The Women's Room (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author) "MIRA WAS HIDING in the ladies' room..." (more)
Key Phrases: New York, Lehman Hall, Howard Perkins (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

'They said this book would change lives - and it certainly changed mine.' Jenni Murray 'The kind of book that changes lives' Fay Weldon *'Reading The Women's Room was an intense and wonderful experience. It is in my DNA' Kirsty Wark.*'The Women's Room took the lid off a seething mass of women's frustrations, resentments and furies; it was an angry book about the victimisation of women, about the need to change things from top to bottom; it was a declaration of independence' Observer --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"An experience not to be missed."
-San Francisco Chronicle

" I kept forgetting it was fiction . . . [French's] women pulse with life and individuality."
-The New York Times

"The kind of book that changes lives."
-Fay Weldon --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (September 12, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345353617
• ISBN-13: 978-0345353610
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #717,894 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Feminist treatise, powerful novel, and great read, July 24, 2000

By	"julies_27" (San Jose, CA USA) - See all my reviews

I'm not sure I could (or would want to) put aside the feminist message of this book. Even though I'm in my 20s and come from a different generation, I was able to empathize Mira's struggles of trying to be a good wife in the 50s and 60s, and then rebelling in the 70s to reclaim her identity and role. At the time this was published, these ideas were probably more revolutionary than they are today, but I still think they are just as important. There were many moments in this book that were happy, many more that were sad, and it was always touching. I recommend this book to many of my women friends of all ages, and always consider it to be one of the best books to read if you're frustrated with your life and need to think about going in a new direction.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Life!, May 10, 2000

By A Customer

Putting aside the anti-male aspects of the book (I didn't know it was an "important feminist work" when I started), I'd sooner describe it as an epic novel, a story of intelligent people encountering different stages, events, structures in their lives--perhaps a bit of a soap opera. The book went surprisingly quickly; the narrator's voice drew me in, and the plot stayed interesting throughout, since each section brought radical changes in Mira's life and cast of friends. It starts with her growing up in the 40's, getting married, having kids and becoming a (miserable) suburban housewife, but is punctuated with passages of the narrator philosophizing, and framed by a group of thoughtful, "modern" women sitting around in 1968, interrupting with "but how could you have lived like that?"--"well, my house wasn't so different really"--"it had its good points too"--"aren't you glad all our relationships are more equal than those?" [heh]. Plenty of reflection, along with close up individual perspectives. The high points glowed, parts forced me to put down the book for feeling sick or depressed, and there was no lack of wit and strong characters. A compelling story.

Then there's the recurring theme of how women keep getting screwed over. The author's got a point, and it's actually a little hard not to hate men while reading the book, but she takes it too far. Somehow despite characters being round and believable, men always turn out to be insensitive, to put it mildly, and women a classic "oppressed people". Real life is (I hope!) more fair. (These days, anyway. I'm also immeasurably grateful for the almost 50(!) years of societal change separating her birth and mine.)

The evolution of the group of grad student friends struck a particular chord with me, as a recent college graduate. People change unexpectedly, relationships change, friends come together and fall apart, and when you look back there's no real pattern or meaning. As she put it, "No, it's the little things that matter. But when you're dealing with a lot of insignificant lives, how do you put things together?" It's trite at parts, and with an axe to grind, yes, but this book's got life.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you're not a Feminist, read it anyway., July 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Women's Room (Paperback)

French's work is a maddening, beautiful, horrific, and eloquent work of artistry that truthfully tells of women's lives. I recently read it at college (yes, I am Feminist, we'll get that out of the way) and this novel allowed me to find the words to connect the thoughts that had been floating in my own head for years. The point of this novel is not even in its compelling, wonderful plot, it is in the ideas expressed and the intelligence of French's work. I am certainly not a 1950's suburban wife with two children, yet I found pieces of my life in every one of the characters of "The Women's Room." If you can get past the insipid idea that French is claiming all men are oppressive, all women meek or radical, and relationships between the genders are doomed, you'll be a different person, emotionally and intellectually by the time you turn the final page. Read it slowly, savour the language, get angry, cry, laugh, become empowered, and find your own voice with the help of this remarkable novel.