This book was not the easiest for me to get through. The story dragged at times, and it also jumped around (mostly at the beginning) between timelines. I think a linear timeline may have worked better, starting from Lois’ marriage and how things fell apart - I found that to be a compelling part of the story that didn’t get explored enough. Her relationship with Greer was interesting, but it could have been developed more. We didn’t get enough from the other girls at the ranch. The involvement of the casino just didn’t flow for me and the ending was abrupt.

A great audio book about a very interesting story. I loved the twist and reading about women going to Reno for divorces.

Set in the 1950's, the Golden Yarrow in Reno, NV is a glorified boardinghouse for elite women filing for a divorce. They were catered to there while they waited their 6 week requirement for a divorce. Lois is a young twenty-something year old who left a controlling father, only to marry a man who is equally controlling, and is still under his mother's thumb. Fleeing to Reno to seek a divorce, she ends up at the Golden Yarrow. Most of the other women there really serve no purpose in the story - it's not until mysterious Greer shows up that the story picks up. The women spend their time lounging, indulging in horseback riding on the trails, but mainly drinking themselves into drunken stages every night. I found this tiresome. When Greer proposes a get rich quick scheme, Lois is sucked in by being "chosen" by Greer to help, but she should have listened to her inner doubts. I really wanted to like this book much more than I did, but I felt the characters were just flat and Lois really didn't show as much growth as I would have hoped. And it was pretty evident that Greer was a bad apple. I was given an ARCby Netgalley for my honest review, all opinions are my own.

Two and half stars rounded up. The only word to describe this book is boring. Lois is an incredibly flat and uninteresting character, and Greer is so predictable it’s almost comical. What could have been an atmospheric and compelling character story in the vein of ‘Eileen’ (a better version of what this wanted to be) fell incredibly flat. Don’t let the chic cover fool you.

(Thanks to @flatiron_books and @macmillan.audio #gifted.) 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗗𝗜𝗩𝗢𝗥𝗖𝗘𝗘𝗦 by debut author Rowan Beaird follows Lois, a woman in her mid-twenties, who finds herself at a marital crossroads. She knows she can’t stay in a marriage where she’s deeply unhappy, but it’s 1951 and great shame is still widely attached to divorced women and getting a divorce can itself be difficult. Moving from the controlling rigor of her marriage to her father’s equally soul crushing expectations, Lois is shipped to Reno, NV and one of the many divorce ranches that had become a cottage industry there. After living in the state for six weeks, a divorce could easily be granted. During that time, Lois meets other women in similar positions, becoming close to some and learning lessons from others.⁣
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While the overall story was not entirely surprising, I really liked the setting as I know this area all too well. Over the years, many relatives migrated from the Bay Area to Northern Nevada, including my own mother when I was in college. (Thank goodness I missed out on that!) It was fun hearing about Reno in its more glamorous days. I also enjoyed the Nevada divorce connection which again relates to my mom. In the mid-60’s she found herself in need of a divorce, but at that time they still weren’t easy to get…except in NV. Mom left our stepdad, called in my grandparents to mind us kids, and took herself to Nevada for a “quickie” divorce. She wasn’t living on a glamorous ranch when we visited, but in short order she had that divorce!⁣
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𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘪𝘷𝘰𝘳𝘤é𝘦𝘴 audiobook was narrated by Bailey Carr who is new to me, and a narrator I’d be happy to hear again. That, combined with the personal connections made this a story that wasn’t perfect, but that worked well for me. If you’re looking for some light summer listening, consider this one. If you happen to be a Nevada history buff, definitely go for it! ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75 (rounded up)

The Divorcees by Rowan BairdThis is what I did today in the car-besides eating lots of snacks- I finished this book!
The idea of it really intrigued me- women in the 50s had to go to Nevada to get a divorce and had to become a resident. So in order for them to be there for 6 weeks "ranches" were set up where they could stay. If you had money you could stay at places like Rita's Golden Yarrow where you had a pool, great meals and transportation to the night life. Here we meet Lois who has been sent by her father. Lois had been married for 4 years and realized her life was getting smaller and smaller. So she got her father to agree that she could divorce Lawrence and thus was sent to the Golden Yarrow.
This character driven novel is Rowan Beaird's first novel and I can't wait for more. AND - I'm saying it again- this needs to be a movie!!!
@reesesbookclub @reesewitherspoon It publishes March 19,2024 from @flatiron_books. Thank you @netgalley for an early copy!!
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Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. This was a fictional fiction book that takes place in 1950. It follows a woman who has decided that she doesn't want child but wants a divorce from her husband. But at that time they were hard to get.

Jesus Christ this book is so boring.
I'm giving up at the halfway point. The characters are bland, there's no plot, nothing is happening. There better be a murder or something in the second half to make this worthwhile.

