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elvang's review
4.0
The Seventies were an interesting time to be alive and for some of us of a certain age, a liberating time of sexual freedom and exploration. Women were joining the workforce at an unprecedented rate thanks to the feminist movement of the Sixties. No longer were women accepting the post-war Father Knows Best ideals of a woman’s place (in the home) or their rights under the laws of the time. While many of us were eager to embrace new freedoms, many were held captive by long held traditions of the nuclear family.
The blurb for The Second Wave sets up this story of longing and heartache and dreams left unrealized. Through a series of flashbacks we see how Alice and Leslie meet in the workplace and how their mutual attraction brings new discoveries for both women. Alice discovers her own sexual orientation for the first time when her friendship with Leslie at work develops into attraction leading to love and a torrid affair. Leslie has accepted her life as wife and mother joining the workforce to give her and Bill and the kids some extra cash for holidays. Her attraction to Alice is something new and intimidating to Leslie. She struggles with the knowledge that her love for Alice might mean the end to her life with her children. Call it The Price of Salt decision and one she is unwilling to make.
The flashback to the Seventies scenes were entertaining to this child of that era. I laughed at the references to lava lamps and “sitting in knee high red shag carpets”. I remembered less fondly the office sexual harassment and entitlement held by male coworkers of this less than enlightened era. All painted an accurate picture of a time and period which was full of hope yet slow to improve the lives of women wishing for more independence.
The problem with too many flashbacks (and this novel might well have been set in the past and not the present for all the time spent in italics) is that we see Alice get increasingly frustrated at Leslie’s unwillingness to change her marital situation. This frustration carries through to the present time period and made it difficult to like Alice. Her actions in the present felt childish and immature. It’s too bad because that spoiled what could have been a memorable romance.
I may not agree with the layout of this novel or the extended sad panda that is Alice but I enjoyed the walk down memory lane and recognition of how far we have come as a society thanks to the outspoken women who dared to challenge the status quo.
As for the fight for Women’s Liberation? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to think that the pioneers of the feminist movement brought much needed change to a society trapped in the past? This quote by Hillary Clinton from the first 2016 presidential debate shows how the battle for equality continues fifty years after Betty Friedan wrote The Feminine Mystique;
“We also have to make the economy fairer. That starts with raising the national minimum wage and also guarantee, finally, equal pay for women’s work.”
Good luck with that, Hillary.
3.5 stars.
ARC received with thanks from Bold Strokes Books via NetGalley for review.
The blurb for The Second Wave sets up this story of longing and heartache and dreams left unrealized. Through a series of flashbacks we see how Alice and Leslie meet in the workplace and how their mutual attraction brings new discoveries for both women. Alice discovers her own sexual orientation for the first time when her friendship with Leslie at work develops into attraction leading to love and a torrid affair. Leslie has accepted her life as wife and mother joining the workforce to give her and Bill and the kids some extra cash for holidays. Her attraction to Alice is something new and intimidating to Leslie. She struggles with the knowledge that her love for Alice might mean the end to her life with her children. Call it The Price of Salt decision and one she is unwilling to make.
The flashback to the Seventies scenes were entertaining to this child of that era. I laughed at the references to lava lamps and “sitting in knee high red shag carpets”. I remembered less fondly the office sexual harassment and entitlement held by male coworkers of this less than enlightened era. All painted an accurate picture of a time and period which was full of hope yet slow to improve the lives of women wishing for more independence.
The problem with too many flashbacks (and this novel might well have been set in the past and not the present for all the time spent in italics) is that we see Alice get increasingly frustrated at Leslie’s unwillingness to change her marital situation. This frustration carries through to the present time period and made it difficult to like Alice.
Spoiler
Forty years have passed. Alice has married and buried her wife and yet she still gets angry because Leslie chose her children over their affair and forced Alice to move on with her life. Her bitterness has grown not faded over the decades.I may not agree with the layout of this novel or the extended sad panda that is Alice but I enjoyed the walk down memory lane and recognition of how far we have come as a society thanks to the outspoken women who dared to challenge the status quo.
As for the fight for Women’s Liberation? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to think that the pioneers of the feminist movement brought much needed change to a society trapped in the past? This quote by Hillary Clinton from the first 2016 presidential debate shows how the battle for equality continues fifty years after Betty Friedan wrote The Feminine Mystique;
“We also have to make the economy fairer. That starts with raising the national minimum wage and also guarantee, finally, equal pay for women’s work.”
Good luck with that, Hillary.
3.5 stars.
ARC received with thanks from Bold Strokes Books via NetGalley for review.
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