Recipe for a Perfect Wife: A Novel

Recipe for a Perfect Wife: A Novel

  • Downloads：7439
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-02-07 04:17:40
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Karma Brown
  • ISBN：9781524744953
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Editor Reviews

"It’s easy to keep turning the pages as we toggle back and forth between Alice and Nellie， who — breaking news — has a far more complicated life than a stack of Ladies’ Home Journals would lead Alice to believe。 。 。 。 And it turns out Nellie has a lot more to teach Alice about being a wife and a woman than how to bake a good batch of cookies。 The most important？ Take those trappings you resent so much — cooking， gardening， bearing children — embrace them， then wield them like weapons。"
—Jenny Rosenstrach， New York Times Book Review

"A captivating read， full of twists and turns。 Brown weaves a thrilling story that parallels the lives of two characters who struggle with being strong， independent women in a patriarchal world。"
—Associated Press

"Brown kills it; her latest is a winner so captivating that fans of modern and old-fashioned stories about women could easily read it in one day。"
—Library Journal， starred review

"Recipe for a Perfect Wife is a bold， intoxicating， page-turner。 Karma Brown has long been a favorite of mine and this book is proof she just keeps getting better and better。 This is a thrilling， audacious story about women daring to take control。"
—Taylor Jenkins Reid， New York Times bestselling author of Daisy Jones & The Six

"[Brown] excels at bringing the complexities of women’s lives to the page， and her latest novel questions how much has really changed for women over the last 60 years。 The pacing is brisk， the characters are appealing， and both time lines are equally well realized。 Thoughtful， clever， and surprisingly dark。"
—Booklist

"Recipe for a Perfect Wife masterfully bridges the lives of two women， living sixty years apart， who refuse to fall victim to the patriarchy。 While Karma Brown’s signature style remains， it’s laced with something sinister and dark。 A brilliant， brooding， timely novel， fraught with tension， that packs a punch。 Brown knows how to keep readers riveted until the very last page。"
—Mary Kubica， New York Times bestselling author of The Good Girl

"Strong， well-drawn women anchor Brown's deeply thought-provoking， feminist novel。 The spellbinding dual stories complement each other， raising themes of self-discovery， self-preservation and liberation for two women living eras apart。"
—Shelf Awareness

"A sly， smart look at two women across two different decades as they navigate marriage， secrets， and society’s expectations。 Brown’s vivid storytelling deftly explores the joys and limitations of the role of wife – a wonderful read。"
—Fiona Davis， national bestselling author of The Chelsea Girls

"Brown skillfully alternates between Alice's modern world and Nellie's in the 1950s。 With plentiful historical details （including recipes and depressingly hilarious marriage advice）， the pages devoted to Nellie come to life。 。 。 。 An engaging and suspenseful look at how the patriarchy shaped women's lives in the 1950s and continues to do so today。"
—Kirkus 

"I already knew that Karma Brown’s contemporary novels are exemplars of thoughtful， compelling， and truly original fiction。 What I didn’t know before reading Recipe For a Perfect Wife is that she is equally at home when writing historical fiction。 In her hands， the constrained and often suffocating lives of 1950s women—illuminated in a deftly handled dual narrative that alternates between the present day and 60 years ago — are revealed with real sensitivity， depth， and at times tenderness。 And true to Karma Brown， this is also a nail-biter of a tale， and one that kept me up long past my bedtime。 This is a delicious and thoroughly satisfying book。" 
—Jennifer Robson， bestselling author of The Gown

"Karma Brown has outdone herself with best book yet。  Dual storylines set decades apart offer one of the most emotionally stirring explorations of women’s lives I have ever read。 Recipe for a Perfect Wifeis page-turning look at identity， love， legacy， marriage， and yes—food。 I devoured it！"
—Jamie Brenner， bestselling author of Drawing Home

