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A review by readingrobyn
The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin
1.0
It first hit me on page 81, I was bored. So very, very bored.
My main problem and probably the reason I'm so disappointed can be summed up this way, on the back of the book there is this a praise by Stephen King:
"Every novel [Ira Levin] has ever written has been a marvel of plotting. He is the Swiss watchmaker of the suspense novel." - Stephen King
I absolutely agree that Ira Levin is an amazing writer and to have come up with and popularized this story I give him full credit and praise. However, even the best of Swiss watches can't compare to an iPhone. ...I think it is safe to assume that I am part of the generation that has felt the trickle down of this novel and such social commentary on women's issues throughout my popular culture. This made the major draw of the book, the chilling implications of a woman's struggle in society, more of a mute point for me.
For the first 50 or so pages I enjoyed reading the narrative of a stay-at-home mother who had just moved to a suburb town called Stepford. The story takes place as she tries to balance the responsibilities of self, husband, and home while looking dubiously upon her neighbours who behave as 1950's housewives and lack all facets of personality. That right there was interesting, the plot was interesting! And having seen the 2004 movie I had the unspoken promise that I already had a general idea of where the plot would go (only general because the movie was remake.)
But then it hit me, by page 81 I was ready to be done with Stepford.
Suspense as a genre is all about the build up, creating tension and interest where there may or may not be something afoot and although The Stepford Wives has this excellent concept and is well written, gradually the book transformed from a novel to what felt like a very, very long short story. (Perhaps it is more of a novella?) I expected more, maybe too much but I at least expected to not feel like a book that is less then 130 pages to drag on.
I found that the ending although smart and suspenseful just wasn't worth it. A definite disappointment.
My main problem and probably the reason I'm so disappointed can be summed up this way, on the back of the book there is this a praise by Stephen King:
"Every novel [Ira Levin] has ever written has been a marvel of plotting. He is the Swiss watchmaker of the suspense novel." - Stephen King
I absolutely agree that Ira Levin is an amazing writer and to have come up with and popularized this story I give him full credit and praise. However, even the best of Swiss watches can't compare to an iPhone. ...I think it is safe to assume that I am part of the generation that has felt the trickle down of this novel and such social commentary on women's issues throughout my popular culture. This made the major draw of the book, the chilling implications of a woman's struggle in society, more of a mute point for me.
For the first 50 or so pages I enjoyed reading the narrative of a stay-at-home mother who had just moved to a suburb town called Stepford. The story takes place as she tries to balance the responsibilities of self, husband, and home while looking dubiously upon her neighbours who behave as 1950's housewives and lack all facets of personality. That right there was interesting, the plot was interesting! And having seen the 2004 movie I had the unspoken promise that I already had a general idea of where the plot would go (only general because the movie was remake.)
But then it hit me, by page 81 I was ready to be done with Stepford.
Suspense as a genre is all about the build up, creating tension and interest where there may or may not be something afoot and although The Stepford Wives has this excellent concept and is well written, gradually the book transformed from a novel to what felt like a very, very long short story. (Perhaps it is more of a novella?) I expected more, maybe too much but I at least expected to not feel like a book that is less then 130 pages to drag on.
I found that the ending although smart and suspenseful just wasn't worth it. A definite disappointment.