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DECADES (20th Century Series, Book #1)
 
 

DECADES (20th Century Series, Book #1) [Kindle Edition]

Ruth Harris
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

LOVE! ROMANCE! DRAMA!

"Powerful, gripping"--Women Today Book Club
"Brilliant" -- Fort Worth Star-Telegram
"A great, character-rich novel to curl up with...a novel that will stay with you after you've finished reading it--the sign of a great book!" --Amazon customer review

If you like passionate, can't-put-it-down fiction, you will love DECADES, the first book in Ruth Harris's 20th Century Series.

Spanning the years from the post-World War II 1940's to the rebellious "Make Love, Not War" 1960's, DECADES is the story of a marriage, a family and three generations of women facing the challenges of their changing times.

Evelyn is a loyal and loving wife.
Nat, her sexy, restless husband.
Barbara is the other woman, younger and beautiful, who thinks she can have everything--including another woman's husband.

Their conflicting desires and opposing values lead to a dramatic crisis and a satisfying conclusion.

HUSBANDS AND LOVERS (20th Century Series, Book #2)--Carlys Webber's lonely and insecure beginnings are in the past but her future is threatened when her loving husband turns into an angry stranger and she is tempted to find comfort in the arms of another man.

LOVE AND MONEY (20th Century Series, Book #3)--Rich girl, poor girl. Celebrity, outcast. Sisters and strangers. Lana Bantry and DeeDee Dahlen do not know of each other's existence and might never have met until their worlds collide when fate--and murder--bring them face to face.

MODERN WOMEN (20th Century Series, Book #4), a million copy New York Times bestseller, begins in Dallas, Texas with the assassination of John F. Kennedy on 11/22/63. MODERN WOMEN is about three memorable women who live and love during these exciting and tumultuous times.

THE LAST ROMANTICS (20th Century Series, Book #5) is a passionate and sweeping love story set in the glittering capitals of Paris and New York in the 1920's. If you loved MIDNIGHT IN PARIS and THE PARIS WIFE, you will love THE LAST ROMANTICS.

About the Author

A New York Times bestselling author, Ruth Harris's novels have sold millions of copies. Translated into 19 languages and sold in hardcover and paperback editions in more than 30 countries, Ruth's books were Literary Guild, Book-of-the-Month Club and book club selections around the world.

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
A book worth re-reading! March 16, 2011
Format:Kindle Edition
I first read "Decades" when I was 15 (I was one of those kids who skipped YA and headed straight for the adult section of the bookstore). I read it again in my 20s and again in my 30s, and found it equally compelling - and different - each time.

Each of the heroines is a metaphor for her own decade, showing both the good and the bad choices women faced, as well as the good and bad choices they made. The descriptions are particularly vivid, and often very funny. One of my favorites is (quoting/paraphrasing from memory): They would have had sex swinging from the chandeliers - if the hotel room had chandeliers.

Highly recommended, especially for those who miss the juicy, soapy, multi-generational novels of the 1980s.

Alina Adams
[...]
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Engaging and Thought Provoking December 28, 2011
Format:Kindle Edition
This engaging Novel explores the lives of three very different women who evolved in three very distinct eras. The glue that binds these women together is Nat, husband to Evelyn, Father to Joy and Lover to Barbara. These three women find themselves joined by their connection to Nat. Each woman deals with their conflicting needs and the moral values they grew up with. Their struggles lead to a stunning clash that will leave each one of them struggling with their own beliefs and judgments.

Barbara was married in the 50's and became the mother of two children. Her marriage was very traditional in the sense that she was expected to be devoted to her husband her children and her home. Barbara felt that there was something more she needed to be fulfilled. She ends up divorced from a husband whose top priority is work. She strives to become a single mother and a force in the workplace. She struggles with relationships and trust issues until she meets Nat and becomes his mistress.

Evelyn is a classic product of the 40's and is married and extremely devoted to Nat. Her goal is to please him and make him and their home as comfortable as possible. They have a daughter and their differences in how to raise a child are a point of contention. Evelyn suffers from issues that were not talked about openly at that time and cause her to wrestle with her feelings and feel very isolated.

Joy is the daughter of Evelyn and Nat born in the 60's. She is very rebellious and her mother has a hard time dealing with her. Her father encourages her manipulative and outrageous behavior and also her hatred of her mother. Joy finds herself trying to deal with the permissiveness of her generation and searches for a way to find a life of happiness and satisfaction.

This book clearly interprets the role Women played, or were expected to play, during these turbulent times. The challenges and struggles that women faced in the past were considered taboo subjects and therefore the support and encouragement they needed was minimal at best.

Ruth Harris presents a style of writing that will connect you to each character and feel the emotions and struggles that they face. The story is fascinating and you will find yourself contemplating the characters in this book well after the last page is read. I recommend this book to all readers who wish to be engrossed in a story that has the power to transport you to the lives and expectations of women past and present.

Marilou George - The Kindle Book Review
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition
Originally published in 1974 by Simon and Schuster, Decades gives you a glimpse into the romantic lives of three women in another time. Nat Baum has three important women embroidered into his life: Evelyn; his wife, Barbara; his lover, and Joy; his daughter. Decades covers their stories--of a woman (Evelyn) who loves her husband despite his shortcomings; Barbara, a divorcee who finally finds her equal and fights to claim him even though he's married to someone else; and Joy (Nat's and Evelyn's daughter), who is very close to her indulgent father while having a strained relationships with her more conservative mother.

In this novel there is no harsh judgment of right and wrong. No one emerged to me as the hero. Each character had faults and the path to right and wrong wasn't always clearly illuminated. Nat was a complex character, deeply faulted, and ultimately very self-indulgent, but haven't we all known people like that and loved some of them anyway? Nat also struck me as a bit of a chameleon--the women in his life were all very different but he easily won over all of them.

The writing style itself was extremely engaging. Ruth Harris has a clear voice that shines through the pages. From reading the parts of the book from the three different women's perspectives, I expected it all to be tied back together in a neat little package at the end, but there was no fairytale ending--just like in real life. This is a novel that will stay with you after you've finished reading it--the sign of a great book!
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More About the Author

New York Times bestselling author Ruth Harris has sold many millions of copies around the world in hardcover and paperback editions. Her fiction has been translated into 19 languages, published in 25 countries and selected by the Literary Guild and Book-of-the-Month Club. Ms. Harris worked in traditional print publishing as a copywriter, editor and publisher before turning to the exciting new opportunities in electronic publishing. She lives in New York City with her husband, writer Michael Harris, the author of Always On Sunday and The Atomic Times: My H-Bomb Year at the Pacific Proving Ground, both available in Kindle editions.

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