The Divorce Ranch is light and fun reading. However, it is also a serious, thought-provoking read. Set in Reno, Nevada, it is based on the fact that in the 1930s, married men or women could get uncontested divorces as long as they could show they had resided in Reno for six weeks. As a result, a booming divorce ranch business was set up exclusively to help rich women spend their transitional status in style and comfort before they get their divorces. This story is set in the late ‘30s when other major changes were in the air – the Depression was settling in, World War Two was at its beginning stages, and women’s thinking were changing.
This novel cast of characters is a sample of the women who lived during that period. They find themselves lodging together on Washoe Ranch, a reputable divorce ranch. What these women all have in common is that they all conform or are made to conform to what is expected of them as women of that period.
Maggie is married to an older man chosen by her mother because he is rich and of social standing. However, he is unfaithful to her. Her mother sends her to Washoe Ranch to get a quick divorce because she wants Maggie to remarry a younger rich man and produce a grandchild for her.
Dorothy is a well-known Hollywood actress, married to another well-known actor, both for the sake of their careers. She surprises herself when she finds a way to change her glamorous life into something much more meaningful.
Claire arrives at the ranch broke and broken-hearted. Her stay is the most dramatic and the change she makes is also the most drastic. She needed to find her true self again and be ready to live the life she is meant to live.
You must read the book to find out the outcomes of these courageous women.
Catherine MacDonald is a wonderful writer. She writes an easy-to-read book with colorful characters through which she explores the complicated issue of women’s status and their liberation. This is a great novel full to the brim with the wonderful messages of breaking free to be oneself and live one’s life, no mater what society states. I highly recommend this book to everyone!
Yuke Man, Reviewer Allbooks Review International,www.allbooksreviewint.com