Pretty slow and boring for the majority of it. Picked up in the last 30 pages. Very blatant but not terrible. ( )

Good, short classic read. ( )

Low pick. The pacing is a bit weird and the writing didn’t wow me. Also, its cultural relevance has diminished the twist (I’ve not seen the films and I still knew what was going on). Nonetheless, I felt it still had thematic potency, reflecting the lengths that some white, cis-het men in particular will go to in order to gain or maintain power. I found it quite bleak in that respect, particularly with the way it ended. A cautionary tale for sure. ( )

Horrifying and still relevant today, sadly. I had seen the movie so I knew what to expect, but damn does this book go from 0 to 100 towards the end real fast. ( )

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I borrowed this on ebook from the library.

Thoughts: This is one of those classic books (it was originally published in 1972) that I have been meaning to read for years. It was a quick and engaging read and I can understand why it was groundbreaking for its time.

The story involves Joanna and her family moving to the town of Stepford where Joanna notices the women are a bit too involved in their housekeeping. Joanna and her friend Bobbie try to stir up some feminist anger over the fact that there is a men's club seemingly running everything but can't seem to find any women who care. Now, they are both worried that something is happening to the women of Stepford to make them compliant.

This is engaging and well done and does breech a lot of intriguing issues around women's rights. However, at the same time it is a bit goofy. The unraveled mystery felt a bit silly and forced to me...I mean Disney World and robots...really? Still it is a bit chilling how accepted everything seems throughout the book and how easily these women's lives are stolen from them. It says something that the term "stepford wife" has stuck as part of our modern vocabulary.

The book also feels very unfinished with a very typical type of horror-twist ending. I have never watched a movie or series based on this book but the story still felt very formulaic and maybe that's because so many books since then have used this book as a model?

My Summary (4/5): Overall this was a quick and engaging read, I am glad I read it. However, I also felt a bit disappointed by how unsurprising the plot twists were and at how unfinished the whole story feels. It was good to read and now I can check out the numerous series and movies based on this book without feeling bad about not having read the book first. ( )