3/5 - A fascinating read. I’d never heard of divorcee ranches until I read this and was super intrigued by the topic and time period. I thought the concept and a lot of the big themes like friendship, independence, self worth and trusting your gut were well addressed and the writing was fabulous - descriptive and nuanced and artful. That being said, I didn’t find any of the characters to be particularly likable - some were insufferable and some simply frustrating - so overall this story stressed me out more than anything. It also is very much NOT a light read (topically, like oh to be a woman during that time, woof), so maybe the vibes were off for me at this point in my life. If you like a moody book with history and some deepness and darkness, you’d probably vibe with it!

Thank you to @netgalley, Flatiron and Rowan Beaird for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. Out now!

These types of ranches are something I've read very little about and Beaird had me at the edge of my seat despite this not being a plot driven novel. I was fascinated by the world created and didn't want to leave. Highly recommend!

Of historical value, this startling debut novel reflects the life of women who came to Nevada in the 1950s for a six week stay primarily at various ranches set up to accommodate the women in order to be granted a divorce. It shares the responsibilities of the hostess who has to validate the fact that each person was present for the entire six weeks. While it seemed to drag as a storyline at times, suddenly there are events that shake you out of your sleepy reading whether it’s the description of the barren dry land within a glimpse of a beautiful vista; a repetition of an evening starting with cocktail hour at the ranch and then continuing 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. Two gals are the primary characters with such a story to be told. Thanks to Flatiron Books and NetGalley for an advance copy; the review is my honest opinion.

Divorce Destination in Reno

I’m old enough to remember the stories about Reno and the six week stay to guarantee a woman’s residency to obtain a divorce. Nevada’s law made Nevada the quickest state for divorce starting, I believe, in the 1950’s.

The author of this book introduced the reader to the process and the heterogenous women who showed up at the Reno ranch to stay six weeks. It became a divorce destination that allowed women to ditch their husbands. Of course, the soon-to-be divorcee had to afford this type of getaway. They usually had money or the soon-to-be ex-husbands footed the bill.

The central character is Lois Saunders, a lonely, rather shy woman from Lake Forest, IL. Lake Forest, particularly in the 50’s, was upper class, quiet and wealthy. This stay changed some women; some were very shy or others were self-assured; there were several fleeing from physical abuse.

Most of them accept they will end up in a second marriage or possibly repression and lack of confidence will repeat itself. The author uses The Golden Yarrow ranch as the location, not sure of this was an actual name.

Despite the fact that I knew about that era, Rowan Beaird brought lonely women to life and those that desperately needed some freedom.

My gratitude to NetGalley and Flatiron books for this pre-published book. All opinions expressed are my own.

📚: The Divorcées by Rowan Beaird
⭐️: 2.5/5 (rounding down on #goodreads)

Set in Reno, Nevada, main character Lois is spending her mandatory 6 weeks at divorce ranch Golden Yarrow in 1951. Living with a handful of other soon-to-be-divorcees, Lois stays to herself until Greer arrives. Mysterious, sophisticated, and outspoken, Greer is everything that Lois is not, making them an unexpected match during their stays, with Greer’s influence dominating the entire house.

The premise of this plot has so much potential - women seeking divorce in the 1950s. Them seeing, learning, understanding what it is that their soon to be ex-husbands have taken from them, from who they are. Navigating toxic friendships while mapping out life on their own. But somehow, this book’s execution fumbles and reads entirely surface level. I didn’t feel connected to any of the characters - even to the mystique that is Greer. (It doesn’t help that the pace doesn’t pick up until 70%+ in.)

This could have also done well with a stronger backstory. Additional context around what divorcee ranches like Golden Yarrow were and why they existed would have set the book up stronger and allowed (possibly) for a connection with readers. I wanted to care what came of these divorcees after they left Yellow Canyon, but ultimately, I didn’t.

Thank you to @flatiron_books via @netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. The Divorcees is out today, 3/19.

Rowan Beaird transports the reader to 1950’s America where mothers advised their daughters that “[a]s awful as it is, marriage is the only way for a woman to get any freedom.” Lois Goski née Saunders’ father told Lois that she was a fool to have rushed into her marriage and now she was a fool to leave it, yet he agrees to pay for her to stay in Reno at the Golden Yarrow, a reputable institution that promised “discretion and supervision for wealthy girls in her same position.” When she returned, she would, in her father’s telling, sleep in her old bedroom until she found some other “naive man from Lake Forest to marry” because, “what else could you possibly do?” But, Lois hated being married to Lawrence who spoke to her as if she were his secretary, and was both indifferent and critical of her at the same time. She was terrified of becoming a mother (her own mother straining under the weight of one child), nor could she stomach the idea of being only a daughter.

