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In the Flesh
Paulette and Howard settle into a marriage intended to last for life, but an anonymous note informing Paulette of another woman in Howard's life sets her on the course of losing and winning back her husband
240 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1977
39 people are currently reading
139 people want to read
About the author
Hilma Wolitzer
30 books173 followersHilma Wolitzer (b. 1930) is a critically hailed author of literary fiction. She is a recipient of Guggenheim and National Endowment for the Arts fellowships, an American Academy of Arts and Letters Award in Literature, and a Barnes & Noble Writers for Writers Award. Her first short story appeared in print when she was thirty-six. Eight years later she published her first novel. Her novels and stories have drawn praise for illuminating the dark interiors of the American home. She lives in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 18, 2023
If Hilma Wolitzer had been born a man in 1930, with the same writing talent, I suspect she'd have had the writing career of a Philip Roth or a Woody Allen.
Her writing is just as funny, just as sexy, just as poignant.
Instead, her books from the 1970s have gone out of print.
Ms. Wolitzer is still alive and kicking, and, like two of her badass peers, Penelope Lively and Alice Munro, she is still writing in her early 90s.
I consider her my new mentor. I feel as though the skies opened up and dropped down her books on me. I have gobbled up the pages and wiped the words from the edges of my mouth. I have finally found another female writer who writes funny and writes sexy and writes her truth.
Douglas himself had come to the door barefoot, wearing only unbelted jeans. His naked chest was as gorgeous as a laborer's, as vulnerable as a child's. I had once loved only Howard's body, praised its beauty and imperfections alike, celebrated its companionship with mine. Now I knew how men feel in their arrow-straight lust for certain women. I, too, had become a connoisseur of flesh.
Take no prisoners, Ms. Wolitzer!
My very first official job was at a bookstore (surprise, surprise), and the boss that I had there remains the best one I ever had. One day, after I had rung up a line of customers, she said to me, “I've never seen anything like it. You could sell print books to the blind. All you need is to love a book and you can sell every copy on the shelf.”
I have thought about these words for years, especially during other times when I couldn't sell merchandise that I did not believe in. I think the reason I am able to do so has to do with a certain purity, and a certain passion.
I benefit in no way from any book or author I promote on here. I do not receive free copies of anything, either. What should be honored here: the honesty in this woman's writing and her exceptional technical skills.
I demand nothing more than a revitalization of her work. I demand nothing less than a minor revolution.
Her writing is just as funny, just as sexy, just as poignant.
Instead, her books from the 1970s have gone out of print.
Ms. Wolitzer is still alive and kicking, and, like two of her badass peers, Penelope Lively and Alice Munro, she is still writing in her early 90s.
I consider her my new mentor. I feel as though the skies opened up and dropped down her books on me. I have gobbled up the pages and wiped the words from the edges of my mouth. I have finally found another female writer who writes funny and writes sexy and writes her truth.
Douglas himself had come to the door barefoot, wearing only unbelted jeans. His naked chest was as gorgeous as a laborer's, as vulnerable as a child's. I had once loved only Howard's body, praised its beauty and imperfections alike, celebrated its companionship with mine. Now I knew how men feel in their arrow-straight lust for certain women. I, too, had become a connoisseur of flesh.
Take no prisoners, Ms. Wolitzer!
My very first official job was at a bookstore (surprise, surprise), and the boss that I had there remains the best one I ever had. One day, after I had rung up a line of customers, she said to me, “I've never seen anything like it. You could sell print books to the blind. All you need is to love a book and you can sell every copy on the shelf.”
I have thought about these words for years, especially during other times when I couldn't sell merchandise that I did not believe in. I think the reason I am able to do so has to do with a certain purity, and a certain passion.
I benefit in no way from any book or author I promote on here. I do not receive free copies of anything, either. What should be honored here: the honesty in this woman's writing and her exceptional technical skills.
I demand nothing more than a revitalization of her work. I demand nothing less than a minor revolution.
May 13, 2023
Dare I tread onto Goodreads again? This site has become a minefield for me... so I come here quickly, in and out. It's a dangerous business, "friends".
Annnnyhoooo....
It's worth the danger to record my reading experience of In The Flesh, another winning recommendation by Julie (thank you again, true friend).
Who knew, Hilma Wolitzer?? She's brilliant and writes about domestic relationships SO well. Her style, her voice, the quality of prose on a sentence-by-sentence level. Wow. Applause, woman.
This particular story is about a couple who has a shotgun marriage. They're both lovely people with the best of intentions. And then... after a kid or so... well...
I was reminded several times of KRAMER VS. KRAMER, but gender reversed. My only complaint about this remarkable book is that it didn't end like that. I didn't love Wolitzer's ending, actually. It was a little too neat for me, and life just doesn't (and shouldn't) always work out that way.
But that's just my quibble. It's a thoroughly worthwhile book. Read it! Enjoy it! Try not to rip her a new one! She did her best, and her best was damn good. Okay? :D
And now I'll make a mad dash to the exit.
Annnnyhoooo....
It's worth the danger to record my reading experience of In The Flesh, another winning recommendation by Julie (thank you again, true friend).
Who knew, Hilma Wolitzer?? She's brilliant and writes about domestic relationships SO well. Her style, her voice, the quality of prose on a sentence-by-sentence level. Wow. Applause, woman.
This particular story is about a couple who has a shotgun marriage. They're both lovely people with the best of intentions. And then... after a kid or so... well...
I was reminded several times of KRAMER VS. KRAMER, but gender reversed. My only complaint about this remarkable book is that it didn't end like that. I didn't love Wolitzer's ending, actually. It was a little too neat for me, and life just doesn't (and shouldn't) always work out that way.
