I was given a NetGalley widget for this one a year ago and I just got around to reading it and dangit it was so good. I am so thankful for the opportunity to have consumed this wildly relevant fictional tale, which felt not at all fictional, more like historical fiction, due to the times. The cover initially was what drew me in, but I'm so thankful to have stuck with it because the outcome was magical. I always love listening to audiobooks and when they sweep me off my feet, I'm just utterly captivated! I always really enjoy multi-cultural thrillers, for I embark on a journey through a land unknown to me, while still getting spooked.

I was lucky enough to receive a copy of this audiobook from NetGalley and Tantor Audio. I thoroughly enjoyed the single POV narration by Karissa Vacker and I would like to listen to more by her.
I’m not really sure what I expected when I chose this book. I guess I should have expected the sexual content considering it was about the ‘sexual revolution’. It wasn’t a turn off for me though. I spent the whole book wondering who Margot was going to end up with. I was rooting for her and her imperfect soldier.
I thought the book ended abruptly. Like all of a sudden graduation happens and her life is completely changed after parts of the story dragged.

I really wanted to love this book but it fell short for me. Margot is beyond naïve and very immature. Unfortunately, she doesn't mature very much as she grows up. Her mother is toxic and she mostly surrounds herself with toxic people. The book did end with a cliffhanger and I want to read the sequel to see how Margot's life turns out.
Many thanks to the author and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Margot by Wendell Steavenson
Colleen Chi-Girl's review on GoodReads - Jan 26, 2023
3 STARS
Audiobook - Well done narration, as usual, by: Karissa Vacker
Length: 8 hrs and 12 mins
Bookshelves: 2023, audio, feminism, historical-fiction, new-york, netgalley, women-centered

Publisher's Blurb:
It's the mid-1950s and Margot Thornsen is growing up between a Park Avenue apartment in New York and her family's sumptuous Oyster Bay estate as the presumed heir to her late grandfather's steel fortune. Her domineering (AND EMOTIONALLY ABUSIVE*) mother has charted a course for her-to forego education and marry well-but Margot is more interested in microscopes and beetles and books. When a devastating fire brings the family legacy crashing down and the sexual revolution dawns, a new path opens up-the expansive world of late-1960s Radcliffe College and the intellectual, cultural, and sexual freedom Margot has been reaching for. *MY WORDS

I wanted to love this book and there were parts that were very moving. Margot is a financially entitled young woman who is coming of age in this novel set in the 1950's-1970's. Her mother cares nothing more than that Margot marry someone wealthy. Her mother is unfeeling, unloving, selfish, and emotionally unavailable to her daughter and husband. The father goes along with his wife's antics and demands, but has become a quiet alcoholic.

Margot is beyond naive and stilted in her maturity, and doesn't mature very much through the decades. She begins college at Radcliffe where she becomes absorbed by the biological sciences. There is MUCH detail about her work and her classmates scientific work if that subject is of interest to you. The psychological trauma that the main character, Margot, endured by the hands of her mother, neighbors, and classmates, was so painful and felt unending. Margot is abused emotionally and physically.

The prose is well done by Steavenson who is an intelligent author. For me, however, it was just too depressing and just when you think things might get better, bam, more tragedy. I've read and enjoyed novels that are depressing and bleak, as my list of books show, but somehow this one didn't hold onto me.

I would like to thank Tantor Press, the author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Sadly I was disappointed in this book. Although I enjoyed the scientific conversations and information and the the 60's time period and all that was happening then I felt the development of the main character Margot fell short. I also felt like there was not flow and consistency with each chapter and that Margot seemed to have a child like mind throughout although she had many opportunities to grow and develop into who she could have been!

It’s the 1950s in New York, and Margot is from a well-to-do family with high expectations of her. Her mother has her life all planned out – no need for college when you marry rich and have plenty of children. But Margot loves science and is so tall and gangly that she’s constantly teased rather than admired. When a raging fire destroys her family’s fortunes and brings life as they know it to an end, Margot finds her escape in education, struggling to find her true self in the process.

I honestly wasn’t expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did. It’s a character-driven work that begins following Margot’s life when she’s a child up until she’s in her mid-twenties. The character development was wonderful and having the backdrop of the science, war, and gender norms of the mid-twentieth century made for excellent storytelling. The ending was also completely unexpected but was more perfect and bittersweet than I could have imagined.

This was a wonderful coming of age book that contained rich characters and fascinating historical details. My thanks to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for allowing me to read this work, which will be published January 24. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is literary fiction done really, really well!

The precision of language and framing of the time period is so spot on! Steavenson unfolds the sexual revolution through Margot’s skeptical yet impressionable eyes in a way that makes it impossible not to cheer for and hurt alongside our main character.

I am amazed at how the story brought the reader into the philosophical wrestlings around science (such as the scientific meaning of life and the morality of gene manipulation) that were discussed at that time time in a really open-ended way through Margot’s inner conflict. It made a very dense subject matter universal when the author reflected those struggles in Margot’s tense relationships, especially with her mother. This was very smart writing!

