Listen free for 30 days
Listen with offer
-
The Torontonians
- Narrated by: Athena Karkanis
- Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins
Failed to add items
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
99p for the first 3 months
The Torontonians
Buy Now for £12.99
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Summary
The arrival, one sunny morning, of pale green wall-to-wall carpeting for the living room is the crowning jewel in Karen Whitney's long-anticipated transformation of her house into a beautiful home, renovated to the exacting standards of her own impeccable taste. The banal finality of this event triggers an introspective voyage through the events of her life and how she became who she is: wife of business executive Rick, citizen of the suburb of Rowanwood, mother to two accomplished daughters in university.
Before Betty Friedan coined the term feminine mystique, The Torontonians told a classic feminist story of suburban ennui and existential self-discovery, tracing a detailed portrait of femininity in the 1950s through the eyes of its perceptive and thoughtful heroine. The book is also a unique contemporary meditation on community and social ties from a time when Canada's major cities were just beginning to spread out into suburban sprawl.
Critic reviews
“A revelation ... with vivid details about where we came from and the shape of things to come ... The relevance to today is remarkable.” — San Grewal, The Toronto Star
“Karen Whitney is a heroine who can excite the interest of almost any civilized woman today ... In a growing catalogue of books that have been probing the sweet life of suburbia, Mrs. Young's stands out as both wise and witty.” — The New York Times