Better Luck Next Time
Custom House
January 5, 2021
Hardcover
288
Free from publisher
It’s 1938 and women seeking a quick, no-questions split from their husbands head to the “divorce capital of the world,” Reno, Nevada. There’s one catch: they have to wait six-weeks to become “residents.” Many of these wealthy, soon-to-be divorcees flock to the Flying Leap, a dude ranch that caters to their every need.
Twenty-four-year-old Ward spent one year at Yale before his family lost everything in the Great Depression; now he’s earning an honest living as a ranch hand at the Flying Leap. Admired for his dashing good looks—“Cary Grant in cowboy boots”—Ward thinks he’s got the Flying Leap’s clients all figured out. But two new guests are about to upend everything he thinks he knows: Nina, a St Louis heiress and amateur pilot back for her third divorce, and Emily, whose bravest moment in life was leaving her cheating husband back in San Francisco and driving herself to Reno.
A novel about divorce, marriage, and everything that comes in between (money, class, ambition, and opportunity), Better Luck Next Time is a hilarious yet poignant examination of the ways friendship can save us, love can destroy us, and the family we create can be stronger than the family we come from.
My review:
I read this as one of my final books of 2020. With all that the year brought, I didn't realize that I was craving a feel good novel until I picked this one up! Exploring a real life historical fact, it is about a fictional ranch in Reno, Nevada (circa 1938) where women spent six weeks living until their divorces came through. Unbeknownst to me, Nevada had a rule that if you resided within the state, a quickie divorce was possible. The trick was that you had to live their for six weeks. Behold, the creation of places for women to live while biding their time. One of these places was the Flying Leap ranch, and during the course of this novel we follow its residents (two in particular), and staff (one of whom is telling this story). I really loved the way this story was structured. I thought it was different than so many others, and enjoyed the way the storyteller was looking back on his life, including these few weeks working at the ranch. The women were a breath of fresh air, most of them exploring their "freedom" for the first time. Lots of shenanigans ensue (some silly, but still entertaining), but the book also focuses on some greater issues such as love, class, friendship, family, and of course divorce. As this author did in her novel Be Frank With Me, there is the inclusion of a child, a thirteen year old girl in this case, who was spot on if you've ever been fortunate to deal with thirteen year old girls in your life! I don't want to include any spoilers, but the ending was the cherry on top, I loved it!
An excellent feel good book based on history (that was not WWII......hurray!). You will laugh, you will commiserate, and if you're like me, you'll even shed a tear or two. I can highly recommend this to take away the winter doldrums.
Thanks Donna! I just put a hold on this one at the library! Happy New Year and thank you for all of your reviews..
MARIA Ferris
Thanks Maria! Hope you enjoy it, and Happy New Year to you!