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The Astronaut Wives Club
The Astronaut Wives Club | Lily Koppel
41 posts | 80 read | 45 to read
As American astronauts were launched on death-defying missions, television cameras focused on the brave smiles of their wives. Overnight, these women were transformed from shy military spouses to American royalty: having tea with Jackie Kennedy, attending high society galas, and being featured on the cover of Life magazine. They quickly grew into fashion icons, donning sherbet-swirled Pucci dresses and lacquering their hair into extravagant rocket styles (to match their husbands' spaceships). Annie Glenn was the envy of the other wives, with her many magazine features; platinum-blonde bombshell Rene Carpenter was proclaimed JFK's favourite; homely Betty Grissom worried her husband was having affairs; Louise Shepard just wanted to be left alone to her card games; and licensed pilot Trudy Cooper arrived on base with a dirty secret. Together they rallied to form the Astronaut Wives Club, which has now turned into over 40 years of enduring friendship. Sexy and sophisticated, rich in melodrama, and set against the uniquely atmospheric backdrop of the Space Age, THE ASTRONAUTS' WIVES CLUB tells the real story behind some of the biggest heroes in American history, chronicling their romantic, domestic, and public dramas during the Mad Men era.
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Scochrane26
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I listened to this as part of my library‘s book challenge —using a part on their catalog that suggests books like one you already read. Since I loved The Six earlier this year, thought I‘d try this history of the first group of astronaut wives. It was a good listen for my commute & a little sad when some wives lost husbands, but was not on the same level as The Six. 3⭐️ liked it but should have checked Litsy for reviews before reading

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Eggs
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Jensol77 I really enjoyed this. Watch the series on Hulu. 2y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Perfect 👍🏻 💛📚 2y
Clwojick Another intriguing pick! I‘ll have to check it out. 2y
60 likes4 comments
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Nessavamusic
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1. Ireland, Wyoming & Grand Marais, MN
2. Reading & getting massages
3. Tagged, but it was a while ago. I don‘t read much non-fiction
4. Cooler weather soon!
#wondrouswednesday @Eggs

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ElizaMarie
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ElizaMarie
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#bookishbingo #audiobookbingo #Challenge

I was using this Audio Book Bingo for the whole year. I need to find an audio-poetry-book.

ImperfectCJ Not sure if you're looking for suggestions, but Claudia Rankine's Citizen is a book-length poem and is said to be very good. It's on my TBR, but I've not gotten to it yet. There are also a few books of poetry written and narrated by Mary Oliver. 5y
ElizaMarie @ImperfectCJ thanks! I was/am always looking for suggestions :) I‘ll look into it! 5y
11 likes2 comments
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ElizaMarie
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Pickpick

I just finished this one! I really enjoyed the story. I felt like this was a great book in conjunction with reading my #NWC book of “Hidden Figures“. Thank you @AsYouWish for the recommendation! Also I am going to be able to use this book for several of my bingo prompts. I am counting it this as a “bookish book club rec“ because you recommended this to me and we are in a book club :)
#bookishbingo #AprilBingo #Challenge

AsYouWish Yay!!! I am glad you enjoyed it!!! 5y
ElizaMarie @AsYouWish I might have to look up the show. But I don know if I would like a series. 5y
AsYouWish I watched the show before I read the book, due to there being such a long wait for the book, but I really enjoyed both. There were a lot of familiar actors for me in it, so that helped too. I found the trailer for the show on YouTube and there are clips of the show on there too. Here is the trailer: https://youtu.be/21Q5O94cksE 5y
ElizaMarie @AsYouWish Thank you so so much! 5y
12 likes4 comments
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ElizaMarie

I am almost done with this book. I have so many thoughts/frustrations/concerns. I hate that the media invaded into these women's lives but then it seems like some of them were okay with it and liked the glamorous part of it. I would be so scared for my husband wouldn't want a camera shoved into my face (only till after he made it safely back home).