A lot of the ending is left to the reader’s imagination, which would make this a great book club pick or buddy read so you can trade theories!

A few minor things that kept this from being a 5-star read for me: The politicking among the middle class was a bit complex, and required me to rewind the audio at a few points to make sure I understood. Also, the tone felt foreboding in a way that the synopsis didn’t quite prepare me for.

Margot Thornsen is raised in a life of privilege in post-WWII NYC. Her overpowering mother has expectations of Margot to marry well as the heir to her grandfather's steel fortune. However, Margot only wants to go on to pursue an education in microbiology... uncommon in the 50s. A fire changes everything and the world is open to her as she heads to Radcliffe; right as the dawn of a new age is opening up in 1960s, one of cultural and sexual freedom.

Margot is funny at times, but mostly poignant and a touchstone of the epic times in the 60s. The journey of a introverted young girl to a woman becoming aware of her sexuality at a time when women didn't have a voice~ rings especially true in the current politcal climate.

The narration by Karissa Vacker is on point, as always. From achingly tender and innocent to demonstrating self discovery and pain, she once again proves she's a master with her voice.

Thank you Tantor Audio for the gifted audio! Available NOW!

A fantastic, thought provoking piece of literary fiction that functions well as a character study.

I loved everything about this, from its strong sense of time and place to its intense omniscience of its main character’s thoughts and feelings. I was surprised how interested I became in Margot’s studies and interests, given that genetics generally doesn’t do much for me.

The story is pretty bleak and has a lot of cruelty in it, and it’s a bit painful to see how much Margot suffers at the hands of others, but the writing is so good and the story so compellingly told that I found myself less averse than usual to what is essentially a real downer of a plot.

I wasn’t crazy about the semi-open ending, but it does seem fitting for the story so it didn’t really change my feelings on the book. Looking forward to exploring more of Steavenson’s work.

I enjoyed this in audiobook format. The narrator does an excellent job with tone and pacing, and the material lent itself surprisingly well to the format.

I LOVED this book except for the ending which was left purposely ambiguous but slightly predictable. It did leave me wanting to know more so I think a sequel would be nice! The characters were spot on for the time frame and the main character (Margot) was very likable. It was definitely interesting and I could not stop listening to it. Narration was excellent.

Margot by Wendell Steavenson was a very moving and thought provoking book. It examined an upper class dysfunctional family through the 1940’s, 1950’s and 1960’s. Margot was the first book that I had the pleasure of reading by Wendell Steavenson. I was drawn in right from the start and enjoyed the development of the many characters. It was well plotted and addressed many issues of that time period.

Margot Thornsen was an only child. She was brought up with an upper class upbringing. Her family owned a resident on Park Avenue in New York City and a sprawling house in Oyster Bay on Long Island. Each home had a full compliment of servants. The family had made their money in steel. Margot was an inquisitive, daring and strong willed child growing up. Her mother, though, was so domineering and negative toward Margot. Margot’s mother belittled her daughter constantly. Even though Margot started her life as a curious and adventurous young girl, her mother’s constant criticism soon curtailed those qualities and behaviors. She soon became insecure and self doubting. Margot was brought up by a multitude of nannies. Her mother kept finding fault with one nanny after another. She fired each one and then quickly hired a new one. Margot’s mother kept employing nannies for her daughter even when Margot was old enough not to have one any longer. Everything was about appearances and good manners for Margot’s mother. Her father was reserved and hardly ever interfered with things his wife did or said. He had returned from the war a changed man. Unfortunately, he had never fully recovered from his experiences in the war. Margot’s father drank to forget. Living with them as well was Margot’s elderly grandmother. Margot’s mother had a sister but when she ran off and married below her class the family had cut off all ties with her and her family.

Margot was a very bright child and was particularly interested in science. Since Margot spent so little time with her mother, was so overprotected and was denied normal experiences girls her age had, she was lacking the knowledge of everyday things and the language for those things. There were so many things and expressions Margot just didn’t understand but was often too embarrassed to ask someone to explain them to her. As smart as she was in book knowledge and things about science, she lacked the understanding for common everyday things.

As Margot got older, she aspired to attend Radcliffe College and become a scientist. Her mother could not understand her desire to go to college. According to her mother, all Margot needed to do was find a suitable husband, get married and have a family. That was the last thing Margot wanted. Then the unthinkable occurred. A fire consumed the family’s home in Oyster Bay. Margot’s family was stripped of their legacy, fortune and station in life. Margot’s mother was even more determined to get her daughter married off after that.

Despite her mother’s protests, Margot got accepted to Radcliffe and was soon immersed in the academic world. Her aspirations to become a scientist were finally coming true. She was given the opportunity to work on a special project and Margot discovered exciting facts in the field of genetics. She was so proud of her discovery. It was the 1960’s so Margot’s college years were volatile. She experienced the repercussions of the Vietnam War, several assassinations, protests, riots and even abortion. Although Margot had lived a very sheltered life before coming to Radcliffe, all of a sudden she was confronted with the whole sexual revolution and drug experimentation including tripping on LSD. It was a time for change. How would Margot fit into this new world she was discovering? Would she continue to let her mother dominate her life? How would Margot cope in this changing world? Would her aspirations to become a scientist come true?

