Rating: 
Summary: A Very Readable History
Review: Kudos of Dr. Yalom! As an avid reader of history, I found this book so enjoyable that I read it in two sittings. Her writing style is scholarly without being turgid and her research was quite complete. The book is a good "jumping-off point" should you want to delve further into any of the historical periods described. I look forward to reading more of her books.
Rating: 
Summary: History of the Wife reviewed by a Husband
Review: Marilyn Yalom is a compassionate author filled with passion. History of the Wife grabs the reader and moves them from a discussion of wives of Greece to the modern, liberated, opinionated, and hard working version today. Along the way the reader is rewarded with diary accounts that supports the general premise that women have been historically treated as second, third and fourth class citizens. She points out, perhaps accidently, that each age has seen the advancement of wives from persons of no rights to individuals fully functional in todays world. The book deals with European wives as well as wives on the North American continent. Also included in this latter group are slave wives and native american wives.All together this is the kind of history book that Barbara Tuckman or Fernand Braudel would have enjoyed writing and reading. Filled with insights galore. I loved it.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting topic, but very dry in places...
Review: Starting off with Biblical wives and ending in the modern-day, this book explores how wifehood has changed over the centuries. The author tries to keep a balance by mixing up straight research with personal accounts and it makes for a mostly good combination. However, sometimes it seemed like some chapters were a little light on history and heavy (repetitive in some cases) on individual accounts. In my opinion the first half of the book was more interesting than the second half.
Rating: 
Summary: .....
Review: This book is well written and thoughtfully organized. It covers a wild range of period, therefore, locks of many perspectives and valuable details. For example, the book mentions nothing about Asian wifes among many other things. It is truely unfortunate because this is an area worth people's time learning.
I think this book is best for the age group of 12 to 18. It is a good start for anyone who is interested in women's study.
Rating:
Summary: Good, though Euro-centric
Review: This is a very readable, interesting book detailing the history of the wife from biblical stories to present day America. The focus is very much on white, western women, almost exclusively European and American. There is a lot of interesting history and it's a fascinating evolution. Yalom choice of quotes & illustrations from Dickenson to newspaper comics was a nice addition, adding some color to the text. The eurocentric focus, since it was pretty clearly defined, didn't bother me until 20th-century America, when the absence of any Asian, Indian, African, etc. influences or tradtions seemed blatant and misleading. I also expected more discussion of gay partnerships since they figured heavily in Yalom's introduction.
Overall, I think it's an excellent book, just as it says for any woman considering the title of wife or already possessing it to see some of the baggage and tradion it carries.
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