Release date: July 23, 2024
Publisher: Lake Union
Genre: Historical Fiction
Synopsis:
In a hazy 1960s Rhode Island summer, three disparate lives converge and combust in this riveting story of the empowerment women find in friendship, solidarity, and rage, from the author of Halfway to You.
Winifred is blunt, opinionated, and outrageously colorful. In a community that demands domesticity, she simply doesn’t fit. When her wealthy husband suddenly dies, Winifred’s fellow society housewives no longer have a reason to play nice. Cast out entirely, Winifred throws roaring parties for the clerks and waiters that serve the town, finding the connections she’s been craving—and upsetting the gentle balance of her elite neighborhood in the process.
Flailing artist Marie wants to paint over her past before the painful memories consume her. On the brink of making a longtime dream come true, her newfound friendship with Winifred might be the key to finally moving forward—or her undoing.
High-society housewife June weathers a chronic pain that would make other women faint. With her veneer crumbling, she has no patience for the free spirit shaking up her community. Filled with a mixture of obsessive hatred and fascination for the outcast, June’s determined to destroy Winifred and return her life to the way it used to be.
When slow-simmering summer secrets and resentments finally reach the boiling point, everyone is at risk of being burned. Polite Calamities explores what “community” really means when societal survival is at stake, and what happens when women decide it’s time to stop behaving and start living.
Review:
When I first read the synopsis of this one I immediately thought of The Last Great American Dynasty and the author said that was part of how she pitched it, so if you wanna read a book that embodies that song SO well this is it! This follows three women over the course of one summer and each woman had a unique and distinct voice. They were all incredibly well crafted and authentic, I adored Winifred so much! She was progressive and very modern for the time period, inclusive in a way that wasn’t common and in turn her acceptance and bucking of traditional rules and societal norms caused the women of the town to shun and isolate her. June was the leader of the pack so she was hard to like but as the book progressed I came to understand her more. Even though I never truly liked her I did come to a place where I realized she was a product of her environment and truly just didn’t know any better. Marie was definitely more likable, her pain and suffering was evident through the authors writing and portrayal, you could feel her sorrow yourself. This would be a perfect book club choice, there is a lot to unpack here. It’s emotional, deep, tragic and sad but it’s also at times hopeful and uplifting. I was totally captivated by this one and highly recommend it!
Overall rating: 5/5
Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.
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