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3.47 AVERAGE
3.47 AVERAGE
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
GASP!
would've preferred to see the husbands more often bc duh, the title, but after reading the ending, i guess i get it
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I read the book in one day because she is a great writer. I wasn’t so captivated by the story itself, I caught on quickly. It was relatable and well written.
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was a wild ride, and I had fun every minute of it. I will admit that the twists were incredibly predictable and there wasn't much "thrill" to the thriller or mystery to the mystery, but I don't think that detracted from my enjoyment of the story. I think, more than anything, this story functions as a satire/social commentary (one and the same; the actual literary definition of satire, not whatever white men on YouTube are calling satire these days) rather than a heart-pounding schlock novel--and I wonder if it suffers from the same shitty marketing as Sarah Gailey's The Echo Wife. Neither of these books are thrillers, but they're sent out to the public as such. While I don't think The Husbands quite crosses the line into literary fiction like Sarah Gailey's novel (and I'll go to my grave professing that), it definitely isn't a mystery/thriller.
Genuinely, I did like this book. I think it gets Baker's point across exceptionally well, and I found that I absolutely loved the ending. I don't think the "mystery/thriller" aspects needed much more depth (and if I were going to dock any points from this book, it would be for the vaguely ham-fisted villain monologue at the end that felt sort of out of place from the rest of the book), because the story was not fundamentally about the murder or the intrigue--it was about Nora, Hayden, and the unbalanced dynamic of women and men's domestic, emotional, and mental labor in the average household. It is, fundamentally, a statement on the social and cultural structure of households in an era where women are expected to "do it all", avoiding the stigma of the "housewife" while still having to uphold the "housewife" duties and standards alongside a career. It touches on what it means to have a so-called equal and "modern" partnership in the home, and fundamental lack of emphasis placed on the emotional labor of being a household manager--and the defensive reactions of partners when called out for their lack of emotional and mental household labor. While so much in this book was said outright, so much was also left unsaid for the reader to pick up on their own, because to point everything out would be overwhelming. It is, at its core, a manifesto, and I found it incredibly insightful and engaging.
Genuinely, I did like this book. I think it gets Baker's point across exceptionally well, and I found that I absolutely loved the ending. I don't think the "mystery/thriller" aspects needed much more depth (and if I were going to dock any points from this book, it would be for the vaguely ham-fisted villain monologue at the end that felt sort of out of place from the rest of the book), because the story was not fundamentally about the murder or the intrigue--it was about Nora, Hayden, and the unbalanced dynamic of women and men's domestic, emotional, and mental labor in the average household. It is, fundamentally, a statement on the social and cultural structure of households in an era where women are expected to "do it all", avoiding the stigma of the "housewife" while still having to uphold the "housewife" duties and standards alongside a career. It touches on what it means to have a so-called equal and "modern" partnership in the home, and fundamental lack of emphasis placed on the emotional labor of being a household manager--and the defensive reactions of partners when called out for their lack of emotional and mental household labor. While so much in this book was said outright, so much was also left unsaid for the reader to pick up on their own, because to point everything out would be overwhelming. It is, at its core, a manifesto, and I found it incredibly insightful and engaging.
funny
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I give this book 3.75. I really liked the concept of the book, and I liked how it showed that lots of times moms do a crap ton of work that goes unnoticed by many. I liked how this took the "women support women" movement to the EXTREME and showed just how out of hand it could get. I liked that Nora, while she appreciated when her husband became doting and appreciative, she wasn't willing to give "anything" to maintain that lifestyle, regardless of how tempting it was...or so it seemed. Then, the ending showed that she did have a bit of that desire and deceitfulness left in her - it's just too tempting to turn it down. I didn't like that there weren't repercussions for the wrong that was being committed by these women, and I also didn't like that there wasn't one single husband who didn't fit this mold of "bad husband" set out in this book. The concept is funny and unique and intriguing, but I didn't like that the fallacy of it wasn't also brought to light. But maybe it didn't need to be because as women we know the absurdity of this becoming a reality so it was left a fantasy we could all go back to from time to time.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Eerie how accurate the amount of balls in the air women juggle with no one else seeming able to intuit how overwhelming it is or how to help and the resentment this brings. The book istelf was an interesting twist on stepford wives, but the ending just didn't work for me; it was just so unrealistic based on the personality of the characters and the events that transpired.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes