BOOK REVIEW: The Wife

by 

Meg Wolitzer

www.megwolitzer.com/

"Now a major motion picture!" I was intrigued, as I enjoy Glenn Close. If she took the gig, I thought, it has to be a good book (or plot or...) It was a fabulous book.  It is really well-written, and as I read, I'd forget I was reading a book. The movie in my mind was whirring away.

I won't retell the plot, the publisher does a good job with that:

Joan and Joe remain complements after nearly 40 years of marriage. Where Joe is casual, Joan is elegant. Where Joe is vain, Joan is self-effacing. And where Joe enjoys his very public role as the great American novelist, Joan pours her considerable intellect, grace, charm and diplomacy into the private role of a great man's wife. As Joe is about to be awarded the Nobel Prize for his acclaimed and prolific body of work, Joan starts to think about the shared compromises, secrets and betrayals.

It was brutally written, a brilliant, witty take on sexual politics over the span of the novel, as the tale unfolds. It is humorous, bitter-sweet,  honest and real. A succinct 219 pages, it is probably just right for a movie, although one would miss some of the thoughtful commentary on life as a wife.

Meg Wolitzer (@MegWolitzer) · Twitter

I watched the movie, Mar. 2nd. Not as powerful as the book, but well done.

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