The Housewife Blues

by Warren Adler

A small town girl from the Midwest is carried away by her "Prince Charming" to the super-charged canyons of modern New York City. Warned by her uptight advertising executive husband to beware of strangers, the newlywed cannot repress her small town upbringing and instinctive innocence. She eventually befriends many of the offbeat and quirky tenants in her apartment building and enters into their complicated and sometimes tragic lives. Her journey of self-discovery from naiveté through disenchantment and eventual wisdom makes for a suspenseful story of a young woman's inner turmoil and how culture shock can impact on deeply held values.

Genres: Fiction

245 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Warren Adler was an American author, playwright and poet. His novel The War of the Roses was turned into a dark comedy starring Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito.
Adler was an essayist, short-story writer, poet and playwright, whose works have been translated into 25 languages.

Reviews

[Cyndy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book seemed really dated - my copy had a copyright of 1992 but it seemed to be written in the 70's. A woman from the midwest marries a guy from New York who wants a woman he can count on to keep house, perform "wifely" duties, etc. And not get her pretty little head involved in his business. Do these type of guys still exist?? It was a mildly entertaining read but the last few pages were strange - almost tacked on or something.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read but felt as if the husband who was supposed to be an intelligent businessman was a little dumb. Come on, thinking he could sign his wife's name to a legal paper and without her knowledge at that? The situation at the end of her stitching up a stab wound by herself was also a little bit stupid. But all in all not a bad story, hence 3 stars at the best.

[Jacqueline Ford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Random Hearts was a better read in my opinion.

[Kelly Sachleben · Rating 2 out of 5]

Summary: "Jenny, a "nice" girl from the Midwest, is swept off her feet by a handsome advertising executive and whisked from her small town into the super-charged world of New York City. A control freak, her new husband warns her to beware of strangers and avoid making friends. But Jenny cannot repress her small town upbringing and instinctive innocence, eventually forming relationships with many of the quirky tenants in their brownstone building and entering into their complicated and sometimes tragic lives".
I chose this book as I saw the author had also written "The War of the Roses" to much acclaim. I did not find this novel to be as praiseworthy. I found the characters to be flat and unbelievable - and the author seemed to be overly focused on sex and genitalia (in a way that didn't add to the plot or the story-line). I kept reading as I was intrigued by the main concepts - but wouldn't recommend it.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book read like something from the fifties except the girl changed totally at the end into a different person. It just affims my theory that when men write a book from a woman's point of view, they seldom get it right.