Longings of Women Abridged

Rating:
Summary: obviously written by a feminist!
Review: And I am a feminist (so, I can be critical!) Marge Piercy's books are too pat. The women are all serious and dedicated, the men are all bad, and no one has a sense of humor. She makes her point, albiet in a very preachy manner. Her best books consist of her vision of the future. Read the book, He, She and It for her best.

Rating:
Summary: A thorougly heart-wrenching page-turner!
Review: From the first page one finds oneself completely absorbed in this extraordinary novel. The caracters are so well developed that it is easy to become caught up in the book as if one knew and cared about these diverse individuals personally.

I recommend it highly to anyone in search of a thought-provoking good read.

Rating:
Summary: A book by a woman who understands the pains of other women
Review: Leila; succesful in her career, a failure in her marriage. Mary; once a happily married housewife, now homeless. Becky; from a poor background, is desperate to move up to a rank in society, but is on trial for murder. An important book we must all read.

Rating:
Summary: A thoroughly disappointing novel.
Review: This book was a disappointment from start to finish. Characters that are not believable populate mundane events that never lead to anything, nor do they resolve in the end. Three women who we are to believe are strong in positive and negative ways come across as shallow and peripheral. A thoroughly unsatisfying read.

Rating:
Summary: I will never look at a homeless woman the same way again...
Review: This is not a perfect book. But, again, as always with Marge Piercy, she has a way of putting you right inside the characters. Especially Mary, the homeless woman. Fascinating to read about a woman who lives like a mouse, hidden inside the homes of the people for whom she cleans! And so gut-wrenching to feel what Mary has to go through. Leila, of course, is supposed to be the one most readers can relate to, the one "most like me." And Becky - I can't get with her program - and I am sure we are not supposed to.
The longings of women - obviously Piercy presents what we want as a home of our own. And she writes so well about how easily we can lose "our" homes. Married women - husbands die or we split up with them. Working women - we lose a job and are out on the street. As long as we are dependent on the men in our lives, we are vulnerable. This is not "man-hating", this is reality. Though I am married, and happily, this book makes me want to make sure I have money put away and my name on the deed of the house. And a way to make a living and keep my home if my husband is suddenly gone one day...this could happen to any of us.

Rating:
Summary: I will never look at a homeless woman the same way again...
Review: Three women from three completely different worlds collide in this story of life, love, and regret. Margaret Piercy brings these women together in a dramatic tale, leaving the readers with a sense of completion. Readers are given the opportunity to live the life of these women for a short time, learning about their background and understanding their realistic needs for the future. Piercy breaks up her novel between each of the three main characters, always keeping the plot interesting. In the end, each character receives what is deserved. Professor Leila Landsman is chosen to write a book based on the trial of Becky Burgess. A reliable and devoted wife, Leila is left by her unfaithful husband, a director spending most of his time in New York with many younger and slimmer women. With time, Leila learns to take time out for herself and search for her own pure enjoyment, after countless years of constantly pleasing and accommodating everyone around her. Becky, an ambitious media major, along with her teenage lover, is on trial for the murder of her husband. Readers are torn, mostly wanting to prove Becky's innocence throughout the novel, for it is so difficult to believe that she could be capable of something so ruthless and violent. Becky is a beautiful young woman with such a pleasant personality that readers empathize with her, wanting her to succeed and escape from her miserable lower-class lifestyle. Mary Burke is Leila's house-cleaner. She was abandoned by her husband and taken away from her middle class lifestyle, later forced to turn to the streets. Each woman is betrayed by her husband, left to make decisions, and for the first time forced to survive alone. This novel is very realistic, representing situations that happen today in our society all of the time. It represents exactly how these women react in the real world under their specific circumstances. We can all learn from these individuals and the final decisions they must choose to make. Friendship is an important lesson throughout the story and is very valuable to each of the women. I found that this book was very difficult to put down. I was intrigued by each woman and wanted to know her complete story. I felt a great deal of respect for Becky, Mary, and Leila but in different ways. This is a novel dealing with many important as well as current issues, for example homelessness and homosexuality. Readers can easily relate to each of these characters, who are completely down to earth and who share the similar hopes, fears, and desires as everyone else. Both males and females see a new perspective and can easily learn about each other through the reading of this novel. This story deals with a significant amount of communication between gender and the gap that exists here. This story could perhaps be able to prevent the possibility of its readers leading similar lives to the women of this novel. We can all learn and benefit from the mistakes of every character. These women find themselves and their emotional freedom, while faced with trials and enormous obstacles. They look to others for love and affection, and if at first they don't succeed, they find a creative alternative. This story is a total reality check and knowing the perspectives of these women is very advantageous. I found myself so involved in their individual stories and I felt as if I really knew these women personally. I probably could relate the most with Leila and her dedication to others. She was such a strong character and continues to be a terrific role model for other women. After the conclusion of this novel, I was reassured that happy endings could actually be the result of an unfortunate situation. The idea that good things come to those who wait was proven in a story like this particular one. This is a feel-good novel, allowing readers to view their own circumstances in a more hopeful light and have a positive outlook for the future.

