According to psychologist Harriet Goldhor Lerner, pretending is so inextricably linked with society's notions of feminine behaviour that it is, quite simply, what women are expected to do. Truth-telling, the opposite of this feminine stereotype, is always associated with authenticity, integrity and self-worth. Going beyond conventional distinctions between deception and honesty, between good and bad, this book gives readers a penetrating and humane analysis of what lying represents in a society where women's truths are so often unspoken truths. Exploring the concepts of lying and pretending, of truth-telling and honesty as they are played out both in women's intimate relationships and in society at large, this book offers a convincing analysis of this unacknowledged part of all our lives.