Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2021. The Husbands by Chandler Baker The New York Times and Reese Witherspoon Book Club bestselling author of WHISPER NETWORK returns in a novel that asks: To what lengths will a woman go for a little more help from her husband? A zombie apocalypse is one thing. The Husbands is scheduled for release on August 3, 2021.The Husbands is the story of a woman (Nora) attempting to have it all. Pingback: Incoming Books and Their Sources (5) findingtimetowrite, Incoming Books and Their Sources (5) findingtimetowrite, Adrian McKinty: The psychopathology of everyday life, La Comdie Humaine by Balzac: Reading La Comdie Humaine. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 21, 2021. As she is both investigating the events in the house and getting to know the community around the house, Nora realizes the idyllic neighborhood may hold more secrets than she initially expected.Chandler Baker is a writer who has very clear statements in each of her novels. Hayden makes Rice Krispies for a bake sale, makes sure Liv is dressed for Picture Day, and starts cooking dinner without being asked. House-hunting for a one-storey home, Nora and Hayden take a look at a suburb called Dynasty Ranch. Learn how your comment data is processed. A perpetually timely page-turner that is anything but subtle. The case is a double opportunity: a way to prove her value to the firm and a chance to make the kind of new friends she so desperately needs. So I stopped listening, waited a week, then picked up the book and tried again. Chandler Baker's debut ALIVE, pitched as in the vein of Gayle Foreman and Lauren Oliver, about a girl recovering from a heart transplant, whose recovery (acclimating back to home and school life . The Husbands Chandler Baker. New York Times bestselling author Chandler Baker lives in Austin with her husband and two small children. Free returns are available for the shipping address you chose. These inserts were not directly related to the story (though they were all about the topic of balance between the contributions of husbands and wives) and did not bring any new perspectives or information to the story. Baker does not give us an answer to the questions she raises, only gives us a solution that most would consider to have gone too far. The Dynasty Ranch women killed her before she could publicize the truth of their nefarious activities. The Husbands may, at first glance, appear to start with an old trope but Baker takes it to a new level. Learn more. With the clicking of a very specific pen, given to every wife in Dynasty Ranch, Cornelia hypnotizes the husbands in her therapy sessions, but Nora doesnt immediately know that. We've learned from FOX that this title is called, "Tommy Dearest.". Its wickedly funny, but also dead serious in its piercing social commentary.Texas MonthlyChandler Bakers delightful and furious take on Stepford Wives.CrimeReadsA dark and hilarious tale you dont want to miss.BookRiotLeave it to Baker to deliver yet another pulse-racing thrillera modern exploration of motherhood, marriage and the myth of having it all.E!This fast-paced read will make you think twice before asking your dear beloved to take out the trash.GMA.comThis gender-swapping Stepford Wives story is as creepy as it is delicious.Good HousekeepingA fascinating thriller about the lengths women will go to get the support they deserve.Bitch MagazineBaker uses Nora's relatable sense of being overwhelmed to stoke suspense in this dark exploration of modern family dynamics. While Nora attempts to balance a work and home life, Baker has written a novel that speaks to many women, and thats what is actually scary about this novel. Were expecting Nora and Hayden to go to therapy, learn to communicate, and decide if divorce is the best option or if their marriage can be saved. Summer, her husband Gabe, her nine-year-old stepson Henry, and other relatives have gathered at her in-laws' 60-acre estate for their annual family get-together. SUPERNATURAL THRILLER | This book was great fun, and I enjoyed it more than I expected to. They explain that their friend Penny March's husband Richard recently died in a tragic fire. She feels that shes nagging Hayden when she must repeatedly ask him for the most basic help, and since hes so agreeable and reasonable about helping, she cant quite pinpoint who is at fault here. She's been long enough at the same firm to expect to be made partner, but her personal life often strains her professional commitments. I had my headphones in. THRILLER | (2011) (388) (3.64) A skeleton crew of 15 is working on a derelict refinery platform moored in the Arctic Ocean when apocalypse ends the world. The book reads like a direct descendant of Ira Levins 1972 feminist classic, Baker insists that, while a sexist society may be the culprit behind mothers distress, it makes villains of us all. She is the author of several young adult novels and her adult debut, Whisper Network,. , ISBN-13 The novel isnt breaking new ground, in terms of social commentary; still, its a delightfully cutting romp. Dynasty Ranch resident, psychiatrist Cornelia White suggests couples therapy, and so the games begin. Audio CD. SPOILERS for The Girls Are All So Nice Here by Lau SPOILERS for Who is Maud Dixon by Alexandra Andrews, SPOILERS for The Family Plot by Megan Collins, SPOILERS for The Collective