The Torontonians, Phyllis Brett Young
The Torontonians, Phyllis Brett Young
List: $24.95 | Sale: $17.47
Club: $12.47

The Torontonians

Author: Phyllis Brett Young

Narrator: Athena Karkanis

Unabridged: 12 hr 38 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: ECW Press

Published: 02/21/2023


Synopsis

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.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Leslie on August 17, 2008

I was dreading reading this book thinking that it would be the tired old story of a disgruntled housewife angsting about a slow awakening about her life lacking meaning, and moving firmly towards a dissatisfying feminism. I used to think that my ex-mother-in-law had the worst of two worlds. In her l......more

Goodreads review by Aysha on August 03, 2023

Hard to believe that this book isn’t better known, especially in Canada. A smart and well-written reflection on life as a housewife in 1950s suburban Toronto. It’s full of punchy lines that either make you glad you’re a woman alive today or show that things haven’t really changed. The cherry on top......more

Goodreads review by Sharon on January 08, 2022

I loved everything about this book! It has it all! I love the way it’s been written, and the suspense it provides. It made me laugh out loud at times. Big fan!......more

Goodreads review by James on August 20, 2017

ARE you a Toronto home owner? Do you own a home in any city in North America? This book has some tips for you. Phyllis Young's erudite observations of the habits and dispositions of home owners living in Toronto over a span of three decades (1930s to the 1950s) is the high light of reading the book.......more

Goodreads review by Kate on August 24, 2021

In short, I found it fascinating. Even if the narrative arch was not particularly satisfying, I enjoyed the tone and found the critiques of suburbia and post-war materialism to be very well executed. It was also interesting to read about Toronto in this era, from this era. Overall, if it had been wr......more