It all begins on a college campus where the shy Greer Kadetsky attends a talk by influential feminist, Faith Frank. Wolitzer has captured the recent history of feminism, in breadth more than depth, showcasing discussions on everything from abortion rights to the wage gap, and from porn to rape culture. I can picture, many years from now, students sat in a classroom and analyzing this book for its historical context, as a book that covers a broad range of feminist issues that are relevant to people today. Or find any new ideas or inspiration in its pages. So I can see some value in it, but I just didn't enjoy this anywhere near as much as I thought I would. Or, at least, not in mainstream literature. Because, though it may feel like one must, I actually don't think a book like this existed before.

It stands out for being an overview of the white feminist experience during the nineties and early 21st century. The Female Persuasion is a novel with little story and a lot of ideas, none of them particularly new ones. It’s a story about the people who guide and the people who follow (and how those roles evolve over time), and the desire within all of us to be pulled into the light. At its heart, The Female Persuasion is about the flame we all believe is flickering inside of us, waiting to be seen and fanned by the right person at the right time. And then, astonishingly, Faith invites Greer to make something out of that sense of purpose, leading Greer down the most exciting path of her life as it winds toward and away from her meant-to-be love story with Cory and the future she’d always imagined.Ĭharming and wise, knowing and witty, Meg Wolitzer delivers a novel about power and influence, ego and loyalty, womanhood and ambition. Upon hearing Faith speak for the first time, Greer-madly in love with her boyfriend, Cory, but still full of longing for an ambition that she can’t quite place-feels her inner world light up. Faith Frank, dazzlingly persuasive and elegant at sixty-three, has been a central pillar of the women’s movement for decades, a figure who inspires others to influence the world. Greer Kadetsky is a shy college freshman when she meets the woman she hopes will change her life. But sometimes it can also mean entry to a new kind of life, a bigger world. To be admired by someone we admire-we all yearn for this: the private, electrifying pleasure of being singled out by someone of esteem.

The female persuasion meg wolitzer