The Divorcées by Rowan Beaird is the story of a young woman, who married because she was lonely after her mother’s death. After four years of marriage, she leaves her husband and travels to a “divorce ranch” in Nevada. The year is 1951. While at the ranch she learns how to make friends, ride a horse, build muscle, and explore her desire to live alone and never marry again.

It sounds like Eat, Pray, Love doesn’t it? Well, it is and it isn’t.

The biggest thing I can say about this book is that it is a slow, slow burn. I mostly listened to the audiobook of this title which is listed as 9 hours and 49 minutes long.
After many walks with my headphones listening to this book, I found that listening to this book was starting to bum me out. Then I checked out a copy of this book at my local library to finish up the final twenty pages or so.
One thing that surprised me was how short this book actually is.
It turns out The Divorcées is only a 253 page book. To me, it seems like almost 10 hours of listening is a lot of listening for a short-ish book.
Not a lot of action happens in this book but that is not necessarily bad.
I would say that this book is characterized by atmosphere. If it were a film you might call it a noir.
So I liked it and I found it a little too dark for me at times. That is why I am awarding this book 3.5 stars out of 5.
I listened to an audiobook advanced reader’s copy which was read by Bailey Carr until I was 90% of the way finished, then I borrowed a copy of the book from my local library to finish up.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an audiobook ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Taking place on one of Reno's famous ranches for women seeking a divorce in the 1950s, the novel follows Lois and her fellow divorce seeking women as they fulfill their six week residency requirement. The audio is excellently narrated by Bailey Carr.

Unfortunately, this book just didn't work for me. I found myself bored and just wanting it to be over. I couldn't relate to or root for any of the characters. I'm sorry I missed my book club meeting with the author, for I'm sure that some of that discussion might have helped.

My review is simple: this book would have been much better if it had leaned into some lesbianism and dropped the weird third act mystery/heist element. Let me read about some lesbians trying to divorce their husbands while living in a remote commune in Nevada!!

The first part of this book weirdly felt a lot like the movie, A League of Their Own, if ALOTO had leaned more into the LGBT themes. After the halfway mark, this book went a little off the rails and had one of the most dissatisfying endings I’ve ever read in a book.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ALC.

This was OK, but not the best of the books written about divorce ranches in the '50s.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own

The audiobook narrator did an excellent job here. I would highly recommend this format. The book cover is gorgeous!

In this novel, Lois travels to Reno in order to get a divorce from her emotionally abusive husband. She meets several other women at the Golden Yarrow while they wait the required time to become divorcees. The tension in the story comes from Greer, one of the guests at the ranch, who coaxes the other girls to break the rules.

The story is well-researched, based on actual divorce ranches that existed in the 50s and 60s in Reno Nevada. The writing provokes the senses, conjuring vivid images of the surroundings in the desert, at the ranch, and at bars and casinos. The sensory details captivated me in this novel.

Overall I loved the atmosphere and authenticity of the setting, but the story needed to go deeper into the characters' internal lives. In the end, the novel couldn't decide what it wanted to be - an introspective story about the women growing as a result of their experiences in Reno, or a plot-driven account of their rebellion.

While I found the premise of this book extremely interesting, this fell short for me. I had to DNF at 70%. The characters were bland and the writing drug on.

There were no friendships between the women on the ranch--only cattiness.

This did, however, make me very thankful for the agency I have over my own choices.

Thank you Netgalley for the review copy.

Cool concept, lush setting, but it quickly became pretty run-of-the-mill. None of the characters were particularly compelling, but a decent story with a decently satisfying ending.

I really wanted to enjoy this book, the description of it really caught my attention but I felt like the story moved so slow with not a lot actually happening at the same time.
Through backstory we learn more about Lois, the main character, her marriage and what led her to the divorce ranch but the entire time I felt nothing but boredom when it came to her and her story.
Greer had more uumph to her that made me want to keep reading, but the entire friendship with Lois baffled me, with the petty crimes and dares mixed in that just made me more irritated with Lois.


In the end, nothing wowed me about the story or the characters and just ended up not enjoying it.

It took me a while to get to this and I lost my advanced copy so graciously provided by Netgalley and the publisher. So, upon publish I requested a copy at my local library.

I read this book and also listed on audio. I enjoyed the audio more than my read thanks.to the great narrator.

The story is relevant to what’s going on in the world currently in terms of women’s rights. Women had to have “good reason” to divorce their husband and even then could only seek divorce in certain states. Lois heads to Nevada to divorce her controlling mysoginist husband. At the ranch for divorcees, she meets several other women in the same position.

