Revisiting the Divorce Ranch
Marilu Norden’s newest book recently hit shelves. Unbridled: A Tale of a Divorce Ranch depicts the divorce process for women living in the 1950s.
The story uses the author’s own experiences with divorce to tell a tale of a woman accepting the idea of divorce.
In the book, Lara Treadwell is facing divorce after giving birth to her second child. Lara agrees to go to the Desert Lake Ranch for a quick divorce. The ranch is one of Reno’s divorce ranches, which were popular for women to establish residency at while going through a divorce during the 1950s.
During the story, Lara sorts through her emotions and thoughts on divorce and moving on with her life, while trying to be a single mother and learning to love again.
Norden was sent to a Reno divorce ranch after the end of her first marriage. Her book explores how women work through suddenly finding themselves alone and feeling abandoned by the legal system.
Norden’s book is not only a good read to learn about the emotions felt during the divorce porcess, but also a way for people to learn about the improvements in marital law and women’s rights since the 1950s and the existence of divorce ranches.
