All your gal pal travel buddies will want to borrow My First Five Husbands . . . And the Ones Who Got Away by Rue McClanahan (aka Blanche Devereaux of TV’s The Golden Girls ), so be prepared to share. This joie de vivre memoir chronicles McClanahan’s lifelong pursuit of love, great sex and marital happiness. As she takes us on her journey from unwed mother ( talking to the baby in my belly, telling him how much I loved him, singing to him, saying ÔDaddy loves you. He’ll come to his senses’ ) to finally marrying her current husband and soul mate ( The wedding was ridiculous and the honeymoon was worse, but I’ve been Mrs. Morrow Wilson a lot longer than I ever was Mrs. Anybody Else ) her unpretentious candor and wit reveal an irrepressible personality full of vitality and determination. Although her many romances weave through her story, her relationship with her son and her strong alliances with female friends, including her fellow Golden Girls, are also there, as the song lyric says, between each line of pain and glory. Like most of us, her journey was fraught with challenges and obstacles, but McClanahan is always upbeat. There are two things to aim for in life, she advises. First, get what you want. Then enjoy it.
Valiant Women is a vital and engrossing attempt to correct the record and rightfully celebrate the achievements of female veterans of World War II.
