February Book Selection: The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick

Our February Book Club Selection – The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick

Note: This was the voted on by the members of the group – the #2 choice! We might change the location after January's book club at this location. Watch to see if the location changes. We are looking for a place that has good food yet is good for a book discussion.

About the Book:

USA TODAY BESTSELLER · SOUTHERN INDIE BESTSELLER · A BRENDA NOVAK BOOK GROUP PICK · GLOSS BOOK CLUB PICK · THE GIRLFRIEND BOOK CLUB PICK · A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF 2025 · Margaret never really meant to start a book club . . . or a feminist revolution, for that matter in this bold and plucky novel from New York Times bestselling author Marie Bostwick.

"Readers will cheer." --Kirkus

"Perfect for those who love book club, nostalgia for the 1960s, and stories of female friendship." --Booklist

"A feel-good beach read with . . . elements that spark a revolution." --Southern Review of Books

By 1960s standards, Margaret Ryan is living the American woman's dream. She has a husband, three children, a station wagon, and a home in Concordia--one of Northern Virginia's most exclusive and picturesque suburbs. She has a standing invitation to the neighborhood coffee klatch, and now, thanks to her husband, a new subscription to A Woman's Place--a magazine that tells housewives like Margaret exactly who to be and what to buy. On paper, she has it all. So why doesn't that feel like enough?

Margaret is thrown for a loop when she first meets Charlotte Gustafson, Concordia's newest and most intriguing resident. As an excuse to be in the mysterious Charlotte's orbit, Margaret concocts a book club get-together and invites two other neighborhood women--Bitsy and Viv--to the inaugural meeting. As the women share secrets, cocktails, and their honest reactions to the controversial bestseller The Feminine Mystique, they begin to discover that the American dream they'd been sold isn't all roses and sunshine--and that their secret longing for more is something they share. Nicknaming themselves the Bettys, after Betty Friedan, these four friends have no idea their impromptu club and the books they read together will become the glue that helps them hold fast through tears, triumphs, angst, and arguments--and what will prove to be the most consequential and freeing year of their lives.

The Book Club for Troublesome Women is a humorous, thought provoking, and nostalgic romp through one pivotal and tumultuous American year--as well as an ode to self-discovery, persistence, and the power of sisterhood.

Genre: Historical Fiction
Publication Date: April 22, 2025

How To Get a Copy:
You can get a copy on your own (library, purchase, Libby, etc.) But I also have some books on hold at the Grayslake Library, 100 Library Lane, Grayslake, IL. They will be available about five weeks before the date of this book club.

• Bring your library card (from any library) and go to the checkout area.
• Tell them you are there to pick up a book for Lit Happens Book Club.
• They will register your card with Grayslake if your library is not part of their consortium and they will check out the book to you.
• There will only be limited copies available, so do not wait until the last minute.

Restaurant:
We will meet in their back room. They will provide us with separate checks so either have dinner or, at the least, appetizer or desert.