“A glorious debut filled with characters grasping to find a place to belong in a world on the edge of change.” –Carol Rifka Brunt, New York Times bestselling author of Tell the Wolves I’m Home “McCraw Crow deftly navigates the campus and national politics of the ’70s in a way that remains timely and pressing today. A powerful, thought-provoking debut.” –Amy Meyerson, Nationally bestselling … Nationally bestselling author of The Bookshop of Yesterdays
A powerful exploration of what a woman can be when what she should be is no longer an option
In late 1970, Oliver Desmarais drops dead in his front yard while hanging Christmas lights. In the year that follows, his widow, Virginia, struggles to find her place on the campus of the elite New Hampshire men’s college where Oliver was a professor. While Virginia had always shared her husband’s prejudices against the four outspoken, never-married women on the faculty–dubbed the Gang of Four by their male counterparts–she now finds herself depending on them, even joining their work to bring the women’s movement to Clarendon College.
Soon, though, reports of violent protests across the country reach this sleepy New England town, stirring tensions between the fraternal establishment of Clarendon and those calling for change. As authorities attempt to tamp down “radical elements,” Virginia must decide whether she’s willing to put herself and her family at risk for a cause that had never felt like her own.
Told through alternating perspectives, The Wrong Kind of Woman is an engrossing story about finding the strength to forge new paths, beautifully woven against the rapid changes of the early ’70s.
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Virginia watches her husband collapse in the front yard while stringing Christmas lights, and her life is changed forever.
With her husband gone, Virginia must find a job to support both herself and her daughter, no easy task in the 1970s when available jobs for women tended to be more mundane than magnificent. She also must create a new life for herself, where she is no longer a wife. Again, no easy task
The seventies was ripe for change and violence, and Virginia finds herself forced to see a new reality and make decisions she previously was unprepared for.
What’s fascinating to me is that this story takes place over fifty years ago, and in many respects, not much has changed. Kudos to Sarah McCraw Crow on this outstanding debut.
I found this book to be moving and thought-provoking. Set in the late ’60s and early 70’s we met Virginia a woman who has lost her husband and is trying to find her way.
this story takes us to bake to a time when women’s places were thought to be in the home raising kids and cooking. So to see Virginia struggle with her identity was heartbreaking. She struggled with whom the world thought she should be and whom she wanted to be. As we follow her journey her life is interwoven with 2 other women.
I loved the alternating perspective and getting to known the other characters. I was captivated by Virginia’s story as I could relate to her. As someone who is trying to find her way in this world but society keeps telling me I can’t do the things I want to do to health issues. I really bonded with the character.
This is a powerful story of self-discovery and one many can relate to living in this time of a pandemic and having to rediscover who we are.
One of my favorite books of 2020! Sara McCraw Crow’s tender and moving novel transports the reader back to what life was like in 1970 at a small college in New England. Virginia Desmarais’s husband dies suddenly while hanging Christmas lights, leaving her to raise their daughter on her own. Even though she is grieving, Virginia has to find her way in the world and discover what she wants to do rather than be confined by what she is allowed to do. This compelling novel moves deftly between multiple characters, all who find themselves at crossroads in their lives. At the same time, the country is at a pivotal place regarding politics, women’s rights, and co-ed education. Campus life in New England is rendered in such rich detail that I felt like I was there! This timely book is beautifully written and I can’t wait to read more from Sarah McCraw Crow! I highly recommend this book!
An immersive, character-driven story with plenty of heart, The Wrong Kind of Woman weaves together slice of life drama and 1970s campus activism to create a rich tapestry depicting the beauty of transformation achieved through struggle. The characters are drawn with depth and nuance, especially Virginia, with whom I empathized and connected deeply. Her personal journeys through loss and reclamation parallel with the growing pains of Clarendon College in a masterful way that brilliantly embodies the feminist slogan “the personal is political.” Themes of belonging, self-discovery, community, and reckoning all rise to the surface of this moving debut.
If you’re searching for an exemplary work of historical fiction set in the seventies, women’s fiction with an empowering and triumphant energy, or simply enjoy complex and realistic characters, this is a must-read.
Virginia Desmarais’ world is altered when her husband dies of a heart attack while stringing Christmas lights. It shocks Virginia and her daughter, Rebecca as they helplessly watch him collapsing on the front lawn. Virginia has devoted most of her life to raising her thirteen-year-old daughter while supporting her husband’s career as a college professor. Virginia must embark on a new chapter in her life while she seeks employment to support her family. It is a tough transition since few worthwhile jobs are available to women in the 1970’s.
Virginia also becomes reacquainted with four women that were on the faculty with her husband at the college. This group was built on long-standing friendships and they include her into their social world. Virginia appreciates their friendships along with their philosophical ideas for a women’s movement at the college. At the same time, Rebecca is having difficulty accepting life without her father and how her mother is giving her less attention. Tensions in both the town and at the college begin to rise when protests for change build around the country.
The Wrong Kind Of Woman is a debut novel by Sarah McCraw Crow. This book is about a woman faced with unexpected change and trying to forge a new path for herself. This was a thought-provoking book and I look forward to future works from this author.
I received a free electronic ARC of this novel from Netgalley, Sarah McCraw Crow, and Harlequin-MIRA. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. Sarah McCraw Crow writes a tight, accurate portrayal of the time and place and attitudes women were required to try to workaround. (Believe it or not, things are much better, now. It was, truly, just this bad back in the day, though.) Our story begins on the Sunday after Thanksgiving in 1970. The setting is Clarendon College, an all-male school in Westfield, New Hampshire. The Desmarais family consists of Oliver, a tenured professor and clarinet player in the schools’ jazz ensemble, daughter Rebecca, 14 and bright, and wife Virginia, just one step away from receiving her Ph.D. when she married Oliver, still on hold on that, teaching the odd class in art history and totally unprepared to step into single parenthood on the death of Oliver on page one.
A strong woman, not afraid to show her feelings but able to work around them, we witness the growth of both Virginia and Rebecca over the nest year, the structured changes necessary to become independent women in a world in social rebellion. A good read.
I think I understand what the author was trying to convey but it gets lost in ramblings. The book is hard to follow with a plot that really goes no where s it aimlessly uses incidents in the 60’s and 70’s as a footstool about how women were seen and treated during that time. Unfortunately the book seems like it rambles and pieces are laid out in no real format or rhyme and reason. It’s hard to follow and the characters are forgettable. I had a hard time finishing this read so for me it was a let down. This is my personal opinion don’t let it be your guide. I haven’t read this author before but I would be willing to try her again to see if this was a one off.
Set in the late ’60’s or early 70’s this is the incredibly moving story of a woman, Virginia, who loses her husband without warning and embarks on a journey of self-discovery.
Her neighbors who believe casseroles solve all of life’s problems make her feel she is the wrong kind of woman because she is interested in carving out a life for herself and finishing her Ph.D. Her professional colleagues similarly feel she is the wrong kind of woman because she has a daughter and feels conflicted about her roles.
This is far from my typical read but I loved the alternating perspectives, the self-reflection and thoughtful exploration of the struggles many women today can hardly imagine.
Thank you to RBG and all who went before us!
Thank you also to HARLEQUIN – Trade Publishing (US & Canada) MIRA for sending a widget. It was my pleasure to write an honest review.