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Madeleine St. John

The Women in Black: A Novel Paperback – Deckle Edge, February 11, 2020

by Madeleine St John (Author)

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“The book I most often give as a gift to cheer people up.” —Hilary Mantel

“Tart, beguiling, witty and compassionate, Madeleine St. John’s novel is a literary boost for the spirits.” —Maureen Corrigan, Fresh Air

“A deceptively smart comic gem.” –The New York Times Book Review

“Witty and delicious.” –People

The women in black, so named for the black frocks they wear while working at Goode’s department store, are busy selling ladies’ dresses during the holiday rush. But they somehow find time to pursue other goals…

Patty, in her mid-thirties, has been working at Goode’s for years. Her husband, Frank, eats a steak for dinner every night, watches a few minutes of TV, and then turns in. Patty yearns for a baby, but Frank is always too tired for that kind of thing.

Sweet, unlucky Fay wants to settle down with a nice man, but somehow nice men don’t see her as marriage material.

Glamorous Magda runs the high-end gowns department. A Slovenian émigré, Magda is cultured and continental and hopes to open her own boutique one day.

Lisa, a clever and shy teenager, takes a job at Goode’s during her school break. Lisa wants to go to university and dreams of becoming a poet, but her father objects to both notions.

By the time the last marked-down dress is sold, all of their lives will be forever changed.

A pitch-perfect comedy of manners set during a pivotal era, and perfect for fans of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Women in Black conjures the energy of a city on the cusp of change and is a testament to the timeless importance of female friendship.

Print length

224 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Scribner
Publication date

February 11, 2020
Dimensions

5.63 x 0.6 x 8.38 inches
ISBN-10

1982134089
ISBN-13

978-1982134082
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From the Publisher

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Department store particulars are part of the charm of The Women in Black, a deceptively smart comic gem that tracks four women through the pandemonium of one holiday season in 1950s Sydney. Laced with a fierce intelligence that captures the limited options for women and postwar xenophobia views, it’s also a love letter to department stores of yore.” --Susan Coll, New York Times Book Review

"When I need a mental escape from a stressful situation, I often fantasize about wandering around one of the grand department stores of my New York City childhood... Most of those palaces of consumption are gone but, fortunately, Scribner has recently published the first American edition of this tart, beguiling novel." -Maureen Corrigan, Fresh Air

“A witty novel set in a posh department store in 50s Sydney, where four women are at work in Ladies Dresses. The author unpacks their secret yearnings as they wake up to—and resist—the limitations of their lives. Delicious.” –People Magazine

“Like the deceptively simple (but perfectly crafted) little black dress, this delicious and sly masterpiece works its magic from the very first sentence. Once you slip into its folds-- full of hope and new beginnings, of luck and laughter and love-- I dare you not to catch yourself smiling, and wanting to twirl, for days and days and days.” –Sarah Blake, author of The Guest House and The Postmistress

"A little gem... shot through with old-fashioned innocence and sly humour."
—Vogue

"A highly sophisticated work, full of funny, sharp and subtle observations...a small masterpiece."
—Sunday Times (UK)

"There is something special about The Women in Black. St John's tone is a joy: brisk, perfectly managed and, in its disdain for clutter, oddly life-affirming. She casts an airy spell with the deftness of her prose, which moves gracefully, swiftly and with perfect manners... conjures a Sydney on the cusp of modern promise; a place where her characters can meet the future with a bright face and step out of the past like an old dress, where limits can be lightly shaken off."
—Delia Falconer, Australian

"Seductive, hilarious, brilliantly observed, this novel shimmers with wit and tenderness."
—Helen Garner, author of Monkey Grip and The Spare Room

"A delicious book. Funny and happy, it's like the breath of youth again."
—Jane Gardam

"A witty little gem of a tale... instantly transports readers back to a more genteel era." —Kirkus

“Funny and light, this story moves quickly as each character navigates the 1950s-era challenges of being a working
woman in a male-dominated society with limited options for the happily ever after they all strive for.” —Booklist

“A striking debut novel of wit, charm, female friendships and universal dreams... a delightful and uplifting slice-of-life view." --Shelf Awareness, starred review

About the Author

Madeleine St. John was born in Sydney in 1941. In 1965 she moved to the United States and attended Stanford, and later moved to England to attend Cambridge University. In 1993, she published her debut novel in Australia, The Women in Black. She is author of three other novels including The Essence of the Thing, shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. St. John was the first Australian woman to receive this honor. Madeleine St. John died in 2006.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Chapter 1 1
At the end of a hot November day Miss Baines and Mrs. Williams of the Ladies’ Frocks Department at Goode’s were complaining to each other while they changed out of their black frocks before going home.

“Mr. Ryder’s not so bad,” said Miss Baines, in reference to the floor manager; “it’s that Miss Cartright who’s a pain in the neck, excuse my French.”

