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Mrs. March
Who is Mrs. March?
A twenty-first-century Highsmith, Virginia Feito conjures the unforgettable Mrs. March, an Upper East Side housewife whose life is shattered by her husband’s latest novel.
In this astonishing debut, the venerable but gossipy New York literary scene is twisted into a claustrophobic fun house of paranoia, horror, and wickedly dark humor. George March’s latest novel is a smash. No one is prouder than Mrs. March, his doting wife. But one morning, the shopkeeper of her favorite patisserie suggests that his protagonist is based on Mrs. March herself: “But . . . ―isn't she . . .’ Mrs. March leaned in and in almost a whisper said, ‘a whore?” Clutching her ostrich-leather pocketbook, she flees, that one casual remark destroying her belief that she knew everything about her husband―as well as herself. Suddenly, Mrs. March is hurled into a harrowing journey that builds to near psychosis, one that begins merely within the pages of a book but may uncover both a killer and the long-buried secrets of her past.
A twenty-first-century Highsmith, Virginia Feito conjures the unforgettable Mrs. March, an Upper East Side housewife whose life is shattered by her husband’s latest novel.
In this astonishing debut, the venerable but gossipy New York literary scene is twisted into a claustrophobic fun house of paranoia, horror, and wickedly dark humor. George March’s latest novel is a smash. No one is prouder than Mrs. March, his doting wife. But one morning, the shopkeeper of her favorite patisserie suggests that his protagonist is based on Mrs. March herself: “But . . . ―isn't she . . .’ Mrs. March leaned in and in almost a whisper said, ‘a whore?” Clutching her ostrich-leather pocketbook, she flees, that one casual remark destroying her belief that she knew everything about her husband―as well as herself. Suddenly, Mrs. March is hurled into a harrowing journey that builds to near psychosis, one that begins merely within the pages of a book but may uncover both a killer and the long-buried secrets of her past.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published August 5, 2021
About the author
Virginia Feito
4 books393 followersA native of Spain, Virginia Feito was raised in Madrid and Paris, and studied English and drama at Queen Mary University of London. She worked as a copywriter until she quit to write her debut novel. She lives in Madrid.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,480 reviews
October 1, 2021
Instructions for a successful reading experience with Mrs. March, Virginia Feito’s moody debut novel:
Set this book aside to read the night after Christmas, once every last member of your dysfunctional family* has left, the insanity of the holiday has subsided, and you’re feeling you’ve lost your dang mind. Light a fire and pour yourself a giant glass of wine or whisky or whatever poison you prefer. Binge the book in one go so the next morning when you inevitably wake up thinking “WTF?!” you won’t be sure if it was the book, a dream, or your hangover.
Mrs. March is a divisive work of literary psychological suspense in which a woman obviously named Mrs. March descends into madness. The story takes place during the Christmas and New Year season, it’s set in the atmospheric upper-class society of New York, and the time period is pretty vague (though my guess is late ‘60s???). Mrs. March’s husband, Mr. March, is a famous author whose latest book features a main character some have suggested seems inspired by Mrs. March. Unfortunately the character is an unlikable whore, so clearly that’s quite offensive to Mrs. March and pretty much drives her insane.
Mrs. March will drive YOU insane if any of the following apply:
- You’re annoyed by the amount of times I’ve used “Mrs. March” in this review.
- Ambiguity does not appeal.
- Stories by Alfred Hitchcock, Patricia Highsmith, and/or Virginia Woolf aren’t your jam.
- A book with a planned movie adaptation that will probably be classified as horror is a hard pass. (I got serious Rosemary's Baby vibes, minus the whole demonic spawn of Satan aspect.)
Mrs. March has not worked for many readers given the reasons listed above, but I kinda loved it. If you follow my instructions, you might too.
*Oh, and to any of my family members reading this, it goes without saying that the holiday scenario described above is strictly hypothetical. ;)
Blog: https://www.confettibookshelf.com/
Set this book aside to read the night after Christmas, once every last member of your dysfunctional family* has left, the insanity of the holiday has subsided, and you’re feeling you’ve lost your dang mind. Light a fire and pour yourself a giant glass of wine or whisky or whatever poison you prefer. Binge the book in one go so the next morning when you inevitably wake up thinking “WTF?!” you won’t be sure if it was the book, a dream, or your hangover.
Mrs. March is a divisive work of literary psychological suspense in which a woman obviously named Mrs. March descends into madness. The story takes place during the Christmas and New Year season, it’s set in the atmospheric upper-class society of New York, and the time period is pretty vague (though my guess is late ‘60s???). Mrs. March’s husband, Mr. March, is a famous author whose latest book features a main character some have suggested seems inspired by Mrs. March. Unfortunately the character is an unlikable whore, so clearly that’s quite offensive to Mrs. March and pretty much drives her insane.
Mrs. March will drive YOU insane if any of the following apply:
- You’re annoyed by the amount of times I’ve used “Mrs. March” in this review.
- Ambiguity does not appeal.
- Stories by Alfred Hitchcock, Patricia Highsmith, and/or Virginia Woolf aren’t your jam.
- A book with a planned movie adaptation that will probably be classified as horror is a hard pass. (I got serious Rosemary's Baby vibes, minus the whole demonic spawn of Satan aspect.)
Mrs. March has not worked for many readers given the reasons listed above, but I kinda loved it. If you follow my instructions, you might too.
*Oh, and to any of my family members reading this, it goes without saying that the holiday scenario described above is strictly hypothetical. ;)
Blog: https://www.confettibookshelf.com/
September 18, 2021
Be sure to visit Bantering Books to read all my latest reviews.
It’s a shame Alfred Hitchcock is no longer with us. He would turn Virginia Feito’s chilling debut psychological thriller, Mrs. March, into a creeptastic movie.
The good news is, in Hitchcock’s absence, Elisabeth Moss and her production company have snagged the film rights, with Moss planning to portray the titular character. But while I have no doubt she and her team will do a fine job bringing the story to life on the screen, I still wish the famed classic film director would be the one behind the camera.
Because Mrs. March has HITCHCOCK written all over it. Forward, backward, upward, and downward. Diagonally, too.
Feito’s novel is a disturbing character study of a woman spiraling into madness. After a shopkeeper innocently likens Mrs. March to the protagonist in her husband’s newest novel, Mrs. March begins to unravel. She’s anxious, paranoid, suspicious. And she declines rapidly, ultimately becoming trapped in a blurred reality, unable to separate fact from the fiction of her mind.
To observe Mrs. March’s deterioration is eerie. Unnerving. Horrifying. But I must say, it makes for some fascinating reading.
And the manner in which Feito tells the tale only adds to the intrigue. She writes with an air of mystery and dark humor, somehow distorting the story, giving it a surreal and fever-dream feel. It never reads clear. I’m still uncertain as to what is real versus imagined in the novel, and even small details like the time period, Mrs. March’s age, and her appearance are fuzzy. The ambiguity of it all is absolutely captivating.
Inexplicably, however, Mrs. March loses a bit of steam in the final act. I find it difficult to identify the reason why since by this point, Mrs. March is the messiest of hot messes. But within myself, I noticed a slight disengagement from the story, and the best I can figure is that the last 50 pages aren’t as fully developed and deeply immersed in her broken mind. I sensed a separation from the character.
Even so, unequivocally, Virginia Feito has written an impressive debut. Mrs. March is addictive, haunting, and twistedly entertaining.
Hitchcock is smiling, I think.
Bantering Books
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It’s a shame Alfred Hitchcock is no longer with us. He would turn Virginia Feito’s chilling debut psychological thriller, Mrs. March, into a creeptastic movie.
The good news is, in Hitchcock’s absence, Elisabeth Moss and her production company have snagged the film rights, with Moss planning to portray the titular character. But while I have no doubt she and her team will do a fine job bringing the story to life on the screen, I still wish the famed classic film director would be the one behind the camera.
Because Mrs. March has HITCHCOCK written all over it. Forward, backward, upward, and downward. Diagonally, too.
Feito’s novel is a disturbing character study of a woman spiraling into madness. After a shopkeeper innocently likens Mrs. March to the protagonist in her husband’s newest novel, Mrs. March begins to unravel. She’s anxious, paranoid, suspicious. And she declines rapidly, ultimately becoming trapped in a blurred reality, unable to separate fact from the fiction of her mind.
To observe Mrs. March’s deterioration is eerie. Unnerving. Horrifying. But I must say, it makes for some fascinating reading.
And the manner in which Feito tells the tale only adds to the intrigue. She writes with an air of mystery and dark humor, somehow distorting the story, giving it a surreal and fever-dream feel. It never reads clear. I’m still uncertain as to what is real versus imagined in the novel, and even small details like the time period, Mrs. March’s age, and her appearance are fuzzy. The ambiguity of it all is absolutely captivating.
Inexplicably, however, Mrs. March loses a bit of steam in the final act. I find it difficult to identify the reason why since by this point, Mrs. March is the messiest of hot messes. But within myself, I noticed a slight disengagement from the story, and the best I can figure is that the last 50 pages aren’t as fully developed and deeply immersed in her broken mind. I sensed a separation from the character.
Even so, unequivocally, Virginia Feito has written an impressive debut. Mrs. March is addictive, haunting, and twistedly entertaining.
Hitchcock is smiling, I think.
Bantering Books
September 19, 2021
Who TF is Mrs. March? I’m still asking myself that.
Mrs. March is married to author George March.
She’s an esteemed lady, or at least she thinks so.
Her husband respects her, or at least she thinks so...
...Until one day, when a lady assumes that the character in George’s newest hit novel is based on Mrs. March.
The character in question is an ugly whore who nobody loves or respects.
Mrs. March can’t shake it off, and decides to do some research. She finds some questionable articles in George’s study...but is she prepared for the truth?
Looking for a bad metaphor in a book review? I got you, boo!
This book is like a helium balloon that starts out at full capacity until someone pokes a hole in it. The helium slowly leaks out until the balloon is flat, dead, and ready for recycling.
Weird sh!t goes on involving cockroaches, mysterious voices, and blood. I hoped it would all lead to an explosive conclusion…
...But, I wasn’t blown away. I still question what really happened.
A lot of folks enjoyed this more than I did, so please check out their reviews. As for me, it started at a 5...and then dropped to 4, 3, 2.5.
Now available.
Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com
Mrs. March is married to author George March.
She’s an esteemed lady, or at least she thinks so.
Her husband respects her, or at least she thinks so...
...Until one day, when a lady assumes that the character in George’s newest hit novel is based on Mrs. March.
