In this captivating dual narrative novel, a modern-day woman finds inspiration in hidden notes left by her home’s previous owner, a quintessential 1950s housewife. As she discovers remarkable parallels between this woman’s life and her own, it causes her to question the foundation of her own relationship with her husband–and what it means to be a wife fighting for her place in a patriarchal … patriarchal society.
When Alice Hale leaves a career in publicity to become a writer and follows her husband to the New York suburbs, she is unaccustomed to filling her days alone in a big, empty house. But when she finds a vintage cookbook buried in a box in the old home’s basement, she becomes captivated by the cookbook’s previous owner–1950s housewife Nellie Murdoch. As Alice cooks her way through the past, she realizes that within the cookbook’s pages Nellie left clues about her life–including a mysterious series of unsent letters penned to her mother.
Soon Alice learns that while baked Alaska and meatloaf five ways may seem harmless, Nellie’s secrets may have been anything but. When Alice uncovers a more sinister–even dangerous–side to Nellie’s marriage, and has become increasingly dissatisfied with the mounting pressures in her own relationship, she begins to take control of her life and protect herself with a few secrets of her own.
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Recipe for a Perfect Wife is a bold, intoxicating, page-turner. Karma Brown has long been a favorite of mine and this book is proof she just keeps getting better and better. This is a thrilling, audacious story about women daring to take control.
I started this thinking it would be a cozy, recipe-filled story about two wives in two eras finding themselves and finding their way in marriage. Uh, no. Very much darker than I had expected with good characters and lots of unexpected twists. I especially like reading about Nellie…
Recipe for a Perfect Wife masterfully bridges the lives of two women, living sixty years apart, who refuse to fall victim to the patriarchy. While Karma Brown’s signature style remains, it’s laced with something sinister and dark. A brilliant, brooding, timely novel, fraught with tension, that packs a punch. Brown knows how to keep readers riveted until the very last page.
This wonderful new book by Karma Brown looks at women’s role in the 1950s and today. The two main characters live in the same house 60 years apart. They never met each other but their stories are intertwined in many different ways.
1950s – Nellie lives with a husband who abuses her. She hides her scars from her neighbors and becomes the perfect housewife well known for her kindness, her garden and her baking. As we learn more about Nellie, we find out that there is much more to her than the perfect housewife that she lets the world see.
Present Day – Alice and her husband Nate decide to leave NYC and buy a fixer upper in the suburbs. Alice is a modern day woman who has always worked and isn’t sure what to do with her life. When she finds an old 1950s cookbook in the basement along with some magazines, she starts to spend time reading them and trying out the recipes.
Despite the differences, there are many parallels between the 2 women – both have husbands who are anxious to start a family while neither of the women is ready. Both women are hiding secrets from their husbands but don’t have a problem with it. When all is said and done – is there really much difference between the expectations of a wife in 1950 and in 2020?
Karma Brown has outdone herself with best book yet. Dual storylines set decades apart offer one of the most emotionally stirring explorations of women’s lives I have ever read. Recipe for a Perfect Wife is page-turning look at identity, love, legacy, marriage, and yes — food. I devoured it!
A sly, smart look at two women across two different decades as they navigate marriage, secrets, and society’s expectations. Brown’s vivid storytelling deftly explores the joys and limitations of the role of wife — a wonderful read.
Recipe for a Perfect Wife is that wonderful combination of fun to read, thought provoking, and mystery. Told in the voices of two women living in different decades and sprinkled with recipes and advice on how to be a good wife, it makes the reader consider how the roles of women have changed and how they’ve stayed the same. Karma Brown made me smile and gasp in equal measure, and to reach for my mom’s old recipe box.
Can I please give this book ten stars? No? Okay, then I’ll give it ALL the stars.
Utterly absorbing and compelling, RECIPE FOR A PERFECT WIFE is an expertly-written tale of women and marriage, deceit and lies, pressure and standards. I couldn’t read it fast enough. Karma is one of my favourite authors for good reason. Read this book.
This domestic thriller kept me turning the pages. I totally have book hangover. Awesome read!!!
If these walls could talk….Recipe for a Perfect Wife is an unputdownable story of two women living in the same house 60 years apart. This story is full of secrets that kept me turning the pages. This is my first book by Karma Brown and I will be checking out her previous books. I also enjoyed the 1950’s era recipes!
When Alice and her husband move from the city to the suburbs, they move into the house that once belonged to 1950’s housewife Nellie and her husband. As Alice is exploring the house, she finds a recipe book that belonged to Nellie that had been Nellie’s mom’s. As Alice is exploring Nellie’s life she realizes things aren’t always what the seem on the outside. I really enjoyed this book that explored marriage then and now. I loved Nellie and Alice and both could be your best friend. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.
I really loved this book!
The dual timelines flowed so easily throughout the chapters from the present day back to the 1950’s..
The intersect of Alice and Nellie so many years apart, now brought together; was clever.
It made for a wonderful, intriguing novel that was very hard to put down once I started it.
The descriptions of the many different recipes, the old home, and the styles of the days gone by, made me remember my own childhood and home.
It was truly a blast from the past!
This novel has mystery, suspense, historical fiction, family and friendship.
You will love Alice and Nellie!
Dual timelines for the win!! And also old cookbooks for the win. I’ve been a fan of Karma’s for YEARS and this book feels like the culmination of everything she’s been working on. check out my interview with Karma on DAY DRINKING WITH AUTHORS
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Listened to the audiobook last summer and can’t stop thinking about these characters–an original story with dual timelines executed exquisitely.
Even though I came to dislike one of the main characters, I was completely hooked. I could barely put it down. Alice continued to disappoint me regularly, but the history of Nellie was very intriguing. I can’t decide if I recommend it, but it’s a good read.
Having grown up in the 1950s, I loved the comparisons in time frames to the 2020s. The world, in particular, the way women experience the world, has changed so dramatically – and yet – has it?
Not what I expected – in a good way!
Others will like this book more than I did, so I recommend it
I was drawn into this book by the juxtaposition of the two main characters, both having lived in the same house but one in the early 1950s and the other in the present. There’s a bit of a mystery regarding the earlier resident, but it was easy to figure out as her story unfolded. As the story progressed, though, I found the modern-day wife less and less sympathetic because of certain choices she makes. Then there’s the ending, one of those lady-and-the-tiger conclusions where where you’re left wondering, and that bothered me. I prefer stories with a satisfying conclusion, which wasn’t the case with this book. Still, I’m recommending it because I did find the story intriguing. If you don’t mind annoying protagonists and books with ambiguous endings, you’ll probably like this one.
Recipe for a Perfect Wife is as witty, charming, and insightful as anything Karma Brown has written to date, but it’s also got something more: it cuts straight to the heart of modern marriage by going back in time. Flawless transitions between past and present remind us of how far we’ve come while Brown’s penetrating prose deftly underscores the importance of staying the course on the journey ahead. This timely novel is alarming and unforgettable, illuminating and ominous — and perfect for your next book club discussion!