The Commune: A Novel

THE COMMUNE:
   A Comic Satire Celebrating The Women’s Movement Of The 1970s by Erica Abeel
   “A joyous literary romp with hidden depth". Kirkus
   
   "They created a revolution, but could they live up to its ideals?"
   
   THE COMMUNE (Adelaide Press, July 4th, 2021/ISBN 978-1-954351-79-0) is a comic satire and roman-a-clef that takes readers inside the Hamptons commune populated by the newly liberated women present at the creation of the seminal 1970 Women’s March for Equality – an event that marked its 50th anniversary the summer of 2020.
   
   THE COMMUNE’S pioneering feminists can talk the talk but find themselves whipsawed between the bold new ideals of the women’s movement and the powerful tug of the past – and therein lies the drama. With characters based on real-life activists, THE COMMUNE provides an inside look at the struggles and dreams of the heroines who paved the way for the women’s movement over a summer in a well-known Hamptons commune. Anyone who has lived through the early days of second-wave feminism, or seeks a tell-all view of the women who forever changed society will relate to THE COMMUNE. The issues in the novel and conflicts of the characters remain as relevant today as they were in the 70s. Anyone who have summered in the Hamptons will also relate to THE COMMUNE’s barbed portraits of wealthy Hamptonites.
   
   “Erica Abeel’s sharp, witty, delightfully twisty novel goes behind the scenes of the women’s movement circa 1972, shedding light on hidden history in a way that is both moving and inspired. These women (and men) are so compellingly drawn that I wanted the book not to end.”
   Dawn Raffel, “The Strange Case of Dr.Couney,” an NPR best book of 2018
   
   Erica Abeel is the author of five books, including the acclaimed novels Wild Girls (a Notable Book in Oprah Magazine) and Women Like Us, and the (auto-fiction) memoir Only When I Laugh. She writes about women caught on the cusp between convention and change. A former dancer, Abeel is Professor Emeritus of French literature at the City University of New York. When not writing fiction, she covers film for online entertainments sites. Her book reviews and feature articles on “the sexes” have appeared in national publications such as The New York Times, New York Magazine, Esquire and Ms.. For more information on Erica, visit ericaabeel.com, or erica.abeel@facebook.
   
   THE COMMUNE is available for pre-purchase in paperback ($22.30), hard cover ($27.70) and e-book, ($9.77) through Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and other booksellers in the U.S. and worldwide or through www.adelaidebooks.com.
   
www.ericaabeel.com