The character in question is an ugly whore who nobody loves or respects.
Mrs. March can’t shake it off, and decides to do some research. She finds some questionable articles in George’s study...but is she prepared for the truth?
Looking for a bad metaphor in a book review? I got you, boo!
This book is like a helium balloon that starts out at full capacity until someone pokes a hole in it. The helium slowly leaks out until the balloon is flat, dead, and ready for recycling.
Weird sh!t goes on involving cockroaches, mysterious voices, and blood. I hoped it would all lead to an explosive conclusion…
...But, I wasn’t blown away. I still question what really happened.
A lot of folks enjoyed this more than I did, so please check out their reviews. As for me, it started at a 5...and then dropped to 4, 3, 2.5.
Now available.
Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com
August 26, 2021
Definitely a disturbing read, with a complicated character, whose name we learn in the last sentence of the novel. Opening of the book brings to mind a famous novel by Virginia Wolf, however, several pages into it and we know this book has its own life.
Mrs March, whose husband has just published a book everybody's reading, is cold and distant, probably the effect of the upbringing. A casual remark she hears changes her and unleashes events leading to a tragic finale.
I was intrigued by the period, it is hard to define, but the clothes and hairstyles and some hints would place it in the mid-sixties. I love the cover that reveals something about Mrs March.
Not much is offered to make a reader feel for Mrs March, though she deserves sympathy after the truth about her childhood is revealed.
A solid debut.
*Many thanks to Virginia Feito, 4th Estate William Collins, and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
Mrs March, whose husband has just published a book everybody's reading, is cold and distant, probably the effect of the upbringing. A casual remark she hears changes her and unleashes events leading to a tragic finale.
I was intrigued by the period, it is hard to define, but the clothes and hairstyles and some hints would place it in the mid-sixties. I love the cover that reveals something about Mrs March.
Not much is offered to make a reader feel for Mrs March, though she deserves sympathy after the truth about her childhood is revealed.
A solid debut.
*Many thanks to Virginia Feito, 4th Estate William Collins, and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
March 9, 2022
"Mrs. March" by Virginia Feito is a Psychological Thriller and notable debut novel.
What did I just read? I think my head is whirling like a top, out of control. But then maybe it's just vertigo....
Mrs. March is the Upper East Side housewife of author, George March whose latest novel is the talk of the town! When Mrs. March hears that the main character, a nasty whore, is based on her, she's appalled, shocked, and livid. It causes her to question everything she knows and loves about her husband. She becomes a bit incensed or...shall we say 'crazed'?
Mrs. Marsh's thoughts are one long 'psycho' sentence. No commas, semicolons or periods. Her thoughts bounce from one thought to another without pause for breath. She sees bugs, blood, and people that look identical to her. Is she delirious or delusional?
Or, maybe I'm crazy! No, Mrs. March is crazy! She's NUTS! My brain hurts. Maybe it's bruised from Mrs. March yanking my chains! HOLY COW!
With hints of the 'cocktail party era' of the 1960's, this story is a disturbing, bizarre, and darkly humorous psychological thriller that both entertains and horrifies. A wicked cocktail, you might say.
For most of this audiobook I felt like my head was bouncing from wall-to-wall as I listened! Or, perhaps I thought Mrs. March was listening to my life and watching me....I might be the one that's lost all her marbles. Who knows...
The narrator, Elisabeth Rodgers is fabulous! Her voice never skipped a beat and quite frankly I don't know how she was able to constantly talk through this story without collapsing into unconsciousness! What an addicting listen this turned out to be for me.
That is, until the end. My final vision of 'Mrs. March' is a spinning coin, constantly twirling, twisting, and spiraling through the entire story, until it ends. Then it just stops, drops, and crashes!
What a crazy a$$ ride!
What did I just read? I think my head is whirling like a top, out of control. But then maybe it's just vertigo....
Mrs. March is the Upper East Side housewife of author, George March whose latest novel is the talk of the town! When Mrs. March hears that the main character, a nasty whore, is based on her, she's appalled, shocked, and livid. It causes her to question everything she knows and loves about her husband. She becomes a bit incensed or...shall we say 'crazed'?
Mrs. Marsh's thoughts are one long 'psycho' sentence. No commas, semicolons or periods. Her thoughts bounce from one thought to another without pause for breath. She sees bugs, blood, and people that look identical to her. Is she delirious or delusional?
Or, maybe I'm crazy! No, Mrs. March is crazy! She's NUTS! My brain hurts. Maybe it's bruised from Mrs. March yanking my chains! HOLY COW!
With hints of the 'cocktail party era' of the 1960's, this story is a disturbing, bizarre, and darkly humorous psychological thriller that both entertains and horrifies. A wicked cocktail, you might say.
For most of this audiobook I felt like my head was bouncing from wall-to-wall as I listened! Or, perhaps I thought Mrs. March was listening to my life and watching me....I might be the one that's lost all her marbles. Who knows...
The narrator, Elisabeth Rodgers is fabulous! Her voice never skipped a beat and quite frankly I don't know how she was able to constantly talk through this story without collapsing into unconsciousness! What an addicting listen this turned out to be for me.
That is, until the end. My final vision of 'Mrs. March' is a spinning coin, constantly twirling, twisting, and spiraling through the entire story, until it ends. Then it just stops, drops, and crashes!
What a crazy a$$ ride!
May 24, 2022
Successful author, George March’s latest book is already creeping it’s way onto the best seller lists. Mrs March is very proud of his success, but even more important is the fact that it provides her with a very comfortable lifestyle, as well as allowing her to bask in his glory.
Mrs March makes her daily visit to her local patisserie to buy olive bread, where the owner passes a remark on George’s latest book - she assumes the main protagonist was based on Mrs March. Now make no mistake, Mrs March is horrified because the protagonist happens to be a prostitute!
From the outset, it’s clear that Mrs March is a very deep and complex character, and the author gradually lays bare the character study of a woman who’s deterioration into madness is truly awful to witness, whilst at the same time impossible to look away from. Tragic but absolutely fascinating!
*I was invited to read Mrs March by the publisher and have given an honest unbiased review in exchange *
Mrs March makes her daily visit to her local patisserie to buy olive bread, where the owner passes a remark on George’s latest book - she assumes the main protagonist was based on Mrs March. Now make no mistake, Mrs March is horrified because the protagonist happens to be a prostitute!
From the outset, it’s clear that Mrs March is a very deep and complex character, and the author gradually lays bare the character study of a woman who’s deterioration into madness is truly awful to witness, whilst at the same time impossible to look away from. Tragic but absolutely fascinating!
*I was invited to read Mrs March by the publisher and have given an honest unbiased review in exchange *
October 19, 2021
Virginia Feito's debut is a disturbingly chilling, twisted literary psychological drama, with the complex eponymous Mrs March, whose first name we learn only at the end, set in New York's Upper East Side. Mrs March is married to George, a well known writer, whose latest novel has attracted a great deal of interest. Proud of his success, she supports him, has a stepdaughter who lives in London and a 8 year old son, Jonathan. There is a celebratory party organised for George, but Mrs March's life is thrown into disarray when she goes to a purchase black olive bread at a bakery, where on paying, Patricia praises her husband's book, but horrifies her when she suggests the main character, a highly unlikeable prostitute, Johanna, is based on her, given the similarities between them. Burning with humiliation, Mrs March leaves the store.
Mrs March is an uptight and dutiful woman, living a life of privilege, close to no-one, whose life revolves around her routines and rituals, she is wedded to how things appear. She is determined to find out the background to just how the novel came into being, and what led George to the creation of Johanna as she worries about the state of her marriage. There are numerous ambiguities and a strange dreamlike atmosphere as the world of the unreliable and emotionally damaged Mrs March begins to unravel into a nightmare of horror and paranoia. Elements of her traumatic past are revealed, including her childhood, her suspicions escalating, her moods shifting from one end of the spectrum to the other, Mrs March descends into the depths of insanity. Where will it all end?
This is a beautifully written, well plotted, and a keenly observed character driven study of the deterioriation of Mrs March and her mental health. The prose is richly descriptive and vivid, in this deep unsettling, darkly humorous and totally compulsive novel. There is the symbolic mention and reference to Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca, and there are echoes of Patricia Highsmith and the iconic films of Hitchcock in Feito's storytelling. Indeed, I am not surprised to learn there will be a film of this book, with Elizabeth Moss to star as the flawed Mrs March, which I look forward to with great anticipation. Highly recommended. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
Mrs March is an uptight and dutiful woman, living a life of privilege, close to no-one, whose life revolves around her routines and rituals, she is wedded to how things appear. She is determined to find out the background to just how the novel came into being, and what led George to the creation of Johanna as she worries about the state of her marriage. There are numerous ambiguities and a strange dreamlike atmosphere as the world of the unreliable and emotionally damaged Mrs March begins to unravel into a nightmare of horror and paranoia. Elements of her traumatic past are revealed, including her childhood, her suspicions escalating, her moods shifting from one end of the spectrum to the other, Mrs March descends into the depths of insanity. Where will it all end?
This is a beautifully written, well plotted, and a keenly observed character driven study of the deterioriation of Mrs March and her mental health. The prose is richly descriptive and vivid, in this deep unsettling, darkly humorous and totally compulsive novel. There is the symbolic mention and reference to Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca, and there are echoes of Patricia Highsmith and the iconic films of Hitchcock in Feito's storytelling. Indeed, I am not surprised to learn there will be a film of this book, with Elizabeth Moss to star as the flawed Mrs March, which I look forward to with great anticipation. Highly recommended. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
August 24, 2021
Have you ever wanted to read a character study on a woman who is completely deranged? Then I have the book for you.
Meet Mrs. March.
Mrs. March is at her local patisserie buying her black olive loaf and macaroons when the owner made a comment to her about how much she was loving her husbands new book and as an aside mentions also how the main character seems to be based on her. Mrs. March is appalled. That can't be true as the main character is a prostitute, a whore. There is no way George would have written her as the main character of this filthy book or did he? The owner, seeing how distraught Mrs. March has become tries to back pedal but the damage has been done and this sets into motion a downward spiral into insanity.
Mrs. March is so prim and proper with her pantyhose, practical loafers, and her favorite pair of gloves. It's hard to know as a reader what decade this is suppose to be or even how old Mrs. March is. In fact, you don't even know her first name until the very end of the book. When she speaks about herself, even reminiscing over her childhood memories, she always refers to herself as Mrs. March. I found that a quirky touch showing us readers just how unstable our narrator is. This is a puzzling read where it wasn't pitch black dark but the darkness is hovering in your peripheral vision. You know the entire time that something big is coming and it's the anticipation of that revelation that had me turning the pages. The finale is spectacular! Highly recommend! 4.5 stars!
