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415th out of 966 books
—
2,620 voters
The Wife
by
Meg Wolitzer
"The moment I decided to leave him, the moment I thought, enough, we were thirty-five thousand feet above the ocean, hurtling forward but giving the illusion of stillness and tranquility. Just like our marriage." So opens Meg Wolitzer's compelling and provocative novel The Wife, as Joan Castleman sits beside her husband on their flight to Helsinki. Joan's husband, Joseph C...more
Paperback, 224 pages
Published
April 6th 2004
by Scribner
(first published August 1st 2003)
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I'm sick of the lovelorn and unrequited: give me a woman who can't stand her husband, oddly enough, brought to my attention many years ago by my father, who always knows a a good author when he reads one, despite his congenital misogyny.
I'm in love so far, complete love, like a Philip Roth novel if Philip Roth weren't so flawed and frustrating. Bad analogy perhaps but she has the same comfort with describing male0-female interactions, a biting sense of humor, a lack of shame regarding human wea...more
I'm in love so far, complete love, like a Philip Roth novel if Philip Roth weren't so flawed and frustrating. Bad analogy perhaps but she has the same comfort with describing male0-female interactions, a biting sense of humor, a lack of shame regarding human wea...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This book is fantastic. I love the unique perspective of the protagonist: an introspective and talented woman who grew up in the 50s who spends her life married to a famous novelist who is really nothing more than a big kid. She makes a decision that historically stymes feminists, but this book gives her perspective in a fresh and convincing new way.
She's got fresh, beautiful ways of looking at things that are so perfect and sharp and spot-on that it leaves you wondering why you hadn't come to t...more
She's got fresh, beautiful ways of looking at things that are so perfect and sharp and spot-on that it leaves you wondering why you hadn't come to t...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
[this is a highly-edited excerpt of my in-depth review, which can be found at joeymanley.com.
“The Wife” is about a successful, womanizing, Philip-Roth-like “big novel” writer, and his second wife, who had at one time wanted to be a writer, but gave it up to support his ambitions. The conflict comes out of the husband’s serial infidelity with college-age fangirls, and the wife’s professional resentment. The milieu is decidedly privileged: they meet at Smith College, where she’s a student and he’s...more
“The Wife” is about a successful, womanizing, Philip-Roth-like “big novel” writer, and his second wife, who had at one time wanted to be a writer, but gave it up to support his ambitions. The conflict comes out of the husband’s serial infidelity with college-age fangirls, and the wife’s professional resentment. The milieu is decidedly privileged: they meet at Smith College, where she’s a student and he’s...more
Aug 08, 2012
Henrietta
marked it as to-read
Reco by Bari
"The moment I decided to leave him, the moment I thought, enough, we were thirty-five thousand feet above the ocean, hurtling forward but giving the illusion of stillness and tranquility. Just like our marriage." So opens Meg Wolitzer's compelling and provocative novel The Wife, as Joan Castleman sits beside her husband on their flight to Helsinki. Joan's husband, Joseph Castleman, is "one of those men who own the world...who has no idea how to take care of himself or anyone else, an...more
"The moment I decided to leave him, the moment I thought, enough, we were thirty-five thousand feet above the ocean, hurtling forward but giving the illusion of stillness and tranquility. Just like our marriage." So opens Meg Wolitzer's compelling and provocative novel The Wife, as Joan Castleman sits beside her husband on their flight to Helsinki. Joan's husband, Joseph Castleman, is "one of those men who own the world...who has no idea how to take care of himself or anyone else, an...more
Joan Castleman has sacrificed everything for her husband. Now that the children are grown and Joan and Joe are aging, she decides that she's had enough. Joe Castleman is a popular literary novelist and Joan has lived in his shadow long enough. This is the novel's opening:
The moment I decided to leave him, the moment I thought, enough, we were thirty-five thousand feet above the ocean, hurtling forward but giving the illusion of stillness and tranquility. Just like our marriage, I could have said...more
The moment I decided to leave him, the moment I thought, enough, we were thirty-five thousand feet above the ocean, hurtling forward but giving the illusion of stillness and tranquility. Just like our marriage, I could have said...more
Joe Castleman was a wonderful writer, undoubtedly to be missed after his demise, but one possessing a secret that only wife Joan is privy to. He was also a serial philanderer, very pompous in a writerly way, and given to downplaying his spouse’s talents. This was maybe a reflection of the times in which their marriage was formed, but Joan is irked and for much of Wolitzer’s book she is planning her departure from the union.
Wolitzer writes in a caustic, acerbic manner that treats the reader to so...more
Wolitzer writes in a caustic, acerbic manner that treats the reader to so...more
I had a hard time deciding how many stars to give this one. I ended up giving the author the benefit of the doubt and went with three instead of two. The main character, Joan, was almost unbearable as her older self. I found her much easier to deal with as her younger self. The beginning of the book was about the older characters and I nicknamed them Joe (which, coincidentally was actually the husband's name) and Wendy after Joe and Wendy Whiner. These two were a perfect match for each other. Sh...more
THE WIFE opens with Joe, a celebrated writer, and his wife Joan flying to Finland so he can accept an award in literature. It is during the flight that Joan decides to leave her husband of many, many years. "The moment I decided to leave him, the moment I thought, enough, we were thirty-five thousand feet above the ocean, hurtling forward but giving the illusion of stillness and tranquility." What drew me to novel was this first line. You can usually tell a lot about a book by the line with whic...more
The Wife. Meg Wolitzer. 2003. Scribner. 219 pages. ISBN 0743456661.
If you've never read a novel by Meg Wolitzer, you're in for a treat, especially if you've chosen to read The Wife.
As the wife of a successful writer, Joan Castleman makes the decision to leave her husband while in the midst of a flight to Helsinki to attend an award ceremony on his behalf. As Wolitzer switches between past and present, thus unfolds the story of the Castleman's relationship spanning forty years; which according to...more
If you've never read a novel by Meg Wolitzer, you're in for a treat, especially if you've chosen to read The Wife.
As the wife of a successful writer, Joan Castleman makes the decision to leave her husband while in the midst of a flight to Helsinki to attend an award ceremony on his behalf. As Wolitzer switches between past and present, thus unfolds the story of the Castleman's relationship spanning forty years; which according to...more
The beginning of this book really grabbed me. The voice was moving and the early plot was interesting: a woman is on an airplane with the husband she had been with for a long time, and has decided at that very moment to leave him.
Of course, such a decision is never made at that very moment. A lot has gone into such a decision. And so the narrator takes us back with her through the history of the relationship between her and her husband. We find out that it began in the 1950's, when she was his c...more
Of course, such a decision is never made at that very moment. A lot has gone into such a decision. And so the narrator takes us back with her through the history of the relationship between her and her husband. We find out that it began in the 1950's, when she was his c...more
The good news is that I think it will give our book club quite a bit of material to mull over and chat about! I didn't really connect with any of the characters all that well - I felt sorry for the main character, but couldn't really like her too much b/c I just wanted to shake her half the time. This book was fine, it was a bit of a depressing look at a woman's life over decades as she puts her own needs/career in the backseat to her husband's. It was a well-written book, but not a particularly...more
I read this 220 page book in one evening and one morning. It's chick lit at the highest level and so well-written. The author sets you up for the twisted ending - that's all I'll say, but you don't really see it coming. I had to give it a 5 - it was that good. The narrator is a little too giving and her husband is a little too much of a macho pig, but it works here and you understand everything at the end. Read it - you won't put it down.
