First of all, I think this book has been titled and marketed wrong as I thought it would be an analysis/ review/ general assessment of the position of single women in the modern age and how that compares to how ever many years ago. Maybe even with various bits of advice on how to deal with the ever present pressure of 'settling down'. Instead, this is a review of Bolick's time as a spinster and how she came to the realization that a) she was one, b) how she got there, c) how she is now okay with but wasn't for a long time. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy reading this and I did find it interesting, I even learnt a few things about some of the past feminist trailblazers that I did not before, including some interesting family connections. But I wasn't ready for Bolick's spinster life story and often found it overly self critical from a societal stand-point (basically she was frequently concerned about appearances and did things that others wanted because she couldn't / wouldn't say no). I'm sure for various people reading about her journey of wanting but not wanting spinsterhood to fully embracing it would be inspiring but for me, as a fully committed and very non-plused spinster already, it was a little wasted on me. That said though, I do have a few more books to add to the wish list thanks to her works referenced, so that's always a good thing.