Meet Mrs. March.
Mrs. March is at her local patisserie buying her black olive loaf and macaroons when the owner made a comment to her about how much she was loving her husbands new book and as an aside mentions also how the main character seems to be based on her. Mrs. March is appalled. That can't be true as the main character is a prostitute, a whore. There is no way George would have written her as the main character of this filthy book or did he? The owner, seeing how distraught Mrs. March has become tries to back pedal but the damage has been done and this sets into motion a downward spiral into insanity.
Mrs. March is so prim and proper with her pantyhose, practical loafers, and her favorite pair of gloves. It's hard to know as a reader what decade this is suppose to be or even how old Mrs. March is. In fact, you don't even know her first name until the very end of the book. When she speaks about herself, even reminiscing over her childhood memories, she always refers to herself as Mrs. March. I found that a quirky touch showing us readers just how unstable our narrator is. This is a puzzling read where it wasn't pitch black dark but the darkness is hovering in your peripheral vision. You know the entire time that something big is coming and it's the anticipation of that revelation that had me turning the pages. The finale is spectacular! Highly recommend! 4.5 stars!
August 22, 2021
Everyone in town is talking about it!
George March's latest bestselling novel.
Mrs. March stops at her favorite bakery to pick up some black olive bread and macarons when the cashier, Patricia, tells her she has been reading her husband's book. She tells her she can't put it down. And then asks her if its the first time he has based a character on her.
Mrs. March is caught off guard. "What do you mean?" she asks. Patricia informs her how alike they are, the way they speak, dress, her mannerisms. Although she hasn't read the novel, Mrs. March knows the character is a prostitute, everything she would never want to be. Could her husband have done this? How dare he!
Mrs. March runs out, abandoning her bags, despondent.
Her descent begins, a slippery slope, a haunting journey. You realize early on that something is at odds, things don't add up. I felt trapped inside Mrs. March's head even though its written in third person.
I loved the surreal tone, vivid descriptions, mystery, touch of horror/gloom that builds until the disturbing last twist.
This is different and probably not for everyone. It may make you feel a bit uncomfortable, I felt a bit numb when finishing. It was an impressive debut and the writing is stunning, psychologically complex with all the bread crumbs if you pay attention.
Library loan/ Read in August 2021
George March's latest bestselling novel.
Mrs. March stops at her favorite bakery to pick up some black olive bread and macarons when the cashier, Patricia, tells her she has been reading her husband's book. She tells her she can't put it down. And then asks her if its the first time he has based a character on her.
Mrs. March is caught off guard. "What do you mean?" she asks. Patricia informs her how alike they are, the way they speak, dress, her mannerisms. Although she hasn't read the novel, Mrs. March knows the character is a prostitute, everything she would never want to be. Could her husband have done this? How dare he!
Mrs. March runs out, abandoning her bags, despondent.
Her descent begins, a slippery slope, a haunting journey. You realize early on that something is at odds, things don't add up. I felt trapped inside Mrs. March's head even though its written in third person.
I loved the surreal tone, vivid descriptions, mystery, touch of horror/gloom that builds until the disturbing last twist.
This is different and probably not for everyone. It may make you feel a bit uncomfortable, I felt a bit numb when finishing. It was an impressive debut and the writing is stunning, psychologically complex with all the bread crumbs if you pay attention.
Library loan/ Read in August 2021
February 28, 2022
“What have you done, she asks herself, Agatha March, what have you done?"
The Plot
George March has written another best seller and a time to celebrate, although his wife is in no mood to rejoice, especially when someone points out that the main character: a woman of low moral standing, and an unsavoury character seems to be based on her.
The following day the March’s host a Christmas party that should play to Mrs March’s strengths of planning, wooing, and entertaining their extensive social circle. However, when some of the guests appear disrespectful, her mental state starts to deteriorate as she begins to investigate the death of a young girl, her husband’s infidelity, and also that missing picture on the bathroom wall. She evens begins to rehearse rejection lines when the two men at the diner try to seduce her, but of course they don’t even acknowledge her presence, and so we begin to sympathise with the Mrs March that is vulnerable and fragile, as the story continues in the same vain and towards a dramatic conclusion.
Review and Comments
⭐⭐⭐⭐ for a story that provides some insight into the mind and life of a woman deranged, disturbed, and confused. A novel that does not shy away from mental health, a condition faced by many but understood by few.
⭐⭐⭐⭐ for a book that will conjure up emotions and feelings in its readers like some of those suffered by many mental health patients, if that was the intent; unsettled, confused, frustration, uneasiness, anxiety, tension and even claustrophobia.
⭐⭐⭐ for a character that will earn your sympathy and disdain in equal measures, as many of her actions and reactions frustrate those around her, but sympathy only seems to come from the reader.
⭐⭐⭐ for a complex story that does grip you, but only because you want to make sense of it, as your mind is pulled in different directions. I have concluded we weren’t meant to make sense of Mrs March; we were just meant to understand more about her condition.
Mrs March was a book described as a tense psychological study and that it was, so it may have achieved all it set out to achieve but unfortunately it was not for me. For a subject matter of this nature, I would have wanted to feel more invested in the story, more sympathy towards the main character and I would have wanted less deviations from some of the story threads. Unfortunately I found Mrs March unlikeable although I do normally empathise with these kind of characters which is a bit of a problem in a book that is essentially character driven.
Good but not great although I do support what the author tried to do with the subject matter and a good debut novel.
The Plot
George March has written another best seller and a time to celebrate, although his wife is in no mood to rejoice, especially when someone points out that the main character: a woman of low moral standing, and an unsavoury character seems to be based on her.
The following day the March’s host a Christmas party that should play to Mrs March’s strengths of planning, wooing, and entertaining their extensive social circle. However, when some of the guests appear disrespectful, her mental state starts to deteriorate as she begins to investigate the death of a young girl, her husband’s infidelity, and also that missing picture on the bathroom wall. She evens begins to rehearse rejection lines when the two men at the diner try to seduce her, but of course they don’t even acknowledge her presence, and so we begin to sympathise with the Mrs March that is vulnerable and fragile, as the story continues in the same vain and towards a dramatic conclusion.
Review and Comments
⭐⭐⭐⭐ for a story that provides some insight into the mind and life of a woman deranged, disturbed, and confused. A novel that does not shy away from mental health, a condition faced by many but understood by few.
⭐⭐⭐⭐ for a book that will conjure up emotions and feelings in its readers like some of those suffered by many mental health patients, if that was the intent; unsettled, confused, frustration, uneasiness, anxiety, tension and even claustrophobia.
⭐⭐⭐ for a character that will earn your sympathy and disdain in equal measures, as many of her actions and reactions frustrate those around her, but sympathy only seems to come from the reader.
⭐⭐⭐ for a complex story that does grip you, but only because you want to make sense of it, as your mind is pulled in different directions. I have concluded we weren’t meant to make sense of Mrs March; we were just meant to understand more about her condition.
Mrs March was a book described as a tense psychological study and that it was, so it may have achieved all it set out to achieve but unfortunately it was not for me. For a subject matter of this nature, I would have wanted to feel more invested in the story, more sympathy towards the main character and I would have wanted less deviations from some of the story threads. Unfortunately I found Mrs March unlikeable although I do normally empathise with these kind of characters which is a bit of a problem in a book that is essentially character driven.
Good but not great although I do support what the author tried to do with the subject matter and a good debut novel.
May 21, 2021
"...the latest cocktail-party conversation starter...soon to be heralded as George March's magnum opus...". Mrs. March had supported George all through his writing career. She listened to his potential story lines and his newest ideas. "She flattered him. All for him, for her George." She would host an intimate gathering in their Upper East Side apartment in celebration of his latest novel.
Mrs. March would have liked to appear carefree and confident. Instead, she always felt inadequate and substandard. "Mrs. March's pulse quickened with the telltale excitement and wariness that always manifested right before she interacted with others". At her favorite patisserie, the manager sang the praises of George's novel but asked Mrs. March if the main character, Johanna, was based upon her. "I picture you when I read it"...your mannerisms and attire. Oh, no! The main character was a woman of ill repute, a whore losing her clientele. Imagine a parallel between Mrs. March and that fictitious woman. "...but George would never...would he?"
Party night. Mrs. March found it difficult to make small talk. "She was prone to rehearsing potential snippets of conversation...". The tray of luscious strawberries would impress the guests. An overheard conversation sent the tray clattering, propelling the strawberries across the expensive rug. "Do you think she knows? About Johanna?...shushing and scattered giggling...".
"It wasn't so much that Johanna was unlikeable as Mrs. March was, too." George tried to explain that Johanna was not based on anyone. She just is. It seemed to Mrs. March that Johanna existed while she faded away. The fact that Mrs. March's first name was not revealed magnified the perception of a tightly wound wife, mother and soiree host. Her identity seemed to be usurped by the protagonist in George's novel. A window into Mrs. March's childhood would show an upbringing devoid of parental love. As a child, she fixated on a painting of a girl wrapped in a shimmering silky shawl. She talked to the girl, interacting with her daily. She took "Kiki" everywhere. At school, Kiki whispered answers to math problems in her ear.
Was George capable of unspeakable acts? In Mrs. March's imaginings, "there was something off about this man. It was George-it had his face and wore his cardigan-yet her gut told her that it wasn't. Had George been replaced by an impostor? Might there be another "her" as well?"
"Mrs. March" by Virginia Feito is a tome about a wealthy housewife who loses her grip on reality. Mrs. March is an unreliable narrator. Are the events real, or a product of her inner turmoil and descent into madness? This riveting, unputdownable, debut novel has been optioned for a cinematic adaptation. I am excited! Highly recommended.
Thank you Liveright/ W.W. Norton & Company and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Mrs. March would have liked to appear carefree and confident. Instead, she always felt inadequate and substandard. "Mrs. March's pulse quickened with the telltale excitement and wariness that always manifested right before she interacted with others". At her favorite patisserie, the manager sang the praises of George's novel but asked Mrs. March if the main character, Johanna, was based upon her. "I picture you when I read it"...your mannerisms and attire. Oh, no! The main character was a woman of ill repute, a whore losing her clientele. Imagine a parallel between Mrs. March and that fictitious woman. "...but George would never...would he?"
