Domestic Affairs

by Joyce Maynard

An entertaining and instructive look at the domestic life of a young wife and mother, from the author of Looking Backward and Baby Love.

Genres: Nonfiction, Parenting, Memoir, Essays

313 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Joyce Maynard first came to national attention with the publication of her New York Times cover story “An Eighteen-Year-Old Looks Back on Life” in 1973, when she was a freshman at Yale. Since then, she has been a reporter and columnist for The New York Times, a syndicated newspaper columnist whose “Domestic Affairs” column appeared in more than fifty papers nationwide, a regular contributor to NPR. Her writing has also been published in national magazines, including O, The Oprah Magazine; Newsweek; The New York Times Magazine; Forbes; Salon; San Francisco Magazine, USA Weekly; and many more. She has appeared on Good Morning America, The Today Show, CNN, Hardball with Chris Matthews, Charlie Rose, and on Fresh Air. Essays of hers appear in numerous collections. She has been a fellow at Yaddo, UCross, and The MacDowell Colony, where she wrote her most recently published novel, Labor Day.

The author of many books of fiction and nonfiction, including the novel To Die For (in which she also plays the role of Nicole Kidman’s attorney) and the bestselling memoir, At Home in the World, Maynard makes her home in Mill Valley, California. Her novel, The Usual Rules—a story about surviving loss—has been a favorite of book club audiences of all ages, and was chosen by the American Library Association as one of the ten best books for young readers for 2003.

Joyce Maynard also runs the Lake Atitlan Writing Workshop in Guatemala, founded in 2002.

Reviews

[Bookcat88 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fans of Joyce Maynard, like me, will find plenty of familiar themes and episodes in this book. It is a compilation - maybe an elaboration - on previously told stories of family life, marriage and motherhood from her newspaper column. I followed the column with interest for a few years in my local paper and enjoyed it. When read as a whole I found some of the scenes tedious, such as the endless goings on about diaper changes, holiday disappointments, and marital arguments, that is the story line. And, by the same token, I found many parts that were enjoyable, thoughtful and amusing.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was just okay for me. The author writes well and I enjoyed the first half of the book, but it started to get repetitive. The stories ran together without much of an ending and often missing a “so what”. Maybe I should have read this book alongside another book to space out the stories more.

[Julie Schoen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Ann Herrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I originally read some of the stories as part of Joyce's column, Domestic Scene, that had appeared in the newspaper, but many were new to me.

I'm always amazed by people who can write so thoroughly and openly about their lives. I don't think I could ever do it.

Joyce writes about the joys and agonies of parenting and marriage. There were a lot of laughs, tears, and fights along the way, and I always wondered if Joyce and Steve might have made a better go of it if they had been able to communicate more calmly at times.

There are occastions when I wanted to tear my hair out as Joyce tries too hard to have a perfect Christmas/birthday party/whatever and Steve makes odd choices such as taking Willie for a long walk just before their pizza is supposed to arrive at their table. I know from reading a column *about* Domestic Scene many years ago that many readers had their doubts about the relationship (which SPOILER ALERT) ended in divorce.

Joyce Maynard's writing always draws me in, and I've been lucky enough to meet her with a small group on a couple of occasions. Her books can be addictive, and so can reading about her life, as she keeps readers posted about it through mass emails. I recommend this book.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joyce Maynard writes newspaper and magazine columns on home and family – this book compiles her work, giving glimpses of the day-to-day life of her family (husband Steve and three children), as well as her own thoughts, hopes, and dreams. From “The Dollhouse”: “If I were talking to a therapist about my daughter’s dollhouse (and it probably wouldn’t be a bad idea) the first thing I’d say is that I never had a dollhouse of my own. Variation on a theme of parents everywhere – who move through their children’s youth attempting an odd mix of re-creating their own, compensating for everything their own failed to provide, and attempting to construct, for their beloved offspring, that most elusive of experiences known as a happy childhood.” Joyce comes across as a woman and mother I’d like to know, someone with whom I could have spent countless hours talking to, a friend.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this just after Spencer was born and enjoyed it very much. For some reason during his infancy, I had trouble finding anything that appealed to me. Part of it made me laugh out loud and other parts made me cry. She's a little out there with her thoughts on menstruation, but she speaks from her heart and that's always good.

[booksandcarbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked these essays. Having been a child in the 80s, I enjoyed reading about a mom in the 80s.

[Stella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joyce Maynard is one of my favorite writers. I love everything she has written, her non-fiction most of all.