Reviews

The Wife by Meg Wolitzer

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elliemayxox's review against another edition

challenging reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I adore the irony of the title when so far the book appears to be a biography about Joe Castleman told by an adoring narrator who is the wife. It adds to the idea that her identity, her future and dreams are irrelevant now she is with this man, that she has to get her life fulfilment through him. Now we start to see how her meekness and being sidelined simply for being a woman is leading to resentment.
I'm conflicted about the ending, but to be vague and avoid spoilers, if the ending had been different and been what I thought I wanted then it the point of the book about would maybe have been lost or been less powerful.
It's not the typical kind of book I read but I've given it a higher rating purely because I can appreciate the style of the writing and I think on some level it makes you think strongly about female identity and feminism

nicolebonia's review against another edition

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5.0

“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.”

Joan Castleman is on an airplane accompanying her husband, writer Joseph Castleman, to Helsinki, Finland where he is being honored with the Helsinki Prize in Literature, one step down from the Nobel Prize for Literature, which he knows that he will not get. Over the next four days, Joan revisits their courtship and the details of her marriage while waiting for the moment when she will end it all with her husband.
I can not even put into words how much I loved this book. The characters were complex and well-drawn, the story was interesting and well-plotted, and the pacing was amazing. And there is a secret, and though that secret (I think) is easily guessed, the unfolding of that secret is a beautiful thing indeed, and is the crux of the novel; how Wolitzer carefully folds, twists and gradually enlarges what we already suspect but are reluctant to say for certain. It was so stunningly well done.

Joan Castleman is so thoughtfully observant and funny in a wry way that I laughed out loud at her commentary, and I felt such an empathy with her ash she looked back on her life and struggled to find and step into herself not that she is well into her middle age and has raised three grown children. Joan’s reflections on herself and on her husband, who is one of those men “who had no idea of how to take care of himself or anyone else, and derived much of his style from The Dylan Thomas Handbook of Personal Hygiene and Etiquette.”, are so funny, and doubly so because they are accurate reflections on life and the types of people we have either heard of or met ourselves.

I loved this book as a character study of a wife finally looking to take back the power that she has been afraid to possess, as a character study marriage and how it grew and changes from the ‘60’s to the present day, as an inside , and because it was a thought provoking and humorous read. I highly recommend it.

dannyaa's review against another edition

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reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

First book that I read from this author. The way it was written was not my favorite thing, and I knew almost from the beginning what was the "secret". I was happy Joan was going to get divorced from him, but that ending just threw away the whole point of the plot.

ivy_wisteria's review against another edition

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reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

caslater83's review against another edition

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1.0

I saw the movie previews on television recently and decided to read the book to determine if I wanted to see the movie. Meg Wolitzer isn't my ideal author. Nothing personal, but her writing style doesn't really capture my attention. In addition, I didn't care for the saturation of F-bombs.

The story revolves around Joe and Joan Castleman. I think Meg Wolitzer wants us to see Joe as a sexual prowler always looking for his next meal. His wife is VERY much aware of his "extracurricular activities." I also think that Joan doesn't get the recognition she deserves because she obviously has better talent. Instead of being a modern woman in the literary world, she is reduced to being "Joe's wife."

If I had a husband like Joe, I wouldn't put up with it like Joan. Instead, I'd carve out a better life for myself--the life that I think Joan WISHES she had.

Since this book wasn't my cup of tea, I don't feel any desire to try any more of Meg's work.