Party night. Mrs. March found it difficult to make small talk. "She was prone to rehearsing potential snippets of conversation...". The tray of luscious strawberries would impress the guests. An overheard conversation sent the tray clattering, propelling the strawberries across the expensive rug. "Do you think she knows? About Johanna?...shushing and scattered giggling...".
"It wasn't so much that Johanna was unlikeable as Mrs. March was, too." George tried to explain that Johanna was not based on anyone. She just is. It seemed to Mrs. March that Johanna existed while she faded away. The fact that Mrs. March's first name was not revealed magnified the perception of a tightly wound wife, mother and soiree host. Her identity seemed to be usurped by the protagonist in George's novel. A window into Mrs. March's childhood would show an upbringing devoid of parental love. As a child, she fixated on a painting of a girl wrapped in a shimmering silky shawl. She talked to the girl, interacting with her daily. She took "Kiki" everywhere. At school, Kiki whispered answers to math problems in her ear.
Was George capable of unspeakable acts? In Mrs. March's imaginings, "there was something off about this man. It was George-it had his face and wore his cardigan-yet her gut told her that it wasn't. Had George been replaced by an impostor? Might there be another "her" as well?"
"Mrs. March" by Virginia Feito is a tome about a wealthy housewife who loses her grip on reality. Mrs. March is an unreliable narrator. Are the events real, or a product of her inner turmoil and descent into madness? This riveting, unputdownable, debut novel has been optioned for a cinematic adaptation. I am excited! Highly recommended.
Thank you Liveright/ W.W. Norton & Company and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
September 14, 2022
Why did I trust Elisabeth Moss?
January 13, 2022
Mrs. March by Virginia Feito is a 2021 Liveright publication.
I have been wildly curious about this book, so I stopped the presses and squeezed it into my reading schedule. Honestly, it was impossible to get a real grasp on what to expect, I just knew the story was cray-cray, and to be ready for one dark, twisted journey inside the mind of Mrs. March.
The book, though I never noticed a specific year mentioned, appears to be set sometime in the sixties- I’m guessing.
Mrs. March’s husband, George is a writer and has just released a new novel that everyone is talking about. Mrs. March is taken aback when an offhand remark suggests her husband patterned a character in his new novel after her. Mrs. March is absolutely mortified, as the character in question is an unattractive prostitute!!
From there, the reader has a front row seat to Mrs. March’s unraveling. Mrs. March is by turns both sympathetic and despicable. She’s buried behind her husband’s success, her identity tied to his, and I wondered if this was why Mrs. March’s first name was never used.
She is swallowed up by George’s larger than life persona, by appearances, and perceptions. Yet, in her madness, she seems determined to step out his shadow, to break free from her prison- but George must be villainized, so that her actions are justified.
Honestly, it’s almost impossible to explain the situation without either giving everything away or sounding completely incoherent. Suffice it to say, this is a wickedly brilliant debut. Be warned, though, the conclusion is ambiguous, but I don’t think I’d want it any other way. Someday I’ll have to re-read this one because I’m sure I’ve missed some nuances; a hindsight view would illuminate.
The author has been compared to Highsmith and Hitchcock, and Elizabeth Moss is begging to try on the role of Mrs. March- so there you go- that’s should be enough information to give you a prod in the right direction.
4 stars
I have been wildly curious about this book, so I stopped the presses and squeezed it into my reading schedule. Honestly, it was impossible to get a real grasp on what to expect, I just knew the story was cray-cray, and to be ready for one dark, twisted journey inside the mind of Mrs. March.
The book, though I never noticed a specific year mentioned, appears to be set sometime in the sixties- I’m guessing.
Mrs. March’s husband, George is a writer and has just released a new novel that everyone is talking about. Mrs. March is taken aback when an offhand remark suggests her husband patterned a character in his new novel after her. Mrs. March is absolutely mortified, as the character in question is an unattractive prostitute!!
From there, the reader has a front row seat to Mrs. March’s unraveling. Mrs. March is by turns both sympathetic and despicable. She’s buried behind her husband’s success, her identity tied to his, and I wondered if this was why Mrs. March’s first name was never used.
She is swallowed up by George’s larger than life persona, by appearances, and perceptions. Yet, in her madness, she seems determined to step out his shadow, to break free from her prison- but George must be villainized, so that her actions are justified.
Honestly, it’s almost impossible to explain the situation without either giving everything away or sounding completely incoherent. Suffice it to say, this is a wickedly brilliant debut. Be warned, though, the conclusion is ambiguous, but I don’t think I’d want it any other way. Someday I’ll have to re-read this one because I’m sure I’ve missed some nuances; a hindsight view would illuminate.
The author has been compared to Highsmith and Hitchcock, and Elizabeth Moss is begging to try on the role of Mrs. March- so there you go- that’s should be enough information to give you a prod in the right direction.
4 stars
August 16, 2021
EXCERPT: When she padded back to bed, something caught her eye in the building opposite. A red light in one of the windows. She tensed, her first thought that it was a fire, but as she looked longer, she realized it was a lamp draped in cherry coloured organza, which cast a warm glow. The various other windows in building were mostly dark, some strobing with the soft pulse of a television screen.
She moved closer to her own window, her nose almost pressing against the glass. It had begun to snow. The snowflakes floated down, the ones passing by the window illuminated red for a split second, lighting up like embers before continuing their descent, the black night flickering saffron, hellish.
Her eyes went back to the glowing room. It was a bedroom, dark except for the reddish glow. After some seconds she managed to make out a woman, bent over, her back to the window. She was wearing a pink silk slip, her milky thighs on full display. Mrs March cleared her throat, then looked over her own shoulder, as if someone had caught her spying. She trained her eyes back on the woman. What was she bending over? Mrs March could see the corner of a mattress, or a couch cushion. Leaning further, she bumped her forehead against the windowpane and, as if she had heard her, the woman in the pink slip turned around.
From Mrs March's throat issued an unwilling sound, some tortured garble between a gasp and a scream. There was blood - so much blood - soaking the front of the woman's slip and matting her hair and staining her hands - hands now pressed against the window to form bloody prints. Mrs March pushed herself away from the window in one jerky movement, falling backward onto the bed, her book crunching underneath her spine. She failed her arms toward George's bedside table, shaking her hands free of the numbness creeping up to her fingers. She pulled the telephone to her and crept to the window. The cord went taut, halting her movement.
She stood there, the receiver pressed to her ear - the dial tone now a harsh beeping - as she looked out across the courtyard. The red glow was gone. The woman was gone, too.
ABOUT 'MRS MARCH': George March’s latest novel is a smash hit. None could be prouder than Mrs. March, his dutiful wife, who revels in his accolades and relishes the lifestyle and status his success brings.
A creature of routine and decorum, Mrs. March lives an exquisitely controlled existence on the Upper East Side. Every morning begins the same way, with a visit to her favourite patisserie to buy a loaf of olive bread, but her latest trip proves to be her last when she suffers an indignity from which she may never recover: an assumption by the shopkeeper that the protagonist in George March’s new book – a pathetic sex worker, more a figure of derision than desire – is based on Mrs. March.
One casual remark robs Mrs. March not only of her beloved olive bread but of the belief that she knew everything about her husband – and herself – sending her on an increasingly paranoid journey, one that starts within the pages of a book but may very well uncover both a killer and the long-buried secrets of Mrs. March’s past.
MY THOUGHTS: Mrs March by Virginia Feito is a strangely compelling and disturbing read.
We follow the journey of Mrs March as she descends from a lifestyle of privilege and status as the wife of a successful author, into the realms of paranoia and psychosis as she comes to believe that the main character in her husband's latest book, an ugly prostitute named Johanna, is based on her.
Mrs March is very much a character driven book, and Mrs March is very much the main character. She appears to have no friends, merely acquaintances. She is terrified of her housekeeper. She maintains a very distant relationship with her son. And even the relationship between her and her husband is very formal. We don't even know Mrs March's first name until the final few sentences. She is quite childlike in her inability to take care of herself and her family.
The era Mrs March is set in isn't specified, although I would guess it to be the late 1950s or early 1960s.
The book itself is a bit of an enigma. I had questions racing through my mind all the time I was reading. Some were answered. Some weren't. The finale is quite spectacular, and for me was totally unexpected.
This is an outstanding debut novel.
⭐⭐⭐.9
#MrsMarch #NetGalley
I: @4thestatebooks
#domesticdrama #historicalfiction #mentalhealth #mystery #psychologicalsuspense
THE AUTHOR: A native of Spain, Virginia Feito was raised in Madrid and Paris, and studied English and drama at Queen Mary University of London. She lives in Madrid, where she writes her fiction in English. (Amazon)
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to 4th Estate and William Collins via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Mrs March by Virginia Feito for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com
This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
She moved closer to her own window, her nose almost pressing against the glass. It had begun to snow. The snowflakes floated down, the ones passing by the window illuminated red for a split second, lighting up like embers before continuing their descent, the black night flickering saffron, hellish.
Her eyes went back to the glowing room. It was a bedroom, dark except for the reddish glow. After some seconds she managed to make out a woman, bent over, her back to the window. She was wearing a pink silk slip, her milky thighs on full display. Mrs March cleared her throat, then looked over her own shoulder, as if someone had caught her spying. She trained her eyes back on the woman. What was she bending over? Mrs March could see the corner of a mattress, or a couch cushion. Leaning further, she bumped her forehead against the windowpane and, as if she had heard her, the woman in the pink slip turned around.
From Mrs March's throat issued an unwilling sound, some tortured garble between a gasp and a scream. There was blood - so much blood - soaking the front of the woman's slip and matting her hair and staining her hands - hands now pressed against the window to form bloody prints. Mrs March pushed herself away from the window in one jerky movement, falling backward onto the bed, her book crunching underneath her spine. She failed her arms toward George's bedside table, shaking her hands free of the numbness creeping up to her fingers. She pulled the telephone to her and crept to the window. The cord went taut, halting her movement.
She stood there, the receiver pressed to her ear - the dial tone now a harsh beeping - as she looked out across the courtyard. The red glow was gone. The woman was gone, too.
ABOUT 'MRS MARCH': George March’s latest novel is a smash hit. None could be prouder than Mrs. March, his dutiful wife, who revels in his accolades and relishes the lifestyle and status his success brings.