My thoughts: What drew me to this book was a historical point about which I did not know anything. I did know that in the 1950s, divorce was frowned upon, but I did not realize that there were actual ranches where women would go to stay while waiting for their divorce to get finalized. The idea of the story is great, how women adapt & survive. The story was so slow moving and had an abrupt end. I enjoyed the descriptions of the barren dry land within a glimpse of a beautiful vista; a repetition of an evening starting with cocktail hour at the ranch or the long night at a bar or a casino. The occupants are a study in themselves with the despair along with hopes and dreams of the future. I just wanted more.

I thought the concept of this novel was very interesting and I loved learning about the concept. I would have liked even more about the history personally. The narration by Bailey Carr was really easy to listen to. Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

I enjoyed this book for the most part, but the end felt very anticlimactic. The narrator was perfect for this one, and that definitely had a lot to do with me giving this book 4 stars (otherwise, probably would have been a 3 star). I was not a huge fan of the hate club most of the women in this book seemed to be in, but it felt so genuine in terms of what women are actually like. I can relate to the main characters feeling of being ostracized amongst a group of women who had similar “stains” on their own reputations. If you like a feel good book, this is not the one for you.

I really enjoyed the premise of this book but unfortunately the execution fell a bit flat for me. I loved the setting of a divorce ranch in Reno but I wanted more. I wish instead of focusing on one character who didn't get along with the other girls we got to see multiple POVs.

The pacing for this book was really inconsistent and oftentimes much too slow. I did enjoy the narration though.

The book was ok. I never could get hooked on it enough to want to read it and not put it down. It just wasn't a book for me.

This book did not keep my attention. The setting and idea of a “place to go” drew me but the characters weren’t all that interesting. I didn’t finish it.

The Divorcees had a great narrator who I thoroughly enjoyed listening to. The story is a bit of a slow burn, but I think it paid off well. I loved the topic-something I knew nothing about and it seems very relevant to the way woman act around romantic partners today.

THE DIVORCÉES review

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

👒My favorite thing about historical fiction is learning about parts of history I had never heard of. THE DIVORCÉES is about divorce ranches in Nevada in the 1960s. I listened to this one on audio and it was definitely an easy listen while working on chores and running errands!

👒Here’s a summary of the plot:👇
Lois feels stuck in an unhappy marriage. Unfortunately, the only place that allows women to file for divorce is Nevada. She finds herself living on a divorce ranch for six weeks to file and process her divorce. Her days are filled with lounging by the pool and waiting for time to pass. Until a new resident at the ranch seems determined to shake up Lois’s entire world.

👒The history part of this story and I wished the book had dived deeper into that aspect of it. I would have loved an author’s note about the research behind on the story or insight into actual women who’ve lived on a divorce ranch. The characters felt flat and I didn’t really feel invested in them or their stories unfortunately. This one was just okay imo. The history part was interesting but otherwise I’m not sure I’d recommend it.

👒Thanks @macmillan.audio for my advanced copy! THE DIVORCÉES is available now!

Lois Saunders, née Gorski, is headed west from Chicago to Reno, NV to divorce her husband. Lois will spend six weeks at the Golden Yarrow with several other women waiting for their divorces to be finalized.

In the 1950s, the divorce ranches of Reno were filled with women seeking to change their lives. It was interesting to glimpse this part of American history as it isn't a subject often talked about.

The story follows Lois's experience and the interactions she has with the other women at the ranch. One fellow divorcée in particular grabs her attention, the late arrival of Greer Lang. Greer comes across as elegant and sophisticated and her self-assured demeanor has all the women willing to do whatever she says, especially Lois.

There are lots of secrets among the women and this was what I enjoyed most, the peeling back of each of their facades to their true selves.

I listened to the audiobook and the reader had such a breathless quality to her voice that was a perfect fit for the time period of the story.

If you're looking for a historical fiction novel that is off the beaten path, I enjoyed this one and would recommend it.

Thank you Net Galley and Dreamscape Media for the advance listening copy.

Very nearly a DNF for me; the plot pacing is just unfortunate--much too slow--and while the divorce ranch concept is interesting and worth learning more about, and the author's descriptions of characters and places are quite well-done, the overall plot drags, Greer is annoying, and the Thelma and Louise vibe wears thin quite early on.

"The Divorcees" by Rowan Beaird is an interesting read with well-developed characters and an engaging storyline. However, at times, the pacing feels a bit slow, and some plot points could have been more fleshed out. Overall, it's worth a read!

Welcome to Reno in the 1950’s at a divorce ranch. A place that houses the women waiting out their 6 weeks of the required residency rule in order to obtain a divorce.
Narrated by the consistently sweet voiced Bailey Carr. We get an inside look to the pressures that women faced in those years and are reminded of how much things have changed for the better. We also see how two people in the same circumstances can cope so differently and use one another for their own gain.
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for granting me the opportunity to listen to this great audiobook .
#NetGalley #Goodreads ##MacmillanAudio