What readers say
it makes sense that a man would think a dishwasher could solve all the problems that come with being a woman. this was a book that brought to light the reality of postpartum, and women’s healthcare both in the 50s and overall. lulu is a housewife. she lives on a cul-de-sac and while her husband goes to work, she stays home, cleaning the house, making jello molds and washing dishes. just what every woman dreams of doing, right? lulu has a son, and for her that’s enough. but with her husband’s persistence, she gets pregnant again and has to do it all over again. the cries in the middle of the night, the pain and destruction to her body that comes postpartum, the exhaustion and fatigue- nobody talks about these things, the problems of a woman considered too taboo to mention to another woman who has gone through the same thing. it’s something she must suffer alone. it’s enough to drive her crazy. there were a few twists throughout (some predictable, others not as much) and of course, many nods to sylvia plath and ‘the bell jar’. it’s worth reading ‘the bell jar’ before this for the context alone. this was a really easy read, despite the intense subject matter, and i breezed through it.
a solid 4 stars ⭐️ this book reminded me that i was THANKFULLY not born in the wrong generation because i like to tell men to shut the fuck up. slightly infuriating to listen to at some times because of the gas lighting and how men treated women in this time period. my thoughts at the end: all this cause men never listen to women!!!! this could be someone’s biography rather than fiction. some parts felt so real and made me so angry. overall, it was a solid story about a wife and mother navigating the 1950s house wife era, and i enjoyed it! the audio was very well done.