A creature of routine and decorum, Mrs. March lives an exquisitely controlled existence on the Upper East Side. Every morning begins the same way, with a visit to her favourite patisserie to buy a loaf of olive bread, but her latest trip proves to be her last when she suffers an indignity from which she may never recover: an assumption by the shopkeeper that the protagonist in George March’s new book – a pathetic sex worker, more a figure of derision than desire – is based on Mrs. March.
One casual remark robs Mrs. March not only of her beloved olive bread but of the belief that she knew everything about her husband – and herself – sending her on an increasingly paranoid journey, one that starts within the pages of a book but may very well uncover both a killer and the long-buried secrets of Mrs. March’s past.
MY THOUGHTS: Mrs March by Virginia Feito is a strangely compelling and disturbing read.
We follow the journey of Mrs March as she descends from a lifestyle of privilege and status as the wife of a successful author, into the realms of paranoia and psychosis as she comes to believe that the main character in her husband's latest book, an ugly prostitute named Johanna, is based on her.
Mrs March is very much a character driven book, and Mrs March is very much the main character. She appears to have no friends, merely acquaintances. She is terrified of her housekeeper. She maintains a very distant relationship with her son. And even the relationship between her and her husband is very formal. We don't even know Mrs March's first name until the final few sentences. She is quite childlike in her inability to take care of herself and her family.
The era Mrs March is set in isn't specified, although I would guess it to be the late 1950s or early 1960s.
The book itself is a bit of an enigma. I had questions racing through my mind all the time I was reading. Some were answered. Some weren't. The finale is quite spectacular, and for me was totally unexpected.
This is an outstanding debut novel.
⭐⭐⭐.9
#MrsMarch #NetGalley
I: @4thestatebooks
#domesticdrama #historicalfiction #mentalhealth #mystery #psychologicalsuspense
THE AUTHOR: A native of Spain, Virginia Feito was raised in Madrid and Paris, and studied English and drama at Queen Mary University of London. She lives in Madrid, where she writes her fiction in English. (Amazon)
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to 4th Estate and William Collins via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Mrs March by Virginia Feito for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com
This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
September 15, 2021
3.5⭐
I probably wouldn't have read/listen to this book if it weren't for the positive feeds on Goodreads. If I don't know the author, I'd look for a pretty cover. I don't like this cover. So many thanks to friends on here who put this book on my radar.
I listened to the sample and just loved it. I love the first third of the book. The pace is consistent throughout, and the writing is very atmospheric. I was hooked for the most part, but this is a predictable story while I was waiting for some kind of a twist.
Mrs. March is married to George March who recently had immense success with his latest novel. Everyone seems to be reading his novel, but her. But then she's told that the protagonist may be based on her, but the character is a prostitute! She becomes suspicious about George and goes through his things and found items that make him even more questionable. After a while, I don't know what's real and what's Mrs. March's imagination.
I'm going between 3-4 stars. I don't think the second half is as strong as the beginning. Still, it was very entertaining!
I probably wouldn't have read/listen to this book if it weren't for the positive feeds on Goodreads. If I don't know the author, I'd look for a pretty cover. I don't like this cover. So many thanks to friends on here who put this book on my radar.
I listened to the sample and just loved it. I love the first third of the book. The pace is consistent throughout, and the writing is very atmospheric. I was hooked for the most part, but this is a predictable story while I was waiting for some kind of a twist.
Mrs. March is married to George March who recently had immense success with his latest novel. Everyone seems to be reading his novel, but her. But then she's told that the protagonist may be based on her, but the character is a prostitute! She becomes suspicious about George and goes through his things and found items that make him even more questionable. After a while, I don't know what's real and what's Mrs. March's imagination.
I'm going between 3-4 stars. I don't think the second half is as strong as the beginning. Still, it was very entertaining!
August 23, 2021
“Mrs. March” by Virginia Feito is one strange suspenseful read. It’s an up-close observation of a woman overwhelmed by psychosis. Best of all, there’s talk of this being made into a movie starring Elisabeth Moss.
The story begins deliciously; Mrs. March is retrieving her daily olive bread from her favorite bakery. The worker mentions that she is almost finished with Mr. March’s new novel, and she not only loves the book, but believes that the main character was inspired by Mrs. March. Mrs. March gasps, “But the main character, it—isn’t she…a whore?” Yes, Johanna, the main character, is a prostitute whose johns pay her out of pity, as she is unlovable and wretched. To Mrs. March, where appearances are everything, this is devastating. Author Feito reenforces this guarded sentiment by referring to Mrs. March by only “Mrs. March”, even in the flashbacks of her youth.
Amazingly, the story takes place in a short period of time of a few days. But we painstakingly learn of the monotony of Mrs. March’s life. Added to that, Mrs. March was raised by a judgmental mother, thereby making her inner musings very judgmental. Mrs. March lives on the Upper East Side in Manhattan which contributes to her overcritical observations. As we journey through life in Mrs. March’s head, we feel anxiety. We know this is only getting worse and will not end well. Her delusions overcome her senses and makes the reader question theirs. While Mrs. March goes through her day, we don’t fully know what is real and what has she conjured? Author Feito brings us along with Mrs. March so that we start believing what she believes, and then we doubt later.
This is a fantastic story that challenges the reader to ascertain what is real and what is an illusion. This is a fun trip to crazy.
The story begins deliciously; Mrs. March is retrieving her daily olive bread from her favorite bakery. The worker mentions that she is almost finished with Mr. March’s new novel, and she not only loves the book, but believes that the main character was inspired by Mrs. March. Mrs. March gasps, “But the main character, it—isn’t she…a whore?” Yes, Johanna, the main character, is a prostitute whose johns pay her out of pity, as she is unlovable and wretched. To Mrs. March, where appearances are everything, this is devastating. Author Feito reenforces this guarded sentiment by referring to Mrs. March by only “Mrs. March”, even in the flashbacks of her youth.
Amazingly, the story takes place in a short period of time of a few days. But we painstakingly learn of the monotony of Mrs. March’s life. Added to that, Mrs. March was raised by a judgmental mother, thereby making her inner musings very judgmental. Mrs. March lives on the Upper East Side in Manhattan which contributes to her overcritical observations. As we journey through life in Mrs. March’s head, we feel anxiety. We know this is only getting worse and will not end well. Her delusions overcome her senses and makes the reader question theirs. While Mrs. March goes through her day, we don’t fully know what is real and what has she conjured? Author Feito brings us along with Mrs. March so that we start believing what she believes, and then we doubt later.
This is a fantastic story that challenges the reader to ascertain what is real and what is an illusion. This is a fun trip to crazy.
August 19, 2021
George March has a new book published, its his magnum opus and well on its way into the best seller list. When Patricia at the bakery dares to suggest to Mrs March that surely the main character is based on herself and yet isn’t Johanna a whore??? Mrs March is horrified and vows never to buy her pastries there again. The following day the couple host a pre Christmas party for the great and good of the literati world where Mrs March fears they are talking about her and far worse, laughing at her. ‘Do you think she knows? About Johanna?’ .... this is the straw that broke the camels back as she sinks into despair and paranoia as she loses her grip on reality.
Wow. What an excellent debut which is an absorbing read but which also makes you feel uneasy in a number of ways. It’s a character driven dark exploration of someone’s mind as she veers and swings from manic with her mind in overdrive as she becomes increasingly suspicious of George and then she’s almost passive, fearful and lacking in confidence. There are some vivid scenes such as the party which is the catalyst to what follows and at times it’s difficult to know what is illusion and delusion. Mrs March has a disturbing past and that too adds to the unsettling feel. You are desperately sorry for her as she’s so alone, excluded and has been all her life. We don’t even know her Christian name until the end which makes her an appendage to George rather than a person in her own right which is clever. . Who exactly is Mrs March?? It’s not only her character that disturbs as so does her eight year old son Jonathan, what is going on there???? George is more peripheral but is absolutely key to the ensuing events as you wonder too, exactly what is George guilty of? I enjoy puzzling the time frame too, the brilliant cover suggests 1950’s and early 1960’s and this adds to the whole intriguing puzzle. The ending is very good and like what has gone before leaves you full of disquiet and unnerved. This is one book I will not forget and it’ll be fascinating to see how Elisabeth Moss portrays her.
Overall, this is a very compelling book as it has so many facets to it from the exploration of a troubled mind based on past and present events, to a chaotic life with growing suspicions of her husband which builds and builds to a dramatic conclusion. It’s clear that as a writer Virginia Feito is going places.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to 4th Estate and William Collins for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
Thank you to GR friends for putting this on my radar!
Wow. What an excellent debut which is an absorbing read but which also makes you feel uneasy in a number of ways. It’s a character driven dark exploration of someone’s mind as she veers and swings from manic with her mind in overdrive as she becomes increasingly suspicious of George and then she’s almost passive, fearful and lacking in confidence. There are some vivid scenes such as the party which is the catalyst to what follows and at times it’s difficult to know what is illusion and delusion. Mrs March has a disturbing past and that too adds to the unsettling feel. You are desperately sorry for her as she’s so alone, excluded and has been all her life. We don’t even know her Christian name until the end which makes her an appendage to George rather than a person in her own right which is clever. . Who exactly is Mrs March?? It’s not only her character that disturbs as so does her eight year old son Jonathan, what is going on there???? George is more peripheral but is absolutely key to the ensuing events as you wonder too, exactly what is George guilty of? I enjoy puzzling the time frame too, the brilliant cover suggests 1950’s and early 1960’s and this adds to the whole intriguing puzzle. The ending is very good and like what has gone before leaves you full of disquiet and unnerved. This is one book I will not forget and it’ll be fascinating to see how Elisabeth Moss portrays her.
Overall, this is a very compelling book as it has so many facets to it from the exploration of a troubled mind based on past and present events, to a chaotic life with growing suspicions of her husband which builds and builds to a dramatic conclusion. It’s clear that as a writer Virginia Feito is going places.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to 4th Estate and William Collins for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
Thank you to GR friends for putting this on my radar!
Shelved as 'dnf'
August 15, 2022This is a Mystery/Thriller. The writing style in this book was just not for me. I was just felt that this book was going to put me to sleep by the 55% of this book, and I could not keep reading. I found this book so boring, and I did not care about any of the characters. I really just did not understand it. Maybe it is just me. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher or author via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.
August 6, 2021
Soon to be a major motion picture starring Elizabeth Moss!
Mrs. March is a self-proclaimed observer who is caught up in appearances. She even married her husband because everyone said, “George March is the most attractive man on campus.”
