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  • Spinster

  • Making a Life of One's Own
  • By: Kate Bolick
  • Narrated by: Kate Bolick
  • Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins
  • 4.0 out of 5 stars (17 ratings)

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Spinster

By: Kate Bolick
Narrated by: Kate Bolick
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Publisher's Summary

A New York Times Book Review Notable Book

“Whom to marry, and when will it happen—these two questions define every woman’s existence.” 

So begins Spinster, a revelatory and slyly erudite look at the pleasures and possibilities of remaining single. Using her own experiences as a starting point, journalist and cultural critic Kate Bolick invites us into her carefully considered, passionately lived life, weaving together the past and present to examine why­ she—along with over 100 million American women, whose ranks keep growing—remains unmarried.

This unprecedented demographic shift, Bolick explains, is the logical outcome of hundreds of years of change that has neither been fully understood, nor appreciated. Spinster introduces a cast of pioneering women from the last century whose genius, tenacity, and flair for drama have emboldened Bolick to fashion her life on her own terms: columnist Neith Boyce, essayist Maeve Brennan, social visionary Charlotte Perkins Gilman, poet Edna St. Vincent Millay, and novelist Edith Wharton. By animating their unconventional ideas and choices, Bolick shows us that contemporary debates about settling down, and having it all, are timeless—the crucible upon which all thoughtful women have tried for centuries to forge a good life.

Intellectually substantial and deeply personal, Spinster is both an unreservedly inquisitive memoir and a broader cultural exploration that asks us to acknowledge the opportunities within ourselves to live authentically. Bolick offers us a way back into our own lives—a chance to see those splendid years when we were young and unencumbered, or middle-aged and finally left to our own devices, for what they really are: unbounded and our own to savor.

©2015 Kate Bolick (P)2015 Random House Audio

Critic Reviews

New York Times bestseller

One of Flavorwire's 10 Books That Will Define the Conversation in 2015

One of Newsday's Books Not to Miss

One of Publishers Weekly’s Top 10 Social Science Titles of 2015

One of Bookpage’s "15 Books We Can’t Wait to Read in 2015"

One of Vogue.com’s Recommended Spring Books for 2015

Featured in Bookish’s Spring Preview

Featured in Bustle’s Spring Preview

“What’s surprising about Spinster is how, in its charmingly digressive style, the book sets forth a clear vision not just for single women, but for all women: to disregard the reigning views of how women should live, to know their own hearts and to carve out a little space for their dreams.” —New York Times Book Review

“Awakened and inspired by the lives of five historical women, Bolick revels in her own singledom in this blazingly smart memoir, which argues that “spinster” should be a coveted destination, not a dirty word. Her eloquent, provocative story illustrates how charting a unique course can make any life truly singular.” —People

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Not what it claims to be

As a number of reviewers have pointed out, the author of this book hardly qualifies as a 'spinster' when she seems to be a serial monogamist who has been in a series of back-to-back relationships for all of her adult life.

Far from being an assessment of 'spinsterhood', the book is simply a series of short biographies, including the author's own. When she was talking about her own life, I was generally a little bored, even through the writing was quite polished in that MFA way. When she was talking about the influential 'spinsters' who made a mark on her life, I was a lot more engaged...although again, these women rarely seemed to be single. While the author does make an effort to define 'spinster' at one point, it seems that, to her, being a 'spinster' is merely someone who hasn't had a fairytale wedding, which, again according to the author, every little girl dreams about. At least initially, it all seemed very American, from the obsession with weddings, popularity and dating, to the the notion that you can't carve out your own 'alone time' or personal space when you're in a relationship (or marriage) - the only solution being to leave. I did enjoy the book more as it went on however - so it's definitely worth sticking it out until the end.

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Attention all women

Read this book whether married, single, child-free, childless, or with children. A brilliant book that has a lesson, has something for every women.

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