Rating:
Summary: The Longings of Women
Review: Three women from three completely different worlds collide in this story of life, love, and regret. Margaret Piercy brings these women together in a dramatic tale, leaving the readers with a sense of completion. Readers are given the opportunity to live the life of these women for a short time, learning about their background and understanding their realistic needs for the future. Piercy breaks up her novel between each of the three main characters, always keeping the plot interesting. In the end, each character receives what is deserved. Professor Leila Landsman is chosen to write a book based on the trial of Becky Burgess. A reliable and devoted wife, Leila is left by her unfaithful husband, a director spending most of his time in New York with many younger and slimmer women. With time, Leila learns to take time out for herself and search for her own pure enjoyment, after countless years of constantly pleasing and accommodating everyone around her. Becky, an ambitious media major, along with her teenage lover, is on trial for the murder of her husband. Readers are torn, mostly wanting to prove Becky's innocence throughout the novel, for it is so difficult to believe that she could be capable of something so ruthless and violent. Becky is a beautiful young woman with such a pleasant personality that readers empathize with her, wanting her to succeed and escape from her miserable lower-class lifestyle. Mary Burke is Leila's house-cleaner. She was abandoned by her husband and taken away from her middle class lifestyle, later forced to turn to the streets. Each woman is betrayed by her husband, left to make decisions, and for the first time forced to survive alone. This novel is very realistic, representing situations that happen today in our society all of the time. It represents exactly how these women react in the real world under their specific circumstances. We can all learn from these individuals and the final decisions they must choose to make. Friendship is an important lesson throughout the story and is very valuable to each of the women. I found that this book was very difficult to put down. I was intrigued by each woman and wanted to know her complete story. I felt a great deal of respect for Becky, Mary, and Leila but in different ways. This is a novel dealing with many important as well as current issues, for example homelessness and homosexuality. Readers can easily relate to each of these characters, who are completely down to earth and who share the similar hopes, fears, and desires as everyone else. Both males and females see a new perspective and can easily learn about each other through the reading of this novel. This story deals with a significant amount of communication between gender and the gap that exists here. This story could perhaps be able to prevent the possibility of its readers leading similar lives to the women of this novel. We can all learn and benefit from the mistakes of every character. These women find themselves and their emotional freedom, while faced with trials and enormous obstacles. They look to others for love and affection, and if at first they don't succeed, they find a creative alternative. This story is a total reality check and knowing the perspectives of these women is very advantageous. I found myself so involved in their individual stories and I felt as if I really knew these women personally. I probably could relate the most with Leila and her dedication to others. She was such a strong character and continues to be a terrific role model for other women. After the conclusion of this novel, I was reassured that happy endings could actually be the result of an unfortunate situation. The idea that good things come to those who wait was proven in a story like this particular one. This is a feel-good novel, allowing readers to view their own circumstances in a more hopeful light and have a positive outlook for the future.