“[A] captivating novel。 。 。 。 Clever， dark and empowering。”
—Woman's World

"Recipe for a Perfect Wife is as witty， charming， and insightful as anything Karma Brown has written to date， but it’s also got something more: it cuts straight to the heart of modern marriage by going back in time。 Flawless transitions between past and present remind us of how far we’ve come while Brown’s penetrating prose deftly underscores the importance of staying the course on the journey ahead。  This timely novel is alarming and unforgettable， illuminating and ominous—and perfect for your next book club discussion！"
—Marissa Stapley， bestselling author of The Last Resort

"Recipe for a Perfect Wife is that wonderful combination of fun to read， thought provoking， and mystery。 Told in the voices of two women living in different decades and sprinkled with recipes and advice on how to be a good wife， it makes the reader consider how the roles of women have changed and how they’ve stayed the same。 Karma Brown made me smile and gasp in equal measure， and to reach for my mom’s old recipe box。"
—Ann Hood， author of The Knitting Club

"Recipe for a Perfect Wife is a time-hopping， dark domestic mystery， sprinkled with a dash of female empowerment and a few vintage baking tips。 。 。 。 Recipe for a Perfect Wife ends in a wonderfully sly way， best served without any spoilers， other than to say that sometimes history does repeat itself。"
—Toronto Star

"A positively captivating story awaits you in Recipe For A Perfect Wife。 。 。 。 A page turner from start to finish。"
—Seattle Book Review

"As always， Brown entertains as she provokes thought and discussion。 Perfect Wife is not as straightforward as it seems at first glance 。 。 。 （We won’t reveal the intriguing plot twist。） Let’s just say that Nellie brings an increasingly sinister and unexpected element to the plot， which is all the richer for it。"
—The Florida Times-Union

"Readers will enjoy watching both women take charge in their lives no matter what the cost。"
—The Parkersburg News & Sentinel

From the Publisher

Reviews

，

Loved this book！ Once I started reading this book I couldn't put it down。 Storytelling at its finest plus you get to go down memory lane and remember days gone by。

Bookworm ，

If you enjoy a dash of the 1950's， a pinch of food and gardening and a dollop of literary women's fiction wrapped up in a dual timeline， this is the perfect recipe。 The 1950's timeline was fantastic。 Felt like I was there with the characters。 The modern day timeline was a little weaker but still engaging。 I loved the recipes and the food descriptions。 And although I'm not a huge fan of gardening， this plot included just enough to keep me invested and my curiosity peaked。 The plot was charming ye If you enjoy a dash of the 1950's， a pinch of food and gardening and a dollop of literary women's fiction wrapped up in a dual timeline， this is the perfect recipe。 The 1950's timeline was fantastic。 Felt like I was there with the characters。 The modern day timeline was a little weaker but still engaging。 I loved the recipes and the food descriptions。 And although I'm not a huge fan of gardening， this plot included just enough to keep me invested and my curiosity peaked。 The plot was charming yet there were scenes and themes that were dark and could be potentially triggering for some readers。 The background mystery was predictable but I still had a lot of fun listening to the audiobook。 。。。more

Tina Othberg ，

Great read， parallel stories of 2 women。 Foreshadowing is strong but not to the point of predictability。

Pam Jenoff ，

When a New York publicist leaves her city life and follows her husband to a house in the suburbs， she finds a series of messages in a cookbook left by the previous occupant， a 1950s housewife， revealing dark truths about the past as well as her own life。

Anne ，

I loved this duel timeline book of two strong women whose marriages aren’t what it seems。 This author highlights the issue of domestic violence whether it’s physical or emotional。 Loved all the quotes and recipes！

Isabella ，

Read this for a relationships class in uni and I was so amazed by how riveting it was and how much I enjoyed it; I love this story and seeing what transpired in the same house almost seventy years later。

Amy ，

Many lies spun between characters， driving the story to see when the deceit would be uncovered and by whom。 Also a rather depressing/infuriating description of what was expected of a woman in a marriage in the 1940s/1950s。

Katey Townshend ，

The recipes were cute but overall I didn’t enjoy this book。 Too much dialogue and uninteresting plot。

