Customer Reviews

Stepford Wives, The

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Like many of you that have already read this book and like the many of you who right now are searching high and low for a copy will eventually need to do, I scoured the countryside(alright, just library shelves)before I found this modern classic. "The Stepford Wives," short though it may be, is still one of my favorite books. It's a genuinely creepy story written with a feminist touch that you can't help but appreciate. It deals with a young couple who move to the small town of Stepford and hope to become part of its social scene. But when the protagonist's husband suddenly becomes involved with an exclusive and secretive men's club who seek to control their wives in a fashion more sinister than any reader could anticipate, she begins to fear for their safety. Through time, the term "Stepford Wife" has become a pop culture reference, and deservedly so. I'll let you have the satisfaction of finding out why.

This is a thought provoking, tautly written novella. A gem of suspense, it was first published in the early nineteen seventies and went on to become a popular movie of the same name, starring Katherine Ross. There is now a remake of the film version, starring Nicole Kidman in the lead role with Bette Midler in a supporting role and Christopher Walken as head of the sinister Men's Association described in the book. So, interest is now renewed in this very readable book, which, despite its simplicity and brevity, is a thinly disguised social commentary on the reaction of men to the early women's liberation movement.

The story is very simple but gripping and well written in clear, straightforward prose. Joanna Eberhart moves to the seemingly bucolic town of Stepford with her husband, Walter, and two children, leaving behind the dangers of big city living. An independent, assertive, intelligent, and creative woman, Joanna epitomizes the newly liberated women of the nineteen seventies. Looking for like souls with whom to become friends, she seeks out some of the other married women of the town, only to find that they are all uniformly addicted to housework, give their husbands complete obeisance, are made up to the gills, and have figures courtesy of maidenform.

Joanna manages to find several like-minded women such as her. Yet, when they, too, become addicted to housework after having a romantic weekend alone with their respective husbands, Joanna becomes convinced that the town's Men's Association has hatched a nefarious plot to change all the wives of Stepford into submissive Barbie dolls. Will Joanna manage to escape the fate of the rest of the Stepford wives? Read the book and find out. You will not be disappointed.

I have to say that I judged this book by its cover, I was at a bookstore and the cover with the lovely Nicole Kidman caught my eye in a nice in store display for the book. At first I though, oh don't buy it, you'll never read it. Well I found a nice little place to sit and read the first page or so and thought that just maybe I might. Well as soon as I got home I dove right in to this little jem and before I knew it I was on chapter two (chapter 1 is around 90-100 pages). Don't worry, there are a lot of breaks like those three little stars and gaps between paragraphs that provide a good stopping place if you need it.

The plot is simple Joanna Eberhart and her husband Walter move from the city (New York is implied) to the town of Stepford, Connecticut, a seemingly utopia. However Joanna becomes restless, the only club in town is a mens only club and all the housewives seem to only want to work around the house. She soon meets a woman named Bobbie Markowe who becomes very close to Joanna and a while later they both meet Charmaine Wimperis a woman who love to play tennis. They meet often and talk about the other wives of Stepford and how 'perfect' they are. Then Charmaine and her husband have a second honeymoon one weekend and when Charmaine returns she has shockingly become like the other Stepford wives, she even turns her beloved tennis court into some sort of golf course. So Joanna and Bobbie begin to look at what could possibly be making these women act like this, they get a big shock when at one point Joanna finds and shares a newspaper clipping that showed that at one point Stepford had a womens club and she later discovers that it seems like every woman in town was at one point the president of this club. Bobbie finally decides that the water is changing the women and it takes four months for the change, so she begins drinking bottled water. Some point later Bobbie and her husband have a 'second honeymoon' and whan she returs Joanna is terrified, Bobbie is like all the other Stepford women. Shocked Joanna begins to research and at one point befriends an African American author of childrens books, Ruthanne Hendry, the only other normal Stepford women. As her research grows deeper and deeper Joanna discovers the truth and when she gets home finds herself on a 'second honeymoon' weekend. There is more to the book, including a chilling ending I won't spoil. Once you know the truth it makes you mad, maybe even a little more than mad. The writing of Ira Levin is nice and easily readable, especailly considering how old this book is and the change of writing styles from the seventies to the current. Everything just flows and he leaves a lot up for the reader to picture. The ending isn't clear cut but most people could figure it out, it's rather chilling really. All in all I really fell in love with this book, I'll definately be returning to it at some point and it has made me want to check out both of The Stepford Wives films. All that is left for me to say is that this is a must for anyone who likes a nice little thriller, but this book today!

P.S. This book was written and published in 1972, so it is not an interpretation of either the 1975 or 2004 films.

Just as much as New York City is a major character in "Rosemary's Baby", a haunting tale also conceived by Ira Levin, the elegant suburban village of Stepford is also a major character in the story of the undoing of Joanna Eberhart, loving mother, avid photographer and horrified housewife.

This slim, little book, sharp as a knife, got itself (along with the excellent movie version) embedded with its gothic atmosphere of menace on bucolic surroundings, chilling implications and dark, pernicious and irreverent satire, in the roots of American culture, from the time of its first publication, to the present day. There will always be a kind of woman whom we will come to know as "The Stepford Wife".

The much-commented ending in this story is managed with such subtlety by the author, (after a taut, panic-laden sequence much similar to the one in Part Two of "Rosemary's Baby")that you have to read very carefully, for it will leave you devastated once you realise all it implies.

In short, a must read for both horror fans and dedicated readers.

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.

When I first finished this book I was not pleased. I wanted to know EXACTLY what was going on in Stepford and how they were going about transforming all the women into perfect housewives. But after a day or two of thinking it over, I really liked how the book ended...you come to your own conclusion about whats going on.

I was also pleased that it wasn't your typical 'bad guy loses...good guy wins' sort of ending. (I don't want to give anything away, so I'll leave it at that.) I've recommended this book to all my family and friends, its a very stimulating quick little read. Can't wait to see the movie.

At the age of thirteen, I am just starting to break out of R.L. Stine and his wishy-washy stuff and get into adult thrillers. My dad recommended The Stepford Wives and I became very interested. I got it from the local library and was hooked. It was a quick read and kept my interest. And when I went over it again, I noticed the many twists in the plot, and as a writer myself, I was given some extra inspiration to write a novel I plan on publishing, which has a small bit of resemblance to The Stepford Wives, and it is mentioned a lot.

Later on, I rented the movie. And I liked it better than the book! It was so good, and seeing a visual picture of Stepford and what a Stepford Wife looks like--other than what I imagined--was so great. The story was creepier, and if you happen to rent the movie, you'll love it too. I love the character Bobbie Markowe. She is really great.

The movie's story is a little bit better, especially with a final scene with Bobbie and then the final scene in the Men's Association. Those were great. Though, my have to tip my hat to the final few minutes of the film. It was like a nightmare, but nothing was scary about it. I though it was so well-coreographed and put together. Once you see, you'll understand how amazing the final two minutes are.

The Stepford Wives is one of the most amazing concepts of our time,and I think it had the biggest impact on me of all the stories I've read and movies I've seen.

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.

The Stepford Wives is a masterpiece, a brilliant and chilling satire on the feminist movement, that not only manages to entertain, but provides enough material for deep discussion. It's a quick, effortless read, marvelously plotted, and full of page-turning, as opposed to nail-biting, suspense. Ira Levin has created a pop-culture phenomenon, and the title has etched its way into our vocabulary, and for good reason. The Stepford Wives is truly a memorable book; shocking and original.

This book is at times hilarious, and at times extremely disturbing, especially the ending. Levin leaves a lot of the secrets unsolved, allowing our imagination to run wild trying to interpret what has actually happened and is actually happening. He never goes into detail, making everything seem all the scarier. This book is a must-read for anyone. It is truly one of the best books ever written and highly recommended.

My only complaint is that it was too short. I would have loved to spend more time with these 'perfect' women. Give the women of Stepford a chance, you might thank yourself later.

I'm giving this 3 stars because of the lenght of the book. The Edition I have from Bloomsbury is only 116 pgs long.
Other than that it's actually a very entertaining book. You'd have it read in a couple of hours, so it's kind of like watching a film. Everythin happens in a constant rythym.
Joanna, her husband and 2 kids have moved to Stepford. It's a nice, serene place, only not too social. And the women are all TOO good to be true...
I'll leave the synopsis at that, everyone knows what The Stepford Wives is about anyway.
To sum up, it's funny, suspense filled, but leaves you kind of empty. an extra hundred or two pages, a few extra sub-plots and a little more horror would make it ideal. ;-)