Verity by Colleen Hoover

 

This tense psychological thriller opens with Lowen Ashleigh, a novelist, who is introduced to Jeremy Crawford, the husband of famous thriller writer Verity, who has been in a terrible car accident (some say a suicide attempt) after losing her twin daughters to two tragic accidents.  Verity is barely alive, and Jeremy hired a nurse to care for her.  Verity's publishers are seeking someone to write the last three books in Verity's famous series.  Jeremy tells her that Verity admires Lowen's writing and that he wants her to write the rest of the series.  Lowen, an introvert, has not had much success in the publishing world.  It doesn't help that she refuses to go on book tours or participate in social media to promote her books.  This is why she lives in New York City: to hide from the world.

Jeremy and Verity still have a five-year-old boy, Crew, who is having a hard time of it after all the tragedy.  Jeremy has Lowen come to his and Verity's house in Connecticut to research the series and look for any outlines Verity might have written.  Instead of outlines, Lowen finds an autobiography Verity wrote.  This unpublished manuscript is very dark and paints Verity as a sex fiend who obsesses over her husband and wants him to love only her, not the children they have, which she resents for putting her in last place.  As Lowen reads about Jeremy in the autobiography, the two bond over their losses.  As she spends more time with Jeremy, she finds herself falling for him and wanting him to forget that he's a married man.    

This creepy book enfolds you in the mystery that is Verity, another name for truth, that this novel attempts to uncover from all the lives involved.  But this thriller has a gotcha that is found in most thrillers today, and while I guessed some of it, I really didn't expect the surprise ending.  I want to thank Tyf, a friend from college, who told me to read this book years ago when it came out.  I finally got to it, just in time to watch the movie coming out soon.   This is a book worth looking into.

Quotes

Most people come to New York to be discovered.  The rest of us come here to hide.

Colleen Hoover (Verity, p.6)

It's what you do when you've experienced the worst of the worst.  You seek out people like you...people worse off than you...and you use them to make yourself feel better about the terrible things that have happened to you.

Colleen Hoover (Verity, p.7-8)

I wasn't simple. I was difficult.  An emotionally challenging puzzle he wasn't up for solving.  Which was fine.  I wasn't in the mood to be solved.

Colleen Hoover (Verity, p.21)

I think the idea of me is better than the reality of me.

Colleen Hoover (Verity, p.25)

Thinking I'm not good enough is part of the writing process.

Colleen Hoover (Verity, p.41)

Find what you love and let it kill you.

Charles Bukowski

You can't look at someone the way he looked at me--with the entirety of his past--without also imagining the future.

Colleen Hoover (Verity, p.71)

And that's what love at first sight is.  It isn't really love at first sight until you've been with the person long enough for it to become love at first sight.

Colleen Hoover (Verity, p.73)

But when a person finds someone who makes all the negativity in their life disappear, it's hard not to feed off that person.

Colleen Hoover (Verity, p.83)

I might be obsessed with him, but a woman knows if she wants to keep a man forever, she has to act like she could get over him in a day.

Colleen Hoover (Verity, p.85)

It's very simple, really.  Take care of your physical being.  Feed it what it needs, not what the conscience tells you it wants.  Giving in to cravings of the mind that ultimately hurt the body is like a weak parent giving in to her child.  "Oh, you had a bad day?  Do you want an entire box of cookies?  Okay, sweetie. Eat it.  And drink this soda while you're at it."  Caring for your body is no different from caring for a child.  Sometimes it's hard, sometimes it sucks, sometimes you just want to give in, but if you do, you'll pay for the consequences eighteen years down the road.

Colleen Hoover (Verity, p.103-4)

This is the first time I've ever had a guy open a door for me.  Dammit.  How messed up is that?

Colleen Hoover (Verity, p.124)

A terrible sex life is like a virus.  Your marriage can be healthy in all other aspects, but once the sex dies out, it starts to infect all the other parts of your relationship.

Colleen Hoover (Verity, p.161)

It was one thing I hated most about being a mother.  All the fucking vomit.