Miss Cartright was the buyer, and she never seemed to give them a moment’s peace.

Mrs. Williams shrugged and began to powder her nose. “She always gets worse at this time of the year,” she pointed out. “She wants to make sure we earn our Christmas bonus.”

“As if we could help it!” said Miss Baines. “We’re run off our feet!”

Which was quite true: the great festival being now only six weeks away, the crowds of customers were beginning to surge and the frocks to vanish from the rails in an ever-faster flurry, and when Mrs. Williams was washing out her undies in the handbasin that night she had a sudden sensation that her life was slipping away with the rinsing water as it gurgled down the plughole; but she pulled herself together and went on with her chores, while the antipodean summer night throbbed outside all around her.

Mrs. Williams, Patty, and Miss Baines, Fay, worked together with Miss Jacobs on Ladies’ Cocktail Frocks, which was next to Ladies’ Evening Frocks, down at the end of the second floor of Goode’s Department Store in the centre of Sydney. F. G. Goode, a sharp Mancunian, had opened his original Emporium (“Ladies’ and Gents’ Apparel—All the Latest London Modes”) at the end of the last century, and had never looked back, because the people of the colony, he saw straightaway, would spend pretty well all they had in order to convince themselves that they were in the fashion. So now his grandchildren were the principal shareholders in a concern which turned over several million Australian pounds every year, selling the latest London modes, and any modes from other sources which looked likely. Italian modes were in the ascendancy at present. “I got it at Goode’s,” as the caption said, on that insufferable drawing of a superior-looking lady preening herself in a horribly smart new frock before the envious and despairing gaze of her friend—the frocks and the poses might change with the years, but that ad always ran in the bottom left-hand corner of the women’s page in the Herald: I believe the space was booked in perpetuity, and the caption had long since become a city-wide catchphrase. Goode’s stayed ahead of the competition by means of a terrific dedication to the modes. They sent the buying talent abroad for special training at the great department stores of London and New York. When the new season’s clothes came into the shop twice a year the staff worked overtime, pricing and displaying, exclaiming the while.

“Never mind if it does retail at £9.17.6,” said Miss Cartright, “this model will vanish within a fortnight—you mark my words!”

And this they duly did.

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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Scribner; Reprint edition (February 11, 2020)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1982134089
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1982134082
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 7.2 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.63 x 0.6 x 8.38 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #142,743 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #802 in Fiction Urban Life
- #1,188 in Friendship Fiction (Books)
- #2,078 in Mothers & Children Fiction

Customer Reviews:
1,004 ratings

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Madeleine St. John

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5 star		39%
4 star		25%
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2 star		7%
1 star		4%

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mags

Dull and frustrating.

Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2020

Verified Purchase

Huh? I bought this on Hilary Mantel’s recommendation because she said she often gives it “as a gift to cheer people up.” Well, I’m flummoxed. It’s a short book about some women who work in the cocktail dress department of a 1950s Sydney department store. The women are hard to distinguish from one another, e.g., one would be described as 30 and desperate to have a baby, another as 30 and flirting with lots of men. But which was named which? I had to keep thumbing back to try to recall which was who—not easy when a book has deckled-edge pages. And who cares? Dull. It’s a short book but I still gave up less than half way through. Didn’t cheer me up in the least. Just boring and frustrating.

18 people found this helpful

Helpful

Good Novel, Great Movie . . . .

Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2020

Verified Purchase

While I really liked this short novel, I wish I had reviewed it before I saw "Ladies In Black", the 2018 movie based on it. I loved the movie so much, I watched it twice this weekend, and now the novel has kind of slipped into the back of my mind. The movie sticks pretty closely to the novel story, but it is so alive with characters and beautifully filmed, that I can't remember exactly what was in the book and what was not. Oh well, it's a good book that was made into a great movie. I highly recommend both.

I'm truly surprised Madeleine St. John wrote such an uplifting type story, too. I'm currently in the middle of a biography on her by Helen Trinca, entitled "Madeleine: A Life of Madeleine St John", and she appeared to have had a mostly unhappy life, complete with serious psychological problems, plus a mother who killed herself when Ms. St John was a child. If I had been asked to match up a novel with an author, I would have never in a million years matched up this one with Madeleine St John!

11 people found this helpful

Helpful

Jane

Worth every penny. A great story

Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2020

Verified Purchase

Books are meant to be read for the joy of the book. To laugh and fall in love with the characters. There are characters that you love and characters you love to hate. In the end, the point of a book is how it makes you feel.
The characters in this book were wonderful. There is Patty who desperately wants children but her husband has never been ready. Fay who yearns to marry but can't find a man that wants her. Lisa a young temporary worker who yearns to go to the university. Magda works in Model Gowns and has a happy marriage but has plans for more in her career.
These are the women who work in Goode's department store. Their lives will all change by the end of the book and I loved every minute of their journey.
Some books are read when you need a laugh or some comfort, the characters become like old friends. This book is one I will reread many times and never get tired of. Anyone will love the book.