On the train to Reno, Lois meets the sweet Mary Elizabeth Brown from Lexington who will also be staying at the Golden Yarrow. Upon arrival, the proprietor, Rita, a divorced mother with two young daughters, introduces Lois and Mary Elizabeth to the other guests: Vera, the bumbling hanger-on whose husband cheated on her with their Irish maid and who is referred to by her children’s grandmother as a “fallen woman;” June, the valedictorian, who is marrying a screenwriter 7 years her junior, after having wed a friend of her father’s with whom she thought she was in love at 16; and Dorothy, the flirt, who coos over the gifts that arrive from her married paramour.

Although the divorcees had the run of downtown Reno, including the night clubs, bars, boutiques and hotels, Lois’s father had forbidden her from leaving the ranch. She feels separate and adrift from the other women whose deportment and clothing and luminous skin make her feel judged and inadequate. Then, the glamorous and mysterious Greer Lang arrives. She is a beautiful woman with a blooming bruise on the side of her face. She sequesters in her room for days, but then appears unexpectedly pool side where Lois is swimming and her “look is not one of judgment in the way Lois has experienced — not with the girls at the ranch or the countless others before that.” The magnetic Greer makes Lois feel seen and Lois, for whom lies come naturally, hungers for her attention. Lois is embraced by Greer and they forge a bond which allows Lois to blossom as she tries to decide who she will become separate from her identity as a wife and daughter.

The Divorcees is well-paced and beautifully written, expressing the period in small details that make for a cinematic novel. Thank you Flatiron Books and Net Galley for an advanced copy of this compelling examination of mid-century divorce and the divorce ranches.

Based on the the cover blurb I was really intrigued, especially with the environment and era setting. The book overall was a bit of a let down and boring. The characters weren’t really memorable, I most likely wouldn’t have finished the book if I wasn’t given this as an ARC.

I absolutely loved the premise of this book - a divorce ranch in the 1950s where women go to escape their husbands while they file for divorce. I really sympathized with Lois and thought she was a great main character to follow, especially since I would consider her 'plain' in comparison to some of the other women there.

I think it was the other women at the ranch that really sold this book for me, though. Although they were background/supporting characters, they were so rich and descriptively written, and they were all so interesting. I thought all of them went through character development that was enjoyable to read and not often achieved with that level of detail for supporting characters.

The book starts out pretty slow and only really focused on the characters, and the action doesn't really pick up until well into the book, but I think that made the ending that much more dramatic for me.

The Divorcees by Rowan Beaird
Rating: 3 stars
Pub date: 3/19

Lois Sanders wants a divorce, but in the 1950s, that’s not easy. Her father pays for her to travel to a divorce ranch in Reno, where she can wait out the allotted time to ask for one. Trapped in a loveless marriage, Lois finds solace and sisterhood among fellow divorce seekers at the Golden Yarrow. As she navigates the freedom of Nevada's six-week residency requirement, she encounters Greer Lang, whose unconventional spirit ignites a fire within Lois.

This debut novel captures the essence of female empowerment and the societal constraints of the era. I knew nothing about divorce ranches before starting this, and I thought it was an interesting topic to learn about. Through Lois's experiences at the ranch, we see the courage it takes to defy convention and embrace one's true self. The camaraderie among the divorcees is inspiring and shines a light on the importance of female friendships.

The premise and historical backdrop are intriguing, but the pacing is very slow. I listened to this on audio, and Bailey Carr's narration was excellent and kept me engaged with the story. If you like a slower pace and are interested in historical events that impacted women in the 1950s then this is the book for you. Thank you so much to Netgalley and Flatiron for my advanced reader copy. This book comes out on 3/19!

This novel was interesting and features a historical fact that is Very unknown by most Modern Readers. The divorce ranches in Reno, cater to rich and powerful women seeking a no fault divorce. However, I found the storyline a bit lacking, The characters were also underdeveloped and as if they were helpless leaves in the winds of other men's desires, until a powerful individual comes into their midst. Overall I believe this will be a good read for many, but not my cup of tea.

The Divorcées is a compelling read set primarily at a 1950s Reno ranch where several women are temporarily living in order to establish Nevada residency and finalize a divorce. The novel focuses on Lois, whose upbringing was less glamorous than those of her fellow guests and who lacks a firm plan for the future, all of which makes her vulnerable to a rapid and tumultuous friendship with a mysterious new guest. The book is well-paced, with a blend of tense action and scenes of quiet introspection, and provides a conclusion for the protagonist that is satisfying and well-earned.

Thanks to @NetGalley for the advanced copy!

I have mixed feelings on this one. I found the story to be slower paced than I prefer with 2/3 of the story being pretty much the same day on repeat. The last third picked up but then I felt disappointed and felt the ending was abrupt and a bit unsatisfying.

However, I like the authors writing and I will pick up more of her work. In addition, I haven’t read a book that has made me think much about what women had to do in the past to get a divorce and it felt like a very timely book to read being Women’s History Month. It spurred my anger at gender inequality and I’m just grateful to have been born when I was.

I would recommend to anyone who like slower paced women’s fiction and could see this being a good book club book to dissect some of the relationships and that ending.