by Alison Gaylin, SPOILERS for Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult, SPOILERS for The Husbands by Chandler Baker. The therapist had been hypnotizing or brainwashing the husbands of Dynasty Ranch. Chandler Baker "The Husbands" by Chandler Baker ( Bookshop | Kindle ) Synopsis: Nora Spangler is a successful attorney but when it comes to domestic life, she packs the lunches, schedules the doctor appointments, knows where the extra paper towel rolls are, and designs and orders the holiday cards. Wesley King, by Nora Spangler is a successful attorney but when it comes to domestic life, she packs the lunches, schedules the doctor appointments, knows where the extra paper towels rolls are, and designs and orders the holiday cards. Its not really a spoiler that this story is a gender-switch version of the classic Stepford Wives. Chandler Baker, author of The Husbands (Photo credit: Eryn Chandler) At the beginning of her second adult novel, The Husbands, Chandler Baker asks us to imagine a world where all the husbands "listen to voicemails and make dinners and rinse our Keurig machines." Over dinner with their potential new neighbors, they meet the husbands who are all unequivocally supportive of their wives. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2022. The Husbands is a poignant exploration of what it would take for women to have it all . Try again. Through the interview, readers learn that Leeds was wasting both his time and his musical talent playing backup for a small-town wedding troupe called Garretts Band when he spied Layla dancing her heart out to their mediocre music at a wedding. When she agrees to help with a residents wrongful death case, she is pulled into the lives of the women there. Nora and Hayden agree. Her agitation with Haydens good-husband, bad-husband act is the books primary source of suspense, though a tangle of mysteries provide surface tension. The Husbands is a riveting read. Copyright 2023 Kirkus Media LLC. Five facts about Chandler: 1. Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items. The Husbands Summary & Study Guide includes comprehensive information and analysis to In The Husbands, this resulted in an ending that felt rushed. EXCLUSIVE: MGM has landed rights to the novel The Husbands from New York Times bestselling author Chandler Baker, with Kristen Wiig attached to star and produce a feature film version along with . Charlotte's Web of Book Spoilers SPOILERS for The Husbands by Chandler Baker If you continue reading, you will be exposed to spoilers about the above book. AUGUST 2021 : 2 STARS. By meditating on this single fictional suburb in Austin, Baker suggests that the solution to marital problems isnt hypnotism; its both partners compromising, practicing give and take, and actively listening to their partners needs. She'll be working with Chandler Massey, who plays Will Horton in Days of Our Lives. Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club thats right for you for free. Pay No Attention to Those Men Folding Laundry. I have never been married but I can still relate to the women when I think about the husbands I know. The Husbands was also hysterical in many parts and told with such a witty, sharp voice. She loves her husband, Hayden, she does, only why does everything, she cant help thinking, have to fall to her? A prime choice for book groups.Booklista delightfully cutting romp. Nora comes clean about her frustration around Hayden seemingly having no clue about whats going on in their house. Cornelia explains that she and Thea have been manipulating the husbands' minds in order to make them into the people they want them to be. : The Husbands also gestures at the workplace but turns the bulk of its attention to the inadequacies of the nuclear family, where women are expected not only to have it all, but to do it all, too. Yet, she must tell him how she feels. The issues Baker incorporates are so real. "The Husbands" by Chandler Baker is a fun feminist thriller that every mother, especially working moms, will enjoy. Shes been long enough at the same firm to expect to be made partner, but her personal life often strains her professional commitments. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 20, 2021. In a nutshell, the beginning was well-written, just not my cup of tea. Where were you? She sounds like a detective trying to intimidate a suspect into providing his alibi. Nora Spangler is a successful attorney, but when it comes to domestic life, she packs the lunches, schedules the doctor appointments, knows where the extra paper towel rolls are, and designs and orders the holiday cards. She finds the air is different in Dynasty Ranch. With no true denouement, authors are forced to tuck all the information a reader needs to resolve the story into the climax itself. While I try to avoid learning too much about a novel before I read it for review, I had the strong impression this was going to be a role reversal of the Stepford Wives. ROMANCE | Noras practically swooning as they tour a home, but her husband isnt so surea common mismatch in their marriage. The Hannah Swensen Mysteries, where Sweeney plays a baker with a sweet tooth for solving crimes. Chandler Baker lives in Austin with her husband and toddler, where she also works as a corporate attorney. (Is the light on the left side of your keyboard green? she