REVIEW:

I was blessed to read a fabulous book titled Polite Calamities by Jennifer Gold. She is a new author to me and I am so glad I took a chance on her new book. I will be watching for more from Ms. Gold. 

This book takes place in the 60’s during my childhood. My family didn’t live like the families in this book. We were not as wealthy. In fact, what made it so interesting is that the main character was from a middle class family and was trying to fit in. The snobs weren’t having it. They were awful. 

The antics and the struggles were real. This book was a little bit on the longer side but, I had so much fun reading it, I flew right through it. Jennifer Gold knows how to build suspense and how to keep you interested in the day to day goings on between two friends who are exploring being best friends. Neither of them have had a best friend or were able to connect since early childhood. There were hitches along the way and I expected that. 

I loved the settings in the book. We get to live in a very affluent neighborhood in the 60’s and a horse farm one of the ladies grew up on. The other character had a father who was an educator. These ladies both had life changing things happen early in life that molded who they were. 

This book was so different in plot and structure than I’ve read before. The writing style was unique. I didn’t get bored at all. I hate to tell you this is a perfect summer read but, I will tell you that it is a great read anytime! 

If you love a book that gives you all the feels, makes you shake your head, keeps your interest as it builds suspense that you aren’t even sure is there but you feel it. Then this book is for you. Until next time…Happy Reading!

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I received a complimentary copy of this book from #JenniferGold, #Netgalley and #LakeUnionPublishing. The opinions I have expressed are my own and I was not required to write a review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

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.