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myrtleturtle613's review against another edition
4.0
It was interesting. Cool to hear about the space race from women
crystalstarrlight's review against another edition
5.0
The little girl who dreamed of going into space squees.
Bullet Review:
I LOVED THIS SO BAD!
What I hated: how short it was and how much it skipped over. I realize that this is probably from interviews done many years after the events, but I felt many missions (such as the infamous Apollo 13) were glosses over.
What I loved: everything else! It's all about these incredible diverse women trying to pretend to be the perfect 50's housewife under the scrutiny of the media. Real Housewives? Eat your heart out! Oh, yeah, and these women DONT have to women-hate each other either.
I particularly loved the end where the women, split up from their men, come together for community with these other women. Truly, the space race would have gone NOWHERE without women like Louise, Annie, Rene and Betty (I HEART BETTY!!).
(I don't typically address other reviews but this one has quite a few 1- and 2- stars that I feel I must. 1) I do get that the writing style is weird. I found it weird too - talking about one thing then suddenly saying that "Sputnik" means "Traveler". Weird. But honestly, I got so absorbed, it fled into the background. 2) No citations. This likewise bugs me - but the author hints that she may have done interviews which is why you don't see a bibliography. These women's stories have been shut up for years; I wouldn't be surprised if this is the first and only book about them.)
Bullet Review:
I LOVED THIS SO BAD!
What I hated: how short it was and how much it skipped over. I realize that this is probably from interviews done many years after the events, but I felt many missions (such as the infamous Apollo 13) were glosses over.
What I loved: everything else! It's all about these incredible diverse women trying to pretend to be the perfect 50's housewife under the scrutiny of the media. Real Housewives? Eat your heart out! Oh, yeah, and these women DONT have to women-hate each other either.
I particularly loved the end where the women, split up from their men, come together for community with these other women. Truly, the space race would have gone NOWHERE without women like Louise, Annie, Rene and Betty (I HEART BETTY!!).
(I don't typically address other reviews but this one has quite a few 1- and 2- stars that I feel I must. 1) I do get that the writing style is weird. I found it weird too - talking about one thing then suddenly saying that "Sputnik" means "Traveler". Weird. But honestly, I got so absorbed, it fled into the background. 2) No citations. This likewise bugs me - but the author hints that she may have done interviews which is why you don't see a bibliography. These women's stories have been shut up for years; I wouldn't be surprised if this is the first and only book about them.)
jenmangler's review against another edition
2.0
I really wanted to love this book, but in the end I just felt “meh” towards it. I didn’t mind the book, but I was very underwhelmed. I’ve been fascinated by space for as long as I can remember and am always hungry to know more. I felt going into the book that I knew almost nothing about the astronaut’s wives and that I was going to get a whole new look at the space program through their eyes. But I learned almost nothing, because the little I did know made up the vast majority of the book. The first 20% of the book had me interested, and then it just devolved into an “and then…. and then…. and then….” list of greatest hits-type moments. There is so very little new insight into the lives these women lived. I didn’t really get to know any of the wives, really. The book spends a great deal of time discussing how LIFE magazine airbrushed not just their pictures, but their lives, for public consumption. This book does practically the same thing. This can’t be their whole story. I couldn’t help but wonder at the end if the wives were happy with how it turned out.
I'm curious to find out what the rest of my book club thinks about this one.
I'm curious to find out what the rest of my book club thinks about this one.
alycat216's review against another edition
2.0
The history and the story is interesting, but the writing is not enjoyable at all.
monicakuryla's review against another edition
2.0
Could have been better if it was written more narratively rather than straight factual plot
stephaniesteen73's review against another edition
4.0
I love biographies and have always been fascinated by astronauts so this was a great choice. This book was very intriguing as it focused on the wives of the astronauts - the ones holding it all together with kids and home while their men hurtled outside the Earth's atmosphere. The original astronauts were required to have (or look like they had!)perfect wives and families, or be penalized by NASA from entering space. Sadly, this pursuit of perfection resulted in a lot of divorces and depression, compounded by unprecedented media frenzy. Also a cultural survey of the times (60s and 70s), the book touched on each woman's unique story as well as the commonalities she shared with her fellow astronaut wives. They, as much as their husbands, were truly admirable!
mbenzz's review against another edition
3.0
This book was chosen as our November book for Book Club. Overall, I really enjoyed it. As a Navy wife myself (as are all the other women in our Book Club), I was really able to relate to a lot of things these women were going through. The long periods of separation, little to no contact when they're away (our husbands are submariners...no phone calls or Face Time for us), and having a small group of women to lean on for comfort and friendship.
What I didn't like about this book is how overwhelming it became. A couple of the ladies in my book club made charts so they could keep track of who was who! There are a LOT of women in this book, and when you add their husbands and children to the mix, forget it. The beginning was the best part, where we meet and get to know the core group...the Mercury Seven. Once the New Nine came in, I started having trouble keeping everyone straight, especially since some women have the same first name. Then when the Fourteen were brought in, I completely lost it. By the end of the book, you've been introduced to 49 different families. 49! Good luck with that.
In the end though, as I said, I enjoyed the story. I feel like this could have been an awesome book if the author had just stuck with the original seven and followed their lives, and maybe even brushed on the New Nine a bit, but as it is, I feel like the story really got weighed down by all the names and families. A wonderful choice for Book Club groups though...many different discussion can come from this book! Glad we read it.
What I didn't like about this book is how overwhelming it became. A couple of the ladies in my book club made charts so they could keep track of who was who! There are a LOT of women in this book, and when you add their husbands and children to the mix, forget it. The beginning was the best part, where we meet and get to know the core group...the Mercury Seven. Once the New Nine came in, I started having trouble keeping everyone straight, especially since some women have the same first name. Then when the Fourteen were brought in, I completely lost it. By the end of the book, you've been introduced to 49 different families. 49! Good luck with that.
In the end though, as I said, I enjoyed the story. I feel like this could have been an awesome book if the author had just stuck with the original seven and followed their lives, and maybe even brushed on the New Nine a bit, but as it is, I feel like the story really got weighed down by all the names and families. A wonderful choice for Book Club groups though...many different discussion can come from this book! Glad we read it.
kglynn's review against another edition
2.0
Meh. Was hoping this would be about the caricature-busting amazingness of these women. It's more caricature-affirming than caricature-busting, if that makes sense.
briarsreviews's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
1.0
This book was a bit of a miss for me. I really enjoyed the first 3rd of the book, following the first set of astronaut wives. I had hoped we would follow their lives and the impact on their families, their relationships, etc., but the book did not do that. It became a general retelling and jumped over the first set of astronaut wives and went to the next.... and then the next.... It missed out on some really great storytelling that could have happened.
Lily Koppel's writing style felt so easy and nice to read, but the content itself is where I felt it missed out on so many great opportunities to be a great story. Why have every single set of astronaut wives in one book? There's too many character and we just start caring for the first set and then they are thrown out and not really mentioned again. I ended up just not caring for the second and third set of wives. I was invested in the first set so dearly and I wanted to see their lives.
This book lacked in depth and I'm disappointed in that. There was so much potential here but it just wasn't what I needed the book to be.
One out of five stars.
Lily Koppel's writing style felt so easy and nice to read, but the content itself is where I felt it missed out on so many great opportunities to be a great story. Why have every single set of astronaut wives in one book? There's too many character and we just start caring for the first set and then they are thrown out and not really mentioned again. I ended up just not caring for the second and third set of wives. I was invested in the first set so dearly and I wanted to see their lives.
This book lacked in depth and I'm disappointed in that. There was so much potential here but it just wasn't what I needed the book to be.
One out of five stars.