Colleen Hoover (Verity, p.191)

Link to Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/Verity-Colleen-Hoover/dp/1538739720/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.aMb3fQIGyVKZjwodFzuDTScRzPmcOxTH7yUcDjClKtloRatWhxHqywvzu8sHl0wjCWqioP231X6btO4q4pKnJGBAMzcDPWrUTLVJn_F8a1Qyog2rgAdp3w5ZCfrzjsH3sDk1nOzhB3ilgSbyBiwIWhKGwhKfmHC4gPuHT30lO8gYpfVmd2yudTItFsHj-DE7cLntOy1VVbfBdOscO6I68QOjV_fUqDX8YF6VqZioH6g.dYLTg0jkKaH3qbbHLGJrkTCYfwb-cr4q3D1Y9sJF8bg&qid=1790279581&sr=1-1

Link to ThriftBooks:https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/verity_colleen-hoover/20153584/?resultid=adc61b33-d406-4bd0-9547-762832849a19#edition=60660156&idiq=48179562

Spider-Man Spider-Verse: Spider-Men by Brian Michael Bendis (Writer Spider-Man #4-5), David HIne with Fabrice Sapolsky (Writer Edge of Spider-Verse #1), Tom DeFalco (Writer Spider-Ham 25th Anniversary Special #1)

 

This graphic novel features Peter Parker from Earth-616, or the Amazing Spider-Man; Miles Morales, the Ultimate Spider-Man; Spider-Man Noir; Peni Parker, aka SP//dr; and Spider-Ham.  All of these Spider-Men will face off against Mysterio of 616, who gets rid of Peter Parker by sending him to another world so that he can rule Earth-616.  These Spideys must help him defeat Mysterio and get back to his own Earth.  Peter Parker makes the mistake of going to see Aunt Mae and Gwen Stacy.  The Peter Parker in this world is dead, and at first it is hard for them to see this other Peter Parker, but soon they are discussing the differences between their worlds.  

Other characters who appear in this comic are Nick Fury, Tony Stark, and Black Cat.  It is very well written, though that is no surprise, considering who wrote it.  The art, however, doesn't always live up to other artists' renderings of the subject matter.  For instance, I don't think the artistry for the Noir section is sufficiently dark and moody.  It really does not feel like the 30s and 40s.  I really enjoyed the Spider-Ham anniversary, which celebrates his birthday in a fun and hilarious way. Overall, I think that this is a good comic.  Three other comics in this series focus on different Spiders or villains. My slight disappointment in this one will not keep me from seeking them out, as this series has a unique concept that is very intriguing. 

Link To Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Spider-Man-Spider-Verse-Spider-Men-Enter-Book-ebook/dp/B07JHZV8DN/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1QO78MFJRG5FB&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.KEqo7OsM6IAT8OLJmW5w1-Pwg8XnPXEG_FiDE4_R70r0aeR2-IAkVC-qUGncD7IzieefNuWMfw7MdlU92AeNimZKyMTJxV8LJMjLvZI9hpLvsDXOERyixkGnvu6-wMiQX_EB5sQ9ymUMbBfUoEt_oW7MZm_XrCXdeSAHkDJ-6eYd7uAOaVmlmy-HvmqRM2Rc7TKg8Fk5SUxxiVdJy3Rz4CsP-IfCisglL3olxibrh-w.e_DQugzBLgT3ZbrxcGZ4WhpZi1oeIZ0A25VvgnA68js&dib_tag=se&keywords=spider-man+spider-verse+spider-men&qid=1790097569&s=digital-text&sprefix=spider-man+spider-verse+spider-men%2Cdigital-text%2C159&sr=1-1

Link to ThriftBooks: https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/into-the-spider-verse-spider-men_marvel-comics/18991565/?resultid=f2e50b47-17da-475a-bcd3-6bf2c37c0c80#edition=20240696&idiq=35505625

The English Masterpiece by Katherine Reay

Set in 1973 London, this brilliant novel focuses on two women: Diana, the first female Director of the Modernist Collection at the Tate Gallery; Lily, her assistant director who emulates Diana. Pablo Picasso has just died, and Diana wants to put on an intimate show of some of his works.  On opening day, Lily's job is to listen to the crowd talk about the exhibit and report back to Diana.  Lily is a painter and hopes for Diana to look at her portfolio and offer her a slot in her Emerging Modern Artists exhibit.  But everything goes downhill quickly when Lily looks at the paintings in order and says aloud what she thinks: that the painting Woman Laughing is a fake.  

The Tate's director fires her on the spot, as the London Times is there and has heard her.  Diana tells her to go wait in her office.  She decides to put off firing Lily, for the time being.  Meanwhile, an art insurance detective from New York, Connor, arrives to investigate, and the two get closer, even as Lily becomes a suspect in the forgery.  The real forger is setting her up as a fall guy.  

But this book is about more than art. It's about relationships.  Lily has locked her family out of her life because she feels to blame for an accident that took place twenty-two years ago that left her mother in a wheelchair.  Diana and her husband have a relationship where his ego is so big that there's no room for hers.  Both characters have difficulty with their families. It is also about the relationship between Lily and Diana.  Lily, who got her start working at St. Martin's art school cleaning and filing, gets her paints and canvases from the students' trash, and her "studio" is a utility closet.  Diana, meanwhile, is wealthy and has everything she could want.  She sees Lily as Eliza Doolittle and herself as Henry Higgins.  

I fell in love with this book on the first page when it mentions the Tate Gallery.  It is at the top of my list of places to see.  I also love art, though the Modernist Movement is not one of my favorites; I do appreciate it, and I once had a print of Picasso's Old Guitarist on my wall.  This book is set in a time when Nazi-stolen art is beginning to appear on the art market, as well as a lot of forgeries.  While labs exist to test paints and canvases, they are rarely used, and it makes it easier to sell a forgery. 

I really related to Lily, and even Diana.  They are two women trying to make it in the male-dominated field of art at a time when women's rights were a growing concern, and you had to work twice as hard for half as much.  Diana works hard to get to where she is, as does Lily, who started out as Diana's secretary and was promoted to assistant director.  These strong female characters must fight to find their way in this world, and while some may cheat to do so, sometimes it's necessary.  These two women have problems with family members that everyone can relate to, and problems in their relationship with each other.  This is a very relatable book and a good choice for a book club read.

Quotes

We live with our lies because we must.

Katherine Reay (The English Masterpiece, p.38)

Is love merely a covering for despair?  A plaster that doesn't quite cover the edges of the wound?  Does darkness always creep around the corners of joy and press upon it?  Shrink it?

Katherine Reay (The English Masterpiece, p.114)

Families are complicated, Lily.  You can love them and hurt them, want them to draw close while shoving them away.  Those two states--the pull and the push--can be true simultaneously.

Katherine Reay (The English Masterpiece, p.145)

Art is the singular soul, the flaws, the vulnerability, and the many all on display.

Katherine Reay (The English Masterpiece, p.153)

But feeling something and having the courage and vulnerability to act upon it are very different things.

Katherine Reay (The English Masterpiece, p.166)

We don't get to choose what life throws at us. I suppose we only choose our reactions, our responses to it.

Katherine Reay (The English Masterpiece, p.202)

Link to Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/English-Masterpiece-Novel-Katherine-Reay-ebook/dp/B0DMJQNKZ8/ref=sr_1_1?crid=16ZV3M2SI87GX&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.6-U8JikUThvFO3hEfcXVoqdfNDJqw9B78uUCmYBpEdW57pp82xcwZeNmZUENkF_RYbUtJPBt7oKEdeLKfRVR82-pkqFIF8ezSBMmHDA-4cU.Cu5Z8q5usjkpz1RO1WLUhMWkXyIfiW5C5tQwz_FV4WI&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+english+masterpiece+katherine+reay&qid=1789920312&s=digital-text&sprefix=the+english+mas%2Cdigital-text%2C167&sr=1-1