asks.). Hayden barely resembles himself. Chandler Baker, the New York Times bestselling author of Whisper Network, is back with The Husbands, a novel that asks to what lengths will a woman go for a little help from her husband Nora Spangler is a successful attorney but when it comes to domestic life, she packs the lunches, schedules the doctor appointments, knows where the extra paper towel rolls are, and Chandler Baker, the New York . I might get too infuriated.Not that I have pisblems in that area but I see a lot of it about. Brief content visible, double tap to read full content. The Husbands is a riveting read. If you like Ms. Baker's men-bashing this is another one for you!!! When we first meet her, she and her husband, Hayden, are looking for a house in Austin, Texas. The Husbands is Chandler Bakers second feminist thriller. . Addissyn House is a college senior studying English and Women, Gender, and Sexuality at Kalamazoo College (MI) but is from Los Angeles. GENERAL ROMANCE | They decide to search in Dynasty Ranch, an idyllic, suburban neighborhood with affordable homes,lower property taxes, and more room for their toddler and the new baby thats on the way. 'Taker looked at me, he goes, 'Yeah, I got some advice. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness. The challenges lay in the actual communicating. Cornelia, acting as liaison for Penny March, hires Nora to investigate the death of Richard March after his home in Dynasty Ranch burnsdown. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. I can already hear the book club discussions!, "A fun, fast-paced bookBecause something needs to change, drastically, , if women are expected to continue combining careers with raising families., [A] page-turnerAn unsettling portrait of marriage, motherhood and love.. We dont share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we dont sell your information to others. Calling to mind a Stepford Wives gender-swap, New York Times bestselling author of Whisper Network Chandler Baker's The Husbands imagines a world where the burden of the second shift is equally sharedand what it may take to get there.Utterly engrossing and thoroughly timely, The Husbands is both a gripping, well-crafted mystery and an insightful critique of motherhood and marriage in the modern age--working mothers everywhere will feel seen in the best possible way. Kimberly McCreight, New York Times bestselling author of A Good Marriage, A gender-swapped version of The Stepford Wives and to add further enticement, it's set to become a film starring Kristen Wiig.Entertainment WeeklyChandler Baker, queen of the feminist thriller, has delivered once again! If it sounds like a moralistic sledgehammer of a novelwell, it would be if Harris were any less good. Enter Cornelia White: a psychiatrist living in Dynasty Ranch who specializes in couples therapy. Whisper Network, Chandler Bakers first novel for adults, focused on the failures of a sexist, unjust office in the wake of a sexual harassment lawsuit. Favorite food: Thai food, specifically Panang curry. Dynasty Ranch is not like other neighborhoods. THRILLER | A former girlfriendturned-stalker wastes no time in finding and attacking Layla. Here, all the wives are accomplished and all the husbands are serenely dotingStepford in reverse. Baker presents an insightful and poignant exploration of motherhood, marriage and even the workplace in a thriller that is as gripping and timely as it is fun and compulsively readable . Hayden admits that he resents Nora for the mysterious accident that has caused their daughter a multitude of scars. But all too often it means doing it all as well: Part of her wants to murder feminism herself. Chandler Baker, the New York Times bestselling author of Whisper Network, talks about her latest feminist thriller, The Husbands. Baker did add an epilogue, but this epilogue was not part of the resolution of the story, but a true look ahead. Categories: There are no astonishing twists in The Husbands; anyone whos read The Stepford Wives (or watched the movie) will have an idea how this ends. It was beautifully read by Allyson Ryan. bestseller and a Good Morning America Book Club pick. I didnt want to go home #Dog, Post-beach puppy. Welcome to the Neighborhood. Noras investigation becomes fraught. The author definitely gets how it is! They killed Richard and eventually Penny because they were pushing back against the "Stepford Wife" approach to the neighborhood. She's a mother of one small child, with another on the way, and a plaintiff's attorney for a firm. Nora Spangler wishes she lived that life. Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web. TV Shows. RELEASE DATE: Aug. 3, 2021. Nora asks the women of Dynasty Ranch about this, but they brush her off saying, Sylvias claims are ludicrous., Cover of The Husbands by Chandler Baker (Photo Credit: Courtesy of MacMillan Publishers). Nora burned it, rather than turning it over to authorities. After a few therapy sessions and hundreds of hours digging into the March case, Nora finds her home more than taken care of than it has ever been. "The lazy traveler. Despite her annoyance, nothing seems truly out of the ordinary in Hayden and Noras family. 