But that's just my quibble. It's a thoroughly worthwhile book. Read it! Enjoy it! Try not to rip her a new one! She did her best, and her best was damn good. Okay? :D
And now I'll make a mad dash to the exit.
March 8, 2022
Hilma Wolitzer's In the Flesh is an astute look at one marriage from 1957 to 1962. Wolitzer's writing brings images clearly to mind and showcases her discerning look into the human heart, bringing me to laughter along the way. While published in 1976, there is little that is dated here; Wolitzer's work feels fresh and relatable.
"Nobody has an average marriage. You can't say that about marriage. It's a complicated relationship. Fire and ice. Passion, camaraderie, bonds of sin, love, ecstasy. It's a dangerous, even a death-defying act."
Amen!
There is so much here to share that I will limit myself to just a few incidents.
Do you remember your first really great sexual encounters? Wolitzer evokes the desire, the hunger, the feeling that no one else could possibly experience this bliss with just a few sentences.
"Sex, which I had discovered in the misery of childhood (like everyone else), had finally reached the ultimate stage of partnership. and what a partner I had! Even cramped in the back seat of Howard's car, I recognized with awe all those sensations we invented and that new voice that came from the dark pit of my throat ('Don't . . . oh yes . . . oh God.')."
There's a scene when Howard is packing to leave the family and tries to lay the blame for the drama of the situation on Paulie because she comes home. It is so sad and yet there's a hint of humor in it too; it's so brilliantly written.
" 'I thought you were going to your mother's today,' he managed finally, confusing me. Somehow, I was in the wrong now for not being where he expected me to be.
'Wait a minute,' I said. 'Just wait a minute! You're the one. What do you mean, I'm supposed . . . Howie, you were going away like this?'
He looked at the children, then lowered his eyes. 'I was going to call,' he whispered. 'Tonight. Easier for everyone.'
'Easier for Benedict Arnold,' I said."
As an added bonus I recognize some of this writing from Wolitzer's recently published collection, Today a Woman Went Mad in the Supermarket: Stories in this work. It was fun to see how she folded them into this novel.
How Paulie and Howard go on I will leave for you to discover. I highly recommend that you get your hands on a copy of this novel and sit down to read.
This was a buddy read with Julie. Do read her stellar review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
"Nobody has an average marriage. You can't say that about marriage. It's a complicated relationship. Fire and ice. Passion, camaraderie, bonds of sin, love, ecstasy. It's a dangerous, even a death-defying act."
Amen!
There is so much here to share that I will limit myself to just a few incidents.
Do you remember your first really great sexual encounters? Wolitzer evokes the desire, the hunger, the feeling that no one else could possibly experience this bliss with just a few sentences.
"Sex, which I had discovered in the misery of childhood (like everyone else), had finally reached the ultimate stage of partnership. and what a partner I had! Even cramped in the back seat of Howard's car, I recognized with awe all those sensations we invented and that new voice that came from the dark pit of my throat ('Don't . . . oh yes . . . oh God.')."
There's a scene when Howard is packing to leave the family and tries to lay the blame for the drama of the situation on Paulie because she comes home. It is so sad and yet there's a hint of humor in it too; it's so brilliantly written.
" 'I thought you were going to your mother's today,' he managed finally, confusing me. Somehow, I was in the wrong now for not being where he expected me to be.
'Wait a minute,' I said. 'Just wait a minute! You're the one. What do you mean, I'm supposed . . . Howie, you were going away like this?'
He looked at the children, then lowered his eyes. 'I was going to call,' he whispered. 'Tonight. Easier for everyone.'
'Easier for Benedict Arnold,' I said."
As an added bonus I recognize some of this writing from Wolitzer's recently published collection, Today a Woman Went Mad in the Supermarket: Stories in this work. It was fun to see how she folded them into this novel.
How Paulie and Howard go on I will leave for you to discover. I highly recommend that you get your hands on a copy of this novel and sit down to read.
This was a buddy read with Julie. Do read her stellar review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
November 16, 2013
Mom Hilma vs. Daughter Meg - sorry Meg. Mom wins out, but not by much. I definitely liked this book. a fast easy read. At least Paulette uses her brain. I had to always remember the time frame of this book or I'd be less forgiving of her thinking. Good characters but don't have to put it on your "must read" list.
December 20, 2017
I got this book on impulse at a used bookstore and had never heard of the author. I'm glad I did. It's very good. It begins in 1957, which may be why I bought it after reading the first few lines—I was born in 1958—and ends in 1962.
September 29, 2021
This one is a little more literary than my usual cheating books, but I enjoyed it immensely.
The story starts in 1958, so the details are a little dated.
There's also a second book, set in more recent times, called Silver...enjoyed that one too.
The story starts in 1958, so the details are a little dated.
There's also a second book, set in more recent times, called Silver...enjoyed that one too.
May 17, 2023
Another trauma of marriage is unlocked. This took me wholeheartedly in an amusing journey of different feelings. I really enjoyed reading it for the plot was amazing and the writing style was very smart and smooth. Will definitely read again other works for the same author.
May 11, 2024
Fångar tidsandan och livssituationerna på pricken! En författare jag gärna läser mer av.
Bara synd att jag läste boken på svenska, för här och där anar man att originalformuleringen var bättre än översättningen.
Bara synd att jag läste boken på svenska, för här och där anar man att originalformuleringen var bättre än översättningen.
October 18, 2011
A marriage is threatened by another woman.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews