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Robin's Reviews > The Stepford Wives
The Stepford Wives
by
by
Warning: spoilery stuff ahead
The amazing thing about this story is its wide-reaching cultural impact. Whether you've read the book or seen any of the film versions, when you hear the term "Stepford wife", you know what it refers to: an immaculate woman in a 1950s throwback poodle skirt, with an impressive rack - and a glassy, eerie gaze. She's "so busy" with her housework and pleasing the husband she is so lucky to have, she doesn't have time for anything else.
The idea behind this chilling social satire is nothing less than ingenious and that is why this book has achieved iconic status.
But the reading of this novella is a whole other thing. A brief 125 pages, this reads like poor YA with a few errant sex scenes. The super simplistic plot, the cardboard characters, and the lack of tension for the most part, combine to make for a truly lacklustre reading experience. Had I not the stunning visuals in my mind from the silver screen versions, it would have been far more forgettable.
It's a satire on misogyny and oppression. It portrays an exaggerated, negative male response to feminism. I understand that. However, the author failed to interest me - not with language, motivation, characterisation, or fear. He repeats the word "hausfrau" at least a dozen times. And he employs a monochrome brush of the broadest possible size to paint the men in this book. Are we to believe after a few meetings at the Stepford Men's Association, every man is going to be sold into murdering his wife and turning her into a robot? There could have been so much more complexity and believability if we could have seen ANY thought process - any at all - on the part of the men, especially our main character's husband. Sadly, the end result is bland, underdeveloped and a little bit boring.
As I said, the idea is brilliant. Ira Levin is the same man who brought us Rosemary's Baby. Based on these two books, it's safe to say Levin didn't have a great opinion of husbands, or neighbours either, for that matter! And it's equally safe to say this guy's imagination translated remarkably well to film. 3 stars for ideas that keep us thinking, decades later.
The amazing thing about this story is its wide-reaching cultural impact. Whether you've read the book or seen any of the film versions, when you hear the term "Stepford wife", you know what it refers to: an immaculate woman in a 1950s throwback poodle skirt, with an impressive rack - and a glassy, eerie gaze. She's "so busy" with her housework and pleasing the husband she is so lucky to have, she doesn't have time for anything else.
The idea behind this chilling social satire is nothing less than ingenious and that is why this book has achieved iconic status.
But the reading of this novella is a whole other thing. A brief 125 pages, this reads like poor YA with a few errant sex scenes. The super simplistic plot, the cardboard characters, and the lack of tension for the most part, combine to make for a truly lacklustre reading experience. Had I not the stunning visuals in my mind from the silver screen versions, it would have been far more forgettable.
It's a satire on misogyny and oppression. It portrays an exaggerated, negative male response to feminism. I understand that. However, the author failed to interest me - not with language, motivation, characterisation, or fear. He repeats the word "hausfrau" at least a dozen times. And he employs a monochrome brush of the broadest possible size to paint the men in this book. Are we to believe after a few meetings at the Stepford Men's Association, every man is going to be sold into murdering his wife and turning her into a robot? There could have been so much more complexity and believability if we could have seen ANY thought process - any at all - on the part of the men, especially our main character's husband. Sadly, the end result is bland, underdeveloped and a little bit boring.
As I said, the idea is brilliant. Ira Levin is the same man who brought us Rosemary's Baby. Based on these two books, it's safe to say Levin didn't have a great opinion of husbands, or neighbours either, for that matter! And it's equally safe to say this guy's imagination translated remarkably well to film. 3 stars for ideas that keep us thinking, decades later.
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Reading Progress
April 6, 2018
– Shelved
May 19, 2018
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Started Reading
May 23, 2018
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50.0%
May 24, 2018
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by
Julie
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rated it 5 stars
May 22, 2018 07:00PM
I'm twitching with happiness that you're reading this freakish little book.
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Julie wrote: "I'm twitching with happiness that you're reading this freakish little book."You're so cute :) I'm sorry to say I didn't like it as much as you, but no regrets reading it. It's always a good thing to add another author to my 'read' list. And I love his dark, freakish ideas!
Robin,This is a more than fair assessment of the "mechanics" of this story. It is fairly skeletal in character development and plot, and you're right, it reads like poor YA with a few errant sex scenes.
I love it, though!!
(at least it was short, right??)
I love a thoughtful review of a popular novel, Robin. I agree with your assessment on this one. This is a trifle that I never bought into. I think that a good satire is reality plus one step toward the extreme. Levin takes four or five steps and stumbles on his face. I could believe men buying a female robot companion and maybe upgrading them every couple of years while shunning interaction with real women, but Levin's take is just way too extreme and poorly thought out to be compelling.
Gorgeous review!The word 'Hausfrau' is in itself full of iconic potential... so it's a shame the author didn't exploit the easy cliché of the bored housewife and satisfied the reader with something more than a few (tamed) spicy vignettes.
