The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin, Peter Straub Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Stepford Wives
Book Review: Levin sees the future
Summary: 5 Stars
In many ways, Ira Levin is a visionary. His greatest works were written decades ago, yet they are more significant today than ever. The Stepford Wives, while downright spooky, is at the same time a glimpse at the runaway science that makes the concept of humanistic robots seem more plausible every day. In it's day, the novel was viewed as dark and slightly absurd. Today? Who's to say that tidy, smiling woman who lives next door isn't filled with circuitry and microchips instead of blood and bone? One of my all-time favorite books. And written with the cut to the bone conciseness Levin has mastery of. Not a wasted word to be found.
-- Mark LaFlamme, author of "The Pink Room."
Book Review: More important for the ideas than the language
Summary: 5 Stars
Ira Levin's "The Stepford Wives" is already one classic of the feminism --or the chauvinism, depending on where you come from. Written in the early 70s the novel was published when all the feminist movement --and the sexual revolution-- was still fresh, so that it allowed a reading that nowadays is a little dated, nevertheless important.
As some have pointed, the book's strength is not the language, but the ideas. Sure it is a quick read. Levin is not worried with the creating of crafted sentences, or using difficult and obscure words --his style is very straight. The major point in "The Stepford Wives" is the story indeed: battle of genders.
The concept of women against men is as old as the mankind, but never has it taken such a dark and creepy bend in the road. In the town of Stepford everything seems to be perfect --as if perfection is a plausible thing. Women are housewives who adore their working husbands. Joanna Eberhart and her family have just moved. Like some women of her time, she wants to have a job, and also tackle her family. Little does she know that such thing is not possible in that place. With a new friend, the spirited Bobbie, she will discover that living in Stepford is not the best place in the world.
Playing with sci-fi and the absurdity, Levin wrote a work that is timeless. He has taken the battle of the sexes one step further. It is impossible not to laugh at some point, and be desperate at others. His plot is a metaphor with a naturalistic approach --this is hard device for a writer, but he can manage that very well. At some point --mostly in the first part of the novel --not much happens. There are pages describing Joanna's day, which, by the way, happen to be very boring. And the writer has a point with that.
For this novel, Levin should be nominated as the undisputable king of the subtleness. Different from many contemporary writers, he creates the mood without giving too much --in this point he is precise. We always have the feeling that we should know a little more --but he leaves much room for the imagination, and it is great. Maybe one of the best disciples of Levin is Stephen King --not all the time, but he has learned a few tricks with the master.
As I aforementioned, this is a quick book, and won't take more than two or three sittings to read, but its effect is everlasting. Just like in "Rosemary's Baby" it is impossible to be tell with precision what is really happening and what is the paranoia. Maybe everything is happening inside the protagonists' head --or not. And this is the creepiest aspect of his novels.
The battle of the sexes and the portrait of time --plus its entertaining aspect-- make of "The Stepford Wives" a timeless book. For further enjoyment I suggest the original movie, the one staring Katherine Ross and Paula Prentiss.
Book Review: My favourite English book
Summary: 5 Stars
The book ?Stepford Wives" has impressed me. That's my first book from Ira Levin.I like this book. It's easy to read and I like this special style of horror or suspense fiction. When I started reading the book, I had my problems. But later I realized this was a great book. I like this story and I would recommend it.
Book Review: NOT Feminist commentary as widely perceived!
Summary: 2 Stars
If you find a story about mindless chatter, housework and male chauvanism to be fascinating then this book is for you. I picked this book up out of curiosity over how the term "Stepford Wife" became such a popular expression in American vernacular. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the story was always perceived as being a woman's lib commentary in the 60's. Instead what I found was the author seemed to revel in his own fantasy of what it would be like to have a "sexy", willing robotic housewife. The book appears to be a subtle thumbs up to oppresive male archetypes; the so-called heroine doesn't do a whole lot to fight actively against her fate but SUBMISSIVELY submits to it with not much of a struggle. There aren't any exciting parts of the story and no real drama. Honestly, the ending isn't as "disturbing" or "eerie" as others claim it to be. If anything it seems to enforce the type of life it so tediously talks about for it's 100+ pages. In short it's a boring book about women of the suburbs. As a matter of fact the only people I can find enjoying this book would be a stepford wife (one that finds housework and a bland existence enjoyable) or a chauvanist.
Book Review: No Men's clubs for MY husband, you can count on THAT!
Summary: 5 Stars
I can handle watching or reading just about any level of horror... so what was it about this tiny little novella that I read in an hour that truly chilled me? First, I have never seen the movies... so I had no real preconceived notions other than having seen the commercials. Something about being a girl, who was raised in a society where everything tells you that you have to be beautiful, you have to be talented, and above all you have to be perfect or you are nothing... this book really taps into that mantra. The feeling that every little girl has that "I'm not good enough" most of us (hopefully) follow that up with "but at least I'm ME" and that is where the terror of this book lies.
What if the ultimate deceiver, the true villain is the one person who should love you the most, your protector, your partner, your husband. What if he would change you... take away your identity for his own pleasure... and what if everyone was on his side. How would you hold on, how could you escape?
As you can tell this book really hit a nerve with me... true I was born in 1978, so this was a little before my time, but it hasn't changed all that much even though we want to think so. The book is really about men's desires, or Levin's interpretation of them. That they would be willing to sacrifice their wife's very identity, her being, to make her a mindless barbie that did what they pleased. The men in this book are truly horrifying beings... but even more frightening is that this is a doubt shared by all women, across the globe. From a young age we are taught to doubt ourselves, our physical appearance, our mind, our talent, the love of others. I know women with genius IQ's who act like idiots because that is what men want from them. Though there is no magical overnight drug that can do this to a woman... there is the lifelong barrage of the media and society which does a pretty good job in and of itself.
Off my soapbox now. This book freaked me out... it was very well written, very tight and compact, and rediculously short for the price. I would advise getting it from a library, a used book store, or a friend rather than spending the cover amount on it. Mainly because it is so short. Still, I think this book has a lot of meaning, this book should be read and discussed with others... and to the ladies out there... odds are you will end up a bit unsettled and a bit angry at the end of it all.