The Woman Destroyed (Pantheon Modern Writers)

By Simone De Beauvoir

One of the most influential thinkers of her generation draws us into the lives of three women, all past their first youth, all facing unexpected crises in these three “immensely intelligent stories about the decay of passion” (The Sunday Herald Times).

Suffused with de Beauvoir’s remarkable insights into women, The Woman Destroyed gives us a legendary writer at her best. Includes "The Age of Discretion," "The Monologue," and "The Woman Destroyed."

"Witty, immensely adroit...These three women are believable individuals presented with a wry mixture of sympathy and exasperation." —The Atlantic

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Published Aug 12, 1987

256 pages

Average rating: 7.51

35 RATINGS

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A book club exploring translated books from around the world, paired with meetups at LA area restaurants inspired by each story.

Community Reviews

David Kane
David Kane
4/10 stars
The woman? Destroyed.
Hanna Goldfarb
Hanna Goldfarb
10/10 stars
The last story was my favorite. It hurt to read because the narrator’s voice was incredibly easy to empathize with. I haven’t felt so strongly about a character’s plight in a long time.

The second story was a bit more intense, i’m not convinced I loved the stream of consciousness style. Similar in theme to The Yellow Wallpaper.

The first story was lovely as well. I enjoyed the depiction of the family relationship and conflict.

All in all, fantastic. I think I need to sit with the feminist messages more, or follow up with some excerpts from The Second Sex. However, it was refreshing to read what felt like incredibly accurate and relatable emotional processing from female characters.
CindySaraCat
CindySaraCat
10/10 stars
This collection of short stories features characters so relatable that it almost hurts! This is a must read for any woman who’s grappling with frustrating, long suffering relationships, especially in middle age.

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