Breakaway Books

Authored by Marie Bostwick; Published April 2025; Historical Fiction

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 🏖️

If you grew up idolizing famous feminists, it would be difficult for you not to enjoy The Book Club for Troublesome Women. It left me feeling empowered to chase what I really want in life, even when doors are repeatedly slammed in my face. 

In The Book Club for Troublesome Women, Margaret Ryan has the life she has always dreamed of, but somehow, it’s not quite as satisfying as she thought it would be. She has a beautiful house in a beautiful suburb, but she wants… more. When she attempts to start a book club, new neighbor Charlotte challenges her to kick it off with newly released The Feminine Mystique. As Margaret, Charlotte, Vivian and Bitsy read through the controversial treatise and others like it, they discover that, like Margaret, they all want more for their lives than they have right now, and potentially, more than their 1960s American society wants to give.

I do love a novel that celebrates sisterhood among women, and, if nothing else, The Book Club for Troublesome Women is that. All four women who participate in this book club grow to appreciate each other in spite of all their differences, although it’s fair to say that all of these women share a level of spunk. They support each other not just because they love each other, but because they have an understanding of how important it is for women to support other women–and this is inspiring to me. In 2026, it’s not like it was in the 1960s, when women couldn’t open a bank account and were refused recommendations for graduate school simply because of their gender, but women still need all the help and solidarity we can get. Interestingly, the novel did not merely point out the extreme sexism of the 1960s, but also highlighted its intimate connection with American capitalism and advertising in particular. 

There is an element of “neatness” to this novel, and at times, I found myself thinking: well, of course things wouldn’t work out this easily in real life. But, it is far less neat than I first expected. Not all the ladies’ husbands are wicked, nor are they all noble princes. Instead, some grow and evolve over time, while others just can’t quite manage to break free of the sexism of the era. Margaret’s compassion for her husband’s missteps is simultaneously frustrating and speaks of her deep love and dedication to marriage. Her husband’s behavior doesn’t sit entirely right with a woman reading the novel in 2026, but it feels much more reasonable for the 1960s. What’s more, their careers also aren’t all smooth sailing: Charlotte doesn’t get the big break in the art world that she’s been looking for but instead has to look for a new way to express her passion; Margaret doesn’t land her dream job at the Washington Post after one good editorial. The women all have to work to get the lives they really want. 

Are you looking for some more female solidarity in your life? Perhaps a sisterhood to join? You’ll enjoy The Book Club for Troublesome Women.