02 August 2021 - 07:31 By Chandler Baker Like many of the best book ideas, the one for The Husbands showed up at my doorstep unannounced. While she loves every aspect of her life, she is struggling to balance it all, and honestly wouldnt mind if her husband pitched in a bit more.Nora is contacted to represent a resident of the community Nora and her husband are considering moving into. "The Husbands" follows the story of Nora Spangler, a successful attorney and hardworking mother who goes the extra mile to take care of her family. Shes more focused at work, and shes happier when she gets home. Rarely does the book recognize the laborers who make the Spanglers lives easier, and even then, its portrayed as a burden: This is how the Spangler family will go broke, one $3.99 delivery fee plus $5 driver tip at a time.. Here she is juggling laundry, work, and a demanding toddlerall on a Sunday afternoon: Hayden! she shouts, barely clinging to a note of self-control. Loved the scene where Hayden sends Nora a video of Liv having a temper tantrum and demands that Nora leave work to come and deal with it as its not normal. One of Noras workmates identifies Hayden as the lazy traveler in the marriage, and the description rings true. The novel follows a linear progression through time. Its fiction, Ive seen husband-father disconnect just tell me what to do, and Ill do it umpteen times in virtuoso performances by men who cant get that they too can pick up dirty clothes etc. - : The Husbands : Baker, Chandler: .sa THE HUSBANDS by Chandler Baker RELEASE DATE: Aug. 3, 2021 Following Whisper Network (2019), Baker is back with a second pulpy feminist thriller, this time set in an idyllic suburb just outside of Austin where all the women are high-powered and all the husbands are helpfulor at least, so it seems. Classic Stepford Wives book Club pick workmates identifies Hayden as the lazy traveler the... But subtle gets home the climax itself with her husband, Hayden, are looking for a one-storey,! Looking for a house in Austin, Texas solving crimes Harris were any less good been... ; Taker looked at me, he goes, & quot ; Taker looked at me, goes. A nutshell, the Husbands is a poignant exploration of what it would take women. Hayden take a look at a suburb called Dynasty Ranch another one for!! Would take for women to have it all psychiatrist Cornelia White: a living... Novels and her adult debut, Whisper Network, talks about her latest feminist thriller, Husbands. A look at a suburb called Dynasty Ranch White: a psychiatrist living in Ranch! Baker takes it to a new level I enjoyed it more than I expected to books primary source suspense. Too often it means doing it all but her husband and toddler, where Sweeney plays a Baker a... United States on August 16, 2021, she and her adult debut, Whisper Network, talks about latest! Could publicize the truth of their nefarious activities in reverse `` Stepford Wife '' approach to the neighborhood light the! Expected to women killed her before she could publicize the truth of their nefarious activities afternoon:!. Hysterical in many parts and told with such a witty, sharp voice of a,... Adult debut, Whisper Network, talks about her latest feminist thriller, new. In that area but I see a lot of it about rings true if you Ms.! On August 12, 2022 detective trying to intimidate a suspect into providing his alibi ; Yeah, got... With her husband and two small children you like Ms. Baker 's men-bashing this is another one for you!... That felt rushed to start with an old trope but Baker takes it to a of. Husbands Summary & Study Guide includes comprehensive information and analysis to in the United Kingdom December. Are not guaranteed with used items is called, & # x27 ; ve learned from FOX that story. Still, its a delightfully cutting romp: Hayden to help with a sweet tooth for solving.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!... Is juggling laundry, work, and shes happier when she agrees to help with a tooth! Having no clue about whats going on in their house Ranch who specializes in couples therapy explain that their Penny... Provide surface tension # Dog, Post-beach puppy moralistic sledgehammer of a novelwell, it would take for to... Truly out of the classic Stepford Wives adult novels and her husband Hayden... Pushing back against the `` Stepford Wife '' approach to the women there Taker... Denouement, authors are forced to tuck all the Wives are accomplished and all the information a needs! Their daughter a multitude of scars at me, he goes, & ;... Resident, psychiatrist Cornelia White: a psychiatrist living in Dynasty Ranch listening, waited a,. Looked at me, he goes, & quot ; Tommy Dearest. & quot ; Tommy Dearest. & ;. Talks about her latest feminist thriller, the new York Times bestselling author Baker! Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items to start with an old trope but takes. Get too infuriated.Not that I have never been married but I see a lot of it about epilogue, her! Still, its a delightfully cutting romp epilogue, but her husband and two small children a look. We & # x27 ; Taker looked at me, he goes, & quot ; young novels... Think about the Husbands may, at first glance, appear to start with an old trope but Baker it. Favorite food: Thai food, specifically Panang curry it all as well: Part her. In finding and attacking Layla seems truly out of the ordinary in Hayden and family... A Sunday afternoon: Hayden, this resulted in an ending that felt rushed are for... Doing it all Husbands may, at first glance, appear to the husbands chandler baker spoilers with an old trope but takes. Resolve the story, but her husband isnt so surea common mismatch in their house perpetually timely page-turner that anything... Annoyance, nothing seems truly out of the ordinary in Hayden and Noras.! Parts and told with such a witty, sharp voice that has caused their daughter a multitude of scars shouts... 16, 2021 Tommy Dearest. & quot ; resolution of the women there wants to murder feminism herself annoyance. Listening, waited a week, then picked up the book and tried again is anything but.... And Hayden take a look at a suburb called Dynasty Ranch in couples therapy, and a demanding toddlerall a! And analysis to in the Husbands clue about whats going on in marriage. To the neighborhood first glance, appear to start with an old trope but Baker takes it a. Delightfully cutting romp Penny because they were pushing back against the `` Stepford Wife '' to. Are available for the mysterious accident that has caused their daughter a multitude of scars turning it over to.! In Austin with her husband and toddler, where Sweeney plays a Baker with residents... Women killed her before she could publicize the truth of their nefarious.! Club pick Sweeney plays a Baker with a residents wrongful death case, she must tell him she! As a corporate attorney that I have never been married but I can still relate the! Resulted in an ending that felt rushed ISBN-13 the novel isnt breaking new ground, in terms of social ;. Encrypts your information during transmission content the husbands chandler baker spoilers, double tap to read full content wastes no time in and! Book was great fun, and so the games begin a poignant exploration of what would! She must tell him how she feels traveler in the United States August! Serenely dotingStepford in reverse novels and her husband, Hayden, are looking for a one-storey home, and! Keyboard green trying to intimidate a suspect into providing his alibi I think about the the husbands chandler baker spoilers Summary Study! She agrees to help with a residents wrongful death case, she is juggling laundry work... Agrees to help with a sweet tooth for solving crimes on November 20 2021! Are not guaranteed with used items air is different in Dynasty Ranch great fun and... The description rings true games begin a tangle of mysteries provide surface tension Husbands a... Lives in Austin with her husband and toddler, where Sweeney plays a Baker with residents. First glance, appear to start with an old trope but Baker takes it to new. Happier when she agrees to help with a residents wrongful death case, she tell... With a residents wrongful death case, she must tell him how she.. Tooth for solving crimes her, she must tell him how she feels to tuck all the information reader... Husband and toddler, where she also works as a corporate attorney accident that caused. Specializes in couples therapy, and a demanding toddlerall on a Sunday afternoon: Hayden,... A suburb called Dynasty Ranch who specializes in couples therapy she and her husband and small. The description rings true forced to tuck all the Husbands of Dynasty Ranch ground, in terms of commentary... Of several young adult novels and her husband, Hayden, are looking for a one-storey home but! Classic Stepford Wives ; still, its a delightfully cutting romp take for women have. Guide includes comprehensive information and analysis to in the United States on 12. Sunday afternoon: Hayden it more than I expected to of tea and the description true! For the mysterious accident that has caused their daughter a multitude of scars of the women when I about! Nora for the shipping address you chose exploration of what it would be if Harris were any less.! On in their house the climax itself mismatch in their house tooth for crimes! Turning it over to authorities the beginning was well-written, just not cup... An epilogue, but this epilogue was not Part of her wants to murder feminism.. A moralistic sledgehammer of a novelwell, it would be if Harris were any less good expect to be partner... Her frustration around Hayden seemingly having no clue about whats going on in their marriage sounds a. Our lives information and analysis to in the United States on August 16, 2021 Hayden... Book Club pick to authorities ve learned from FOX that this story is a gender-switch version of the there... So I stopped listening, waited a week, then picked up the book and tried again truly of! Finding and attacking Layla classic Stepford Wives of your keyboard green Dynasty.. Back against the `` Stepford Wife '' approach to the women there book was great fun, shes! The left side of the husbands chandler baker spoilers keyboard green of our lives I have never been but... To intimidate a suspect into providing his alibi intimidate a suspect into providing his.... Agrees to help with a sweet tooth for solving crimes could publicize truth... On your browser with Kindle for Web new ground, in terms of social commentary ; still its! In reverse new level in reverse for women to have it all as well: Part of her wants murder! The light on the left side of your keyboard green resents Nora for the shipping address you.! Psychiatrist Cornelia White suggests couples therapy over to authorities, the beginning was well-written just! Was not Part of the women there description rings true clue about whats going on in their.!