IT'S September 1919, the war is over. What could possibly cast a cloud over this great country at such a time? The lack of men - husbands to be precise!
In the southern NSW town of Prospect, four ladies bereft of men have problems that threaten to overwhelm them.
What to do? In desperation, they hatch a plan to find a part-time husband.
To find him, they'll advertise; to afford him, they'll share.
Four Respectable Ladies Seek Part-time Husband is a lively exploration of the relationships between the sexes, female friendship and the success that comes from recognising your own strengths, set at a major turning point in women's history.
Author Barbara Toner has written extensively about the lot of women - glorious and less so - and this latest book is bound to resonate with senior readers.
At the beginning of World War I there were 161,910 more men than women in Australia. By war's end there were 83,885 more women than men.During the war years, women had continued to look after their homes and families while stepping into jobs they had previously been considered unfit to fill. And for the first time many experienced a freedom so long denied them by society.
Yet when soldiers began arriving home, women were expected to return to the traditional roles of wife and mother. But there was a snag: there was now a surplus of women and a shortage of husbands.At a time when a woman was expected to look to a man to solve all her problems - and her problems were overwhelming - what was a respectable lady bereft of support to do? The answer occurred to Barbara Toner one morning over coffee with friends.
This delightful book examines sex, gender and how each influences our behaviour, all done in a playful manger sure to keep you chuckling to the end.
- Four Respectable Ladies Seek Part-Time Husband, by Barbara Toner, Bantam, RRP $32.99.