But, who is George March? How well does she really know her husband? When Mrs. March visits her favorite shop for her usual loaf of olive bread, the shopkeeper insinuates that the main character in her husband’s new best-selling book is based on her. Mrs. March is horrified! How can that be? George’s book is about a prostitute, right? Why would he humiliate her like that? Or did he? You see, she hasn’t actually read the book.
Mrs. March snoops around in George’s office for clues about herself in his book and comes across an article he saved about a woman who was recently murdered. She soon becomes increasingly convinced that she doesn’t really know her husband. Could he actually be capable of murder?
Newcomer Virginia Feito has written a deeply disturbing, character driven, suspenseful, creepy, dark psychological thriller that keeps you guessing until the very last page. Fair warning, this book deals with abuse, trauma, and public humiliation. Mrs. March is one of the most compellingly complex characters I have encountered in a long time. She is expertly flawed and therefore so incredibly “real.”
This book reads like a movie, so I can see how this will translate well to film. And Elizabeth Moss? OMG, excuse me while I grab my popcorn! While I had a difficult time placing the time period due to anomalies (a microwave?), I enjoyed the trip back in time (whenever that may have been). While I had absolutely no idea where the plot was heading for most of book, I absolutely could not stop turning the pages. Overall, I would have liked more explanation from the reveal, but this is one of those books that makes you think, What did I just read? What just happened? What is real? What is imagined?
Just brilliant!
4.5/5 stars rounded up
Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Mrs. March is a self-proclaimed observer who is caught up in appearances. She even married her husband because everyone said, “George March is the most attractive man on campus.”
But, who is George March? How well does she really know her husband? When Mrs. March visits her favorite shop for her usual loaf of olive bread, the shopkeeper insinuates that the main character in her husband’s new best-selling book is based on her. Mrs. March is horrified! How can that be? George’s book is about a prostitute, right? Why would he humiliate her like that? Or did he? You see, she hasn’t actually read the book.
Mrs. March snoops around in George’s office for clues about herself in his book and comes across an article he saved about a woman who was recently murdered. She soon becomes increasingly convinced that she doesn’t really know her husband. Could he actually be capable of murder?
Newcomer Virginia Feito has written a deeply disturbing, character driven, suspenseful, creepy, dark psychological thriller that keeps you guessing until the very last page. Fair warning, this book deals with abuse, trauma, and public humiliation. Mrs. March is one of the most compellingly complex characters I have encountered in a long time. She is expertly flawed and therefore so incredibly “real.”
This book reads like a movie, so I can see how this will translate well to film. And Elizabeth Moss? OMG, excuse me while I grab my popcorn! While I had a difficult time placing the time period due to anomalies (a microwave?), I enjoyed the trip back in time (whenever that may have been). While I had absolutely no idea where the plot was heading for most of book, I absolutely could not stop turning the pages. Overall, I would have liked more explanation from the reveal, but this is one of those books that makes you think, What did I just read? What just happened? What is real? What is imagined?
Just brilliant!
4.5/5 stars rounded up
Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
August 26, 2021
Audiobook…. narrated by Elizabeth Rogers
….8 hours and 27 minutes
MINI review:
The audio-narration was *terrific*!
The brilliant visually experienced beginning will hook even the most apathetic-reader…
But….
for the longest time I couldn’t figure out who was more mysterious—Mr. or Mrs. March.
….Appearances were very important to Mrs. March—
….Mr. March knew this about his wife too…..
But ‘who’ was most tire of pretending that they were not honesty a happy married couple—Mr. or Mrs. March?
Engrossing atmosphere-eerie-diabolical descriptions….(as memorable as the characters)
….”A fly was stuck to Mrs. March’s croissant”…
….Putrid smells from old meat…(symbolic to this psychological suspense tale)
….At a hair salon, Mrs. March chewed the inside of her mouth until it bleed…(pretty on the outside, suffering on the inside?)
….Ladies gossiped—“Mrs. March must be so proud of her husband, George’s new hit book….(shhh..a “whore” was his main character)
….a son named Jonathan; a step daughter named Paula; a house cleaner named Martha…(every character is mysterious)…
….Black bread with olives, macaroons, peach lipstick,
Mint green gloves, a private men’s club, a jealous wife?, a cheating-lying husband? …..
Deliciously dark! Kept me INTRIGUED!
….8 hours and 27 minutes
MINI review:
The audio-narration was *terrific*!
The brilliant visually experienced beginning will hook even the most apathetic-reader…
But….
for the longest time I couldn’t figure out who was more mysterious—Mr. or Mrs. March.
….Appearances were very important to Mrs. March—
….Mr. March knew this about his wife too…..
But ‘who’ was most tire of pretending that they were not honesty a happy married couple—Mr. or Mrs. March?
Engrossing atmosphere-eerie-diabolical descriptions….(as memorable as the characters)
….”A fly was stuck to Mrs. March’s croissant”…
….Putrid smells from old meat…(symbolic to this psychological suspense tale)
….At a hair salon, Mrs. March chewed the inside of her mouth until it bleed…(pretty on the outside, suffering on the inside?)
….Ladies gossiped—“Mrs. March must be so proud of her husband, George’s new hit book….(shhh..a “whore” was his main character)
….a son named Jonathan; a step daughter named Paula; a house cleaner named Martha…(every character is mysterious)…
….Black bread with olives, macaroons, peach lipstick,
Mint green gloves, a private men’s club, a jealous wife?, a cheating-lying husband? …..
Deliciously dark! Kept me INTRIGUED!
August 15, 2022
Click here to hear my thoughts on this book over on my Booktube channel, abookolive.
A deeply unsettling and highly literary thriller in which we enter the increasingly unstable mind of the wife of a famous novelist. Mrs. March is convinced that her husband based the antiheroine of his latest bestseller on her, his wife of fifteen years, and she's terrified that the unflattering portrait will shatter her image in polite society, quite possibly her most prized possession. Even though it's slower in pace, this one had my heart pounding the whole way through. See the above review for a deeper character dissection of the disturbed Mrs. March. I can't wait to see Elisabeth Moss take on this character in the forthcoming adaptation!
A deeply unsettling and highly literary thriller in which we enter the increasingly unstable mind of the wife of a famous novelist. Mrs. March is convinced that her husband based the antiheroine of his latest bestseller on her, his wife of fifteen years, and she's terrified that the unflattering portrait will shatter her image in polite society, quite possibly her most prized possession. Even though it's slower in pace, this one had my heart pounding the whole way through. See the above review for a deeper character dissection of the disturbed Mrs. March. I can't wait to see Elisabeth Moss take on this character in the forthcoming adaptation!
November 25, 2022
A strange one, Mrs. March, is an upper crust housewife who is slowly unraveling mentally, but no one seems to notice or care. If no one cares for her she is equally unmoved by them. She goes about her vapid existence, ignoring her husband and son in equal shares.
We get a glimpse into her cold and cruel upbringing by a grotesquely distant and exacting mother and an absent father. The only person Mrs. March got any attention from as a little girl was their maid, Alma, who the child treated with contempt.
I have read other stories with this theme, so this one didn't move me that much and all the characters are so revolting that I came away with a wish that I hadn't delved into Mrs. March's world.
We get a glimpse into her cold and cruel upbringing by a grotesquely distant and exacting mother and an absent father. The only person Mrs. March got any attention from as a little girl was their maid, Alma, who the child treated with contempt.
I have read other stories with this theme, so this one didn't move me that much and all the characters are so revolting that I came away with a wish that I hadn't delved into Mrs. March's world.
October 12, 2022
I was very intrigued by this novel that had become a bestseller in Spain. Advertised as a psychological thriller, it wasn’t its genre that appealed to me but the fact that a novel by a Spanish woman I had never heard of, was being a great success both in the UK and in the US. As I was about purchasing it in Spanish, believing it to be the original, I realized that the Spanish edition was a translation and that Virginia Feito had written it in English. This raised my interest further. The Spanish edition has been translated, however, by somebody else, by Gemma Rovira, which in itself is also striking. I read it in English.
The novel does offer some originality and the thriller element can engage the reader. There are also both literary and cinematic parallels, with Mrs Dalloway, with Rebecca (novel that Mrs March keeps by her bedside), Dickens, also Hitchcock (The Birds). These parallels are maybe too explicit. I was also interested in that the novel raises the issue of how fiction and reality are interrelated. This is a theme with which I have been involved recently.
The novel, though, has disappointed me somewhat.
The writing was for Instagrammers. All those meticulous descriptions with so much emphasis on clothes, makeup, decoration, deli food, and everything enveloped in a symphony of pastel colours did not help in building up the characters any more than all those photographs showing everyone striking the same poses, grimacing similarly, and existing solely for being looked at. The life of Mrs March is made from clichés, ready-mades, and banalities. In the upper-class NYC setting, if there is a restaurant, it has to be Delmonico’s; if there is a hotel, it has to be The Plaza; if a perfume is mentioned, it has to be Chanel Nº5; if a bar, then The Monkey Bar; if a university, then Harvard; if an art magazine, then Artforum. I found this irritating and somewhat provincial.
Annoying were also some glitches. That there is a Hopper hanging in the apartment of a writer whose success is relatively recent, that this Hopper goes unnoticed by a relative of the owners, and that one of the owners of this Hopper buys a new bottle of her favorite perfume because “it is on sale” and therefore “could hardly pass the opportunity” seemed to me a string of idiocies, which again, seemed provincial.
But there will be a film, with Elisabeth Moss.
October 22, 2021
“Well, you can never really know anyone” uttered Mrs. March. How correct she was…
Mrs. March, wife of George March, celebrated novelist, is completing her daily ritual of buying bread when her pleasant and orderly life is brought to a screeching halt. She finds out that people believe the main character of her husband’s new book is based on her. This is anything but flattering, as the character is a prostitute, and not just that, but one so disgusting that her clients refuse to touch her and pay her out of pity. What could possibly cause comparisons to be drawn between the two, and how could her husband do that to her? How can she show her face about town when everyone knows? This sets Mrs. March into a downward spiral where anxiety manifests itself deeper and deeper into paranoia and delusions.
I’ve seen quite a few comparisons to Highsmith and Hitchcock floating around and I can’t decide if they’re more helpful or harmful. They’re apt; the book does indeed evoke a very similar feel to both, but I feel like perhaps they also got my hopes up a bit too much for this one? That said, this is a DEBUT, and so keeping that in mind, I did find it to be impressive. I am very much looking forward to seeing Elisabeth Moss bring this character to life. I shall watch it while enjoying some nicely toasted olive bread…
The portrayal of Mrs. March as she descends into madness is fantastic. I can’t speak for anyone else who suffers from anxiety, but I found a lot of myself in parts of her (hello avoiding someone forever based on one awkward social interaction), which made her feel very real. This wasn’t the cheap, exploitative usage of mental health issues that so many suspense books rely on lately where symptoms seem to exist solely to conveniently help along the plot. Her mental health *is* the plot, so just be aware of that going in, as I know it can be triggering for some to read about and/or some people will just find it very upsetting to find themselves inside Mrs. March’s head.
