... chapters alternate between Alice and Nellie, though more chapters are dedicated to modern-day Alice and her escalating power struggle with Nate; Nellie’s chapters transport readers to a time that was much different yet in some ways the same ... Brown kills it; her latest is a winner so captivating that fans of modern and old-fashioned stories about women could easily read it in one day.
Strong, well-drawn women anchor Brown's deeply thought-provoking, feminist novel. The spellbinding dual stories complement each other, raising themes of self-discovery, self-preservation and liberation for two women living eras apart.
Brown excels at bringing the complexities of women’s lives to the page, and her latest novel questions how much has really changed for women over the last 60 years. The pacing is brisk, the characters are appealing, and both time lines are equally well realized. Thoughtful, clever, and surprisingly dark, this could be a breakout hit for Brown.
Brown skillfully alternates between Alice’s modern world and Nellie’s in the 1950s. With plentiful historical details (including recipes and depressingly hilarious marriage advice), the pages devoted to Nellie come to life. As both women both start to feel even more stifled in their marriages, Brown ratchets up the tension and pulls off a surprising—but satisfying—ending ... An engaging and suspenseful look at how the patriarchy shaped women’s lives in the 1950s and continues to do so today.
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay[/caption]
