Ira Levin (1929–2007)

4.5/5 A horrific and comically satiric indictment on conservative attacks on women's liberation, this novella, written in 1972, shows how astounding the “tradwife“ idea still is today--when a woman is on the cusp of (hopefully) becoming our first female president. As much as some want to return to the 1950s and put females back in the kitchen, Levin shows how truly tragic that return would be for us women. Indeed, “we will not go back!“ #election24

Having already seen the movie starring Nicole Kidman, I knew the plot of the book already so I expected not to be surprised or disturbed. Boy, was I wrong! Being female and having felt various degrees of pressure to conform to a more stereotypical and traditional feminine role, this book spoke to the part of me that is really terrified of losing my identity to such pressures. This book is like one of my biggest fears taken to an almost comical, yet never not frightening, extreme. The writing show more itself was clear and direct, but also deceptively simple. Even as he described Joanna's daily life, the author managed to maintain a level of creepiness and suspense that never left me, prompting me to read more-- even when I knew what was coming, and was dreading it. show less

Incredible. Horrible. The last few chapters I was holding back tears. The worst feeling in the world, to be a vulnerable pregnant woman, being taken advantage of and lied to for nine months straight. This book is not horror because of Satan, it is horror because of powerlessness. And the last chapter, the mothers twisted acceptance, her sanity all but gone.... I feel heartbroken. I feel angry. I feel relieved...

I saw the reviews on this. I kinda dreaded getting into it, but I got the damn book for free, so I thought, hey, let's give it a go. It's Ira freaking Levin, so how bad can it be, right?

Bad. It can be really bad.

This reads like the entire thing was truncated, or badly condensed, and they kept only the boring parts. There's so many opportunities to explore some emotional depth that are simply blown right by. Instead, the reader gets a brisk run through of corporate meetings, marketing show more strategy meetings, business meetings, catch up meetings...meetings.

Nothing of any consequence occurs until about the halfway, then nothing until the very end of the book. In between, we're treated to the dullest non-horror a horror novel could ever produce.

And this fact? This is the real horror of this novel. It just sits there and does nothing...but, wait! Is the reader rewarded for their patience at wading through this mess?

No, they truly are not. Instead, the last few pages grabs the reader and slaps them around for their stupidity in sticking with the book that long.

Don't believe me? Read it and tell me I'm wrong. show less