Recipe For A Perfect Wife

#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER A PENGUIN BOOK CLUB PICK "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 and the Six When Alice Hale reluctantly leaves a promising career in publicity, following her husband to the New York suburbs, she is unaccustomed to filling her days alone in a big, empty house. However, she is determined to become a writer--and to work hard to build the kind of life her husband dreams of, complete with children. At first, the old house seems to resent Alice as much as she resents it, but when she finds an old cookbook buried in a box in the basement, she becomes captivated by the cookbook's previous owner: 1950s housewife Nellie Murdoch. As Alice cooks her way through the past, she begins to settle into her new surroundings, even as her friends and family grow concerned that she has embraced them too fully: wearing vintage dresses and pearls like a 1950s housewife, making elaborate old-fashioned dishes like Baked Alaska, and drifting steadily away from her usual pursuits. Alice justifies the changes merely as research for her novel...but when she discovers that Nellie left clues about her own life within the cookbook's pages--and in a mysterious series of unsent letters penned to Nellie's mother--she quickly realizes that the housewife's secrets may have been anything but harmless. As she uncovers a more sinister side to Nellie's marriage and with pressure mounting in her own relationship, Alice realizes that to protect herself she must harbour and hatch a few secrets of her own...

"A bold, intoxicating, page-turner" – Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author of Daisy Jones & The Six A Daily Mail Book of the WeekThe #1 Toronto Star BestsellerThe #1 Globe and Mail BestsellerA Cityline Book Club PickA WI Life Magazine Book Club PickFeatured in The New York Times, Parade, Crime Reads, Refinery29, Westport Magazine, The Every Girl.When Alice Hale leaves a career to become a writer and follows her husband to the New York suburbs, she is unaccustomed to filling her days alone in a big, empty house. But when she finds a vintage cookbook buried in the basement, she becomes captivated by its previous owner: 1950s housewife Nellie Murdoch. As Alice cooks her way through the past, she realises that within the pages Nellie left clues about her life.Soon Alice learns that while a Baked Alaska may seem harmless, Nellie's secrets may have been anything but. When Alice uncovers a more sinister, even dangerous, side to Nellie's marriage, and has become increasingly dissatisfied with her own relationship, she begins to take control of her life and protect herself with a few secrets of her own.REVIEWS"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"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"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"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 Wife is page-turning look at identity, love, legacy, marriage, and yes--food. I devoured it!– Jamie Brenner, bestselling author of Drawing Home"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 an

"Karma Brown's work is as smart as it is effortless to read." —Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author of Reese's Book Club Pick Daisy Jones & The Six From #1 internationally bestselling author of Recipe for a Perfect Wife comes an unforgettable story that explores the intricate dynamics of friendship and parenthood Best friends Hannah and Kate have been inseparable almost all of their lives. While they're close as sisters, Hannah can't help but feel envious of the little family Kate and her husband, David, have created—complete with two perfect little girls. She and Ben have been trying for years to have a baby, so when they receive the news that she will likely never get pregnant, Hannah's heartbreak is overwhelming. They begin to tentatively explore the other options, and Kate offers to be Hannah's surrogate. But as these two families embark on an incredible journey toward parenthood, a devastating tragedy puts everything at risk of falling apart. Poignant, twisty and refreshingly honest, The Choices We Make is a powerful tale of an incredible friendship and the risks we take to make our dreams come true.