Link to ThriftBooks:https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-english-masterpiece/55263073/?resultid=9d321c4e-2f01-4ed1-9e99-73e7bd340170#edition=72052803&idiq=86061292

 

Henry Tudor Must Die by Jillian Laine

 

This alternative-history fantasy retells the story of Henry Tudor and his six wives.  Catherine of Aragon is living in exile without her daughter Mary and realizes she can fake her death when a nun who looks like her is very sick and dying.  The nun is buried with the pomp and circumstance of the former Queen she is imitating.  Lina, Catherine's childhood nickname, is now her name, and she starts working for the Helleborne Sisterhood, a large group of women run by Princess Marguerite of France.  This organization's goal is to provide equality for women in Europe. This means that women, in secret, are given an education, medical training, and work undercover in various countries as political spies who try to help the women of that country.

Lina is sent back to England from a Sisterhood hideaway to save Anne Boleyn, her enemy, who will quickly become her friend. Anne is a witch, and Lina gives her a bespelled ceremonial knife and spells she can use to keep from being beheaded.  On the chopping block, Anne casts a spell to make herself invisible and then cuts off her pinky finger to create a body double to die in her place.  Lina whisks her away to a hideout and waits for news from Princess Marguerite.  The princess has plans for the two to recruit witches for the cause.  They start with the great-great-grandniece of Joan of Arc, who helps them recruit hundreds more, saving many from being burned at the stake.  

None of this keeps Anne from her promise to kill Henry Tudor for the many evil things he has done.  Lina and Marguerite try to rein her in, but Anne knows that her time to enact revenge will come soon.  Meanwhile, Henry is on wife number five, Anne's cousin Katherine Howard.  Will the Sisterhood be able to save her from her fate?  This novel delves deep into the lives of the women and men of the 1500s and brings them into brilliant light, including the six wives, the Duke of Norfolk, Cromwell, and many others.  As these brave women try to right the wrongs against them, they will create strong bonds of friendship.   I found myself relating to these women and cheering them on.  While the ending is both sad and awesome, this is Laine's first adult novel, and she promises a sequel.  

Quotes

Just be happy when you can.  And when you can't, make your anger count.

Jillian Laine (Henry Tudor Must Die, p.130)

Gabriel had been beautiful in the way only a Parisian could be, with both strength and delicacy.

Jillian Laine (Henry Tudor Must Die, p. 149)

It was far easier for humans to devolve than to evolve.

Jillian Laine (Henry Tudor Must Die, p.211)

Perhaps this was how Anne felt--bottomless anger burning just hot enough to cover all her fear, for it was far easier to be angry than to be afraid.

Jillian Laine (Henry Tudor Must Die, p.214)

Link To Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Henry-Tudor-Must-Jillian-Laine-ebook/dp/B0FX849753/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1Q4U4L9A3MEHG&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.aY_d7rd2Lkyl3AXqvkPj7y2j0fRZUfgOKwWcyQuFJOFDcRL8zZdipdfoRyr2kqtNZLkWeVqWSyJecKrh8tIuPHkef2BnuYiyNsUFJX7S7BrDpuDximEmXjR6wnsacR2HimiPOtnlZ6u_niWOpO9V3Uid304CWshLJ5qSprCQ7qCdeESiDHviibmcnRu0z4HrEoxFMPPt4pzKIGpOQsSOLcfU_ZlSIAKgBfV8ng6cTps.7Xezg7BQ9_FcHPpZkd_S1PRN7tVcFtm4ccgVanXGnDw&dib_tag=se&keywords=henry+tudor+must+die&qid=1789658498&s=digital-text&sprefix=henry+tud%2Cdigital-text%2C162&sr=1-1

Link To ThriftBooks:https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/henry-tudor-must-die/57228246/?resultid=42bf7d7b-05ff-43f5-804a-6bedee6c7425#edition=74528260&idiq=87053506

