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Collection (2 Books) Smart Women / Wifey
Offers two novels featuring women, men, marriage, divorce, sex, love, identity, and romance.
534 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2001
About the author
Judy Blume
154 books12k followersJudy Blume spent her childhood in Elizabeth, New Jersey, making up stories inside her head. She has spent her adult years in many places doing the same thing, only now she writes her stories down on paper. Adults as well as children will recognize such Blume titles as: Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret; Blubber; Just as Long as We're Together; and the five book series about the irrepressible Fudge. She has also written three novels for adults, Summer Sisters; Smart Women; and Wifey, all of them New York Times bestsellers. More than 80 million copies of her books have been sold, and her work has been translated into thirty-one languages. She receives thousands of letters a year from readers of all ages who share their feelings and concerns with her.
Judy received a B.S. in education from New York University in 1961, which named her a Distinguished Alumna in 1996, the same year the American Library Association honored her with the Margaret A. Edwards Award for Lifetime Achievement. Other recognitions include the Library of Congress Living Legends Award and the 2004 National Book Foundation's Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.
She is the founder and trustee of The Kids Fund, a charitable and educational foundation. She serves on the boards of the Author's Guild; the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators; the Key West Literary Seminar; and the National Coalition Against Censorship.
Judy is a longtime advocate of intellectual freedom. Finding herself at the center of an organized book banning campaign in the 1980's she began to reach out to other writers, as well as teachers and librarians, who were under fire. Since then, she has worked tirelessly with the National Coalition Against Censorship to protect the freedom to read. She is the editor of Places I Never Meant To Be, Original Stories by Censored Writers.
Judy has completed a series of four chapter books -- The Pain & the Great One -- illustrated by New Yorker cartoonist James Stevenson. She has co-written and produced a film adaptation of her book Tiger Eyes, and is currently writing a new novel.
Judy and her husband George Cooper live on islands up and down the east coast. They have three grown children and one grandchild.
Judy received a B.S. in education from New York University in 1961, which named her a Distinguished Alumna in 1996, the same year the American Library Association honored her with the Margaret A. Edwards Award for Lifetime Achievement. Other recognitions include the Library of Congress Living Legends Award and the 2004 National Book Foundation's Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.
She is the founder and trustee of The Kids Fund, a charitable and educational foundation. She serves on the boards of the Author's Guild; the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators; the Key West Literary Seminar; and the National Coalition Against Censorship.
Judy is a longtime advocate of intellectual freedom. Finding herself at the center of an organized book banning campaign in the 1980's she began to reach out to other writers, as well as teachers and librarians, who were under fire. Since then, she has worked tirelessly with the National Coalition Against Censorship to protect the freedom to read. She is the editor of Places I Never Meant To Be, Original Stories by Censored Writers.
Judy has completed a series of four chapter books -- The Pain & the Great One -- illustrated by New Yorker cartoonist James Stevenson. She has co-written and produced a film adaptation of her book Tiger Eyes, and is currently writing a new novel.
Judy and her husband George Cooper live on islands up and down the east coast. They have three grown children and one grandchild.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
January 6, 2022
So, this is a bind up volume of Judy Blume's first two adult novels. Separate reviews for both.
WIFEY
This one was really dated. It read like a 70s feminist trying to convince women that they needed to be free. The characters were unrealistic and horrifying. Sandy, the main character was deeply unsatisfied with her very staid, very unsexy husband. She walks around horny all the time and has weird encounters with men, some of which seem almost like rape although she submits without a fuss. Grossest of all is that her sister's husband is her gynecologist and he ends up telling her that when he is examining her he always thinks about her cunt and her ass and then he ends up fucking her. So she sleeps with both her sister's and best friend's husbands and then gets an STD. She has to tell her husband who ends up hitting her and calling her a whore. Reading this felt like watching a 70s made for tv movie. 2 stars.
Smart Women
Now this one is a five star gem. It is about divorced women in Boulder, Colorado and the lives they lead. This one had Judy's signature empathy and style. Reading this sort of felt like a time capsule, because it was such a period piece. It was very realistic and had a hopeful ending. 5 stars.
WIFEY
This one was really dated. It read like a 70s feminist trying to convince women that they needed to be free. The characters were unrealistic and horrifying. Sandy, the main character was deeply unsatisfied with her very staid, very unsexy husband. She walks around horny all the time and has weird encounters with men, some of which seem almost like rape although she submits without a fuss. Grossest of all is that her sister's husband is her gynecologist and he ends up telling her that when he is examining her he always thinks about her cunt and her ass and then he ends up fucking her. So she sleeps with both her sister's and best friend's husbands and then gets an STD. She has to tell her husband who ends up hitting her and calling her a whore. Reading this felt like watching a 70s made for tv movie. 2 stars.