Maybe it's just that our esprit de délicatesse has become too exigent. ;)
Julie wrote: "This is a more than fair assessment of the "mechanics" of this story. It is fairly skeletal in character development and plot, and you're right, it reads like poor YA with a few errant sex scenes.I love it, though!!
(at least it was short, right??)"
Thank you, Julie. You're right, I am glad it was short! If the author fleshed it out a bit more, however, I would have gladly invested more reading time in it.
Joe wrote: "I love a thoughtful review of a popular novel, Robin. I agree with your assessment on this one. This is a trifle that I never bought into. I think that a good satire is reality plus one step toward the extreme. Levin takes four or five steps and stumbles on his face. I could believe men buying a female robot companion and maybe upgrading them every couple of years while shunning interaction with real women, but Levin's take is just way too extreme and poorly thought out to be compelling."Thank you, Joe. Looks like we share a disappointment with this book. Your issues seem to be with the extreme nature of the premise, and mine was with the writing, which I found so vacant, what could have been a promising novella was instead an echo-chamber.
I see you rated it even lower than I did, and now am going to hop over and look at your review.
PS how did you find Rosemary's Baby compares to this?
I think some consideration needs to be given to how original his conceptual idea was at the time he wrote this. Even if it is somewhat "skimpy" as a narrative, it may have been as far as one's thinking could go at the time. Bradbury's writing has many holes in it as well, but he created a genre and raised the bar on so much imaginative thought, things like character development or flimsy dialogue can sometimes be overlooked. These guys were trailblazers, more imaginative than probably 98% of the general population in their lifetimes, and they can't always be measured by what is out there now or by more literate peers who wrote better than they did at the same time, but who lacked their imagination.
Just saying.
Fede wrote: "Gorgeous review!The word 'Hausfrau' is in itself full of iconic potential... so it's a shame the author didn't exploit the easy cliché of the bored housewife and satisfied the reader with something more..."
Interesting that you should mention the word 'Hausfrau' - when it first appeared in this novel I nodded appreciatively because as you say it's a really evocative word, perfect for this book. But then every character started using it, and I shook my head.
That reminds me, I have a book on my shelf by that name... (Hausfrau). It's been there a while, perhaps it's a good time to dust it off and see what it's all about?
Thanks as always, Fede, for reading my reviews and for your supportive comment!
Julie wrote: "I think some consideration needs to be given to how original his conceptual idea was at the time he wrote this. Even if it is somewhat "skimpy" as a narrative, it may have been as far as one's thin..."For sure, and I think I did express in my review my admiration for such an imaginative idea, one that has become iconic and lasting in our cultural consciousness. It didn't translate to a 5 star reading experience (or rating) for me, though.
Jaline wrote: "Excellent review, Robin!"Thank you, Jaline :)
Robin, I like a review that provides a balanced perspective. You did a fabulous job with this one. Think I’ll just stick to the silver screen version.
Laysee wrote: "Robin, I like a review that provides a balanced perspective. You did a fabulous job with this one. Think I’ll just stick to the silver screen version."Thanks, Laysee for such a warm and kind compliment! I think this is one of those rare cases where the movie is more enjoyable than the book.
Wonderful review, Robin, I read this such a long time ago, I only remember scenes from the movie which I saw at some point after reading this, which at least held slightly more entertainment value. I completely agree with your assessment of this!
Cheri wrote: "Wonderful review, Robin, I read this such a long time ago, I only remember scenes from the movie which I saw at some point after reading this, which at least held slightly more entertainment value. I completely agree with your assessment of this!"Hi Cheri, I feel less grinch-like thanks to you. Thanks so much for your kind and also commiserating comment :)
Oh dear, sounds like a real dreary affair Robin! Great review :)
Mark wrote: "Oh dear, sounds like a real dreary affair Robin! Great review :)"Thanks, Mark. It was pretty disappointing for me, despite the iconic premise. However, I'm just reading his debut novel now (A Kiss Before Dying) and thus far, it's excellent! It's well on its way to redeeming Levin in my eyes. Fingers crossed.
Great review! I've been working my way through Ira Levin's book this year, and I got kind of obsessed with this one.
❄️AngeLivesToRead❄️ wrote: "Great review! I've been working my way through Ira Levin's book this year, and I got kind of obsessed with this one."Thanks Angel! How cool that you've been reading Levin's work - I really loved A Kiss Before Dying. What was your favourite?
Robin wrote: "Thanks Angel! How cool that you've been reading Levin's work - I really loved A Kiss Before Dying. What was your favourite?.."Thanks Robin - I think A Kiss Before Dying might be my favorite, too, so far. I have a few more books to finish up my Levin marathon - Veronica's Room, This Perfect Day, and Sliver are on deck for 2023, so we'll see if any of them moves into first place!
❄️AngeLivesToRead❄️ wrote: "Thanks Robin - I think A Kiss Before Dying might be my favorite, too, so far. I have a few more books to finish up my Levin marathon - Veronica's Room, This Perfect Day, and Sliver are on deck for 2023, so we'll see if any of them moves into first place!"What a fun project!!
