The Female Persuasion

By Meg Wolitzer

The Female Persuasion - Meg Wolitzer
  • Release Date: 2018-04-03
  • Genre: Fiction & Literature
Score: 4
4
From 331 Ratings

Description

A New York Times Bestseller
 
“A powerful coming-of-age story that looks at ambition, friendship, identity, desire, and power from the much-needed female lens." —Bustle

“Ultra-readable.” —Vogue 
 
From the New York Times-bestselling author of The Interestings, comes an electric novel not just about who we want to be with, but who we want to be.


To be admired by someone we admire—we all yearn for this: the private, electrifying pleasure of being singled out by someone of esteem. But sometimes it can also mean entry to a new kind of life, a bigger world.

Greer Kadetsky is a shy college freshman when she meets the woman she hopes will change her life. Faith Frank, dazzlingly persuasive and elegant at sixty-three, has been a central pillar of the women’s movement for decades, a figure who inspires others to influence the world. Upon hearing Faith speak for the first time, Greer—madly in love with her boyfriend, Cory, but still full of longing for an ambition that she can’t quite place—feels her inner world light up. And then, astonishingly, Faith invites Greer to make something out of that sense of purpose, leading Greer down the most exciting path of her life as it winds toward and away from her meant-to-be love story with Cory and the future she’d always imagined.

Charming and wise, knowing and witty, Meg Wolitzer delivers a novel about power and influence, ego and loyalty, womanhood and ambition. At its heart, The Female Persuasion is about the flame we all believe is flickering inside of us, waiting to be seen and fanned by the right person at the right time. It’s a story about the people who guide and the people who follow (and how those roles evolve over time), and the desire within all of us to be pulled into the light.

Reviews

  • Pretentious unlikable characters

    1
    By liv Donnelly
    The woman were irritating and bland while the men were irredeemable sex crazed jerks. I also was disappointed at the lack of meaningful discussion of women’s issues. Feminist topics such as sexual violence and reproductive rights are lightly touched upon but never explored beyond “misogyny = bad”. Finally (this might be nitpicking) the word choices (particularly in the first few chapters) are somewhat odd as if Wolitzer was flipping through a thesaurus, ignoring flow and connotation.
  • For feminism everywhere

    5
    By kaykaybean13
    Great portrayal of the characters and especially of the struggles and hardships a successful woman 30 or 40 years ago went through to get to where most weren’t. A story as old as time with a contemporary twist to it. Perfect amount of sarcasm and witty humor. Fun read and a story of sexism in the workplace and the boardrooms spanning over 4 decades. It portrays some of the best milestones and acclaimed benchmarks women have reached and bravely overcome regardless of the inequality and unjustly treatment in workforce. Hurrah to these women who have fought and were forced to work that much harder, longer and for less financially but didn’t give up. Instead they broke the mold and demanded the recognition they deserved and earned right along. May many many more young ladies follow along down these trailblazing paths. May we one day have the same recognition, be afforded equal opportunities and income as those who we work alongside.
  • A bit dull

    3
    By mainky7
    Loved the idea behind this, but the writer’s word flow was a little heavy sometimes, and monologues of characters were very unbelievable. I felt like I didn’t have a connection with any of the characters, and that was very disappointing for me
  • Inspiring read

    4
    By ChuckBass10
    Timely read during these years of marches, protests, and injustice. Sad, inspiring, funny, and educational!
  • Excellent Summer Read

    4
    By Drea119
    I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I really enjoyed it. It’s far from my usual genre, which was the point; it took me a little under two weeks to finish with my only reading time being before bed, and I was happy to keep coming back to it. I did the free sample on Apple Books, and when my free part was up, I was into it enough to buy, and it was a good purchase.
  • The Female Persuasion

    4
    By Mulmom
    Great feminist fiction which points to how far we’ve come and yet how far we still have to go. The story took a bit to engage me but then it all came together. SPOILER ALERT: Loved Cory Pinto and that the most genuine feminist in the story who really walked the walk and did so unknowingly and simply because it was the right thing to do, was male.
  • Sensitive and gripping

    5
    By Jbrahms
    A fabulous read. Wonderful writing, so perceptive and wise, and great characters. Highly recommended.
  • Worthy read

    5
    By MiamiCarole
    I enjoyed this book so much. Watching the trajectory from the 1960’s to the present was fascinating. I liked the characters with their imperfections and their beauty. And, of course, the not so subtle references to our current Washington group NAILED IT. Thank you Meg. And I will continue to push myself to use my “Outside Voice.”
  • DO YOU KNOW DA WAE

    5
    By 9ups
    DO YOU KNOW DA WAE
  • You is not the best

    5
    By tNeisha
    But you got me to make a good day love to see your face on your phone so you know what you need to do you is trying not to be nice but you don’t need me anymore because my mom has a lot to do with me so I just got to see you I