Smart Women
Now this one is a five star gem. It is about divorced women in Boulder, Colorado and the lives they lead. This one had Judy's signature empathy and style. Reading this sort of felt like a time capsule, because it was such a period piece. It was very realistic and had a hopeful ending. 5 stars.
May 26, 2013
I have read only Wifey, I have a paperback copy of Wifey from 1979. Goodreads does not list Wifey as a stand alone book, so this review is for Wifey only.
Wifey is tired of chicken on Wednesdays and sex on Saturdays.
This morning the mysterious motorcycle flasher revealed himself to Wifey and brought her frustrations into rigid focus!
Wifey sees her wildest fantasies taking flight and has an itchy - and uncontrolable urge to catch up to them!
Wifey is a very likeable heroine, a nice, upper middle class housewife with a very dirty mind!
I really enjoyed this book. It's funny, it's sexy, and it's a great look back at the roles that married people were still expected to squeeze into in the early 70's. If you like Judy Blume, you will enjoy this book.
Wifey is tired of chicken on Wednesdays and sex on Saturdays.
This morning the mysterious motorcycle flasher revealed himself to Wifey and brought her frustrations into rigid focus!
Wifey sees her wildest fantasies taking flight and has an itchy - and uncontrolable urge to catch up to them!
Wifey is a very likeable heroine, a nice, upper middle class housewife with a very dirty mind!
I really enjoyed this book. It's funny, it's sexy, and it's a great look back at the roles that married people were still expected to squeeze into in the early 70's. If you like Judy Blume, you will enjoy this book.
June 5, 2013
Wow. I read this at 14. The librarian asked me curtly, "Does your mother know you're reading this???" It forever taught me about the intricacies of, let's just say, sexual relationships.
January 30, 2022
Smart women was a novel made up entirely of unlikeable toxic neurotic lunatics. A part of me hate read it. As the final Judy Blume novel I had left to read, this was unsatisfying, disappointing.
I still gave it four stars. It was memorable, even if I hated most of the decisions each character made. They flew over the cliffside of flawed straight into the canyon of nuts.
Good grief.
I still gave it four stars. It was memorable, even if I hated most of the decisions each character made. They flew over the cliffside of flawed straight into the canyon of nuts.
Good grief.
March 28, 2018
Fun, fun, fun. I only read Wifey this time around.
March 23, 2022
This was such a surprise- I’d no idea that she wrote adult text- a page turner you’ll love if you grew up with her fantastic stories
April 18, 2023
Was ok for a light porn book. I only read Wifey. Perhaps I will read Smart Woman another time. Until then.... so many books 📚 so little time ⏲️
February 7, 2012
I stumbled upon this one at the bookstore by my house, lying on its side in between two shelves. I picked it up to find its home on the shelf, the right way up- an instinct I inherited from my librarian mother, I suppose. Then I saw it was Judy Blume.
Memories of my childhood bookshelf stuffed with her books, staying up late with the flashlight under my covers so I could read a few more chapters, the calm that I got in realizing there at least were other (however fictional) kids out there who were incessantly awkward in the world they were thrown into.
But wait, I'm not in young adult fiction! That's all the way upstairs. Wifey? Smart Women? Those aren't titles to go alongside Freckle Juice and Super Fudge.
Then somewhere in the back recesses of a memory I remembered something about my beloved Judy Blume also writing books for adults. Having completely forgotten about that tidbit, I'd never thought about seeking them out. So I bought the book, walked across the street for some Thai food and dove in.
Wifey is an uncomfortably honest illustration of marriage through the eyes of a woman who is shaking herself awake for the first time. The tremors from that not only affect her picture perfect life, her social circle and standing but, challenge the very foundations of her decisions thus far.
Smart Women follows three women who have each divorced their husbands and started a new life in Boulder, Colorado. We witness the weaving of their friendship, relationships with their children who are growing up in their own right, their exes and of course, the pasts which were abandoned that refuse to be silenced.
It was surreal to have Judy Blume's comforting voice from my childhood speaking the language of adults. She fearlessly charges into the scary world that every adolescent (with her young adult characters) fears and craves.
She asks the questions that every adult tries to find answers to with the tentative bravery of one who doesn't know how to grow up. And allows us the question 'Do we ever, really?'
Memories of my childhood bookshelf stuffed with her books, staying up late with the flashlight under my covers so I could read a few more chapters, the calm that I got in realizing there at least were other (however fictional) kids out there who were incessantly awkward in the world they were thrown into.
But wait, I'm not in young adult fiction! That's all the way upstairs. Wifey? Smart Women? Those aren't titles to go alongside Freckle Juice and Super Fudge.
Then somewhere in the back recesses of a memory I remembered something about my beloved Judy Blume also writing books for adults. Having completely forgotten about that tidbit, I'd never thought about seeking them out. So I bought the book, walked across the street for some Thai food and dove in.
Wifey is an uncomfortably honest illustration of marriage through the eyes of a woman who is shaking herself awake for the first time. The tremors from that not only affect her picture perfect life, her social circle and standing but, challenge the very foundations of her decisions thus far.
