Recipe for a Perfect Wife
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Book Overview
In this captivating dual narrative novel, a modern-day woman finds inspiration in hidden notes left by her home's previous owner, a quintessential 1950s housewife. As she discovers remarkable parallels between this woman's life and her own, it causes her to question the foundation of her own relationship with her husband--and what it means to be a wife fighting for her place in a patriarchal society. When Alice Hale leaves a career in publicity to become a writer and follows her husband to the New York suburbs, she is unaccustomed to filling her days alone in a big, empty house. But when she finds a vintage cookbook buried in a box in the old home's basement, she becomes captivated by the cookbook's previous owner--1950s housewife Nellie Murdoch. As Alice cooks her way through the past, she realizes that within the cookbook's pages Nellie left clues about her life--including a mysterious series of unsent letters penned to her mother. Soon Alice learns that while baked Alaska and meatloaf five ways may seem harmless, Nellie's secrets may have been anything but. When Alice uncovers a more sinister--even dangerous--side to Nellie's marriage, and has become increasingly dissatisfied with the mounting pressures in her own relationship, she begins to take control of her life and protect herself with a few secrets of her own.
Format:Hardcover
Language:English
ISBN:152474493X
ISBN13:9781524744939
Release Date:December 2019
Publisher:Dutton Books
Length:336 Pages
Weight:1.21 lbs.
Dimensions:1.3" x 6.3" x 9.1"
Customer Reviews
2 ratings
Good read; bad feminism
Published by Entertainment only , 1 year ago
Very engaging writing and absolutely worth a read. With that said, it fails to draw the line between feminism and poor conflict resolution. Opting for deceit, threats, accusations, and self victimization instead of communication is not a demonstration of feminism for the modern day woman, nor is it foundation for a good relationship. Read on for repeated failures from both husband and wife. Hard to sympathize with, but still a captivating story. Just take the whole thing with a bucket of salt.
Great Book Until the Ending
Published by Wheezy_82 , 1 year ago
I really, really loved the idea for this book since I adore books with time jumps as part of the plot. It followed Alice in 2018 and Nellie in the mid-50s and absolutely swept me away with the parallels and contrasts of each woman's struggles. I loved everything about it up until the last handful of pages. I guess the ending left everything up to the reader or maybe laid ground fora sequel, but it was bland and disappointing for me. If you can score it here for a discount or borrow it from a library, I'd say it's worth the read.
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