Loved this book! It was my first one by this author and I loved the plot! The title is what caught me and I ran with it. The characters fell in love with so easily & it was so easy to picture this as a movie in my head!

Let me just say this book is beautifully written. It's an ensemble piece with each chapter switching between different women and teenage girls as they deal with the often depressing reality of their Massachusetts town. Each chapter/character clearly has their own voice and actions; it's stunning to weave the pieces of their lives together.

Women and Children First takes place over the course of what seems like a year. Primarily, the book revolves around the events before the death of a student and the aftermath, though I feel like the before should have really been during. You find out pretty quickly a teenager has passed, so there never really is a before. Each character has their own personal connection and trauma, and we as the reader are just passing through. There is no real catharsis; instead, we have to sit in the uncomfortable den of someone else's tragedy. This isn't a book I would normally like because it is bleak, but I really connected with this story. It was beautiful because it felt so real to me, it was based in New England, but could have been Anywhere, USA.

There were two issues I did have with the book, the first being the timeline. At first, I thought we'd be going through the same day or the same set of days with each chapter, but the book seems to cover almost a year, and each chapter is moving the story along. I liked this as a plot mover, but it was also confusing. I had a hard time reconciling the events and where we were narratively. The second issue I had was I wish Lucy would have had a chapter. I get that her not having a chapter is poignant and makes a statement. In life, we rarely get an insight into someone's last moments or interior motivations, but it would have helped me care more about such a central part of the story.

Women and Children is a stunning debut and while there could have been a few minor changes, I genuinely enjoyed reading this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Zando/SJP Lit for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Quick read, well told through multiple narrators (honestly, a few too many). The main plot centers on the death of a young high school student at a party, but the various characters offer different perspectives in the slowly built details of the night.

i'm not sure 10 first person povs was the best option for this story (and when is it ever?) a lot of the women were too similar in tone and we barely got a chance to really get to know any of them. a very interesting take but it just didn't work for me. thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the copy!

Unfortunately, I did not finish this book. I gave it my best shot but around 20% in I completely lost interest. I think this story is for a less mature audience than a middle-aged woman, but I wouldn’t want my young daughters reading it either. Some of the statements were completely unwarranted, a lot of the paragraphs rambled, switched between characters and timeframes. Her description of her mother is what completely turned me off. My time is too valuable to waste it on unpleasant reading. The best I can do is 2 stars for effort.

Zando SJP Lit along with NetGalley provided this Galley edition for no requirement other than my offer to provide an unbiased review. This one comes in with 2 stars.

Unfortunately I did not enjoy this book. It was very difficult to read as it was boring and has no plot. However if you like the whole “no plot, just vibes” thing, this book may be for you.

Thanks to NetGalley and Zando for this advance reader copy, in exchange for an honest review. Women and Children First is a literary fiction story with an element of mystery to it; it tells the story of one teenage girl’s tragic untimely death at a house party through the perspective of 10 different women. We see some of the events leading up to this party, the party itself, and how life carries on for these individuals afterward.

There were some elements of this book that I absolutely loved! I thoroughly enjoyed the switch between different perspectives throughout the story and I really enjoyed seeing how different threads of these stories/perspectives would weave themselves together to support the larger narrative. At the same time, we truly are immersed in each individual perspective in this story, which means we dive deep into the character’s insecurities, inner battles, challenges, etc. I think this structure was so successful in giving us the literary fiction flavor, with character centric chapters, but also still contributing to the larger mystery/story at hand.

With all that being said, there were a few times throughout the book where I felt like the chapters/perspectives themselves were a bit disjointed. It took me a little while into the book to orient myself to the events of the story and what was going on. Overall, the shift between perspectives was not too jarring but, there were a few times where I needed to reread the last few pages to figure out where I was in the story and what was happening. However, this did not detract significantly from my reading of the story. I do wish the ending had a bit more of a finality to it, it seemed like the whole book was leading up to something and the ending just fell a bit flat.

But, I still really enjoyed this book!! I know I would get a lot out of it from a reread and I could definitely see myself picking this up again. Looking forward to seeing what others think when this comes out! Would definitely recommend!!

Women and Children First by Alina Grabowski

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

In the quiet coastal enclave of Nashquitten, Massachusetts, tragedy strikes. A young woman's life is cut short at a house party, leaving behind a web of unanswered questions and fractured lives.

Women and Children First weaves an intricate tapestry of grief, love, and interconnectedness.

The narrative unfolds through the eyes of ten local women, each grappling with their own demons, desires, and regrets. As they confront the loss of the young woman, their lives intersect in unexpected ways. The town's industries, once the heartbeat of Nashquitten, now echo with sorrow and suspicion. Grabowski masterfully captures the essence of a community bound by history, secrets, and shared pain.

The prose is both lyrical and raw, painting vivid portraits of these women as they navigate grief's treacherous waters. From the grieving mother to the stoic teacher, from the betrayed best friend to the enigmatic confidante, each character reveals layers of vulnerability and resilience. Their stories intertwine, revealing the delicate threads that connect them all.

This novel explores the fragility of life, the weight of loss, and the power of human connection.

Grabowski's writing is a symphony of emotions, evoking both tears and introspection. Her portrayal of Nashquitten feels authentic, its faded glory and hidden corners echoing the ache of its inhabitants.

The novel's title, borrowed from the maritime tradition of prioritizing women and children during emergencies, serves as a poignant metaphor. In Nashquitten, everyone grapples with their own emergencies—internal storms, fractured relationships, and unspoken truths. The tragedy becomes a catalyst for self-reflection, forgiveness, and redemption.

