A History of the Wife

Disclaimer: I did not select this book. It came in the mail after my procrastination in choosing my next book via a book club membership. When I saw the title and read the inside flap (it insinuates the book is for women), I was assured that this was not my cup of tea. Then I started to read it and was very impressed with the content, context and the great writing. Of particular interest to me was the behind the curtain view in these areas: * The Age of Enlightenment where companionate marriage was conceived. * Medieval Europe and the concept of religious duty. * The arena of romantic love being segued into a prerequisite for marriage. I also enjoyed the insight the author provided on the various laws, religious practice, social customs and politics as the book meandered from ancient to modern times. For a `women's book" I sure did enjoy it. I hope you find this review helpful. Michael L. Gooch

I've recommended this book to just about every one of my female friends and family members. This is just such an enlightening history of women and their role in society. You will be amazed at what you learn in this book and it made me so appreciative of the choices women have today. I also really enjoyed the letters and writings of the women throughout history that Yalom weaves into her book.

I had actually pre-ordered this book since several early reviews had me drooling over the topic. Women's history is a passionate topic of mine and I was interested to see how the author would tackle such a complicated issue as marriage throughout the ages. Yalom was clearly up to the task! Her prose is witty and smooth while her research bears up under close scrutiny. Clearly such a mammoth undertaking as studying "the wife" in every society could not have been attempted in a mere 400 pages, so she does concentrate on Western society. Nevertheless, her scope is enormous, beginning with pre-history and leading up to the late 1990s. She does a marvelous job combining scholarly work with personal diaries and anecdotes, as well as the analysis of art and other cultural references. Two things struck me while reading it: 1) I never thought "Well, this is getting a little dry" and 2) Everything old is new again, since many of the struggles women have today are continual themes that have existed for hundreds of years. I definitely appreciated her broadening the scope of "wife" to include other types of romantic partners in the last chapter during her analysis of the latter half of the twentieth century. Yalom's "History of the Breast" is waiting in the wings for me to read. I just wonder what's next - "History of the Child"? "History of the Daughter"? Whatever topic she chooses, I'll purchase it!

Kudos of Dr. Yalom! As an avid reader of history, I found this book so enjoyable that I read it in two sittings. Her writing style is scholarly without being turgid and her research was quite complete. The book is a good "jumping-off point" should you want to delve further into any of the historical periods described. I look forward to reading more of her books.