Diary of a Mad Housewife: A Novel

Made into a major motion picture that garnered an Oscar nomination for actress Carrie Snodgrass, Diary of a Mad Housewife is a classic of women’s fiction that gave a wry voice to the nascent feminist stirrings of the 1960s and helped incite a revolution in the consciousness of a generation.

When Bettina Balser begins to suspect that she is going mad, she starts a secret diary as a form of therapy and as an escape from the boredom and dissatisfaction she experiences as a 1960s housewife. Her fears pour onto the page: "Elevators, subways, bridges, tunnels, high places, low places, tightly enclosed spaces, boats, cars, planes, trains, crowds. . . ." Through her observations of herself and those around her, Bettina seeks to find meaning in her exceedingly dreary life. Her frank examinations lead to many changes, including an extramarital fling, and her voice touches a timeless nerve, resonating on many levels—from the ever-evolving feminist consciousness to the gnawing existential search that is universal.

Diary of a Mad Housewife’s humor and insight is as alive and pertinent today as yesterday, and will charm and disarm men and women of any generation.