This wonderful book and chronicle of loss will leave an indelible mark on your soul.

Writing is captivating, and each narrator's individual stories add substance to this novel and I enjoyed one story told from numerous points of view.

I received this from Netgalley.com.

A rather sad, slow read which didn't fully grab my attention. It seemed disjointed as the story swept from viewpoint to viewpoint.

2☆

Grabowski's novel delves into the aftermath of a teenage girl's sudden death in a small, struggling town in Massachusetts. The narrative unfolds through the perspectives of ten women, spanning different ages, relationships, and degrees of connection to the young girl's life. These voices, whether closely entwined, on the fringes, or profoundly affected, collectively shape the poignant tapestry of the story.

The storytelling adopts a circular structure, with individual narratives navigating through time, oscillating between past and present. This dynamic approach propels the plot forward while offering fresh insights by revisiting events from varied perspectives. Despite the contemporary and complex nature of Grabowski's narrative, it resonates with timeless themes — the challenges faced by young girls transitioning into womanhood and the reflections of older women on their own youth.

Throughout the tale, there is a yearning for better communication between generations, with a desire for young girls to heed the wisdom of their mothers, and for mothers to better understand their daughters. This modern yet ageless tragedy is recommended for enthusiasts of women-centric literary fiction. Gratitude to NetGalley, Zando Projects, and SJP Lit for providing the e-ARC.

SJP has impeccable taste, this was such a visceral experience and the style and tone felt really fresh and relevant.

I will update this review once I post to socials and formulate some thoughts.

I think this book will make a big splash in literary fiction.

There was so much to like and admire about this book. It has a fantastic sense of place and rich characters. Some of the individual scenes and interactions between characters were some of the best I can ever remember reading. Personally I wished for more time with most of them, and found it difficult in some cases to continually move onto a new character. I think this structure might be challenging for some readers, but I think overall it was effective.

Well let’s start with this it was 10 women’s perspective 5 at one time and the other 5 at another time and my lord I got confused a lot during this book tbh. I loved the concept because each person had a bit of the girls story but it just came off as a lot to me idk but it was a beautiful story and written well just a tad too many characters for me personally

A story set off by the death of a young girl. With a wide cast of characters and abrupt shifts, I did not finish this one.

I genuinely wish that I had enjoyed this book the way that I thought | would. It had so much potential, but the rotating door of introducing new characters with no time to truly connect with them fell flat. It became incredibly confusing after a while and I began to forget characters that were introduced early on and the impact/connection they had to the story. I anticipated there to be an "aha" moment where everything came together, but it never really happened. This book was sad and showcased real life, but was too disjointed for me and I felt more confused at the end than I did the beginning, which did not seem intentional at all with the style of writing in the book.
Alina Grabowski is a beautiful writer, I would certainly try reading another story, this one just didn't have the connection a story of this magnitude should have.

Some gorgeous, raw writing. The structure of this book was so unique -- I wasn't sure I would love the narrative being separated into so many viewpoints but the author did a beautiful job carrying so many threads together. Each chapter was like a short story & each character so well developed with a distinct voice. Some funny, some emotional & deep.
I would love to reread this book especially once out for publication and see whether anything is changed about the ending.
Beautiful.

This is what a coming of age story should be. WACF is a trippy narrative woven around grief and tragedy, and it does so respectfully. Despite the switches of timelines and other back and forth, it deals with its subject matter with great care. I will be returning to this book again.

Women and Children First is a beautifully written novel surrounding the tragedy of a young girl in a small coastal town in Massachusetts. It's written in multiple different perspectives, leaving it to feel somewhat like connected short stories. Each perspective is written wonderfully, though I found the tonal shifts a little hard to get into at first. This is definitely a character driven novel. I recommend this to people who enjoy literary fiction.

Thank you, Netgalley, and the publisher for providing this ARC. All thoughts are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC to review.
2.5 stars, rounded down - however I believe my rating has to do with my personal expectations, and thus may be a tad too subjective.

I was incredibly drawn to Women and Children First from the get-go. From the blurb, the book promises to be an 'exquisite portrait of grief and interconnectedness', and as someone who worships books on the aforementioned, needless to say I couldn't wait to start reading this. However I quickly came to realize that perhaps this book would not be what I expected it to be.

The writing was fast-paced and yet nothing of substance was really being said, it felt as though I was in a perpetual state of 'Okay, and?' The novel felt as though it sought to cover so much in such a short period, and so the end result was an unfortunately disjointed experience that I could not connect to. I did not really - feel - any grief, I was rather just told of it.

Also, quite frankly, too much dialogue. But then again, that might be a personal preference issue.

Women and Children First by Alina Grabowski Is a book different from any other book I have read. It tells the stories of 10 women who had a relationship with one of the characters, Lucy, who died at a teenage drinking party. We see the death from the perspective of several of the women, but the reason for the death is unknown. The stories require the reader to pay attention. A person in one story who is unnamed may come back in another story as a main character. A memory by one character may be proven wrong by a character in another story. This book reflects real life where we don’t always see clearly what is really happening and we jump to conclusions and get it wrong.
I loved the writing in this book and loved each and every character. It was a bit hard to follow and required my full attention- a chart at the front of the book with a quick summary of each character would have appeased my lazy mind as I found myself going back to earlier chapters often (read this is book format rather than electronic!!). Looking forward to more from this author.
Thank you NetGalley for an ARC.