Lives of the Wives

Five Literary Marriages

By: Carmela Ciuraru

Narrated by: Erin Bennett

Length: 11 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

"The five marriages that Carmela Ciuraru explores in Lives of the Wives provide such delightfully gossipy pleasure that we have to remind ourselves that these were real people whose often stormy relationships must surely have been less fun to experience than they are for us to read about."—Francine Prose, author of The Vixen

A witty, provocative look inside the tumultuous marriages of five writers, illuminating the creative process as well as the role of money, power, and fame in these complex and fascinating relationships.

"With an ego the size of a small nation, the literary lion is powerful on the page, but a helpless kitten in daily life—dependent on his wife to fold an umbrella, answer the phone, or lick a stamp."

The history of wives is largely one of silence, resilience, and forbearance. Toss in celebrity, male privilege, ruthless ambition, narcissism, misogyny, infidelity, alcoholism, and a mood disorder or two, and it's easy to understand why the marriages of so many famous writers have been stormy, short-lived, and mutually destructive. "It's been my experience," as the critic and novelist Elizabeth Hardwick once wrote, "that nobody holds a man's brutality to his wife against him." Literary wives are a unique breed, requiring a particular kind of fortitude.

Author Carmela Ciuraru shares the stories of five literary marriages, exposing the misery behind closed doors. The legendary British theatre critic Kenneth Tynan encouraged his American wife, Elaine Dundy, to write, then watched in a jealous rage as she became a bestselling author and critical success. In the early years of their marriage, Roald Dahl enjoyed basking in the glow of his glamorous movie star wife, Patricia Neal, until he detested her for being the breadwinner, and being more famous than he was. Elizabeth Jane Howard had to divorce Kingsley Amis to escape his suffocating needs and devote herself to her own writing. ("I really couldn't write very much when I was married to him," she once recalled, "because I had a very large household to keep up and Kingsley wasn't one to boil an egg, if you know what I mean.") Surprisingly, the most traditional partnership in Lives of the Wives is a lesbian couple, Una Troubridge and Radclyffe Hall, both of whom were socially and politically conservative and unapologetic snobs.

As this erudite and entertaining work shows, each marriage is a unique story, filled with struggles and triumphs and the negotiation of power. The Italian novelists Elsa Morante and Alberto Moravia were never sexually compatible, and it was Morante who often behaved abusively toward her cool, detached husband, even as he unwaveringly admired his wife's talents and championed her work. Theirs was an unhappy union, yet it fueled them creatively and enabled both to become two of Italy's most important postwar writers.

These are stories of vulnerability, loneliness, infidelity, envy, sorrow, abandonment, heartbreak, and forgiveness. Above all, Lives of the Wives honors the women who have played the role of muses, agents, editors, proofreaders, housekeepers, gatekeepers, amaneunses, confidantes, and cheerleaders to literary trailblazers throughout history. In revisiting the lives of famous writers, it is time in our #MeToo era to highlight the achievements of their wives—and the price these women paid for recognition and freedom.

Lives of the Wives is an insightful, humorous, and poignant exploration of the intersection of life and art and creativity and love.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2023 Carmela Ciuraru (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers

High on gossip, Low on insight

Disappointed in the gossipy tone of this work. In fact, voyeuristic tidbits just are not my thing. The stories are not told from any 'gender studies' point of view.

So important

So many "great men" were really just abusers. thank you for telling that story. Time for women to rise up.

If you really want to hear the truth about marriage

I was very taken back by the true grit honesty of the writer. Not experiencing this as I read about 3 books a week. Now this book helped me see that I am truly not alone. Wow, talk about up front and realism all at once. Yes marriage is a fairytale ! Poor, rich, middle class, it’s hard work, sacrifices, especially when it comes to your own identity. You must be clear with her message here, the new does wear off, and than life turns a new leaf. Nothing last forever, especially if the relationship started off on deceitful behavior. If you don’t have a strong constitution for real truth, don’t read. If your ready to see relationships on a higher level of intelligence, By all means read and enjoy.😉

My Parents’ Generation

Just goes to show that every generation had its own kind of crazy going on. I would take then over now any day.

DNF

Boring and pointless. Returned both the Kindle and the Audible. Did not finish. That's a really rare thing for me. Do not be lured by the seemingly good concept. Step away from this one!

Only Neal story resonated

Hopefully, everyone has a favorite wife (maid) but only the Patricia Neal story was of any interest. Save your credit.

Dark Voyeurism

The lives of these wives were torturous. The author tortures us with details no one really wants to know. The one thing I gained was that most of the leading authors in the book were really despicable and overpraised brutes. They do not deserve more attention, even through their wives.