Margot was a well written coming of age book. It portrayed Margot’s determination to escape the confines of the only life she ever knew. She wanted no part of the upper class upbringing she endured her whole life. Margot was a thought provoking book that explored the historical events of the times as well as the politics of those times. Having had grown up during those decades many memories were brought back. I enjoyed that the ending left me with possibility of a sequel. It would be very welcomed. I actually listened to the audiobook of Margot. It was very well narrated by Karissa Vacker. I highly recommend this book. Publication was January 3, 2023.

Thank you to Tantor Audio for allowing me to listen to the audiobook Margot by Wendell Steavenson through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Tantor audio for the review copy on NetGalley. Audiobook review for Margot by Wendell Steavenson.

I love this audiobook and am becoming quite a fan of Karissa Vacker's narration style, she captures style and nuance and tone very well.
Margot is very much my kind of character focused literary story and I loved the development of Margot's voice, her self-awareness, and her movement into her own career and intellect. I am not a fan of historical fiction per se but this story is enhanced by the setting and context, which are needed to give a bigger picture to the themes on Margot's clashes with her mother and others and the meaningful trajectories that open up for her during the 1960s.
This is a great book/audiobook for fans of character focused stories, particularly stories about women's lives and the women's/sexual revolution, and I hope this book finds fans and book clubs!

Margot was a great book, historical fiction in a sense given the time period. I liked reading about her toxic relationship with her mother, as well as the strictures of an upper-class upbringing.

Acclaimed journalist turned novelist Wendell Steavenson delivers a humorous, razor-sharp, moving and insightful coming-of-age tale following the journey of Margot Thornsen—titled MARGOT, set in New York during the exciting political and sexual revolutions of the 50s and 60s.

At age eight, we meet Margot and her self-absorbed and verbally abusive mom, Peggy Vanderloep Thornsen—her overbearing mother, has charted a course for her—to forego education and marry well, following society's expectations.

Do we have to lose ourselves to find ourselves? A novel about how we come into our own―the roads we take, and the ones we leave behind.

She wants something different than the privileged family's Park Avenue apartment and their Oyster Bay, Long Island, estate. Not a husband and a life her mother thinks she should have.

Going against the grain, Margot is fascinated with biochemistry, which blossoms at Radcliffe on her journey to pursue a career as a scientist.

The sexual revolution dawns and a new path opens up—the expansive world of late-1960s Radcliffe College and the intellectual, cultural, and sexual freedom she desires.

She gets quite the worldly education from a cast of colorful characters from childhood into college: Trip Merryweather, the boy from the mansion next door—keeping Margot on a string. His older brother, Richie, a medical student, and Margot's free-spirited friend, Maddy, and GI, Sandy Full, among others. Some scenes will make you laugh out loud!

From the social movement that resulted in liberalized attitudes toward sex and morality, the social norms were changing as sex became more widely discussed. The women's liberation movements sought to free women from social and moral confines—War, laws and feeling helpless at times.

With the introduction of the pill and second-wave feminism, women gained more control over their bodies and sexuality during the 1960s. Women had more power over their bodies (more than we do today) and were involved in the feminist movement. Also, abortion, Vietnam War, political unrest, and other topics are some of the many discussions in the book and worldly events during this era.

Intriguing, Margot dives into the new findings of the field of genetics. There are personal discoveries and scientific discoveries.

"The Haves and Have Nots."

Beautifully rendered, a compelling, moving portrait of a young woman’s struggle to break free from her upper-class upbringing amid the whirlwind years of the sexual revolution.

MARGOT is a well-written, thought-provoking novel crossing contemporary, political, historical, scientific, humor, and coming-of-age genres.

We also experience life from a young woman's viewpoint from life during this period as she finds her place in the ever-changing world. I grew up in the 50s and 60s, and I appreciated this trip down memory lane, the nostalgia, and it reminded me of Judy Blume's books.

With the cliffhanger ending—Margot's departure to London, wondering if there will be a sequel. I am definitely in for a continuation of the life of Margo.

Readers who enjoyed Jessica George's Maame debut coming-of-age will enjoy MARGOT; from a different background of one woman's journey into life.

🔉 AUDIOBOOK: I listened to the audiobook narrated by one of my favorite narrators, Karissa Vacker! Her performance was superb for a wide range of voices, which took the rating from 4 to 5 stars. Highly recommend the audiobook!

Looking forward to more from this talented author.

Many thanks to #TantorAudio and #NetGalley for a gifted ALC.

Blog Review Posted @
www.JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars
Pub Date: Jan 3, 2023
Jan 2023 Must-Read Books

Thank you Net Galley for an audio ARC of Margot by Wendell Steavenson. This is historical fiction at its finest. A young woman, coming into her own, rejecting society's standard and living. I loved the beautiful novel!