I picked up The Homemaker for the same reason most books catch my eye these days–I saw someone talking about it online. This is a story written in 1924 that absolutely stands up to today’s sensibilities surrounding gender roles. I’m not sure what that says about us these days, but not as much has changed over the last 102 years as one might hope!
Evangeline Knapp is the model housewife–dedicated to her family, a terrific cook, a pristine housekeeper. But she’s miserable. Her natural talents and skills have to be constantly pushed down. Her kids are miserable, too, because their mother stresses them out. And her accountant husband, who has the heart of a poet, is equally miserable in a job that makes him die a little inside every day.
Until one day a terrible accident turns everything on its head and Evangeline goes to work, and Lester stays home with the children. And everything changes! Evangeline is a phenomenal manager and she blossoms in the role. And Lester finds a passion for understanding his children and encouraging the best out of them…
But what happens if Lester gets better and they have to go back to the regular way that things run in society?
This is a book about gender roles, about real and imperfect love, and about society’s pressure to keep us all in line, doing things the same way, even if it isn’t best for our home and children. (And honestly, things haven’t changed as much as you’d think since 1924! This book really holds up to the passage of time!)
(*There are a couple of instances of racially insensitive language in this book. Just to note it. THAT didn’t stand up to the passage of time. )
It’s an entertaining, absorbing read–easy to get through, and it tugs you right into the hearts and minds of all five members of this little family. It was a fascinating read! And it makes you wonder… why haven’t things changed more in 102 years?
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