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The Mad Wife

A Novel

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The Mad Wife

By: Meagan Church
Narrated by: Susan Bennett
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About this listen

From bestselling author Meagan Church comes a haunting exploration of identity, motherhood, and the suffocating grip of societal expectations that will leave you questioning the lives we build—and the lies we live.

They called it hysteria. She called it survival.

Lulu Mayfield has spent the last five years molding herself into the perfect 1950s housewife. Despite the tragic memories that haunt her and the weight of exhausting expectations, she keeps her husband happy, her household running, and her gelatin salads the talk of the neighborhood. But after she gives birth to her second child, Lulu's carefully crafted life begins to unravel.

When a new neighbor, Bitsy, moves in, Lulu suspects that something darker lurks behind the woman's constant smile. As her fixation on Bitsy deepens, Lulu is drawn into a web of unsettling truths that threaten to expose the cracks in her own life. The more she uncovers about Bitsy, the more she questions everything she thought she knew—and soon, others begin questioning her sanity. But is Lulu truly losing her mind? Or is she on the verge of discovering a reality too terrifying to accept?

In the vein of The Bell Jar and The HoursThe Mad Wife weaves domestic drama with psychological suspense, so poignant and immersive, you won't want to stop listening.

©2025 Meagan Church (P)2025 Recorded Books
Family Life Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Psychological Suspense Thriller & Suspense Marriage War
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I thought this was a popcorn thriller type book, so I guess that’s on me for not realising. The blurb read like it was but I didn’t realise it author doesn’t specialise in this. I didn’t love this book, I thought it was quite slow and boring. But again, I was expecting something that it wasn’t. I still didn’t love any of the characters or the premise of the story.

It was okay

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Enjoyed this one. Feels abit slow to get into but also couldn't put it down. Definitely an eye opening read.

Great story telling

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I liked it, the narrator was great, although I feel there are a lot of layers missing, it felt a little shallow although that added to the liminal vibe.

Liminal vibes

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