AsYouWish Right?! And because their husbands were doing these big, important, life changing things they couldn‘t really lean on them or “bother” them with what they were going through. I did love that they had each other though and they could lean on each other through this time in their lives. 5y
ElizaMarie @AsYouWish I mean I get the not wanting to worry your husband when he is about to go out into space and all. But the silence, the inability to communicate with each the person you love is just so sad and isolating. You are right... them having each other is so so important, but yeah... to not have your hubby to talk to. ugh! 5y
10 likes2 comments
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ElizaMarie
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Going to start this one very soon (sometime this week) :)
Thank you @AsYouWish for the recommendation

AsYouWish I hope you like it!!! 5y
ElizaMarie I am excited to start it! I am finishing my first Sherlock first (it was only 5 hours and I had some cleaning/straightening up to do so I will finish that one today 5y
19 likes2 comments
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Lawlergk
Pickpick

Collection of story‘s from the wife‘s of the astronauts

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Nessavamusic
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Panpan

This was very disappointing. The only reason I finished it was due to it being a book club read. This fascinating history reads like a bad rambling tabloid story. It is unfocused, disjointed and unfair to its subjects. While meaning to show strength of these women, instead it frequently shows them as sad, vapid and selfish creatures. I want to find a better written story of these women. #biography

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barbwire
Panpan

My eyes are tired from rolling in exasperation. There's so much potential in this subject, and it's so squandered. There's little coherency to the capricious narrative, glaring omissions and errors (e.g., Apollo 8 orbiting the moon for “20 hours from late Christmas Eve to early Christmas Day,“ no mention of Valerie Anders or of Apollos 10, 15, or 16), and far too much cutesy language. Sadly, the best insights were in the epilogue.

marleed I own this book but showed up to my IRL bookclub without reading it. I think it was the only time where everyone was very disappointed in the book. So it‘s now on my ‘ I‘m never going to read this but like the pink spine‘ stack 5y
ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled Bummer. I was afraid that was the case 😕 5y
6 likes2 comments
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Samplergal
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Mehso-so

This was a well researched book written as if it was written by that early astronaut wives type. Lots of facts and some stilted language. I usually love this type of non fiction, but this didn‘t have a huge personality. Still worthy of a read if you‘re interested in the early days of the astronaut program and how weird it all was.

Lova Have you seen the show? I was wondering how it compares. 5y
Samplergal I haven‘t. I didn‘t even know there was one. 😂 5y
74 likes2 comments
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Samplergal
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Seemed like an appropriate time to start this one! #nasa #moonlanding

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Jediash1
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Pickpick

Book #2 of the trip! This was a really fascinating look at the wives of the early NASA astronauts. This is an authentic, honest look at the challenges they faced, and I‘m glad their story is being told. 🚀💫🌑

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AsYouWish
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Day 2 of #tarottakeover This book definitely reminds me of the World because it is about the wives of the men who were the to go into space. The woman were left on Earth to deal with everyday life and the craziness that the space program brought into their lives.

#octoberphotochallenge @ErinSueG @WhiskeyMistress

Well-ReadNeck Well chosen! 6y
Erinsuereads Well that‘s a multi faceted answer!!! Great choice! The cover is real stepford wives though hahahaha (edited) 6y
AsYouWish @ErinSueG They sort of were turned into Stepford Wives. They had to be perfect in every way because the world was watching them as well as their husbands. They had to dress a certain way in public and speak with only the utmost respect for the space program and their husbands and never fight with their husbands because the men were not to be distracted from the space program. 6y
Erinsuereads Man I can‘t decide if that‘s sad or something else entirely. I‘m sure they were proud to do it but yikes 6y
AsYouWish @ErinSueG There is also a book from the men's point of view but it is more of the science side of everything. 6y
37 likes5 comments
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Reviewsbylola
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I was so excited to read this one, about the wives of the first US astronauts. The glitz and glamour of a “Mad Men” type era—I was all over it! Unfortunately, it didn‘t have the narrative feel I was hoping for, and instead I found it very biographical and dry.

#rocketboys #septemberdanes

Cinfhen I saw similar reviews, which is a shame because this could have been great!!! Did u ever end up reading 6y
Cinfhen I thought that was well done!!! 6y
Reviewsbylola No, I did not. The first person plural completely threw me off and I really wasn‘t enjoying it solely for that reason. I bailed and I‘m scared to try again. 😭 @Cinfhen 6y
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Cinfhen It took a few pages for me to adjust to that format but once I did I kind of appreciated what the author did!! I‘d say try again but I feel like you‘re not gonna get past the “we” 😟😂😝 6y
Kalalalatja Reading the first few lines of your post, I got all excited, but then it went away again 😐 6y
WorldsOkayestStepMom I watched the tv series a few years ago, but I had no idea it was a book! 6y
Reviewsbylola I‘m pretty sure I won‘t either. 😬 @Cinfhen 6y
Reviewsbylola I know! Such a disappointment. @Kalalalatja 6y
Mdargusch That‘s too bad. It looks like it could‘ve been a good one! 6y
95 likes9 comments
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parttimedomestic
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Good morning! I let myself sleep in, but I‘m back at it now! These are the books I‘m hoping to get through today-I‘m a 1/3 into Meddling Kids and 1/2 way through Sula already. I‘m currently listening to the tagged book on audio while I catch up of laundry and coffee.
#24in48

