Book Club Girl: The Other Woman by Rona Jaffe

http://www.bookclubgirl.com/

Pick:

Carol Prince realized very early on that the life of a slavish housewife was not for her. Instead of finding a husband, she builds a career as a features writer for a glossy magazine and enjoys the freedom and indulgences the position affords her. Soon enough, all of her friends are divorced, women's lib has arrived, and Carol is quite satisfied conducting interviews on glittering film sets or in swanky bars, and having flings with gorgeous men.

But then she meets Matthew Fitzgerald. He is handsome and successful and rich . . . and married. Over time, they become more and more enamored of each other and Carol is forced to make a decision. She may preserve her status as an independent woman, or sacrifice her ideals for the one thing she never thought she needed--a man. 

Our book club had mixed reviews of this book, so we decided that I would highlight the things we loved about this title.  

1. Strong independent main female character

2.  Going against the grain thinking for the time

3. Unpredictable ending with a few twists

4. quick, fun read

5. interesting story line that takes place over a period of time

Having to remember that this novel was first published in in 1958 the reader must put themselves in that time period and see what a strong women, that was going against the grain, was thinking and the level of bravery it would take to make her own path among the expectations that were placed on women during that time.  It was inspiring in so many way to see that there is a level of fearlessness in choosing your own happiness over worrying about what other people will think of you.  There are a lot of practical present day applications within this story, but there is also affairs, love, friendship and consequences.  It was an original novel and it kept me interest 3.5 stars.