Spider-Man Noir: The Gwen Stacy Affair by Erik Larsen (Writer), Andrea Broccardo (Artist), Marika Cresta (Artist), VC's Joe Sabino and Travis Lanham (Letterer), and Simone Di Meo (Cover Artist)

Set in 1939, right before the invasion of Poland, Peter Parker is a private eye whose business is failing and who has lost his apartment, going back and forth through history and different worlds to help.  His relationship with Mary Jane also fell apart, and his Aunt Mae knows about his secret identity, but deplores his use of guns.  He uses them because he is often outnumbered by gangsters with lots of guns.  He is about to lose his office, where he is currently living, if he doesn't get a client soon to pay the rent.  Then, a beautiful young woman named Gwen Stacy walks through his door, asking him to look into her father's, Chief Commissioner Gordon's, death.  She doesn't trust the cops because her father told her not to.  

Peter has been working on putting away the Scorpion Gang and uncovers that her father was a member of the gang, taking a cut of criminal activity.  Peter is also busy dealing with homegrown Nazis wanting to take over America and join Germany in taking over the world.  A German scientist, working on monstrous things, gets put away by Peter, but one of her experiments escapes and starts zapping energy from men.  Peter gets zapped and loses his Spidey powers. Now he's not sure how to help his city.  Also, it turns out that he killed Gordon in self-defence, but how can he tell Gwen that when she wants vengeance for her father and the two of them are kindling a romance?

The language is pure 30s and 40s slang, and the dark artwork places you in the noir setting. I really liked how the lettering that was used when Parker was thinking- squares were used with an old-fashioned typewriter font, which takes you back to another time and place.  This graphic novel is my first introduction to Spider-Man Noir in his own time and place.  I think that I'm going to go back to the beginning and read what happened before this novel.  Erik Larsen, the author of this book, has written many comics, including:  Savage Dragon, Spider-Man, Aquaman, Wolverine, Nova, The Defenders, Thor, the Doom Patrol, Captain America: The End, and Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Comics Magazine.

Link To Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Spider-Man-Noir-Gwen-Stacy-Affair/dp/1302967177/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2GXJA8YPQ1YJ6&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.vNk59GViqZK_cqL8LoHA8eHfmaPbglniPO4im9TZsvhBUDfttZ-xfW3_eQ6zyYD3fY0ue6wibfl9Zd3f9hygLGAUAEzstRzFF4Zsle3Ui1HYhX5r7-_aK1eI0KZetK1fnKXclPZiR5YbDrjikCPq3JOCdscOHNBvfEmw3ayKgTLbP499Fhwzi7SrBde4HPPpNrhnzB4PPFeRLS0jQBTzv7u66n9CIqCiUyortdzNXVI._Dthx30VAG7BgdssFFnX0gTynTzDqNZc5T4JImUqRB0&dib_tag=se&keywords=spiderman+noir&qid=1789492560&s=books&sprefix=spiderman+noir%2Cstripbooks%2C216&sr=1-3

Link To ThriftBooks:https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/spider-man-noir_erik-larsen/56802760/?resultid=8492f992-d2fc-420d-8417-d17abe3ee26f#edition=74231464&idiq=86542874

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The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose

Let me just say, I finished this book in one sitting.  It was so compelling, with a driving force that keeps you reading until the end.  Adam is married to Sarah, whose career as a top criminal attorney in D.C. has often kept her from her from spending time with her husband.  Adam, a once-famous novelist who hasn't published anything good in a long time, starts an affair with Kelly, a young, beautiful, married woman.  Adam meets Kelly at his and Sarah's vacation home in Prince Edward County, Virginia.  Adam is supposedly using the place to write.  Sarah, busy with work, never makes it out there.  Adam desperately wants a child, but Sarah doesn't.  One night, Adam is at the vacation home with Kelly, and after a night of rough sex and deep sleep, Adam wakes up at midnight remembering that he promised Sarah he would be home that night.  Adam writes Kelly a note professing his love for her and how he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.  When Adam gets home to Sarah, she surprises him by telling him that she wants a baby.  So now Adam wants to break things off with Kelly and focus on creating a family with Sarah.  

The next morning, the police arrive to take him in for questioning in the brutal murder of Kelly at the vacation home.  It turns out that Kelly's husband, Scott, is a sheriff's deputy who has been abusive to Kelly in the past and whom Kelly is afraid to leave.  Scott left messages on her phone that he knew about the affair and was going to kill her.   Adam tells the Sheriff this, but as Scott is one of theirs, no one believes him.  Adam has been set up by someone who knows what they are doing.  Sarah becomes Adam's attorney and is doing her best to get him off the charges, no matter how angry and heartbroken she is.   Adam does not make it easier.  He is given bail with the condition that he wear an ankle monitor and stay at the vacation home.  Adam is doing his own investigation into the murder and when he believes he has discovered who the killer is, he leaves the house to go and confront them, which puts Adam back in jail.  This is just one of the many stupid things that Adam does that makes it difficult for Sarah to defend him.  

This is an incredible read that keeps you guessing as to who the murderer is.  When Gone Girl came out, I learned to accept twists in thrillers, but Rose had me going from one suspect to another, never sure who the killer was. I could easily see them all doing it.  Rose creates strong motives for everyone in this edge-of-your-seat thrill ride. I wrote a review of Rose's Dating At The End of the World (https://nicolewbrown.blogspot.com/2026/02/dating-at-end-of-world-by-janeva-rose.html) about finding love during the zombie apocalypse.  That book was so good that I looked into reading some of her other books, and I wasn't disappointed.  This was an amazing read, and I highly recommend it.

Quotes

It's the only reason the human race isn't extinct: people with no purpose breed.

Jeneva Rose (The Perfect Marriage, p. 36)

Three years later, I asked her to marry me, and she said yes again.  And although she said yes to me countless times since then, I think that was the last time she truly meant it.

Jeneva Rose (The Perfect Marriage, p. 14)

I've learned that everyone has skeletons in the closet and that the people who appear to be good are usually the worst of them all.

Jeneva Rose (The Perfect Marriage, p. 78)

A sandwich and chips did me some good, as well as a power nap.  I'm starting to feel like myself again--and by that, I mean, hopeless and depressed--but definitely sobering up.

Jeneva Rose (The Perfect Marriage, p. 206)

I don't know if I believe that, but I'm hopeful.  Even when you have nothing left in your life, hope is the one thing that can never be taken away.

Jeneva Rose (The Perfect Marriage, p. 256)

Link to Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Marriage-Jeneva-Rose/dp/B0D9KL1WJK/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.fut-eeBsm6d8QEzNOX52DosHQpXLndoXhPWNJgZasW0jDcHro4wCpdoxRb3PVmR690AWf6Tu8Ugh1-6inqZBh3zyzXsDLLAYkGMYC8aRKEY7SfnkLvqUPvgKJbKZbh8hOqz0vwldhbF8ptnDI-04aF_lx-2SYCbl-0kqcWbH73LU7UUDOjmePA6ux2fA9_waOesL6G4SMPxcC8FVAC26XVgQowg_n9CBuyTvCXhtI9w.uPz0JNym41yQeLVaT6bItzPc1VmKA3drLmjjHxDj-bc&qid=1789327283&sr=1-1

Link to ThriftBooks: https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-perfect-marriage_jeneva-rose/26819475/?resultid=e3bbfe32-c64a-4676-bd3f-323aebbd516f#edition=71643955&idiq=83944218

 

The Book Club For Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick

 

This spectacular novel centers around four women who form a book club they call The Bettys after Betty Friedan, whose book The Feminine Mystique, published in 1963, the year this novel takes place which changes their lives. These women live in a planned subdivision called Concoria, just outside of D.C.  It's like an early version of HOA hell where they tell you what color your house can be and what you can plant in your yard.   