Colleen ，

Liked- the recipes。 I googled so many of those 1950 foods。 I spend 15 minutes watching someone make Baked Alaska on -the parallelism--the house in 1950 correlates with house in 2018， the marital issues， getting pregnant， the Chanel bag， the stairs， the garden， clothing- friendship with older women--loved those senior ladies Miriam and Sally were a delight- the air of mystery and secret throughout。 made me keep reading late into the night- the outdated， demeaning quotes from earlier decades about Liked- the recipes。 I googled so many of those 1950 foods。 I spend 15 minutes watching someone make Baked Alaska on -the parallelism--the house in 1950 correlates with house in 2018， the marital issues， getting pregnant， the Chanel bag， the stairs， the garden， clothing- friendship with older women--loved those senior ladies Miriam and Sally were a delight- the air of mystery and secret throughout。 made me keep reading late into the night- the outdated， demeaning quotes from earlier decades about how wives should behave。 Women have come a long way but there is still progress to be made-the garden， the flowers， the meaning behind them all， loved how it all intertwined-the house took on its own character --the kitchen became less chilly， the fridge stopped making noises， houses- Alice and Nellie were both strong women and products of their upbringing in the era in which they were raised， Not so much- some stereotyping and architypes of women （mean girl friends in the 1950s， mean boss in 2018）- some stereotyping and architypes of men （dumb men in the 1950s， clueless men in 2018）- it hurt my feelings for Alice to be so mean to her husband and her best friend （that's a character thing and probably a sign of good writing--but it still hurt）， -I don't need the details of the sex thanks。 Overall， I enjoyed this book。 It was a quick read and a nice diversion over the weekend。 It definitely feels like chick lit but it had some nice thematic choices which redeemed it from the negative connotations of the genre。 Would recommend to those looking for a little dash of mystery， some cool recipes and funny old fashioned quotes， and some solid thematic writing。 PG -13 rating。 。。。more

Lisa Palumbo ，

I I was hooked from the first page and read this book in one day。 It was very entertaining and the characters were very likeable。 Every women will be able to see alittle of themselves in these characters。

Florence ，

2021 Book #7 out of 27。RECIPE FOR A PERFECT WIFE by KARMA BROWN。。4 out of 5 stars。~ A blend of domestic challenges with a vintage feel。~ Dual-storyline with a mixture of time traveling。~ Charming， dark， and intriguing。。。[TRIGGER WARNINGS: domestic abuse and addition]。。#Bookstagramfeature #Bookstagram #Bookblogger #Currentlyreading #KindleBooks #Quarentinebookclub #PNWbooks #Goodreads #Readingwomen #TBR #ToBeRead #InstaBook #TeachersWhoRead

John ，

A great thriller about two women who live sixty years apart， but are connected through similar life experiences and recipes in a cookbook。 I definitely want to try a few of the recipes that are included！

Tiffany ，

I enjoyed the humor and mystery in this book， especially the chapter quotes from 50's magazines and publications。 I enjoyed the humor and mystery in this book， especially the chapter quotes from 50's magazines and publications。 。。。more

Helen ，

3。5 starsI really liked this book but found the ending quite meh。

Maybaby ，

Nice light read。 A fast read。 Nothing remarkable for me here but a decent story if predictable。

Gail ，

Really enjoyed this novel by Canadian author， Karma Brown。 I loved how seamlessly she wove together the stories of two women using recipes and gardening。 Such a revealing work comparing a woman's role in the household in the 1950's vs。 today。 Really enjoyed this novel by Canadian author， Karma Brown。 I loved how seamlessly she wove together the stories of two women using recipes and gardening。 Such a revealing work comparing a woman's role in the household in the 1950's vs。 today。 。。。more

A。 L。 ，

I really don’t like giving negative reviews， but for this book， I feel like people should be warned: there is rather a lot of domestic abuse in this book。 I gathered as much from the book cover blurb， but for some reason， maybe the recipes and the absurd advice for wives from antique books， I just thought it would be a little lighter reading。 It was not。 And Alice isn’t particularly likeable。 Nellie is more so， but overall， I didn’t connect with her much。 She recounts the abuse she undergoes wit I really don’t like giving negative reviews， but for this book， I feel like people should be warned: there is rather a lot of domestic abuse in this book。 I gathered as much from the book cover blurb， but for some reason， maybe the recipes and the absurd advice for wives from antique books， I just thought it would be a little lighter reading。 It was not。 And Alice isn’t particularly likeable。 Nellie is more so， but overall， I didn’t connect with her much。 She recounts the abuse she undergoes with a rather stoic attitude， but we don’t hear much of her thoughts， feelings， or passions beyond that。 She’s fairly flat， merely an abused woman as her only role。 And finally， the ending seemed rather rushed and unfinished。 It’s hard to say much more without giving spoilers。 In the end， I’m glad I checked this one out instead of buying it。 。。。more

Jen ，

3。5⭐

Malcolm McKay ，

This is clever， recipes and mystery， 50s and 2015， tense writing with humour。 I laughed out loud more than once， although this is not comedy。

Bookywookyworm ，

Another Canadian author ticked off the list for this months Canadian reads。 This one has sat on my shelf for a little while but once I opened the book I could not put it down。 I don't know about you but I love the going back in time and exploring how others lived; it's so nostalgic。 However， I'm not sure the 1950s was a great time to be a woman。 ⁣⁣📝 Story: The story is split into dual narratives: one set in the 1950s and follows a newly married couple Richard and Nellie。 Richard is the owner of Another Canadian author ticked off the list for this months Canadian reads。 This one has sat on my shelf for a little while but once I opened the book I could not put it down。 I don't know about you but I love the going back in time and exploring how others lived; it's so nostalgic。 However， I'm not sure the 1950s was a great time to be a woman。 ⁣⁣📝 Story: The story is split into dual narratives: one set in the 1950s and follows a newly married couple Richard and Nellie。 Richard is the owner of a gum factory and a big player around town。 At their first meeting Nellie was whisked off her feet by his charm and money。 Nellie has no idea what married life in suburbia has in store for her。⁣⁣The second narrative is set in 2018 and follows newlyweds Alice and Nate。 They have just moved home from Manhattan to the Suburbs; to Richard and Nellie's old home to be precise。 In the basement Alice stumbles over Nellie's old things including magazines and Nellie's inherited cookbook。 ⁣As the pressures of married life begin to be too much for Alice and Nellie we see what they are both really made of。⁣⁣❤ What I Loved？⁣I loved the duality of the time eras and the story flowed very quickly， which made it a faster read than I imagined。 I loved the recipes from the cookbook and how they interlinked with the story。 ⁣⁣❌ What I Didn't Love？⁣I'm not sure I loved the main character of Alice。 For all the talk of how she loved her husband she did a lot of lying to him and I dont think the institution of marriage was shown in the best light。 That being said， it was a fun read with so many little quirks to the story。 I loved how the character's lives mirrored one another throughout。 ⁣⁣One real complaint: what happened to Nellie afterwards？？？ ⁣ 。。。more

Sklyer ，

The writing is excellent， the story intriguing， but the ending falls quite flat。Nellie's story is compelling。 Her character sympathetic， the events and happenings an insight into what life might have been like for a 50's house wife。 I loved how the letters and cookbook fit in her life and how they were able to reach out to Alice's story。 I had no complaints there， well maybe a small disagreement。 （view spoiler）[ I don't think that poisoning her husband was really the only option out and while I The writing is excellent， the story intriguing， but the ending falls quite flat。Nellie's story is compelling。 Her character sympathetic， the events and happenings an insight into what life might have been like for a 50's house wife。 I loved how the letters and cookbook fit in her life and how they were able to reach out to Alice's story。 I had no complaints there， well maybe a small disagreement。 （view spoiler）[ I don't think that poisoning her husband was really the only option out and while I think she would've been happier keeping the second baby， there was no way for her to know her poisoning would've killed her husband before she gave birth。 But in the end， it's history and hopefully people will know that there are women's shelters and there has been a lot of work in making legal protections against physically abusive partners （and quite harsh against self-defense in domestic abuse situations， so get out before it gets to that point）。 （hide spoiler）]Alice's story wasn't as compelling and her character unsympathetic。 Her issues are universal for learning to adjust to being a married person and not due to patriarchy and misogyny， except a spoiler。 （view spoiler）[ Except for the handsy author， which was a dumb secret to keep from your spouse。 She needed therapy for that experience and for handling her fears about being honest about what she really wants。 （hide spoiler）] I really hate it when authors hold information that the main character knows and is relevant to the story but doesn't care to tell the reader until much later on。 It's terrible and was made worse by the fact that it was also something she was hiding from her husband。 I hope no one ever thinks to read this and actually learn about healthy relationships because this is a good guide to how to have an unhealthy relationship。 In fact， I'm not sure there is anything to learn from the modern story。 It's definitely not a book I would recommend to anyone， but it still gets three stars because the writing is good。I think there was a lot of potential with a story like this to parallel the real misogyny people face today: being paid less than male counterparts， being expected to do non-work related jobs or handle all the miscellaneous tasks for free， not being given options or considered consulting your opinion during pregnancy and giving birth， the expectation to be sexy and pure， the pressure to have sex from a young age， not being taken seriously when having emotions that are acceptable for men to express， and so many other issues that are relevant and comparable to the situation in the 50's。 Instead， we have Alice whose real issue is that she struggles to be honest with herself and her husband which causes dramatic problems that are exacerbated by her husband making similar but different newly wed mistakes。 It would have been more compelling a story if it was Alice struggling to figure out her expectations of what being a modern house-wife meant to her， using Nellie's story to find what Alice wanted out of life and what she didn't。 Or Alice's and Nate's story alone and about newly-wed issues because it would've been more compelling if they weren't on the backdrop of an abusive relationship。 Instead we have two stories that don't really parallel each other and thus show Alice in a terrible light because she really just needs individual and couple therapy。Lastly， （view spoiler）[ I know this wasn't the authors intention， but with the parallel stories， it really makes it looks like Alice is parallel with Richard。 She's the one lying and hiding things from her spouse， she's the one expecting her spouse to know all her needs without her saying anything， she's the one enforcing patriarchal restrictions on herself。 Sure， Nate was wrong to accept a job offer without consulting his wife， but he wasn't doing it to manipulate her。 He was just dumb and thought it was a good surprise。 Alice was intentionally withholding information because she felt like keeping secrets and almost like she didn't feel Nate worthy of knowing her deeper。 And her turning down the offer to move could've been handled a lot nicer， but that wasn't as disturbing as her internal monologue about being on her own at the end。 Marriage is not about being alone and being an I， marriage is all about learning how to work as a we。 （hide spoiler）] Please， no one think that anything in this book is reflective on how to be a good spouse。 。。。more

Audrey ，

Vivid characters and a gripping story about how much we've come since the 1950s—and how much male/female relationships are the same。 Vivid characters and a gripping story about how much we've come since the 1950s—and how much male/female relationships are the same。 。。。more

Breanna ，

A cute book。。。 with a smirkThis book was light & easy to pick up at any spare moment。 The story moved easily， as we shifted from past to present。 The relationships between our leading ladies， their husbands， the house， and their recipes felt real and heartfelt。 The author perfectly writes complex women， while keeping them relatable and giving them humor。 Great read。

Sarah ，

This was such an entertaining read about two women from different generations who are linked when modern day Alice finds the cookbook published in 1948 belonging to Nellie in the basement of her house。 The snippets from vintage books about the role of women and wives were hilarious， and the old recipes were definitely interesting。 What stands out is the courage and determination of both women to live their lives on their own terms。

