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A review by shaniastateofmind
Recipe for a Perfect Wife by Karma Brown
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Recipe for a Perfect Wife is a dual narrative about a woman named Nellie in 1955 and a woman named Alice living in 2018, who are both going through pivotal life moments in a house in the suburbs. Karma Brown does an excellent job of blending the two storylines together and making a point that no matter how far society has come in the last few decades, women today can still face the very same challenges that their grandmothers did, albeit it may look a little different.
My favorite part of Recipe for a Perfect Wife was Nellie's chapters. While dealing with her oppressive husband, Nellie showed exceptional strength even though she was going through it alone. I appreciated that Nellie's full story wasn't given to us right off the bat and that we slowly learn the severity of the situations in Nellie's life including her husband's controlling attitude, the truth about her mother, and why Nellie's garden is such a symbol of freedom.
With that being said, I still enjoyed Alice's narration in the book, but I found myself quickly becoming frustrated with her which may be the point. Her frustration with her situation translates to our frustration as the reader. However, I found myself just wanting her to talk to her husband. Much like Nellie's community is led to believe that her and her Richard's marriage is perfect, it seems Alice is trying to persuade us that her and Nate's marriage is great. But the move to the suburbs and the question of when to start a family quickly shows that they are not on the same page and that they are also not great at communicating with one another.
Recipe for a Perfect Wife is a compelling story about how everyone has secrets and that outward appearances are not always an accurate portrayal of our inward lives.
My favorite part of Recipe for a Perfect Wife was Nellie's chapters. While dealing with her oppressive husband, Nellie showed exceptional strength even though she was going through it alone. I appreciated that Nellie's full story wasn't given to us right off the bat and that we slowly learn the severity of the situations in Nellie's life including her husband's controlling attitude, the truth about her mother, and why Nellie's garden is such a symbol of freedom.
With that being said, I still enjoyed Alice's narration in the book, but I found myself quickly becoming frustrated with her which may be the point. Her frustration with her situation translates to our frustration as the reader. However, I found myself just wanting her to talk to her husband. Much like Nellie's community is led to believe that her and her Richard's marriage is perfect, it seems Alice is trying to persuade us that her and Nate's marriage is great. But the move to the suburbs and the question of when to start a family quickly shows that they are not on the same page and that they are also not great at communicating with one another.
Recipe for a Perfect Wife is a compelling story about how everyone has secrets and that outward appearances are not always an accurate portrayal of our inward lives.
My biggest issue with this book and what kept me from giving it a five star review is the ending in Alice's story. I'm just left feeling that Alice is still stuck. Her husband resents her for not moving for his promotion and she is pregnant even though most of her storyline is about how much she doesn't want to have kids right now. The only real resolution I get from her is that she got to keep her house which she has grown to love and that she is finally making progress on writing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Rape, and Sexual assault