Mid 1960’s America. Times, they are a changing, but for women those changes are going at a snail’s pace. The chief ambition for any young woman is to get married, become a full time housewife and have children as soon as possible. Working married women are frowned upon, and as for young, unmarried, pregnant girls, well, they are the lowest of the low.

Fitting the housewife mould perfectly is Lily. Married to David, mother of JoJo and another on the way. Then we have best friend Becca, who along with her high school sweetheart husband Bradley, has three boisterous boys, with another unplanned baby on the way. Sarah lives next door to Lily, with her husband Joel. She is another stay at home housewife, but no children. Of course, Lily is desperate to find out why the couple are childless, but it would be rude to ask, wouldn’t it? Lastly there is Robin and her husband. Their house backs onto Lily’s and their children use the play equipment in Lily’s garden. Robin is more interested in world affairs than the others, though the others have no idea just how she manages to find the time to read newspapers when housework is such a full time job. These are the regular Canasta game members. Cards and gossip, the highlights of their very busy lives. A regular visitor is Lily’s younger sister Rose. Married to Marty, their marriage isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, but she puts on a good show.

To help Lily cope with all her wifely duties, she and David have opened their home to a ‘mother’s aid’. This comes in the form of the naive and innocent fifteen years old Betsy, whose mother has delivered her to Raven House, a home for pregnant teens. Completely ashamed and disappointed in Betsy, her parents have told everyone that Betsy is looking after an aged relative who is ill (that old chestnut!), and will return home once auntie is up and about again. Raven House, after they have checked that Betsy is fit to be allowed out into the community, have placed her with Lily until it’s time for her to give birth. She will then return to Raven House, so that the birth does not have any undue impact on the host family!

I read this book at record pace and haven’t stopped thinking about it. As a child of the 50’s, and a teenager in the 60’s, the memories it evoked are amazing! Although born a continent away from this setting, life for the women in my life was very similar.

Wonderfully written, with a deep insight into the life and times of the women of that era. An empowering and brave book.

We may roll our eyes at the lifestyle of these women, but for them it was the norm. But all it took was a borrowed book, a nudge from a friend or a guilty conscience to change their lives.

So far from my usual read I thought this was excellent, a 100% recommendation.

Thank you NetGalley and HQ.

I’ve never read a book quite like this before, it isn’t the sort of title I think I’d choose. But I’m so glad I was sent it to read as an ARC, it’s a wonderful book that stayed with me. I’ve taken a star off because it doesn’t have a good title or beginning, so I don’t think I’d ever have picked it up normally.

This focuses on some women in Minnesota in 1965. Betsy, an unwed mother, pregnant at 15, is sent to live with a family so that she can keep the whole pregnancy a secret. She becomes very fond of the woman of the house, Lily, and she gets to know Lily’s sister Rose, and Lily’s friends.

This book features several strong and admirable women. Betsy herself is remarkable at only 15, and Lily becomes socially aware in the course of the novel. Rose has a terrible time, but she is brave and strong and deals with her situation extremely well. Her husband, Marty, is awful, but we see a fabulous man in Lily’s husband, David. He supports the women without judging them and is a real help to some of the friends.

This book really opened my eyes to how difficult it was for my mother’s generation. From a prudish mother whose teenage daughter never learned about any of the facts of life before ending up pregnant, to the simple fact of a woman not being able to rent a flat without a man co-signing.. We have come such a long way in the west, we still have a long way to go, but ir is so interesting to read about women from that time and how they felt about it, how they woke up to it.

The most emotionally poignant thing is the fact that abortion was illegal at the time this book is set. It’s so awful, and it is beyond comprehension why some people want to make it a criminal offence again.. I would quite like every pro-life person to be made to read this book.

In the Family Way is a empowering tale of women and what goes on behind closed doors. I felt bravery and compassion for these courageous characters who develop further throughout the plot. It's also lighthearted and funny with some wise wording.

Wow. This is a real corker of a book and one I’ll be thinking of for many weeks to come. All the characters in this were absolutely brilliantly written- it would be impossible to choose a favourite. Lily and Rose were amazing- totally inspirational and with a beautiful sister bond. Betsy was so likeable too and the bond she developed with Lily was lovely to read. The canesta girls were just as interesting and I thought the whole plot was brilliant- well written, so interesting and really thought provoking too. Highly highly recommended.

I was intrigued by the blurb for the book and what an emotional read that gave a lot of insight into what was not an easy time to be a woman where you had little control over what we now take for granted. It was also a journey of self discovery for Lily who would have been the same age as my mum and while they were born in different countries, I guess the struggles and restrictions were similar. I really enjoyed the book and as the author is a new one for me, I'd have no hesitation in checking out her other books read that gave a lot of insight into what was not an easy time to be a woman where you had little control over what we now take for granted. It was also a journey of self discovery for Lily who would have been the same age as my mum and while they were born in different countries, I guess the struggles and restrictions were similar. I really enjoyed the book and as the author is a new one for me, I'd have no hesitation in checking out her other books

Thought provoking excellent read.

Young girls in America who had very little choice if they found themselves pregnant, how they were sent away from the family home so as not to disgrace the family name. The relationship between these girls and their short term foster family. The story shows how innocent some of the girls were, and looks into developing relationships throughout their lives.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this book.

This book was not the genre I normally read and it’s so good that I might even try more like it. I loved it. So well written and left me thinking about it days after I read it. I have recommended to a friend it two and thought it was superb.

This was an incredibly thought provoking read about a group of women, primarily housewives, in 1960s small town America. This is told in the main from three different viewpoints - pregnant mum of 1 and wife of an ob-gyn Lily, her married sister Rose who is a teacher and pregnant 15 year old Betsy who is currently staying with Lily as a home helper. This does a fabulous job of exploring the restrictions on women during this time as well as many different aspects of female health and pregnancy including abortions which were illegal at the time. This doesn’t lecture but the issues affecting the different women in this story does provide a lot of talking points and really shows how much has altered in the intervening years, I thought the issues raised were sensitively handled and several of the issues raised had me thinking for quite some time after.

Desperate Housewives meets Mad Men in this touching story of motherhood, girlhood, and what really happens behind closed doors in suburban America. Set in the 1960s, we meet a group of women who are struggling to bridge the divide between the perfect 50s housewife and the political tension of the 60s. An essential read.

I loved this book it was uplifting and beautifully written with characters that you engage with and root for. Any comparisons to The Help are very well founded I also got Fried Green Tomatoes vibes from it. One of the best books I've read in a while. Will be buying a copy for my mum when it is published.