'Recipe for a Perfect Wife' is the tale of two women - 1950s housewife Nellie, and modern day career woman (albeit without a career) Alice. Soon after Alice and her husband move into their new home, Alice discovers Nellie's cookbook tucked away in the basement. But this is no ordinary cook... filled with more than just recipes, Alice soon finds herself enthralled with the glimpses into the past that she finds hidden between the pages, and in time her interest turns into obsession, and begins to affect all areas of her life...

Ok, I can't review this one without some spoilers. So don't read on unless you're happy to have a few minor things spoiled!

SPOILERS AHEAD!

This for me was a really weird one. I absolutely loved Nellie - her story was fascinating, and the twists and turns that emerge throughout her chapters were absolutely captivating. She is a brilliantly written character with a surprisingly dark and sinister story, and both her story and her character really leap out of the page to pull you in. I loved her chapters, and I loved her.

Alice, on the other hand, I wasn't a fan of. The synopsis for the book talks about how Alice 'begins to take control of her life and protect herself' after being inspired by Nellie's story. I'm sorry, but to compare Nellie, who has an abusive husband and is constrained by huge societal barriers, to Alice, who's husband is happy to pay for everything while Alice pretends to write a book and who's only crime is wanting a baby, is ridiculous. Yes, Alice's husband is invested in having a baby. But that is because that's what he and Alice decided TOGETHER. He didn't force her into it, she agreed that it's what she wanted, and now she's decided she doesn't want it, but can't be bothered to grow up and tell him that. To be honest, her version of feminism is repeatedly lying to/avoiding talking to her husband about issues that could be resolved if she just opened her bloody mouth and acted like an adult. Yes, what her husband did at the end was thoughtless and stupid, although to me this felt a bit shoehorned in to support the argument that Alice was being oppressed by her husband. His actions before that were all based on the belief, which Alice supported, that they were planning on starting a family.

All in all, I would read another of the authors books, as in Nellie she created a wonderful character who I absolutely loved, and her storyline was brilliant. But in this case, I just couldn't get passed my dislike of Alice and her flimsy pretence of feminism to give the book a higher rating.

This dual narrative novel about two unhappy housewives – one in the 1950s, and another in 2018 – drew me in from the beginning.

At first, the story seems relatively straightforward: Alice is a former high-flying career focused Manhattanite reluctant about leaving her city apartment and moving to the fixer-upper in the New York suburbs that her husband Nate thinks is perfect for them.

But as they settle uneasily into their new house, Alice discovers a stack of unmailed letters written by Nellie, the house’s previous owner, in the 1950s, as well the woman’s well-worn cookbook.

And as Alice gets sucked into the letters, we see how both woman navigate the expectations of marriage in two very different times. The reader knows that things aren’t quite what they seem, either in the past or the present, but the secrets being kept by everyone – by Nellie, Alice, and even Nate – don’t reveal themselves until the final pages (and I liked that most of them were a complete surprise!)

I liked this disturbing, engrossing and interesting story. It's dark at times and I liked the characters and the double story-line.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I loved this novel. So much darker and twistier than I was expecting.
Both Nellie and Alice are brilliant characters who you will be rooting for the whole way through. The quotes on how to be the perfect wife at the beginning of Alice's chapters really add something special too.
A 5 star read!

Found this harder to read than expected! Didn’t enjoy the read but tried to persevere, in the end had to give up reading it

Another 5 star book from me, I don’t think we've had 3 of those in a row before!

The story is structured such that you follow Nellie in 1955 and Alice in 2018. Alice has moved into the house that Nellie lived in before she passed away.

Each chapter begins with an actual excerpt from a magazine or book from the past, mainly the forties and fifties. The views in these excerpts are eye opening and basically taught that a wife is there to serve her husband at all times. My favourite example is:

"To be a successful wife is a career in itself, requiring among other things, the qualities of a diplomat, a businesswoman, a good cook, a trained nurse, a school teacher, a politician and a glamour girl” – Emily Mudd, “Women’s Finest Role”, Readers Digest, 1959

Each excerpt relates to a situation that happens in the chapter. In the Fifties, Nellie is married to Richard and I found their relationship alarming in many ways. His treatment of her, the social situations, the fact that every wives loyalty was to her husband so you didn’t know who was a true friend. The pressure to have a baby immediately following marriage, regardless of age or ambition was startling. That said, there was some real similarities between the Fifties and Alice and Nate in 2018. This book really makes you question and challenge how much the world has moved on and at times, I found this quite an uncomfortable read, mainly because it really highlighted that in some cases, not much has changed at all.

Throughout the whole story, it is clear that both protagonists are strong women, they are independent and they want more control over their lives. I was willing them on throughout, through the twists and turns, some of them shocking!

The style of writing and the way it so cleverly weaved together was just spot on and I was gripped. The ‘Recipe’ element worked so well, food is key throughout this and it just works beautifully.Could not put it down, I would definitely recommend it, a great read that raises very poignant questions.

Released in the UK on the 4th Feb, thanks to @netgalley and @legendpress for the opportunity to review.

#libraryatsevern #netgalley #recipeforaperfectwife

great read a little bit disturbing in places but overall a great story .follows the lives of two women mother and daughter .

ThAnks to Netgalley for the free copy of this brilliant book in exchange for an honest review. As a busy woman myself, I loved the premise of this book: how. To be a perfect housewife, 1950s style and 2018 style. The pressures to conform to the values of the day are clearly evident with each woman. There is a split timeline in the book with the focus on two women and their stories are both compelling. Nellie in the 50s is tied to her husband, and learns to live with an intolerable man in her own terms, for the main part. Trapped in her own marriage she tries to manage and to protect herself from him. Alice in 2018 has more of an equal footing in her marriage, but things are not easy for her either. When she finds Nellie’s letters and cookbook, she delves into Nellies past and finds more than just recipes. Nellie’s life unravels into Alice’s and Alice becomes more aware of her own personal needs and the impact they have in her marriage and her plans for her own future. This book kept me awake reading, and contemplating the characters whilst I was busy at daily life waiting to get back to it. A brilliant read. I shall be looking for more Karma Brown books. .

"Recipe for a Perfect Wife" started off really strong in my opinion, but was way too rushed towards the end.

I liked both storylines but preferred Nellie's because Ali's story, especially at the end, didn't really develop naturally and felt like it was skipping over some important developments.

This proved to be exactly what I was hoping for having read the burn.
I thought it fairly obvious where it was heading from early on.
I enjoyed the little words of advice at the beginning of each chapter,which are really just laughable now.
Nellie was for me,by far the more interesting character.
enjoyable.

Eta there are some cracking throwback recipes in This,that have me wavering between thinking I should try them,and thinking I NEVER want to try them.