Stepford Wives

Reads like a first draft compared to ROSEMARY'S BABY!Usually writers get better but I just finished STEPFORD and am now ready ROSEMARY (which was written much earlier in his career) and ROSEMARY is a much richer read. STEPFORD--even though we know all the "secrets"--is very, very one dimensional. Women's Lib vs Male Dominated Society. We learn NOTHING as to why the men would want to do this to their wives and see no hints of a transformation of the main character's husband. It reads more like an "idea" then a novel, and would probably work better as a novella vs this short novel.it's a quick read but I kept waiting for some depth but it simply is what it is.

I've gone on an Ira Levin kick- after watching and reading "Rosemary's Baby", I figured I'd try this one. It was pretty clever, I will say- for a woman under 30, the idea is just part of our cultural lexicon. I don't think it's original classification as horror really applies, and the message of the book is too familiar to me to be shocking or even particularly thought provoking. But I would consider this a perfect beach read- finished it in only a few hours. There's no controversy left in this idea for me, but Levin's original renders the story far better than any of its occasionally embarrasing film interpretations. I was more than a little disappointed, though, that the book was so short! There were quite a few unanswered questions for me, and a lot of foregone character development that I would have found enjoyable. On the other hand, maybe if Levin had gone into too much depth, it would have lost something else. It may have proved hard to suspend disbelief over any more pages. As is, it's incisive, punchy, and over too soon.

This has been a real treat to read the novel on which the original movie was based (early 70's--forget the more recent version, which seemed more like a spoof--and a very poor one--of the story). The novel is short but so well written, great read! Good quality, good service!

The physical book itself was good quality. The story made me mad but it was supposed to.

Wish I had bought a used copy as $14.95 is terribly over price for a book of 139 pages but I enjoy having classics on my shelf.

Read it in one night. Plot was fast-paced and scary as hell! Loved it!

just started reading it and i have seen both movies and so far is the same - good quick read

This book inspired a million films and interest groups. As a lover of all-things Stepford, I am thrilled to have this edition in my library. An easy read with an interesting theme, it will make you wonder just how real is this Stepford thing?

An excellent short read which has left me reeling, and thinking. I had often heard the term 'Stepford Wife' coined by the book, and had an idea of what it meant but never seen the films or read the book. I thought it signified a well-presented, stay-at-home, housewife with no mind of her own... but the reality is far more disturbing.I don't want to give away the plot (and for that reason don't read the very good intro by Chuck Palahnuick until afterwards) but this is a thriller of carefully observed details and quiet observations that gather to a chilling crescendo towards the end, leaving the reader shockingly scared of the men in the book. It was about the men all along, not their wives, and I plan to re-read with that in mind, to catch more minute plot and character indicators I've missed on first reading...It might have been written in 1972 and been considered 'outlandish' but Levin predicted the 'feminist backlash' to come. And ask yourself, if here in 2017 when some think 'feminism' is a dirty word, whether the Stepford Wife is very far from the dancers we see in music vids or the newly available Robot Dolls or the fantasy projection of Ryan Gosling's character's 'love interest' in the recent Blade Runner blockbuster? You decide, but I'll just say that even 20 years ago we weren't all waxing away our pubic hair.This book, despite the date of publication, is a modern feminist masterpiece.

I bought this in a Kindle sale for the bargain price of 99p! It's one of those classics that I know a bit about due to its prescence in pop culture, but have never read. Amusingly enough, it turns out I'd seen the Nicole Kidman film some years before but had completely forgotten about it, a friend had to remind me I'd actually watched it with her! I'm glad I'd forgotten about it at the time as I recall now it was rubbish and I'm sure it would've at least slightly tainted my enjoyment of the book.Doubtful I don't need to say much about the plot as I'm sure you must've been in a big dark cave for a very long time to not know anything at all about it!What I loved most was how Joanna's relatively minor fear of sinking into boredom having moved into in suburbia slowly and insidiously morphs into the fear that her mortal life is actually in danger. Early on she tries to talk herself out of what she suspects is happening because it all just seems too preposterous and, of course, the men use those exact same arguments later on which powerfully undermines her certainties in a very creepy way. I thought Levin did an amazing job of keeping both Joanna and the reader themselves teetering between skepticism and certainty of what could be happening in this all too perfect suburb. A fantastically chilling read.

A very relevant story in this day and age, when we strive for equality and get some change thier appearance with make up, contouring, false nails, boob etc.As a homemaker myself, it's important to feel I'm doing all I can for my husband and children, but at the same time maintaining would I am!I could've read a lot more of this book.

I first saw the film directed by the late Brian Forbes, in the 1970's and am only now coming to the book. I had been absolutely blown away by Ira Levin's earlier work Rosemary's Baby and wanted to see if the Stepford Wives was as good. It isn't! But having said that, it is very readable, maintains good pace and drives towards its conclusion in at a pace that kept me turning the pages. Once the reader accepts the basic premise, the story remains focussed and coherent until the very end. Given the main character Joanne's antipathy towards Stepford housewives, the ending comes as something of a surprise and we are never clear how it came about. I thought this a bit of a weakness in the narrative. There are similar themes to those that worked so successfully in Rosemary's Baby. Joanne's developing sense of paranoia and the bland denials of the bland citizenry will have the reader unsure what is really happening. And as in Rosemary, there is a central character who seems to pull all the strings but Dale Coba is no Roman Castevet and disappears without trace after their first meeting. It almost seems as though the author lost interest in developing his role any further. I considered that a weakness in the plot development. Otherwise it is a good read if now rather dated.

I have not seen any film adaptations but like most people, am familiar with the references to the Stepford Wives. Written in 1972, it can now be considered as something of a classic, and something that has undoubtedly inspired a great number of subsequent authors and film-makers.I bought the e-book version and it is very well edited and without any annoyances at all. However, it is a little uneconomical in price, at £5.31 (down from £7.99) for 139 pages. The dotted line indicating length is not much longer than a lot of the samples and short stories above and below it on my Kindle. That said, it is worth a read, especially if you have a voucher to use or find it in a sale (or pick up a hard copy for a reasonable price).I won't go into the plot too much but I would like to respond to many of the comments that say the ending is disappointing or missing, or that it ruined the story/book for them. The ending is supposed to be that way and couldn't really be any other way if you think it through logically, based on who the narrator is and what happens to her by the end of the story (you are admittedly supposed to put two and two together and figure that out but I don't think it's too tricky!). I also think it ends the story on the perfect note, with the right tone, and leaves the reader with the intended uneasy sensation, intentionally suddenly.