9 people found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

Quick, sweet, nostalgic novella!

Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2020

Verified Purchase

I thoroughly enjoyed this lovely little novella! This took me back to one of my first jobs after high school, working as a sales clerk in a family owned department store very similar to Goode's. It was the mid 60's, but we were still required to wear dark dresses (black, brown, or navy blue) so as to present a dignified, professional appearance. Although this was a very quick read, the author expertly reeled me in. There is just enough info revealed to make the reader curious enough to keep reading. Each character's personality is drawn sparingly, but through dialog, internal thoughts, and interaction with other characters, the author evokes real people, with real hopes, fears, and foibles, that the reader comes to share, and care about! Too long to be a short story, too short to be a full blown novel, this little gem of a novella is well worth the time, and I was very sorry to say goodbye when it ended. So much food for thought about the future of the main characters. Lots of mystery to ponder regarding less developed storylines. I loved every minute of it!

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

Sherril S-K

Picked Up and Put Down

Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2020

Verified Purchase

Rather than saying I finished this book, I’d prefer to say, I am finished with this book.

I am only 24 pages into this book of 224 pages, but I’m afraid it would be agony to make myself read the next 200. I got it because Hilary Mantel, an author I have not had the interest to read, but still appreciated her blurb, “The book I most often give as a gift to cheer people up.” I thought I could sure use that and what a promising thing to say about a book. I thought it was going to be charming and “perfect for fans of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”, which I most certainly am. Instead it read like an old fashioned book with 1950’s stale, old fashioned ideas without any hint of irony. Maybe it gets better and maybe at some point I will return to it, but for now it goes on my ‘picked up and put down’ and ‘did not finish’ lists.

4 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Richmonde

Very disappointing

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 26, 2020

Verified Purchase

I'm afraid this book is really rather dull, even if it is set in a department store in the 50s. There are not nearly enough detailed descriptions of the clothes. We get a soap opera look at the staff's home lives, when what we want is a blow by blow account of their working day, including gossip in the canteen, what they ate, how much their feet hurt, how rude the customers were.

I don't know why this book is billed as a "comic masterpiece". There is no wit or style. Much too much space is given to some tedious Hungarians who speak slightly fractured English. I began to skip, but will carry on because I want to know what's become of Frank.

One interesting point: the older characters are concerned for the younger girls and try to find them boyfriends. If only this happened in real life.

2 people found this helpful

Baglady

Dull and unoriginal

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 3, 2022

Verified Purchase

The blurb sells this as a rather special novel; it’s anything but. It’s like a 1000 cheap tv series. The storylines are cliched, the characters are one-dimensional, the writing is by turns clumsy and pretentious, and the dialogue is stilted and unnatural.
I really wanted to love this book, but not for me I’m afraid and I’ll steer clear of the author’s output from now on.

Jane Anderson

Sparkling prose in this 50's fairy tale

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 29, 2013

Verified Purchase

The Women in Black is set in Goodes, a fictitious department store in 1950's Sydney, uncannily similar to David Jones. The main characters, 'the women in black' work in the 'ladies' frocks' department, and all wear the regulation black rayon crepe dresses, which, 'were designed to Flatter both the fuller and the thinner figure, and truly enhanced neither'. The story includes both their friendships and rivalries at work, and delves into some of their personal lives, some happier than others. There is Magda, in charge the exclusive 'model gowns', is a refugee from eastern europe. She is viewed with suspicion by the rest of the ladies, but her life outside of Goodes is far more colourful and exciting than that of Patty, who is desperate for a child and is having troubles with her husband and Faye, who despite having lots of boyfriends is starting to give up on ever finding a husband. Then there is Lisa, a holiday casual who has just finished school and is hoping to realise her dream of going to university despite her father's objections, has just changed her name from Lesley, whose ' life really was, in all manner of possibilities, truly now and almost tangibly beginning'.

Madeleine St John's prose is sparkling and full of wit, and vividly recollects 1950's Sydney. The unfolding stories of the main characters, and Magda's fairy-tale like influence on some of their lives, makes for a very entertaining and satisfying read. I will look out for more books by this author - pity she only wrote 4!

6 people found this helpful

J. A. Findlay

Story of salesgirls in Australia

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 30, 2020

Verified Purchase

I discovered this author and her limpid prose recently and have now read everything she ever wrote. This is my favourite..I saw a good film of the story but the book is better. The different salesgirls and their problems are clearly marked and they are all interesting. It has an upbeat ending which is quite rare in modern novels

Virginia Beck

A nostalgic read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 9, 2020

Verified Purchase

Absolutely lovely to read about the old type of fashion store. Assistants dressed in black and very courteous. They go out of their way to help a customer. Characters superb and a great ending.

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Madeleine St. John

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