Best of Everything
United States

Best of Everything

by Rona Jaffe

Society & Class Historical Fiction Classics Fiction 1958

Summary

The Best of Everything follows five young women working in a New York publishing company during the late 1950s as they navigate professional ambition, romance, and the expectations placed on women in postwar America. Caroline Bender dreams of building a meaningful career, while her colleagues struggle with relationships, financial insecurity, and the pressure to find suitable husbands. Their experiences reveal a world in which women are encouraged to pursue independence but are still judged by their marital status and appearance. As the characters encounter workplace discrimination, emotional disappointments, and difficult personal choices, they begin to question what success and happiness really mean. Jaffe offers an unvarnished portrait of women’s lives in a rapidly changing society, exploring the conflict between individual aspirations and conventional expectations. The novel examines gender inequality, ambition, and the price women are often expected to pay for trying to have both a career and a fulfilling personal life.

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Country
United States
North America
About the author
Rona Jaffe
Rona Jaffe

Rona Jaffe (1931–2005) was an American novelist known for her insightful portrayals of women’s lives, ambitions, relationships, and the pressures of social expectations. Born in New York City, she graduated from Radcliffe College in 1951 and began her publishing career as an editor before turning to fiction. Her breakthrough novel, The Best of Everything (1958), follows five young women working in New York’s publishing industry as they navigate careers, romance, marriage, and the limitations placed on women in mid-twentieth-century America. The novel became a landmark of women’s fiction for its frank portrayal of professional ambition and the compromises women were expected to make. Jaffe went on to publish numerous novels exploring family relationships, social change, and personal independence, including Class Reunion (1979) and Mazes and Monsters (1981). She also established the Rona Jaffe Foundation in 1995 to support emerging women writers. Her work remains notable for documenting women’s aspirations and frustrations during periods of changing social expectations.

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Details
Published
1958
Author
Rona Jaffe