The Stepford Wives

This is one of the best books I have ever read. I definitely prefer the book to both film adaptations, although the 1975 adaptation was particularly eerie and captivating. It’s amazing to me how relevant this piece of feminist literature still is… and it’s also horrifying how relevant it remains. What an effective and affecting story.

If I wasn't pissed off at men before, I sure as hell am now.

What a bunch of weak, despicable, poor-excuse-for-a-man group of men. I despise them all.

Wait. Are you a man? I despise you, too.
Don't feed me this nonsense about how you're not like all the others. How you want your woman to be smart and independent. How you don't care about stereotypical beauty, thin waists and perky chests. How you would never try to change her into something she is not. How the two of you are equals.

I've watched the Nicole Kidman and Matthew Broderick (oh and the glorious Bette Midler!) version of the movie and admittedly really liked it. I think it was all the bright colors and cheery yet creepy music. There are some similarities between the two but they're mostly quite different.

The book is terrifying. It's disturbing and creepy and the slow building, impending doom had me wanting to curl up in the fetal position. It's not horror in a serial killer slasher murder type of way or ghosts and demons and things that go bump in the night. It won't keep me up all night for fear of something creeping under my bed. Instead it will keep me up looking over at my significant other wondering how he would choose. How long would he hold out? Or worse, how quickly would he be swayed? My mind is in a whir after reading this.

I was going to give it 4 stars all along but I can't keep myself from giving it 5 Stars.