The Stepford wives : a novel

Format:

Book

Title:

The Stepford wives : a novel

Author:

Levin, Ira, 1929-2007, author.

ISBN:

9780394481999

9780060738198

Edition:

First edition.

Publication:

New York : Random House, [1972]

Physical Description:

145 pages ; 22 cm

Summary:

After moving to the "ideal" suburban community of Stepford, Connecticut, with her husband and children, Joanna Eberhart is stunned by the subservient and complacent nature of the women of the town as she struggles to establish a women's liberation group, but she soon discovers the terrifying secret behind the women's behavior.

Subject(s):

Female friendship -- Fiction.

Married women -- Fiction.

Robots -- Fiction.

Feminism -- Fiction.

American fiction -- 20th century.

Horror stories.

Connecticut -- Fiction.

Geographic Term:

Connecticut -- Fiction.

Genre:

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Monmouth Public Library	Fic (m) Levin, I. 1972	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Salem Main Library	Levin, I.	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Silver Falls Library	FIC LEVIN	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

All the beautiful people live in the idyllic village of Stepford, Connecticut, an affluent suburban Eden populated with successful, satisfied hubbys and their beautiful, dutiful wives. For Joanna Eberhart, a recent arrival with her husband and two children, it all seems too perfect to be true -- from the sweet, accommodating Welcome Wagon lady to all those cheerful, friendly faces in the supermarket checkout lines. But just beneath the town's flawless surface, something is sordid and wrong -- something abominable with roots in the local Men's Association. And it may already be too late for Joanna to save herself from being devoured by Stepford's hideous perfection.

Author Notes

Ira levin was born on August 27, 1929 in the Bronx, New York. He is best remembered for his novels which were made into feature films, Rosemary's Baby (1968, with Mia Farrow), The Boys from Brazil (1978) and The Stepford Wives (1975 and 2004). Levin's best-known play is Deathtrap, which holds the record as the longest-running comedy-thriller on Broadway. (It was also made into a feature film in 1982, starring Christpher Reeve.) His first novel, A Kiss Before Dying, earned him the 1954 Edgar Award for Best First Novel.

Ira Levin died in Manhattan from a heart attack on November 12, 2007. (Bowker Author Biography)

Reviews (1)

Library Journal Review

Levin was a hot commodity in the 1960s and 1970s, cranking out horror potboilers like Rosemary's Baby, The Boys from Brazil, and this 1972 title, all of which share the common theme that people aren't always who or what they seem. This slim volume finds protagonist Joanna and husband Walter and kids leaving the wicked city for the bucolic town of Stepford. Despite its ideal fa ade, the sleepy little storybook town actually is more wicked. Joanna soon notices that her female neighbors are all body and no brains and seemingly exist only to do housework while their husbands gather nightly at a mysterious men's club. Even worse, it appears that the women who moved there just before her suddenly begin morphing into hausfraus built like swimsuit modelsDand she's next! It's hard to tell if this is a stab at the feminist movement or simply a male fantasy, but it's a fun read and will keep you turning the pages. Note also that a new feature film based on this story is in the works. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.