Marilyn French has died.

May 5, 2009 4:32 PM

Marilyn French, author of The Women's Room, among other works, has died.
posted by Morrigan (26 comments total)

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posted by jammy at 4:41 PM on May 5, 2009

Beyond Power was a life-changing read for me.

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posted by localroger at 4:44 PM on May 5, 2009

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posted by Rumple at 4:46 PM on May 5, 2009

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posted by MarioM at 5:16 PM on May 5, 2009

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posted by box at 5:23 PM on May 5, 2009

Aw!!!

I remember reading The Women's Room around 1987 - I was 10 years late but it influenced me greatly. Thank you Ms. French. Thank you so much.

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posted by dog food sugar at 6:35 PM on May 5, 2009

Whoa! I was just thinking a couple days ago about how much The Women's Room influenced my view of what it means to be a wife and mother. At least she lived a long life!

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posted by limeonaire at 6:40 PM on May 5, 2009

Both "The Women's Room" and "Her Mother's Keeper" have been, and will always remain in my permanent collection.
posted by mnb64 at 6:43 PM on May 5, 2009

Sorry - I meant, "Her Mother's Daughter".
posted by mnb64 at 6:46 PM on May 5, 2009

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posted by transona5 at 7:19 PM on May 5, 2009

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"The Women's Room" was one of the most influential books for my college days, and is a big part of who I am today.
posted by tarantula at 8:21 PM on May 5, 2009

She changed my life.

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posted by rtha at 9:53 PM on May 5, 2009

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posted by brujita at 10:48 PM on May 5, 2009

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posted by obloquy at 11:03 PM on May 5, 2009

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posted by velvet winter at 11:43 PM on May 5, 2009

Oh, no! Love her.

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posted by goo at 1:23 AM on May 6, 2009

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posted by runincircles at 4:11 AM on May 6, 2009

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posted by languagehat at 5:11 AM on May 6, 2009

The Women's Room blew my teenage mind. I wouldn't be who I am today without it. Even though a second reading in my thirties didn't go as well, passages from it are etched permanently on my brain.

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posted by mygothlaundry at 7:06 AM on May 6, 2009

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posted by tiny crocodile at 8:04 AM on May 6, 2009

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posted by cybercoitus interruptus at 8:28 AM on May 6, 2009

Whoa! I was just thinking a couple days ago about how much The Women's Room influenced my view of what it means to be a wife and mother. At least she lived a long life!


Perspective and relativity are interesting cousins.
posted by notreally at 9:51 AM on May 6, 2009

I was greatly moved by "The Women's Room" when I was in my early 20s. Reading it some years later, it seemed hackneyed in parts, but as a product of its time it was astonishing.
posted by essexjan at 11:36 AM on May 6, 2009

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posted by Substrata at 3:14 PM on May 6, 2009

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posted by cda at 5:39 AM on May 7, 2009

Reading The Women's Room in my teens has meant years of thinking, "well, DUH," when listening to women who weren't so lucky. Thank you, Marilyn, for writing the rare book that replaces actual experience; with your words, I dodged bullets.
posted by Liffey at 7:56 AM on May 9, 2009