Women's Room

Rating:
Summary: Good writing, but Ms. French tends to "over-kill"
Review: Although Ms. French had something worthwhile to share with the public, she overdid it. I started reading, page by page, but soon got bored with the "over-kill" at every turn of the page. I worked outside of the home for 15 years in various administrative positions, so I know that the things described in the book do happen: we women are definitely mistreated, underappreciated, underpaid, not shown the respect we deserve (even by fellow women), etc. But, please, enough is enough. I agree with the reader from Quebec that at times, the book read more like a male-bashing piece of fiction. And, definitely, Ms. French could have gotten what she wanted to say in less than 1/2 of the lengthy novel that was her end result. The quality of writing is there, even though more quantity than necessary was used.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book!
Review: Every woman should read this book at least once in their lifetime. My mother gave it to me to read and I have given it to many of my friends. It is a good history-type book, giving an honest perspective of women's lives during the 50's,60's, and 70's. I would love to know how all the characters are doing now in the 90's

Rating:
Summary: A must read for all women
Review: Excellent book!!! Couldn't put it down through the first two-thirds of the book (it dragged a bit at the end). I believe that woman reading this book will be able to relate to many of the difficulties encountered by its characters. Mira's feelings as a child brought back memories I had buried of how young girls who feel they can "do anything" learn otherwise from society as they grow up. While some of the character's habits (all the drinking and smoking) can be tedious, I have been recommending this book to all my female friends.

Rating:
Summary: If you're not a Feminist, read it anyway.
Review: French's work is a maddening, beautiful, horrific, and eloquent work of artistry that truthfully tells of women's lives. I recently read it at college (yes, I am Feminist, we'll get that out of the way) and this novel allowed me to find the words to connect the thoughts that had been floating in my own head for years. The point of this novel is not even in its compelling, wonderful plot, it is in the ideas expressed and the intelligence of French's work. I am certainly not a 1950's suburban wife with two children, yet I found pieces of my life in every one of the characters of "The Women's Room." If you can get past the insipid idea that French is claiming all men are oppressive, all women meek or radical, and relationships between the genders are doomed, you'll be a different person, emotionally and intellectually by the time you turn the final page. Read it slowly, savour the language, get angry, cry, laugh, become empowered, and find your own voice with the help of this remarkable novel.

Rating:
Summary: How can we not recognize ourselves in this book?
Review: Having grown up in the seventies and eighties, my life has been, in many ways, vastly different than Mira Ward's, and that of her early friends. However, I still found myself in Marilyn French's characters, sometimes more than any woman would want to. While this novel is at times certainly radical in terms of a feminist perspective, it remains frighteningly real for many women of the nineties. The situations are different, the causes not immediately related, but nonetheless still somewhat familiar in a disturbing way. For any woman who has felt the outrage at being a second-class citizen, whether it be by birth or by circumstance, this is a novel that provides validation without compromise. French does her fair share of male bashing, but for a novel written in the era that it was, it is somewhat understandable, if not expected. For those not yet accustomed to such forthright honesty, have some patience, for the message is valid even if the delivery is difficult. A! ! must-read for every woman who has had the guts to call herself a feminist. Marilyn French personified "GIRL POWER" before it was cool.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent book; a MUST-READ!
Review: I am 18 years old and have just finished reading The Women's Room. I honestly never knew life was so difficult in the past for women, how bad things were, how futile it all was for women to rise above their "status" in the past. I was always raised to believe that I could achieve anything and be anybody. After reading this novel I realized that that wasn't always the case; had I been born thirty years ago I never would've had the chance to achieve all of my dreams...a chance I now have. I now understand why the feminist movement came to be, why the movement has not died and why it will NOT die. I think everyone who was born after 1977 (when the book was published) should read this book. It raised my consciousness, and I'm sure it would raise others, and maybe make people think TWICE before denouncing the feminist movement.

Rating:
Summary: Touching
Review: I am 21 years old, so this book was published before I was even born, but it was fascinating and relevant, even today and for a person of my age. This book captivated me from the beginning, and I read it within three days. It was hard, though, because there is so much pain and anger within the pages that it can be overwhelming. It has truly beautiful parts as well. I cried, I laughed, but most of all, I thought. This book definately makes you think. I would recommend this book for anyone, especially someone with a firm grasp on feminist thought (it may be a bit overwhelming for someone who is not familiar with it). My boyfriend recently read this book and loved it as well (he gave it to his sister for Christmas). So if you are up for the challenge, definately read it and enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: One of the most influential books I have ever read.
Review: I am a very fortunate human being. I'm a 32 year old woman engineer. My parents are from India - and they always encouraged me towards the maths and sciences. Now - I am in a happy marriage to a man 4 years my junior, and we enjoy a sense of equality. I also get that same sense of equality (equal pay, opportunity) in the workplace. And yet even for someone as young as I, this book has such powerful meaning. I think it is a must read for all women - especially those of us who were raised during a time where it was easy to feel 'equal' and easy to scornfully cast disparaging remarks at 'those feminists'. Many of my contemporaries make such comments, and scornfully respond to my observations as being outdated "feminist claptrap". We need to keep the memory of the way things were, in order to prevent them from ever getting that way again. We need to remember, and honor our foremothers, and those who continue the 'fight'. If we fail to do these things, it is easy to conceive of a future where we fall back into the old cycles of opression.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding
Review: I first read this book when travelling as an au pair in Europe - the previous nanny had left it on a shelf as my employers' house. I read it in one night, staying up until 5am to finish it, then got up at 6 to feed the baby. When I moved on, I left the book behind for the next woman to read. I now own a hardback edition for lending to friends, and a paperback to stay on my bookshelf. It has shaped my thinking in the 10 years since I first read it - as I grow older, each phase of Mira's life has new resonance. An essential book for every woman. And, perhaps, every man.

Rating:
Summary: not-so-biting social commentary
Review: I had to read "The Women's Room" for class, and never before have I ever been so embarrassed to read a novel in public before. French's so-called feminist work is full of obsolete cliches and awful, trite statements. The book's characters are so pretentiously psuedo-cerebral, it made my entire body hurt to read of their attempts at revolution. The book is in need of some serious editing; an abridged version would have been more tolerable. Lastly, French's decision to include herself (?) as a character and inconsistently breaking out of the third-person voice and into the first thoroughly confused me. I can see why this book would have been a hit in the seventies, but why does it prevail still? It is dated and sadly so.