Spinsters

From the book cover

It's 1968. Frannie and Doris, sisters and spinsters, have been taking care of their father for their entire adult lives. When he dies, they hit the road in their Plymouth Valiant to take a much needed vacation. Frannie, the novel's narrator, longs to continue her reclusive life with her sister. But Doris, cut free of responsibility, wants to raise hell and get laid. Their journey through the changing landscape of America - civil rights marches, the deaths of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King, the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago - an elegy to a lost time in the United States.
-------
Spinsters. It's not a word you hear very often now a days. When most people think of spinsters they think about old grey-haired cat ladies; not women in their early to mid-thirties. Dictionary.com defines a spinster as "a woman still unmarried beyond the usual age of marrying." This story is set in 1968, when the average marrying age, for women, is 20.8 years, so according to that time period, Frannie and Doris at 32 and 35 years of age, respectively, are spinsters.

I really enjoyed this novel for several reasons. Pagan Kennedy's characters go beyond the spinster stereotypes. Frannie has known since she was a young girl that she wanted to lead a spinster lifestyle after seeing her mother always frantic trying to take care of a husband and children. Doris is trapped and desperately trying to escape her spinsterhood, she's just never been able to find a man she wants to settle down with.

The character development is amazing. Frannie goes from a prudish, unforgiving and jealous woman to a more relaxed, accepting and understanding person. Doris doesn't change much but she come to appreciate her sister's practicality and even learns to rely on her strengths.

Spinsters made the 1996 Orange Prize Short List.

Spinsters is quick read. I highly recommend it.

5/5