A manifesto for women’s joyful solitude in an age of patriarchy. —ELLE

A work that invites us to see women’s solitude in a new light. —Le Dauphine

In this sensitive and compelling work, Lauren Bastide explores women’s solitude — the kind we choose, the kind we cherish, but also the kind we endure, sometimes shaped by society’s expectations. —Vaucluse Matin

The success of this essay, a tribute to a serene and fulfilled solitude, shows how deeply it resonates with contemporary life. —Philosophie Magazine

In Finally Alone, solitude becomes a promise: that of reconnection. —Journal Zebuline

Gone is the image of the desperate thirty-something singleton à la Bridget Jones. Women describe how separation, or simply living alone, has allowed them to reclaim their freedom. —Le Point

In Finally Alone, Lauren Bastide casts light on the “profound solitude” experienced by housewives — a far cry from domestic bliss. Marine, 27, offers a striking account of her isolation. —ELLE

What if we could embrace our “solitude at last” as a source of power, a “room of one’s own” where every woman might flourish? —Télé Poche

Blending historical analysis with personal testimony, the journalist dismantles the myth of the helpless woman while advocating for a solitude that is both creative and committed. —RTS

Long looked down on or simply endured, solitude is now a conscious choice for embarking on the conquest of oneself. –Madame Figaro

The journalist blends historical analysis and personal narrative, dismantling the myth of the defenseless woman while advocating for a creative and engaged solitude. –RTS

It took women centuries to conquer the right to be alone, to break free from the control of fathers, husbands, and society. Today, at last, they can. However, their solitude remains frowned upon, sometimes by women themselves, many of whom consider it a form of suffering or failure.

Blending historical analysis with personal narrative, Lauren Bastide invites us to rethink our perception of women who are alone: those who aren’t in relationships, those without children or whose children have “left the nest,” those who solo-travel, those who need no one—or try to, anyway.

In solitude lies the promise of emancipation, renewed self-esteem, and the possibility to move through the world, finally, at one’s own pace. Solitude can be an opportunity, and this essay demonstrates how to capitalize on it.