THE MARCABOTH WOMEN

by Vina Delmar ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 18, 1951

I didn't think Vina Delmar (author of Bad Girl et al) could do it -- but she has. The Marcaboth Women is not only first rate entertainment, but it is -- like G. B. Stern's The Matrarch, one of those books that sets up in the reader's mind successive widening circles of thought beyond the central thought of the book itself.... It is a story of a threat to family solidarity, solidarity built around the person of Zeda Marcaboth, whose own strength lies in her acceptance of her humble beginnings, her determination to build a family unity on not only the ramifications of the financial empire which alone gave them their place in the sun, but on the tight rein held over the sons and the son's wives through the inflexible traditions she has decreed. Then the steady, noble, eldest son, Simon, makes a second marriage that threatens to wreck the edifice. Ruby is a gold digger, a mindless, soulless little tramp. And everyone (even at the end-Simon) knows it. The final gesture, by which she flaunts her indifference to the family mores, is infinitesimal. But Zeda knew its wider significance. During the day which the story revolves around, each one of the Marcaboth women had proclaimed her own declaration of independence.... This for the Letter to Five Wives audience, is a sophisticated, wise and witty book, with undercurrents of heartbreak. Literary Guild selection for November will give it a good start.

Pub Date: Oct. 18, 1951

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Harcourt, Brace

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1951

Categories: FICTION