Smart Women follows three women who have each divorced their husbands and started a new life in Boulder, Colorado. We witness the weaving of their friendship, relationships with their children who are growing up in their own right, their exes and of course, the pasts which were abandoned that refuse to be silenced.
It was surreal to have Judy Blume's comforting voice from my childhood speaking the language of adults. She fearlessly charges into the scary world that every adolescent (with her young adult characters) fears and craves.
She asks the questions that every adult tries to find answers to with the tentative bravery of one who doesn't know how to grow up. And allows us the question 'Do we ever, really?'
January 29, 2009
To be honest, I really thought this book deserved 3.5 stars--3 was too little though, so alas, you'll read it as four.
First of all, these adult novels of famed young-adult novelist Judy Blume are definitely adult novels. To those who grew up with Judy, you'll almost feel like you're reading the scandalous books Judy wished that teens could read. That said, expect lots of talk about sex, lots of sex, and lots of foul language. Like rated-R Judy (versus PG-13).
Of the two books, I preferred Wifey, the first book. It was funny, the plot moved, and the ending was satisfactory. As for Smart Women--I didn't find it as engaging as Wifey until the last 100 pages. Ironically, I liked the ending more than I liked the rest of the book.
For Judy Blume lovers, these are a 'must read'. Take note though that they were originally written in the late 70s/early 80s, so they are a little dated in that regard.
First of all, these adult novels of famed young-adult novelist Judy Blume are definitely adult novels. To those who grew up with Judy, you'll almost feel like you're reading the scandalous books Judy wished that teens could read. That said, expect lots of talk about sex, lots of sex, and lots of foul language. Like rated-R Judy (versus PG-13).
Of the two books, I preferred Wifey, the first book. It was funny, the plot moved, and the ending was satisfactory. As for Smart Women--I didn't find it as engaging as Wifey until the last 100 pages. Ironically, I liked the ending more than I liked the rest of the book.
For Judy Blume lovers, these are a 'must read'. Take note though that they were originally written in the late 70s/early 80s, so they are a little dated in that regard.
June 25, 2008
Judy Blume was one of my favorite authors growing up so I was excited to read Wifey and Smart Woman. I have to warn you that it's not quite what you'd expect if you've only read Blume's young adult novels. It's a bit more risque and of cousre the subject matter more adult. But none the less, Blume is still worth reading.
July 28, 2011
I enjoyed re-reading these novels. I liked 'Smart Wommen' a little more. 'Wifey' is somewhat dated and evocative of the 1970's scene. I see from Judy Blume's Bio that we are the same age!
I bought the book for ten cents on the Friends of the Library used book shelf. Days of the real dime novel were even before my time!
I bought the book for ten cents on the Friends of the Library used book shelf. Days of the real dime novel were even before my time!
January 11, 2008
This novel is shocking and delightful. What happens when a mom and wife who is bored with life looks out her bedroom one window and is flashed by a mysterious motorcyclist? Read it and find out... wifey has some wild adventures.
June 21, 2012
I have always enjoyed Judy Blume's book, mostly because they are so easy to read and you can get engrossed in a good story. However, I have to say that these two stories were mediocre at best. Easy read but nothing spectacular to talk about.
June 11, 2014
It was a good, easy read. I got to the end of the book, though, and kind of wondered what the point of the story was? I felt like it was a bit of a lackluster ending to a fairly interesting story. It was, of course, classic Judy Blume writing though, so I did enjoy reading it a good bit.
Read
July 11, 2015As it has ben a few years, since high school, that I read "Wifey", I plan on rereading after I finish rereading "Summer Sisters". Always loved Judy's books as a tween, teen and through adulthood.
Wish she would continue with adult titles. Always a great summer read!
Wish she would continue with adult titles. Always a great summer read!
November 6, 2007
awful, tedious
Read
December 3, 2007I read this a very long time ago.
March 28, 2008
Both books are awesome. Wifey is a a funny take on the lives of stay at home wives and Mom's. Somewhat smutty, but I really liked it. Smut is good. :)
May 23, 2008
I personally enjoyed this book. I have always loved Judy Blume tho. The book was a fun, fast read. I would def. recommend it!!
June 25, 2009
I liked Smart Women much better than Wifey. Too bad they were combined into one book. If I really could, I would give Wifey 3 stars, and give Smart Women 3 1/2 stars.
May 13, 2012
Read these books when I was a teenager. It was interesting to read them again as an adult. I noticed that I empathized more with the mother characters rather than the daughters this time around.
August 7, 2016
Wifey should prob only get 2 stars...the husband in it is a real jerk and the wife has no backbone. Smart Women has a bunch of really bratty entitled children and deserves maybe 3 stars.
September 3, 2013
Another one of her good just for women reads. I have re read this book many times.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews