The Female Persuasion

Starred review from December 11, 2017
Wolitzer's ambitious and satisfying novel (following The Interestings) charts a Massachusetts girl's coming-of-age and asks pressing questions about what it means to be an empowered modern woman. When "selectively and furiously shy" freshman Greer Kadetsky first encounters 63-year-old feminist icon Faith Frank's impassioned rhetoric during a guest lecture at her college, she is bowled over by Frank's knowledge and intimidating stature. A few years after graduation, Greer lands a coveted job at Frank's Loci Foundation, a new speakers' forum dedicated to sharing women's stories, and couldn't be more excited about what her future might hold. But life throws a few curveballs. Her high school sweetheart, now a hotshot consultant, endures an unfathomable tragedy and moves back into his childhood home, disrupting the couple's plans to move in together. And, while her job at the foundation started out exhilarating and full of big ideas, the once-wide-eyed Greer has gained a more realistic perspective a few years inâincluding a nuanced understanding of a more human Frank. As in her previous novels, Wolitzer writes with an easy, engrossing style, and her eye for detail seamlessly connects all the dots in the book's four major story lines. This insightful and resonant novel explores what it is to both embrace womanhood and suffer because of it. Agent: Suzanne Gluck, WME Entertainment.

Avid readers of Wolitzer's work won't be disappointed by this new audiobook. The subject matter is timely, and Rebecca Lowman's narration is perfect. Similar to Wolitzer's previous novel, THE INTERESTINGS, this piece follows a realistic cast of characters from youth to adulthood, capturing their trials and triumphs along the way, particularly from a feminist point of view. Lowman moves adeptly among all types of voices and situations, never slipping into melodrama or monotone. In fact, Lowman often crosses into that ineffable narrative zone wherein she herself disappears and the story alone takes center stage. There may be moments when the authorial tone tries too hard to convince us, but Lowman always returns the listener to an empathetic place with warmth and skill. L.B.F. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award � AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine