Award winning author Sofia Grant weaves an entrancing tale of female friendship and new beginnings inspired by the true stories of those who “took the Reno cure”. In the 1940s and 50s, women who needed a fast divorce went to Nevada to live on a ranch with other women in the same boat.
“Sofia Grant entices us into following three women seeking the Reno Cure, as they overcome their … the Reno Cure, as they overcome their disillusionment over the lives they expected to have and summon the bravery to embrace new and unexpected paths.” –Marie Benedict, New York Times bestselling author of The Only Woman in the Room
Francie Meeker and Vi Carothers were sold a bill of goods: find a man, marry him in a white wedding gown, and live happily ever after. These best friends never expected to be on the train to Reno, those “lies in white dresses” shattered, their marriages over.
On board the train they meet June Samples, who is fleeing an abusive husband with her daughter, and take the vulnerable young mother under their wing. The three decide to wait out the required six weeks together, and then they can toss their wedding bands into the Truckee River and start new lives as divorcees.
But as they settle in at the ranch, one shocking moment will change their lives forever. As it brings their deceptions and fears into focus, it will also demand a reckoning with the past, and the choices that a person in love can be driven to make.
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Sofia Grant entices us into following three women seeking the Reno Cure, as they overcome their disillusionment over the lives they expected to have and summon the bravery to embrace new and unexpected paths.
Lies in White Dresses presents one of the most unique plots I’ve seen in women-friendship fiction. Immersive characters bond during a greatly unknown and intriguing slice of American history. It’s a novel that is so hard to put down.
Life in the 50s for women was very restrictive. They were supposed to marry young, have babies and take care of the home, no matter what their husband did. If they wanted a quickie divorce, they’d go to Nevada, establish 6 weeks residency and leave as a divorcee. Lies in White Dresses is about 3 women who took the “Reno Cure”.
Francie and Vi had been neighbors and best friends for years and decided to go to Nevada together to get their divorces. Both are unhappy with this part of their lives – Vi’s husband has another woman and Francie has no other choices. When they are on the train, they meet June and her 4 year old daughter, Patty. It’s apparent by the way June is dressed that she doesn’t have much money and they invite her to stay at the ranch with them. Right after they arrive, something tragic happens that will change all of their lives. It will bring fear and vulnerability to their lives. Will they be able to finish their plans in Nevada?
Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.
The book started a little slow, but after the first night in Reno, full speed ahead! The characters are really well developed. I love how June’s story played out.
I enjoyed this book. It is set in the 1950’s, when women had little to no rights. The only place for a woman to apply for a divorce was in Reno Nevada, where the divorce laws were much less stringent for a woman wanting a divorce. Two women (Francie and Vi), who have been neighbors and friends for 30 years, both set out to Reno to get divorces from their husbands. Along the way, they meet June and her daughter, Patty. June is also looking to get a divorce from an abusive husband. Vi takes June and Patty under her wing and invites them to stay in her suite at the hotel where she and Francie are staying.
While there waiting for the 6 months to pass before the divorces are final, a unforeseen event happens that changes their lives. Also, Virgi, who is the 12 year old daughter of the hotel manager acts like a sleuth and goes around spying on the others. She makes up all these things that she THINKS is happening, but she is totally wrong. She does, however, solve some of the mystery in the end with the things she has found out.
This story is full of history, romance, suspense and friendship. I loved it, even though it was predictable. I still enjoyed all the turns it took getting to the end of the story.
It’s 1952, and three women are on a train to Reno, each one with her own reasons for ending her marriage. Sofia Grant tells their intersecting stories with insight, tenderness and grace, and by the novel’s end, we have come to know and love them… An illuminating and resonant story.
Part coming of age, part mystery, [Lies In White Dresses is] a rich and evocative story about the unshakable bonds of female friendship.
More than a skillfully woven novel, Lies in White Dresses reads like a black-and-white film that pulls you in from the very first scene… A memorable, atmospheric tale to savor with a friend and a rum-ginger fizz.