The quickest way to dissolve a marriage is with secrets and lies. Both abound in Recipe for a Perfect Wife.
This bold, thought-provoking, and heartfelt novel by Karma Brown captured me right from the start with its recipes, its gardening advice, and its setting in the New York suburbs – all the things an in-her-late-30s woman like myself enjoys. Much of Recipe for a Perfect Wife reminded me of a mix of Friends and Strangers and Julie and Julia and… something else. I’m not quite sure what. But I liked it.
This women’s fiction meets“foodie fiction” novel first drew me in with its cheeky, ironic title. Each chapter starts with a snippet of laughably (read: infuriatingly outdated and sexist) marriage advice for women to enforce what an “ideal” wife should be. (This part reminded me of The Finishing Touches.)
Obviously, there’s no such thing as the perfect wife or the perfect marriage. But there are certainly bad spouses and toxic relationships, and this is what Recipe for a Perfect Wife delves into. It’s not a happy story, per se, but it’s an important one.
You have Nellie, your stereotypical 1950s housewife living in surburban New York with her god-awful husband Richard, and there’s Alice, who moves with her husband Nate into Nellie’s former house in 2018. In their respective timelines, everyone thinks that Nellie and Alice each have the perfect marriage. As their stories unfold, you realize how much truly lies beneath the surface for each woman.
The dual timeline and different POVs really worked for me. Nellie’s story is poignant and heartbreaking, and I loved this character to bits. In good and bad ways, her story greatly influences Alice’s, which is, well, exasperating. I could relate a lot to Alice, but she definitely frustrated me, especially near the end of the book. I think she’s supposed to, though.
When I first finished Recipe for a Perfect Wife, I didn’t like the ending. But, this a story that stays with you after you close the cover, and after mulling it over awhile (and talking with my husband about it), I decided that although author Brown didn’t give me the ending I wanted, she gave me the ending that made sense. The ending that’s realistic. As I mentioned in Friends and Strangers, I always appreciate when authors deviate from tying up stories with neat little bows.
If you’re looking for a women’s fiction/historical fiction/foodie fiction mash-up that’s anything but cookie cutter, pick up Recipe for a Perfect Wife. And be sure to check back in for my book-inspired recipe: Totally Different Chocolate Chip Cookies!
Such a great book. Loved the recipes and marriage tips…gardening tips too ! We’ve come a long way baby…or have we ??
Ha! I was thinking the same thing as I was reading, lol.