2 likes · like · see review
You've heard the phrase "don't judge a book by its cover" - well, I'm here to tell you, don't judge a book buy its first 200 pages! I didn't enjoy much of this book. I found the narrator, Joan Castleman, to be bitter, spiteful and filled with recrimination. Before long, narrators with these kinds of personalities become whiny and unsympathetic and books that hinge upon their telling become tiresome and we put them down. I was all set to take this path and even blog about why I did. But I kept re...more
There were parts of this book I liked very much--some great writing, and a compelling plot. But the motivation for the lead character's life decisions (staying married as long as she did and then making the decision so suddenly to leave the marriage) seems weak. Her behavior was easier to understand in the fifties, but after women's liberation became more prominent? When it became clear to her that she was an amazing writer (after the first book was published), why would she sacrifice her whole...more
This book is a gem. Joan Castleman, the novel's narrator, belongs to my mother's generation, but the trade-offs necessitated by marriage and motherhood haven't changed and Meg Wolitzer (via Joan) speaks of the double standard for husbands and wives/male writers and female writers eloquently. The action in the story takes place over just a few days, with generous flashbacks for context. I did anticipate the ending, but won't give it away. Wolitzer's writing makes this a quick read. She also made...more
I thought this was a well-written book about two very unlikable people. I read it because I am writing about an academic couple (not exactly like the two in this book, but similar) and wanted to see how Wolitzer handled the relationship. The ending was a surprise (I won't give it away) and while I admit I didn't see it coming, it was mostly because I really didn't care enough about the characters to want to figure it out. Despite these serious shortcomings, the writing itself is great. I do thin...more
This sly, acerbic novella about a woman who drops out of Smith College circa 1958 to marry a rising young bohemian novelist has genuine bite and wit. Wolitzer's portrayal of the long twilight of a marriage lived in the spotlight moves on vivid, wonderfully efficient prose that sketches the dullness and egotism of the literary life with Flaubertian elan. What sets this book apart from other inside-baseball tales of its ilk, I think, is its genuine, unforced, and deeply tonic rage at the inequitie...more
I seem to give most of Wolitzer's books 2 stars, yet I keep reading her work. I like the way she writes, but for some reason, her work ultimately falls flat for me, and I can't quite give a 3-star rating.
The Wife is the story of a marriage, told from the point of view of the wife of a famous writer. The couple have been together 45 years when the story opens, but most of the tale is the history of their relationship and his growing professional success. I can't "like" this book because even thou...more
The Wife is the story of a marriage, told from the point of view of the wife of a famous writer. The couple have been together 45 years when the story opens, but most of the tale is the history of their relationship and his growing professional success. I can't "like" this book because even thou...more
This was our next book club book at work, and I realize that the co-worker who suggested it has very similar reading tastes as I. The minute I started reading it, I immediately fell into it. The 1st lines reads something like, "As we were 35,000 feet in the air n the way to Finland, I realized finally, I want to leave my husband." And so goes the story of how these 2 people met some 40 years ago, and how they got to this point -- he, an acclaimed writer, and she, the dutiful wife.
While I am not...more
While I am not...more
In her novel The Wife, Meg Wolitzer tells the story of a talented writer who sacrifices her own career to marry a man who becomes a famous novelist. Or rather, Wolitzer lets Joan tell her own story, beginning with her decision to leave her husband, a narcissistic philanderer, as the two of them are flying to Helsinki, where Joe will accept a prestigious award. The couple are in their sixties, their children long gone from the nest. Their comfortable golden years await.
After one or two pages I wa...more
After one or two pages I wa...more
Meg Wolitzer is an excellent writer. I love the way she builds a story, I love the way she uses words. From that point of view, I liked this book very much.
On the other hand, I'm so tired of the housewife in the shadow of her successful husband story-line. And even the twist toward the end of this book doesn't take away from the fact that this is the story here. So, in this case the wife purposefully forgoes her own talents and her own voice for her husband and her husband treats her like crap t...more
On the other hand, I'm so tired of the housewife in the shadow of her successful husband story-line. And even the twist toward the end of this book doesn't take away from the fact that this is the story here. So, in this case the wife purposefully forgoes her own talents and her own voice for her husband and her husband treats her like crap t...more
Bought this book at a library used book sale while on vacation once, expecting it to be somewhat trashy and fluffy. Didn't get to reading it on that vacation, but it sat in my house until one day I was sick and needed some distraction. Picked it up and it was much more serious and interesting than I had been expecting. There is some great prose in here, and some of the book made me consider society, my life, etc, which is a plus.
I didn't realize the twist until the book told me, but then things...more
I didn't realize the twist until the book told me, but then things...more
4.5 stars. I loved this book.