Kim ，

I wish there were more rating options。 I think this is a 3。5。 Good for what it is: formula fiction。 Not a 3 because its narrative bent is unique。 Not a 4 because it IS formulaic。 An easy read that is more for non-readers who grab a book to read on a plane or on a vacation。I wouldn't call it a waste of time but it's not a work of literary quality。Still。。。 readable if abounding in stereotypes （some clearly intentional and others simply reflective of contemporary norms （which are not questioned by I wish there were more rating options。 I think this is a 3。5。 Good for what it is: formula fiction。 Not a 3 because its narrative bent is unique。 Not a 4 because it IS formulaic。 An easy read that is more for non-readers who grab a book to read on a plane or on a vacation。I wouldn't call it a waste of time but it's not a work of literary quality。Still。。。 readable if abounding in stereotypes （some clearly intentional and others simply reflective of contemporary norms （which are not questioned by the text; norms of the 50s are flat-footedly opposed。So 3。5 limp stars。 。。。more

Suzanne Rickel ，

I didn't want to put this book down！ I loved it。 Ultimately， this book is juxtaposing the 2 different lives of women who are being pressured by their husbands to have children。 Caught in a time differential， Nellie or Eleanor of the nineteen fifties and Alice of 2018， is a sit on the edge of your seat dual time line narrative。 Nellie's cookbook is left behind in her house and after Alice and her husband purchase said house Alice soon discovers the past relationship that was forged in the walls o I didn't want to put this book down！ I loved it。 Ultimately， this book is juxtaposing the 2 different lives of women who are being pressured by their husbands to have children。 Caught in a time differential， Nellie or Eleanor of the nineteen fifties and Alice of 2018， is a sit on the edge of your seat dual time line narrative。 Nellie's cookbook is left behind in her house and after Alice and her husband purchase said house Alice soon discovers the past relationship that was forged in the walls of her very own home。 I really enjoyed this book from the beginning， Ms Brown sets the stage perfectly to keep me interested in wanting to read more！ There's a madmen mystery type quality to this book where the social "face" of the housewife is really different or shrouded to the public versus her private life， in both timelines。 I always like to read about the psychology of these types of situations or read about how women fictional or otherwise respond to and handle situations such as these。 It seems it wasn't so simple back in the fifties as people like to characterize this time frame and to assume otherwise would be a misnomer。 Did I say I really enjoyed this book？ You should read it if you haven't。。。 。。。more

Carol Stevenson ，

A story of two wives; one in the 50’s and one in the 80’s， who live in the same house and their experiences of marriage。 A light read。

Laura ，

I found the Nellie sections fascinating， but Alice was an annoying an unlikeable character。

Jennifer ，

This book started out a little slow， but the characters were intriguing and I found myself wanting to figure things out and learn more。 However， ultimately I found this book。。。。meh。 I was frustrated by the ending， and felt things were rushed and just ended。 Overall， I would not recommend this book。

Rachel Sulik ，

I didn't like this book as much as I expected to--I'm not entirely sure I liked it at all。 I expected it to be dark with a bit of relief but in the end I didn't like Nate or Alice which made the book kind of a drag。 Maybe that made it more realistic but it just felt like everyone was very two-dimensional （Bronwyn， Alice， Nate， Richard， only Nellie had some depth in my opinion）。 I didn't even understand why Nate was keeping his big secret （was it to show how things have not really changed since t I didn't like this book as much as I expected to--I'm not entirely sure I liked it at all。 I expected it to be dark with a bit of relief but in the end I didn't like Nate or Alice which made the book kind of a drag。 Maybe that made it more realistic but it just felt like everyone was very two-dimensional （Bronwyn， Alice， Nate， Richard， only Nellie had some depth in my opinion）。 I didn't even understand why Nate was keeping his big secret （was it to show how things have not really changed since the 1950s and men still make decisions？ I'm still not sure） and the way it was "resolved" was just awful and did not seem like it would set them up for a good future。 I like Miriam and Sally！ Also， why did Alice seem to think writing a novel would be easy and Nate thought it would be fast？Three stars because I liked Nellie's story a bit but did not like the rest of the book at all。 Was the house haunted？ Why were Alice and Nate so awful？ Why did things resolve themselves quickly but poorly （the Bronwyn/Alice fight， the Nate/Alice issues （precariously 'resolved'）） 。。。more

Mindy ，

3。5/4