Reader Score
71%
71% of readers
recommend this book
Critic Reviews
Good
Based on 4 reviews on
The women in black, so named for the black frocks they wear while working at Goode's department store, are busy selling ladies' dresses during the holiday rush. But they somehow find time to pursue other goals...
Patty, in her mid-thirties, has been working at Goode's for years. Her husband, Frank, eats a steak for dinner every night, watches a few minutes of TV, and then turns in. Patty yearns for a baby, but Frank is always too tired for that kind of thing.
Sweet, unlucky Fay wants to settle down with a nice man, but somehow nice men don't see her as marriage material.
Glamorous Magda runs the high-end gowns department. A Slovenian émigré, Magda is cultured and continental and hopes to open her own boutique one day.
Lisa, a clever and shy teenager, takes a job at Goode's during her school break. Lisa wants to go to university and dreams of becoming a poet, but her father objects to both notions.
By the time the last marked-down dress is sold, all of their lives will be forever changed.
A pitch-perfect comedy of manners set during a pivotal era, and perfect for fans of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Women in Black conjures the energy of a city on the cusp of change and is a testament to the timeless importance of female friendship.
#bookblogger at https://t.co/TUEf3B2CfJ. #bookreviewer. Love reading literary fiction and translated fiction. Ambassador for authors/publishers from #Wales
A deliciously tenderly comic novel about the dreams and frustrations of four sales assistant in an Australian department store https://t.co/SMWyfjFNEN https://t.co/CDL3kAKpC4
Writing fiction #EmmetandMe & #NotThomas - shortlisted for Guardian Not the Booker; writing for children as @Wendy_J_White & rep'd by @lucyirvine93 @PFDAgents
From @BookerTalk The Women in Black by Madeleine St John — a smart edgy comic tale https://t.co/xVzW0PFNTZ via @BookerTalk
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📚'A smart edgy comic tale' @BookerTalk reviews The Women in Black by Madeleine St John https://t.co/JlG9FBiQGm https://t.co/GXkqPjtmio
"Funny and light, this story moves quickly as each character navigates the 1950s-era challenges of being a working
woman in a male-dominated society with limited options for the happily ever after they all strive for." --Booklist