The plot moved quickly and I felt sympathy for the main character Joan Castleman from the first page. I also felt like the book offered a few words of warning. Right away we know that Joan has fallen into a sad state of apathy and acceptance and want to know how she plans to remedy the situation. Several instances that made me nod my head were watching Joan judge other women, whether they were housewives, young hotties, or female writers. In each observation I was e...more
The plot moved quickly and I felt sympathy for the main character Joan Castleman from the first page. I also felt like the book offered a few words of warning. Right away we know that Joan has fallen into a sad state of apathy and acceptance and want to know how she plans to remedy the situation. Several instances that made me nod my head were watching Joan judge other women, whether they were housewives, young hotties, or female writers. In each observation I was e...more
Sep 21, 2009
Amy Chang
marked it as time-s-summer-picks-2009
J. Courtney Sullivan picks The Wife by Meg Wolitzer
The Wife, Wolitzer's slim jewel of a novel, is the sort of book you could easily read in one sitting but wish would last all summer. Set partly at Smith College in the 1950s, it chronicles the life of a talented writer (and Smith grad) whose dreams are subsumed by those of her famous novelist husband (he's also her former professor). I admire Wolitzer's humor and her ability to create tightly packed, pitch-perfect sentences. The Wife is a brilli...more
The Wife, Wolitzer's slim jewel of a novel, is the sort of book you could easily read in one sitting but wish would last all summer. Set partly at Smith College in the 1950s, it chronicles the life of a talented writer (and Smith grad) whose dreams are subsumed by those of her famous novelist husband (he's also her former professor). I admire Wolitzer's humor and her ability to create tightly packed, pitch-perfect sentences. The Wife is a brilli...more
This was a great book. The only two drawbacks are that she used some strong profanity in parts and that from the beginning you can figure out the ending. However, the following passage makes up for it (I read it to my husband) "Everyone knows how women soldier on, how women dream up blueprints, recipes, ideas for a better world, and then sometimes lose them on the way to the crib in the middle of the night, on the way to Stop and Shop, or the bath. They lose them on the way to greasing the path...more
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Jun 05, 2012
Rebecca
added it
This is in the genre of Minor Characters and other projects that attempt to expose and understand the gender dynamics of writers and their partners of a certain generation. The writer is a Philip Roth type and "the wife," is his student, then spouse. While it is clear that he was a difficult and obnoxious husband I was left frustrated with the passivity and whining of the wife character. She is the wife because she decided to be and it was hard to feel sympathetic. It did raise some larger quest...more
Some reviewers have said they find the wife's motivations unbelievable. They must be younger people, who didn't experience the transformation that feminism brought about for women writers. I'm both glad and concerned that they can take for granted the opportunities that have opened up for women. This book captures exactly the bind women have been in for most of history; in this case Joan Castleman comes of age in the '50s. The book is wonderfully written, engaging, historically accurate, and man...more
This was a great surprise.
I thought it was going to be chick-lit but it was of a high caliber (not that chick-lit does not have its place or is always total schlock). This book was well written and the plot had lots of interesting twists. The narrator is a woman leaving her famous writer husband after over 40 years of marriage. The writer-husband is very reminiscent of Philip Roth and his ilk--very prickish and more than a little over-rated at times---huge ego. So it is as if a female from a Phi...more
I thought it was going to be chick-lit but it was of a high caliber (not that chick-lit does not have its place or is always total schlock). This book was well written and the plot had lots of interesting twists. The narrator is a woman leaving her famous writer husband after over 40 years of marriage. The writer-husband is very reminiscent of Philip Roth and his ilk--very prickish and more than a little over-rated at times---huge ego. So it is as if a female from a Phi...more
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| MEG WOLITZER RECOMMENDATIONS | 2 | 6 | Apr 21, 2013 10:17am |
Meg Wolitzer is the author of
The Ten-Year Nap
and seven previous novels, including
The Position
and
The Wife
. Her short fiction has appeared in The Best American Short Stories and The Pushcart Prize.
Author photo copyright Deborah Copaken.
More about Meg Wolitzer...
Author photo copyright Deborah Copaken.
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Nov 17, 2011 01:51pm