Book cover of Three Women

Book description

The International No. 1 Bestseller A BBC 2 Between the Covers Book Club Pick 'Cuts to the heart of who we are' Sunday Times 'A book that begs discussion' Vanity Fair All Lina wanted was to be desired. How did she end up in a marriage with two children and…

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Why read it?

5 authors picked Three Women as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

A nonfiction book that tells the story of three unrelated women and their unique but universal struggles; I loved it because of the author’s incredible talent for articulating the everyday lived experience of being female, the subtle and overt judgments, and the fact that women are held to different standards, even by other women.

"‘Even when women fight back, they must do it correctly. They must cry the right amount and look pretty but not hot." Many times while reading, I recognised myself, my sister, my mother, and my friends.

All three stories are highly engaging, but the truly compelling…

This is billed as a non-fiction book but very much reads as fiction.

Taddeo’s characters (who are based on real women) have different voices and very different stories – yet their intimate tales of sex, belonging, and love resonate. Through Taddeo’s sensitive, artful writing you feel as though you know them personally. 

From Katie's list on women’s voices.

No one writes the female experience like Lisa Taddeo. She is a master at her craft. All the uncomfortable things, the unsaid things, and the complicated nuances of womanhood, that you’ve never been able to capture before, is so deftly grabbed and held down on the page by Taddeo. She is glorious and Three Women is a must-read. It will change you.

From Salma's list on women, by women.

If you love Three Women...

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Book cover of The High House

The High House by James Stoddard,

The Victorian mansion, Evenmere, is the mechanism that runs the universe.

The lamps must be lit, or the stars die. The clocks must be wound, or Time ceases. The Balance between Order and Chaos must be preserved, or Existence crumbles.

Appointed the Steward of Evenmere, Carter Anderson must learn the…

This book is wildly imaginative for non-fiction. It’s an account of the sex lives of (yup) three women and the very complex desires that fuel them. All were just trying to snatch a little joy for themselves, carnally speaking. And I have to believe that sharing their stories only heightened that joy. I got to know Lisa and hear about her process for collecting the material for this book (which I helped adapt into a TV series for Showtime). I’ve never met anyone so free of judgment, and so ready to understand why people do things that others find unseemly.…

From Chisa's list on finding joy in dark-ass times.

Three Woman is a powerful book that reveals a side of our society, and women, we are rarely exposed to. I’ve never read anything so remarkable, and daring. This true account of three women’s lives reads like a novel, taking us into the lives of Maggie, Lina, and Sloan. Maggie claims she had a sexual relationship with her teacher, Lina is a rape victim who is now a mother and wife and embarking on an affair with an old boyfriend, and Sloan is a wealthy, successful woman whose husband likes to watch her have sex with other men. This book…

From Serena's list on powerful female protagonists.

If you love Three Women...

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Book cover of The High House

The High House by James Stoddard,

The Victorian mansion, Evenmere, is the mechanism that runs the universe.

The lamps must be lit, or the stars die. The clocks must be wound, or Time ceases. The Balance between Order and Chaos must be preserved, or Existence crumbles.

Appointed the Steward of Evenmere, Carter Anderson must learn the…

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