Author: Mary T. McCarthy
Publication Date: May 12, 2015
Publisher: Polis Books
Meet Maggie, Eva,
and Lisa, founders of The Scarlet Letter Society. Named as such due to their
various infidelities, both physical and emotional, the “SLS” is these women’s
refusal to be shamed like Hester Prynne in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic tale
of forbidden longing. Maggie is twice-divorced and juggling three lovers — one
of whom is her first ex-husband. Eva is trapped in a loveless marriage and has
turned to her young intern and a seductive French chef for satisfaction. Lisa
dreams of one day becoming a mother, but her husband has more romantic interest
in her footwear than he does in her. Once a month, these women meet at their
local bookstore to discuss love, life, and literature. Through their
friendships and liaisons, they attempt to gain insight into the curveballs life
has thrown their way, and how each of them can find emotional and sexual
fulfillment. A witty, insightful, and steamy novel about a group of women who
have chosen to forge their own paths, and must deal with the ramifications of their
past and present choices, The Scarlet Letter Society is for anyone who’s found
their fairy tale isn’t quite what Disney had in mind.
They’re simply known as “The Scarlet Letter
Society.”
The foot fetish had been a favorite topic at
Scarlet Letter Society meetings. And it was funny, sort of, except for the part
that it was actually happening to her.
“The scarlet letter was her passport into
regions where other women dared not tread.”
Mary McCarthy’s debut novel was everything I hoped
it would be. I was anticipating a guilty pleasure read when my eye ran across
this novel on Goodreads, and a guilty pleasure I got! This novel tours the
lives of three women who participate in a monthly book club called The Scarlet
Letter Society, where they allow the story of the adulteress Hester Prynne to inspire
their mission. All three of these women, Lisa, Maggie, and Eva, are having
affairs outside of their marriages and they meet monthly to discuss their many
issues, travesties, and small victories. The story, however, is about more than
just the cheating that goes on behind the scenes, but more about the troubles
that each woman faces within her own marriage. Each of them are struggling to
answer questions that have long gone unanswered. This club serves as a journey
for these women, and together they find out more about themselves than they
ever knew to be true.
The story is full of humor and talks about big
issues that many families in today’s world face. Each of the leading ladies
gets to talk readers through various chapters. The alternating viewpoints was
very well-written. You might find yourself automatically connecting to one of
these women over the others, and you might find yourself feeling sorry for them
as well. This book was so easy to breeze through and when I was done I found myself
still thinking about the characters and their stories. This book is not for the
faint of heart and because I know a lot of readers that do not like stories
that have anything to do with cheating spouses, I tell you to proceed with
caution. However, I had no issues with this book and even though I disagree with
the idea of stepping outside of a marriage, the reality is that it happens
every day. Mary T. McCarthy handled a very tough topic in a very professional
way!
***A free copy of this book was provided to me
by the publishers at Polis Books in exchange for my honest review***
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