The Book of V.: A GMA Book Club Pick
by Anna Solomon
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A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK
A BELLETRIST BOOK CLUB PICK
For fans of The Hours and Fates and Furies, a bold, kaleidoscopic novel intertwining the lives of three women across three centuries as their stories of sex, power, and desire finally converge in the present day.
Lily is a mother and a daughter. And a second wife. And a writer, maybe? Or she was going to be, before she had children. Now, in her rented Brooklyn apartment she's grappling with her sexual and intellectual desires, while also trying to manage her roles as a mother and a wife in 2016.
Vivian Barr seems to be the perfect political wife, dedicated to helping her charismatic and ambitious husband find success in Watergate-era Washington D.C. But one night he demands a humiliating favor, and her refusal to obey changes the course of her life--along with the lives of others.
Esther is a fiercely independent young woman in ancient Persia, where she and her uncle's tribe live a tenuous existence outside the palace walls. When an innocent mistake results in devastating consequences for her people, she is offered up as a sacrifice to please the King, in the hopes that she will save them all.
In Anna Solomon's The Book of V., these three characters' riveting stories overlap and ultimately collide, illuminating how women's lives have and have not changed over thousands of years.
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Book Details
- ISBN
- 9781250798442
- Binding
- Paperback
- Authors
- Anna Solomon
- Publisher
- Picador USA
- Published Date
- June 1, 2021
- Language
- English
- Pages
- 320
- Physical Info
- 1 in H x 8.2 in L x 5.3 in W (0.6 lb)

A Fascinating book. Interesting take on the Purim story. I liked how Solomon interwove the lives of the three women.
I thought the 'historical' chapters were the most interesting. The author's take on 20th/21st century women seemed 'been there, done that' rehashing of themes that others have treated more brilliantly. On the other hand, I read the entire book. Which says something.
I was really looking forward to this after all the hype it received. Unfortunately, the writing style was too verbose and abstract. I did not enjoy the lengthy - and often convoluted - narration. The denouement was cleverly thought out but happened way too quickly x like she knew the book was coming to an end so the explanation and resolution had to come out. Overall, I thought the idea was clever, but it was not my type of book.
Very thought provoking; chosen by my temple women’s group; very true that a person is always a work in progress.
I must have misunderstood, but it was really hard to read how women in 1973 and the present give in when they do not want sex, feel they need a man and are defined by being a first or second wife.
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