawn out. Did not seem to have a destination