Olive Higgins Prouty: 4 books

“Don’t let’s ask for the moon! We have the stars!” The film that concludes with Bette Davis’s famous words, reaffirmed Davis’s own stardom and changed the way Americans smoked cigarettes. But few contemporary fans of this story of a woman’s self-realization know its source. Olive Higgins...

Ruth Vars, with a "brilliant match" ready for marriage, revolts against her useless, conventional life--just a "Fifth Wheel to a Coach" she calls herself--and her dramatic experience in the world of loving and working follows in consequence. The real emphasis of the plot centers...

This pulp classic of motherhood and money introduced the immortal character portrayed on film by Barbara Stanwyck and Bette Midler—“a feminist gem” (Michael Bronski). An ambitious woman from working-class roots, Stella sets her sights on marrying rich—and hits a bullseye. But her unshakable...