Reviews

I hadn’t read the book, I think the old film might be floating around somewhere in my head with no clear memories so as it was a fav narrator I opted to give it a go. It’s very compact,it feels more like a novella, I don’t know if this was a popular book length of the time.

Although published in 1972, it feels like a throwback to the 1950’s/ 60’s with the stereotypical woman busy looking after the home and children with an emphasis on looking good for when her husband gets home. Joanna is a modern woman. Behind the idyllic facade there lies a terrible secret.

Joanna, Walter and their 2.2 children consider themselves lucky to have moved to idyllic Stepford, until Joanna’s suspicions are roused.

It’s interesting to see that the book stands the test of time against modern psychological suspense, with the slow dawning of a big problem, isolation of the main character with being gaslit, tension due to impending doom, it even manages a decent creepy vibe, exiting with an open ending leaving the reader to draw their own conclusions. Ok it lacks the massive twists associated with modern equivalents. For me an easy listen, however it’s examined in more literary detail by Peter Straub in an afterword.

kookeybird's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No

5.0

Quick suspenseful read with lots of fun details and reread value. Really enjoyed the narrators voice and the mystery of it all

charlote_1347's review against another edition

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3.0

What a creepy novel! I've heard tell of what 'The Stepford Wives' was about, but word of mouth did not quite prepare me for what I discovered in its pages. The setting, for starters, was intricate and authentic, and Stepford itself reminded me of a utopian reality with a disturbing twist (which it is, technically). Joanna was an intriguing heroine, and an unusual character for me to experience as a reader. Most protagonists I come across, especially women, are strong and independent but they crave submission, or routine, or for someone to take the load off their shoulders temporarily. She had none of that vulnerability, which threatened to make her unlikeable, but she had enough redeeming features that that didn't become a problem. I didn't like the ending, however. Don't get me wrong - it was appropriately creepy, and foreboding and the cliffhanger will leave this novel with me for a long time to come, but nothing was explained, and I find NOTHING more infuriating than an open-ended ending. Levin took the time to set up this world, and to write this story, so why couldn't he explain the technology/hypnotism/techniques that are used to make the Stepford Wives? I don't care if he was trying to preserve the creepiness - in a novel, the reader wants to know the how, the why, the all of it (not just the parts the author can be bothered to flesh out). Overall, an awesome start and an awesome idea, but the ending ruined a lot of the enjoyment for me. I rushed through the book, eagerly anticipating an ingenious explanation, only to be given nothing.