A woman of independent means
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A bestselling sensation when it was first published by Viking in 1978, A Woman of Independent Means has delighted millions of readers and was the inspiration for the television miniseries starring Sally Field.
At the turn of the century, a time when women had few choices, Bess Steed Garner inherits a legacy—not only of wealth but of determination and desire, making her truly a woman of independent means. From the early 1900s through the 1960s, we accompany Bess as she endures life's trials and triumphs with unfailing courage and indomitable spirit: the sacrifices love sometimes requires of the heart, the flaws and rewards of marriage, the often-tested bond between mother and child, and the will to defy a society that demands conformity. Now, with this beautiful trade paperback edition, Penguin will introduce a new generation of readers to this richly woven story. . .and to Bess Steed Garner, a woman for all ages.
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This is one of those books for which assigning a star rating confounds me. Two stars doesn't adequately capture that I tore through it, but does reflect that there were times that I just really disliked the narrator, based on the author's grandmother. My cousin's wife gave it to me, and thought I would enjoy the themes related to women's agency in an unencouraging world. She was right, and I think the unlikeable narrator is perversely part of what I liked - we're still talking about women and likeability in 2019 (especially, unfortunately, as it relates to electability), so bless Forsythe Hailey for fictionalizing her grandmother in a complicated, sometimes confounding, manner. Overall, I found it oddly compelling.