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keys_on_fire
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Pickpick

It is really fitting that as I finish up my time in #deweysreadathon that I finish a book that ends with the Moon focused space programs ending. I have a fascination with this topic, which I‘m sure lends to my enjoyment of this book. It was neat to learn the stories from the perspectives of the wives, and there were still things mentioned that were not in the tv series. Fun read!

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keys_on_fire
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Homemade 🍿, sangria and the 📚 I‘ve been most excited to read today. 😊
#deweysreadathon

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keys_on_fire
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1) I‘m reading in Ohio
2) Most looking forward to The Astronaut Wives Club
3) Looking forward to a snack of homemade cheesy popcorn
4) Besides reading, I love to crochet and play the piano and explore new adventures
5) This is my 1st readathon, so I‘m looking forward to seeing how much I can read and perhaps take pledges next time to raise money for #AlexsLemonadeStandFoundation

tammysue Happy reading!! 👍🏻💗 7y
28 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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AKinderman
Pickpick

So interesting to hear about their lives during the Space age.

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rockpools
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These ladies needed to be the ultimate #cheerleader s. Sounds like it took its toll.
#fiercefeb @Cinfhen @batsy

TrishB 😂😂 7y
Cathythoughts 👍🏻👍🏻😁 7y
batsy 😂😂👍🏽 7y
Cinfhen Fabulous and I really want to read this book 7y
68 likes3 stack adds4 comments
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AKinderman
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I started this audiobook during a 12 mile run Sunday and it has been incredibly interesting so far.

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AngieAvers
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I love the romance of the space race! I've read The Lost Moon by Jim Lovell twice. The story of the the wives of the astronauts had, astonishingly, never been told prior to this. One of the things I learned through this book is that only the marriages of the Apollo 8 astronauts managed to survive. The stress that these women were under was hardly less than the stress their husbands were under.

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goodbyefrancie
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Morning audio while I get ready for work. I should be able to finish this one today.

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Lova
Panpan

Very little new information in this book and poorly written. The story telling doesn't flow-
It's very choppy and changes flights/wives at the drop of a hat. She spread herself thin over so many flights and families that you can't keep track of which wife she is writing about and some flights she just skims right over. There are too many good books about the space program to waste your time on this one.

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Mamashep
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If you lived through these days, especially, this is a book worth reading! And it's cheap right now for the ebook!

DebinHawaii I grabbed this one the other day. I have been wanting to read it since the series. 👍 7y
Mamashep @DebinHawaii a bit less juicy than the series but maybe only because it wasn't in your face. 7y
18 likes1 stack add2 comments
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goodbyefrancie
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Great #bookhaul from yard sales this morning.

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Jas16
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Mehso-so

This was certainly more US Weekly than intense history. It was interesting but I found it more depressing with the constant infidelity than inspiring. That could have been more of a reflection of my mood during a challenging week than a fair assessment of the book. I would like to read a more substantial book about these women.

Reviewsbylola I felt that this book really lost focus. I wish there had been more of a focus on certain families. I found it hard to get through. 8y
Jas16 @Reviewsbylola I agree about the focus. I had a hard time keeping the wives straight but wasn't sure if that would have been easier if I had read a print version. 8y
36 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Eggs
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Pictured are the first 7 (of 30) astronaut wives shortly after their husbands were selected for NASA in 1959. Great narrative

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Sarahreadstoomuch
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Mehso-so

Fascinating look at the women behind our nation's first astronauts. In the end, it's more a loosely constructed collection of anecdotes instead of a story with a point. I found it very interesting even if I lost track of who was married to whom.