On the less positive side, the (in my opinion extremely heavy-handed) narrative technique of only referring to the narrator as Mrs. March, and the "resolution" of this underwhelmed me, I have to say. It felt very tell versus show to me, and I didn't feel the rest of the book supported the character feeling so wrapped up in her husband's identity. She felt very unmoored and placed far too much emphasis on others' opinions opinions of her, but it felt to me like a woman with no identity moreso than anything else. To discuss it further would spoil the book for a new reader, but while I believe I understand the author’s intention with it, it did not have the desired impact for me. Other reviewers do seem to disagree on this point however.
Ultimately, I just came away from this wanting more. I’m absolutely fine with ambiguity surrounding Mrs. March and what was actually really happening versus what was a delusion. However I wasn’t a fan of these little tidbits that clearly were grounded in reality that would get thrown out there, piquing the reader’s curiosity, never to be addressed. I’ve criticized books before for basically spoon-feeding the reader, but this went a bit too far toward the other extreme, at least for me.
3.5, rounded up because it's a debut.
A note about the time period: I’ll be very curious to see when the film decides to set this. I think (?) it’s written to be deliberately ambiguous, but unless there are simply anachronistic mistakes (dental veneers and Ralph Lauren wallpaper, I’m looking at you), it has to be mid 80s at the earliest. If it is indeed set in the 80s or 90s, it certainly makes Mrs. March’s formality, which reeks of a bygone era, all the more unsettling.
Mrs. March, wife of George March, celebrated novelist, is completing her daily ritual of buying bread when her pleasant and orderly life is brought to a screeching halt. She finds out that people believe the main character of her husband’s new book is based on her. This is anything but flattering, as the character is a prostitute, and not just that, but one so disgusting that her clients refuse to touch her and pay her out of pity. What could possibly cause comparisons to be drawn between the two, and how could her husband do that to her? How can she show her face about town when everyone knows? This sets Mrs. March into a downward spiral where anxiety manifests itself deeper and deeper into paranoia and delusions.
I’ve seen quite a few comparisons to Highsmith and Hitchcock floating around and I can’t decide if they’re more helpful or harmful. They’re apt; the book does indeed evoke a very similar feel to both, but I feel like perhaps they also got my hopes up a bit too much for this one? That said, this is a DEBUT, and so keeping that in mind, I did find it to be impressive. I am very much looking forward to seeing Elisabeth Moss bring this character to life. I shall watch it while enjoying some nicely toasted olive bread…
The portrayal of Mrs. March as she descends into madness is fantastic. I can’t speak for anyone else who suffers from anxiety, but I found a lot of myself in parts of her (hello avoiding someone forever based on one awkward social interaction), which made her feel very real. This wasn’t the cheap, exploitative usage of mental health issues that so many suspense books rely on lately where symptoms seem to exist solely to conveniently help along the plot. Her mental health *is* the plot, so just be aware of that going in, as I know it can be triggering for some to read about and/or some people will just find it very upsetting to find themselves inside Mrs. March’s head.
On the less positive side, the (in my opinion extremely heavy-handed) narrative technique of only referring to the narrator as Mrs. March, and the "resolution" of this underwhelmed me, I have to say. It felt very tell versus show to me, and I didn't feel the rest of the book supported the character feeling so wrapped up in her husband's identity. She felt very unmoored and placed far too much emphasis on others' opinions opinions of her, but it felt to me like a woman with no identity moreso than anything else. To discuss it further would spoil the book for a new reader, but while I believe I understand the author’s intention with it, it did not have the desired impact for me. Other reviewers do seem to disagree on this point however.
Ultimately, I just came away from this wanting more. I’m absolutely fine with ambiguity surrounding Mrs. March and what was actually really happening versus what was a delusion. However I wasn’t a fan of these little tidbits that clearly were grounded in reality that would get thrown out there, piquing the reader’s curiosity, never to be addressed. I’ve criticized books before for basically spoon-feeding the reader, but this went a bit too far toward the other extreme, at least for me.
3.5, rounded up because it's a debut.
A note about the time period: I’ll be very curious to see when the film decides to set this. I think (?) it’s written to be deliberately ambiguous, but unless there are simply anachronistic mistakes (dental veneers and Ralph Lauren wallpaper, I’m looking at you), it has to be mid 80s at the earliest. If it is indeed set in the 80s or 90s, it certainly makes Mrs. March’s formality, which reeks of a bygone era, all the more unsettling.
November 23, 2021
Just who is this Mrs. March everyone is talking about? She is married to George March, a successful writer of fiction. She is mother to Jonathan, an 8-year old boy. She is the very soul of propriety. She is proud of her station in life, and is all about appearances. Her husband's latest book has soared to best seller status, everyone seems to have a copy in their hands. An offhand remark disturbs her equanimity to the point where she is questioning everything. Who knew it would be so easy to knock her out of plumb?
We all know the mind can be a fragile thing, and the one belonging to Mrs. March is no exception. Paranoia gains a foothold, sanity begins to crumble, and as her imagination takes over, a descent into madness seems assured. Pasted on smiles, a room that smells of bad breath, "fingernails like harpy talons", paintings that mock, mirrors presenting differing reflections. Anyone out there in the mood for crazy?
We all know the mind can be a fragile thing, and the one belonging to Mrs. March is no exception. Paranoia gains a foothold, sanity begins to crumble, and as her imagination takes over, a descent into madness seems assured. Pasted on smiles, a room that smells of bad breath, "fingernails like harpy talons", paintings that mock, mirrors presenting differing reflections. Anyone out there in the mood for crazy?
August 5, 2022
La Pelma Señora March.
La faja de este libro lleva una frase que dice: La Patricia Highsmith española. Al verlo me dio un escalofrío, ese tipo de comparaciones suelen ser casi siempre desafortunadas y, siempre, un insulto al autor citado. En este caso, además, es una comparación que no se sostiene de ninguna manera. Feito está tan cerca de parecerse a Patricia Highsmith como yo de ser Beyoncé y puede que yo esté más cerca.
Feito escribe bien y te atrapa enseguida. Sin apenas darte cuenta devoras cien páginas. Entonces, levantas la vista y dices pero ¿qué es esto? Durante esas cien páginas Feito nos han hecho seguir a la señora March en su vida diaria, atendiendo a cada mínimo detalle de su insulsa vida y lo que es peor de sus absolutamente anodinos pensamientos. A partir de la página ciento cincuenta el aburrimiento te devora y lo único que quieres es que la señora March muera o la maten o, mejor aún, ella misma se tropiece con su propia falda y fallezca o se atragante bebiendo te hasta la asfixia. Además, en este punto y si eres un lector de Highsmith la indignación nubla tu vista, tu mente y te hace proferir todo tipo de insultos hacia el editor. ¿Esto parecido a cualquiera de las obras de Patricia? POR FAVOR, ¿ya no se respeta nada?
Una de las características de las protagonistas de Patricia Highsmith es que te hechizan aunque intentes resistirte. Son personajes terribles que cometen atrocidades y que sabes que no deberían gustarte pero no puedes evitar sentirte atraído por ellos. Quieres que no los pillen, que se libren de las consecuencias de sus actos, te sorprendes a ti mismo estando de su parte, entendiéndoles. Con la señora March no pasa eso, no hay atracción ni hechizo ni magnetismo. Diseccionar los pensamientos e ideas de un personaje no es siempre sinónimo de interés. No todos contenemos multitudes ni cosas interesantes y la Sra. March es un personaje insoportable, aburrido, plano y, a veces, idiota.
Mi recomendación para lectores: no lo leáis.
Mi recomendación/ advertencia a los editores: haced el favor de no utilizar el nombre de autores consagrados en vano. ¡Con la Highsmith no se juega!
La faja de este libro lleva una frase que dice: La Patricia Highsmith española. Al verlo me dio un escalofrío, ese tipo de comparaciones suelen ser casi siempre desafortunadas y, siempre, un insulto al autor citado. En este caso, además, es una comparación que no se sostiene de ninguna manera. Feito está tan cerca de parecerse a Patricia Highsmith como yo de ser Beyoncé y puede que yo esté más cerca.
Feito escribe bien y te atrapa enseguida. Sin apenas darte cuenta devoras cien páginas. Entonces, levantas la vista y dices pero ¿qué es esto? Durante esas cien páginas Feito nos han hecho seguir a la señora March en su vida diaria, atendiendo a cada mínimo detalle de su insulsa vida y lo que es peor de sus absolutamente anodinos pensamientos. A partir de la página ciento cincuenta el aburrimiento te devora y lo único que quieres es que la señora March muera o la maten o, mejor aún, ella misma se tropiece con su propia falda y fallezca o se atragante bebiendo te hasta la asfixia. Además, en este punto y si eres un lector de Highsmith la indignación nubla tu vista, tu mente y te hace proferir todo tipo de insultos hacia el editor. ¿Esto parecido a cualquiera de las obras de Patricia? POR FAVOR, ¿ya no se respeta nada?
Una de las características de las protagonistas de Patricia Highsmith es que te hechizan aunque intentes resistirte. Son personajes terribles que cometen atrocidades y que sabes que no deberían gustarte pero no puedes evitar sentirte atraído por ellos. Quieres que no los pillen, que se libren de las consecuencias de sus actos, te sorprendes a ti mismo estando de su parte, entendiéndoles. Con la señora March no pasa eso, no hay atracción ni hechizo ni magnetismo. Diseccionar los pensamientos e ideas de un personaje no es siempre sinónimo de interés. No todos contenemos multitudes ni cosas interesantes y la Sra. March es un personaje insoportable, aburrido, plano y, a veces, idiota.
Mi recomendación para lectores: no lo leáis.
Mi recomendación/ advertencia a los editores: haced el favor de no utilizar el nombre de autores consagrados en vano. ¡Con la Highsmith no se juega!
August 30, 2021
Intriguing cover, right?
Those crisp mint green ladies gloves are being pulled securely and tauntly over hands that definitely need to get a grip. There's a bit of tension in those fingertips for good reason.
