A review by mfrisk
The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I was surprised to find how relevant this book felt 50+ years later.

This book discusses feminism, women’s rights and liberation within the context of its time. However reading this now with misogynistic men’s rights activists feeling emboldened to spew more vitriol than ever without even sugarcoating it as the men in this book do is chilling. Considering men still are choosing to be willfully incompetent to avoid splitting the work often taken on solely by women and men continuing to commit violence against women (and to greater degrees those with marginalized identities) this book still holds immense weight. 

Ultimately, the women in this book are asking for similar issues as we are today (with of course additional added pressures) in terms of division of household labor, feeling heard in their relationships, and feeling they can be a whole person with hobbies, interests, and civic engagement that isn’t solely tied to their romantic partner. This isn’t necessarily a feel good read but it’s one I’d highly recommend. 
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