"Fans of Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat Pray Love will flock to this novel…." —Lori Nelson Spielman, author of The Life List An unexpected journey leads one woman to discover that life after loss is possible, if only you can find the courage to let go... One minute, Tegan Lawson has everything she could hope for: an adoring husband, Gabe, and a baby on the way. The next, a patch of black ice causes a devastating accident that will change her life in ways she never could have imagined. Tegan is consumed by grief--not to mention her anger toward Gabe, who was driving on the night of the crash. But just when she thinks she's hit rock bottom, Gabe reminds her of their Jar of Spontaneity, a collection of their dream destinations and experiences, and so begins an adventure of a lifetime. From the bustling markets of Thailand to the flavors of Italy to the ocean waves in Hawaii, Tegan and Gabe embark on a journey to escape the tragedy and search for forgiveness. But they soon learn that grief follows you no matter how far away you run, and that acceptance comes when you least expect it. Heartbreaking, hopeful and utterly transporting, Come Away with Me is an unforgettable debut and a luminous celebration of the strength of the human spirit. More Praise: "One woman's journey through grief becomes the journey of a lifetime... This emotional love story will stick with you long after you've turned the final page."" —Colleen Oakley, author of Before I Go "[F]ull of lush locations, memorable characters, and a turn of events that is nothing short of jaw-dropping." —Taylor Jenkins Reid, author of Forever, Interrupted and After I Do "[A] beautifully written story of love and loss... Come Away with Me had me smiling through my tears." —Tracey Garvis Graves, New York Times bestselling author of On the Island "[A] heartbreaking yet hopeful tale…Karma Brown is a talented new voice in women's fiction." —Lori Nelson Spielman, author of The Life List

National Bestseller The Perfect Life. The Perfect Love. The Perfect Lie. Abbie awakens in a daze with no memory of who she is or how she landed in this unsettling condition. The man by her side claims to be her husband. He's a titan of the tech world, the founder of one of Silicon Valley's most innovative start-ups. He tells Abbie that she is a gifted artist, an avid surfer, a loving mother to their young son and the perfect wife. He says she had a terrible accident five years ago and that, through a huge technological breakthrough, she has been brought back from the abyss. She is a miracle of science. But as Abbie pieces together memories of her marriage, she begins questioning her husband's motives—and his version of events. Can she trust him when he says he wants them to be together forever? And what really happened to her half a decade ago? Beware the man who calls you . . . the perfect wife.

In the closing years of the fourteenth century, an anonymous French writer compiled a book addressed to a fifteen-year-old bride, narrated in the voice of her husband, a wealthy, aging Parisian. The book was designed to teach this young wife the moral attributes, duties, and conduct befitting a woman of her station in society, in the almost certain event of her widowhood and subsequent remarriage. The work also provides a rich assembly of practical materials for the wife's use and for her household, including treatises on gardening and shopping, tips on choosing servants, directions on the medical care of horses and the training of hawks, plus menus for elaborate feasts, and more than 380 recipes. The Good Wife's Guide is the first complete modern English translation of this important medieval text also known as Le Ménagier de Paris (the Parisian household book), a work long recognized for its unique insights into the domestic life of the bourgeoisie during the later Middle Ages. The Good Wife's Guide, expertly rendered into modern English by Gina L. Greco and Christine M. Rose, is accompanied by an informative critical introduction setting the work in its proper medieval context as a conduct manual. This edition presents the book in its entirety, as it must have existed for its earliest readers. The Guide is now a treasure for the classroom, appealing to anyone studying medieval literature or history or considering the complex lives of medieval women. It illuminates the milieu and composition process of medieval authors and will in turn fascinate cooking or horticulture enthusiasts. The work illustrates how a (perhaps fictional) Parisian householder of the late fourteenth century might well have trained his wife so that her behavior could reflect honorably on him and enhance his reputation.

Paula Deen meets Erma Bombeck in The Pioneer Woman Cooks, Ree Drummond’s spirited, homespun cookbook. Drummond colorfully traces her transition from city life to ranch wife through recipes, photos, and pithy commentary based on her popular, award-winning blog, Confessions of a Pioneer Woman, and whips up delicious, satisfying meals for cowboys and cowgirls alike made from simple, widely available ingredients. The Pioneer Woman Cooks—and with these “Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl,” she pleases the palate and tickles the funny bone at the same time.

This book tells the complete story of Laura Welch Bush. From Mrs. Bush's upbringing in West Texas to her whirlwind romance with George W. Bush, and role as a mother.