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LauraBeth
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Pinkmeghan Hope you like it! I thought it was fascinating! 8y
saresmoore This looks fun! It makes me think of a novel I really liked, 8y
Suet624 @Laurabeth, I enjoyed that book and @saresmoore I liked that book too! Although The Astronaut Wives has more specific info on the lives of the families of the early astronauts. 8y
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bio_chem06 @LauraBeth Did you see the TV series when it was on? I really liked it but it didn't last :( 8y
ValerieAndBooks @LauraBeth hope you enjoy it! @saresmoore I'll have to check out your recommendation. My sister and her family lives in Los Alamos. 8y
saresmoore @ValerieAndBooks Oh, then I think you'll enjoy it. The setting is very much like another character. 8y
Nonaroo This was a fun book. I thought the wives had really interesting stories, especially Betty Grissom and Rene Carpenter. 8y
LauraBeth @saresmoore I ❤ when recommendations lead to other recommendations! I'll definitely check that one out 😀 8y
LauraBeth @bio_chem06 I didn't even know there was a tv series on it! I'm sad that I missed it and sad that it didn't last 😔 8y
Cortg This was a fun book. Lots of info from the women's take on The Space Race 8y
LauraBeth @Cortg I can't believe I didn't read it when it came out! 8y
bio_chem06 @LauraBeth The show was great. I loved the book too. I have no idea why it didn't last more than a season. 8y
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ValerieAndBooks
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Pickpick

The astronauts of the 60s & early 70s were big-time celebrities, and as a result, their wives were in the spotlight also. Reporters camped out on their front lawns. So some had houses built with no front windows. Most of their marriages suffered and ended in divorce. This is not tabloid-style writing, but thought-provoking about what it meant to have to be "perfect wives" in the public eye. Cover is from LIFE mag of the Mercury Seven wives.

MrBook Great review! 8y
Pinkmeghan I loved this book! I tried to watch the tv series, but it kind of fell flat for me after the book. 8y
Reviewsbylola I wanted to love this so badly but it was do dry for me. 8y
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Zelma I listened to this on audio and found it really interesting. The cast of wives got really long due to the number of missions covered, so they started to blend together, but overall a fascinating book about celebrity, stress,family, and media. 8y
ValerieAndBooks @MrBook thanks! And there's a few recipes at the end 😉. I'll have to try the blue cheese deviled eggs sometime! 8y
ValerieAndBooks @Pinkmeghan as I don't really watch tv, good to know I'm not missing out too much 😊(though maybe there are some who love the show?) 8y
ValerieAndBooks @Reviewsbylola sorry it didn't work out for you...I had a hard time putting it down ! Maybe expectations were different? 8y
ValerieAndBooks @Zelma yes there were a lot of people mentioned...the list at the beginning of the book really helped, and I referred to it often. Plus, although there were pictures, I did a lot of googling to match faces to names 😊 8y
Zelma @ValerieAndBooks ooh, a list and pictures would have helped. I listened in the car and had no reference. 8y
69 likes6 stack adds9 comments
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Jennie748
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Pickpick

This was fascinating and thought-provoking. It was a little dry in spots, but I recommend it overall.

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Jennie748
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Reading this right before bed means I'll probably have dreams about space flight...and I'm totally cool with that.

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Amputateddad

Just started this tonight,no I did not watch the television show😉

Amputateddad Next up after this is The Girls of Atomic City 8y
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MeganMarieWrites
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For today's #AugustOfPages the prompt is favorite #bookishsquad...and I was debating earlier - do I go the obvious route and choose the Golden Trio from HP or the Company from LOtR...I LOVE those squads, don't get me wrong but...these ladies are something else! (Accompanied by Captain Hook!)

Pinkmeghan I loved this book! 8y
MeganMarieWrites @Pinkmeghan me too! Definitely one of my favorites! 8y
Dineen73 Yes!!! Loved this book! 8y
TheSpinecrackersBookClub Absolutely lovely pic! 8y
25 likes3 stack adds4 comments
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TheresaGivan
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We have TONS of books. I can't get them all in one picture! Also we like our shelves a tad messy (note the dinosaur on the right side ). :) #24in48 #shelfie

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laurabradburywriter
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Mehso-so

I was on an astronaut reading kick (sparked by re-watching Apollo 13 - great flic BTW) so pounced on this book. The wives' stories were bizarre and fascinating, but the book tried to spread itself too thin. A tighter focus on fewer (the most interesting) women would have given the story more depth.

Jensol77 Interesting perspective on the space race. I just hated how the end was rushed. I would like to read their individual biographies of hey exist. 8y
laurabradburywriter It's true - I found the ending really rushed too. 8y
Reviewsbylola I completely agree. It was difficult to follow and I ended up getting bored. Love this particular cover! 8y
laurabradburywriter @Reviewsbylola - I agree. So much potential there but it just didn't live up to what must truly be a fascinating subject matter. The cover is what sold me! 8y
1 like1 stack add4 comments