Meet Mrs. March. There was a time, back-in-the-day, when women were recognized fully by their husband's name. Mrs. John Smith and the like. No identity outside of the wedded bliss. Even Virginia Feito plays a shell game with Mrs. March's real first name. We won't come upon it until the end.
Mrs. March is mechanical in nature. She frequents the same shops and orders the same items as if it were a ritual. She stands obediently in line waiting to be served in her favorite bakery. She begins chitchating with her favorite clerk. The clerk compliments Mrs. March on her husband George's newly published book. Then, unexpectantly, the clerk comments that the character of Johanna must be based on Mrs. March herself. As if struck by lightning, Mrs. March escapes through the crowd and out the door.
What's the big deal? Well, Johanna, in the book, is a well-defined prostitute with a very abrasive personality. A daintily gloved lady facing a common bakery clerk can be hit with the mimicking golf club alongside the head that roars of humiliation. Once home, Mrs. March ransacks her husband's office for clues to this protagonist. Note to Mrs. March: Be careful while shifting through piles of papers and the like. The truth can sprout legs and crawl right onto your lap.
Virginia Feito has dabbled into some areas of dark woowoo here. She has Mrs. March sitting on the back burner coming to a full boil. Step back. We'll have to swipe out those mint gloves for some actual oven mitts to grab onto this one. And what's the deal with Mrs. March's housekeeper, Martha? And add to this the elusive son, Jonathan.
Mrs. March is an exceptional piece of work by Feito. She sets out a road map which will take us through some back roads of Mrs. March's strange childhood and the like. It's gonna be one crazy ride until we reach our final destination. Wowzers!
Those crisp mint green ladies gloves are being pulled securely and tauntly over hands that definitely need to get a grip. There's a bit of tension in those fingertips for good reason.
Meet Mrs. March. There was a time, back-in-the-day, when women were recognized fully by their husband's name. Mrs. John Smith and the like. No identity outside of the wedded bliss. Even Virginia Feito plays a shell game with Mrs. March's real first name. We won't come upon it until the end.
Mrs. March is mechanical in nature. She frequents the same shops and orders the same items as if it were a ritual. She stands obediently in line waiting to be served in her favorite bakery. She begins chitchating with her favorite clerk. The clerk compliments Mrs. March on her husband George's newly published book. Then, unexpectantly, the clerk comments that the character of Johanna must be based on Mrs. March herself. As if struck by lightning, Mrs. March escapes through the crowd and out the door.
What's the big deal? Well, Johanna, in the book, is a well-defined prostitute with a very abrasive personality. A daintily gloved lady facing a common bakery clerk can be hit with the mimicking golf club alongside the head that roars of humiliation. Once home, Mrs. March ransacks her husband's office for clues to this protagonist. Note to Mrs. March: Be careful while shifting through piles of papers and the like. The truth can sprout legs and crawl right onto your lap.
Virginia Feito has dabbled into some areas of dark woowoo here. She has Mrs. March sitting on the back burner coming to a full boil. Step back. We'll have to swipe out those mint gloves for some actual oven mitts to grab onto this one. And what's the deal with Mrs. March's housekeeper, Martha? And add to this the elusive son, Jonathan.
Mrs. March is an exceptional piece of work by Feito. She sets out a road map which will take us through some back roads of Mrs. March's strange childhood and the like. It's gonna be one crazy ride until we reach our final destination. Wowzers!
February 2, 2022
3.5! Paranoia, visiones aterradoras y brotes psicóticos, aquí encontramos un poquito de todo.
Estoy en un momento en el que tengo ganas de leer historias sobre mujeres descendiendo en una espiral de locura y autodestrucción por lo que este libro me vino como anillo al dedo. La protagonista de la historia es una mujer casada con un autor muy famoso, acostumbrada a una vida de privilegios y cuya mayor preocupación es vivir al pendiente de mantener las apariencias. Le importa tanto el "qué dirán" que cae en comportamientos francamente ridículos y hasta despreciables (prefiere mentir sobre una muerte en la familia a que admitir que suspendieron a su hijo de la escuela, por ejemplo). El catalizador que hace que la Sra. March comience este descenso hacia la perdición ocurre cuando le preguntan si el personaje principal del nuevo libro de su esposo está basado en ella; el tema aquí es que dicho personaje no es descrito en términos muy halagadores que digamos y ésto, naturalmente, ofende a la señora March. Sin embargo, este suceso destapa problemas mucho más complejos que se ocultan detrás de la fachada de perfección a la que nuestra protagonista se aferra.
Aunque la Sra. March cae mal en muchos momentos, y creo que verdaderamente no es una buena persona, la autora nos da pequeños flashbacks a una infancia y adolescencia dolorosas que pueden llegar a explicar algunas cosas. Esta historia es como ver un choque de trenes en cámara lenta: sabes que ahí viene algo terrible, pero no puedes dejar de ver.
Estoy en un momento en el que tengo ganas de leer historias sobre mujeres descendiendo en una espiral de locura y autodestrucción por lo que este libro me vino como anillo al dedo. La protagonista de la historia es una mujer casada con un autor muy famoso, acostumbrada a una vida de privilegios y cuya mayor preocupación es vivir al pendiente de mantener las apariencias. Le importa tanto el "qué dirán" que cae en comportamientos francamente ridículos y hasta despreciables (prefiere mentir sobre una muerte en la familia a que admitir que suspendieron a su hijo de la escuela, por ejemplo). El catalizador que hace que la Sra. March comience este descenso hacia la perdición ocurre cuando le preguntan si el personaje principal del nuevo libro de su esposo está basado en ella; el tema aquí es que dicho personaje no es descrito en términos muy halagadores que digamos y ésto, naturalmente, ofende a la señora March. Sin embargo, este suceso destapa problemas mucho más complejos que se ocultan detrás de la fachada de perfección a la que nuestra protagonista se aferra.
Aunque la Sra. March cae mal en muchos momentos, y creo que verdaderamente no es una buena persona, la autora nos da pequeños flashbacks a una infancia y adolescencia dolorosas que pueden llegar a explicar algunas cosas. Esta historia es como ver un choque de trenes en cámara lenta: sabes que ahí viene algo terrible, pero no puedes dejar de ver.
August 16, 2021
I thought ‘Shirley Jackson meets Ottessa Moshfegh meets My Sister the Serial Killer’ would be just about impossible to live up to, but in fact, it’s really quite accurate. This is almost exactly the book I wanted Moshfegh’s
Death in Her Hands
to be.
Mrs March is the wife of a successful novelist whose perfectly ordered life is thrown into turmoil when she makes an upsetting discovery: her husband, George, has based the protagonist of his latest novel on her. The problem is that the character of Johanna is an utterly pitiful figure, a whore nobody wants to sleep with, a ‘weak, plain, detestable, pathetic, unloved, unlovable wretch’. Mrs March’s whole existence is circumscribed by her identity as a wife (a fact underscored by the fact that she is always, even in flashbacks to childhood, referred to as Mrs March), and as the security of that position seems to fall away, she becomes increasingly unstable. When she finds a newspaper clipping about a missing girl in George’s study, she is led to a horrifying but seemingly inescapable conclusion.
I was sceptical, at first, about the incident that sets the whole thing in motion: as it seems everyone agrees that Johanna has no redeeming qualities whatsoever, it seems incredible that the Marchs’ baker would blithely chat away about how the character is so obviously Mrs March – to Mrs March. But this story, as it turns out, is full of similarly dubious moments, clues (or are they?) that cross the page and then scurry out of sight like the cockroaches that become something of an emblem. It’s cleverly evasive throughout: as well as Mrs March’s name, her age is unclear, as is the time period in which the novel is taking place, which feels like it could be anytime between the 1950s and 1980s. As a result I always felt like Feito was one step ahead of me, which, of course, she was.
As Mrs March’s paranoia grows and she makes a series of choices that seem to escalate in derangement, it’s difficult not to squirm and cringe. Yet everything comes together perfectly in an ending that is both tragic and cathartic. I was really impressed with this debut, which is deliciously dark, witty, and great at balancing an effective lack of specificity with a well-structured plot.
TinyLetter | Linktree
Mrs March is the wife of a successful novelist whose perfectly ordered life is thrown into turmoil when she makes an upsetting discovery: her husband, George, has based the protagonist of his latest novel on her. The problem is that the character of Johanna is an utterly pitiful figure, a whore nobody wants to sleep with, a ‘weak, plain, detestable, pathetic, unloved, unlovable wretch’. Mrs March’s whole existence is circumscribed by her identity as a wife (a fact underscored by the fact that she is always, even in flashbacks to childhood, referred to as Mrs March), and as the security of that position seems to fall away, she becomes increasingly unstable. When she finds a newspaper clipping about a missing girl in George’s study, she is led to a horrifying but seemingly inescapable conclusion.
I was sceptical, at first, about the incident that sets the whole thing in motion: as it seems everyone agrees that Johanna has no redeeming qualities whatsoever, it seems incredible that the Marchs’ baker would blithely chat away about how the character is so obviously Mrs March – to Mrs March. But this story, as it turns out, is full of similarly dubious moments, clues (or are they?) that cross the page and then scurry out of sight like the cockroaches that become something of an emblem. It’s cleverly evasive throughout: as well as Mrs March’s name, her age is unclear, as is the time period in which the novel is taking place, which feels like it could be anytime between the 1950s and 1980s. As a result I always felt like Feito was one step ahead of me, which, of course, she was.
As Mrs March’s paranoia grows and she makes a series of choices that seem to escalate in derangement, it’s difficult not to squirm and cringe. Yet everything comes together perfectly in an ending that is both tragic and cathartic. I was really impressed with this debut, which is deliciously dark, witty, and great at balancing an effective lack of specificity with a well-structured plot.
TinyLetter | Linktree
August 1, 2021
Yikes! Living inside Mrs. March's head was messing with my mind. The cover is perfect. Those mint green gloves! What are they hiding? What do they mean to Mrs. March? This was a much anticipated read for me. I have been hearing about it for months. For me it was a solid 3.5/5 stars. It is most certainly an interesting premise to be fixated on whether you are the inspiration for the not-so-wholesome heroine of you husband's latest book. George March did not really come to life for me. He was a bit flat. And what is going on with Jonathan, her son? What was most interesting was the fact that Mrs. March is so firmly fixed on her identity as a wife to George March that even in her childhool reminiscing she refers to herself as Mrs. March. So much to process. . . I need a book buddy to discuss this with. I have so many questions!
Thank you to Liveright and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to Liveright and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.
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