The Ladies' Lending Library: A Washington Post-Praised Portrait of Women, Innocence, and Desire in the Summer of 1963

“A deeply thoughtful, beautifully written novel.” — Washington Post Book World

A portrait of women caught between countries, cultures, and aspirations—a bittersweet tale, set in the 1960s, of mothers, daughters, friends, and lovers during one unforgettable summer

August, 1963: the year of the sensational release of Cleopatra starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, showcasing a passion too grand to be contained on the movie screen. The women of the Kalyna Beach cottage community, part of a group of first-generation Ukrainian Canadians, gather for gin and gossip, trading the current racy bestsellers among themselves as they seek a brief escape from the predictable rhythms of children and chores.

But dramatic change is coming this summer as innocence falters and the desire for change reaches a boiling point, threatening to disrupt the warm, sweet, heady days and the lives of parents and children, family and friends, forever.

Janice Kulyk Keefer is widely acclaimed for her novels, short story collections, poetry, and nonfiction. The Ladies' Lending Library is her fifth novel. She lives in Toronto.