Bitsy, the youngest of the group, is twenty-three and married to a vet named King.  King has been desperately wanting children because he is nineteen years older than her.  Bitsy wanted to be a vet but couldn't get a referral from any of her professors for vet school.  Bitsy's husband lets her work as a stablehand, and it's there that she meets Katherine Graham, the future owner of The Washington Post.  King has his own negative ideas about Bitsy's ability to care for horses and is often mean-spirited. Viv is happily married to Tony and has six kids.  When her doctor refuses to give her a prescription for the birth control pill without her husband signing his okay on it, she winds up pregnant at a time when her kids were all in school, and she was considering going back to nursing. 

Catherine, a wealthy wife of a philandering husband, has four kids.  She is manic-depressive at a time when that is rarely recognized in the medical field.  Her new psychiatrist won't let her smoke during sessions and blames her for all the ills in her life.  Margaret, a wife and mother of three, met her husband, Walt, in college and majored in English, hoping to write.  When she enters a magazine contest, she doesn't win the contest but is instead offered a job as a columnist.  The only problem is that they want a light, funny column to entertain the housewives, with some of the articles being product ads.  On top of not exactly writing the column she wishes, her husband, jealous that she gets to do something she loves, calls it her jobette in a cruel way. 

These strong women help each other to see what they can be and through difficult times. This book provides a pretty good reading list for women and examines how both men and women weren't given much of a choice in what they did for a living, with men being forced to take jobs they hate to support the family and women feeling unfulfilled and wanting more in their lives than just being a homemaker. Bostwick really taps into the zeitgeist of the early feminist movement and how these women bucked what society determined their life should be.  This is a very thought-provoking novel that shows how far women have come and how much farther we have to go.

Quotes

Next-door neighbors were kind of a lottery; you get who you got.

Marie Bostwick (The Book Club for Troublesome Women, p 45)

I've always been good with horses.  In fact, sometimes I prefer them to people.

Marie Bostwick (The Book Club for Troublesome Women, p 48)

Why settle for enough when you can have more than enough.

 Marie Bostwick (The Book Club for Troublesome Women, p 66)

Men love nothing as much as explaining stuff to women.

Marie Bostwick (The Book Club for Troublesome Women, p. 70)

That's what fun is: putting yourself into a situation where everything could go horribly wrong, then somehow dodging the bullet.

Marie Bostwick (The Book Club for Troublesome Women, p. 79)

The formula for good leadership was nine parts discipline--one part mercy--and that one part was equally as important as the nine.

Marie Bostwick (The Book Club for Troublesome Women, p. 98)

Kids are like horses. They can smell fear.  You've got to know how to hold the line.

Marie Bostwick (The Book Club for Troublesome Women, p. 100)

Helen loathes Hemingway, found his themes repetitive--"No matter how terrible the male protagonist is, no matter how awful his choices, somehow it is always the woman's fault, always"--and his descriptions miserly--"Would it kill the man to use an adjective?  Is he paying for them by the pound?"

Marie Bostwick (The Book Club for Troublesome Women, p. 107)

It's smart. It's what men do.  Why do you think they join all those clubs--the Elks? The VFW? The Masons?  Congress! she cried.  To support one another, that's why.  Why do you think they call them booster clubs?  Because they're trying to boost each other over the wall or bend the rules in their favor to help the group.  If women stuck up for one another the way men do, this would be a very different world.

Marie Bostwick (The Book Club for Troublesome Women, p. 306)

A friend can give you a leg up to see what's on the other side of the wall, but you've got to pull yourself over the top.

Marie Bostwick (The Book Club for Troublesome Women, p. 330)

Margaret thought back to the words she'd written months before, that there were a million good and right ways to be a woman, and only two wrong ways.  First, to insist that your way was the only way.  Secondly, to allow your square-peg soul to be deformed and mishappen, pounded in the round hole of someone else's ideal.

Marie Bostwick (The Book Club for Troublesome Women, p. 341)

You can have it all, just not at the same time.

Betty Friedan

Denise was still an odd duck, but those were generally the ducks worth knowing.

Marie Bostwick (The Book Club for Troublesome Women, p. 351)

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