The Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Koppel
Jul. 28th, 2013 05:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
quippeThe Blurb On The Back:
The true story of the wives behind the American Space Race, the challenges they faced in the ‘50s and ‘60s and the 40-year friendship that bound them together.
As America’s Mercury Seven astronauts were launched on death-defying missions, television cameras focused on the brave smiles of their young wives. Overnight, these women were transformed from military spouses into American royalty. They had tea with Jackie Kennedy, appeared on the cover of Life magazine, and quickly grew into fashion icons.
Annie Glenn, with her picture-perfect marriage, was the envy of the other wives; JFK made it clear that platinum-blonde Rene Carpenter was his favourite; and licensed pilot Trudy Cooper arrived with a secret that needed to stay hidden from NASA. Together with the other wives they formed the Astronaut Wives Club, providing one another with support and friendship, coffee and cocktails. Many bought houses next door to one another, helping to raise each other’s children by day, while going to glam parties at night as the country raced to land a man on the moon.
As their celebrity rose – and as divorce and tragedy began to touch their lives – the wives continued to rally together, forming bonds that would withstand the test of time, and they have stayed friends for over half a century. THE ASTRONAUT WIVES CLUB tells the real story of the women who stood beside some of the biggest heroes in American history.
On 9th April 1959, the USA introduced the seven astronauts chosen for its Mercury programme but the media wanted to know about the wives and families as much as about the men themselves. As a result Rene Carpenter, Trudy Cooper, Betty Grissom, Annie Glen, Jo Schirra, Louise Shepard and Maggie Slayton found themselves thrust into the public spotlight. Unsupported by NASA and forced into a sweetheart deal with Life magazine that promised to make them financially secure, they had to find their own ways of coping with the high-pressure, high stakes and potentially fatal world that their husbands were operating in.
Lily Koppel’s book examines the lives of the wives of the Mercury astronauts, whose ranks expanded with the subsequent Gemini and Apollo missions. Unfortunately those hoping for some insight into these women and their lives will be disappointed with this glib and superficial book that never really gets to grips with its subject matter and at times reads like a cheap gossip magazine.
Part of the problem is that the book’s scope is too wide – there were simply too many wives to do justice to them all with the result that many are little more than names on a page. I couldn’t help but wish that Koppel focused purely on the wives of those astronauts involved in the Mercury and Gemini programmes. Some of the women do stand out – notably Betty Grissom and Rene Carpenter who found roles outside the astronaut circle – but important events like the marriage breakdowns are glossed over.
Koppel also makes no attempt to seriously examine the rivalry between the women, which clearly existed. Many of the wives were counting on the financial deals that came from the astronauts’ fame to support their families, but these resources dwindled the more astronauts were added to the programme. It would have been fascinating to know more about the impact of Harriet Eisele’s divorce from Donn, given the group’s fierce and cruel rejection of his second wife Susan (who they held responsible for the marriage breakup). Koppel disposes of this in a page or so, making no real attempt to look at the impact or the consequences.
Ultimately, this was a disappointing read that really didn’t do justice to its subject matter. Koppel wanted to recognise the women who helped keep the space programme together by maintaining the home front. She has not succeeded with this effort.
The Verdict:
Lily Koppel’s book examines the lives of the wives of the Mercury astronauts, whose ranks expanded with the subsequent Gemini and Apollo missions. Unfortunately those hoping for some insight into these women and their lives will be disappointed with this glib and superficial book that never really gets to grips with its subject matter and at times reads like a cheap gossip magazine.
THE ASTRONAUT WIVES CLUB was released in the United Kingdom on 6th June 2013. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the ARC of this book.
As America’s Mercury Seven astronauts were launched on death-defying missions, television cameras focused on the brave smiles of their young wives. Overnight, these women were transformed from military spouses into American royalty. They had tea with Jackie Kennedy, appeared on the cover of Life magazine, and quickly grew into fashion icons.
Annie Glenn, with her picture-perfect marriage, was the envy of the other wives; JFK made it clear that platinum-blonde Rene Carpenter was his favourite; and licensed pilot Trudy Cooper arrived with a secret that needed to stay hidden from NASA. Together with the other wives they formed the Astronaut Wives Club, providing one another with support and friendship, coffee and cocktails. Many bought houses next door to one another, helping to raise each other’s children by day, while going to glam parties at night as the country raced to land a man on the moon.
As their celebrity rose – and as divorce and tragedy began to touch their lives – the wives continued to rally together, forming bonds that would withstand the test of time, and they have stayed friends for over half a century. THE ASTRONAUT WIVES CLUB tells the real story of the women who stood beside some of the biggest heroes in American history.
On 9th April 1959, the USA introduced the seven astronauts chosen for its Mercury programme but the media wanted to know about the wives and families as much as about the men themselves. As a result Rene Carpenter, Trudy Cooper, Betty Grissom, Annie Glen, Jo Schirra, Louise Shepard and Maggie Slayton found themselves thrust into the public spotlight. Unsupported by NASA and forced into a sweetheart deal with Life magazine that promised to make them financially secure, they had to find their own ways of coping with the high-pressure, high stakes and potentially fatal world that their husbands were operating in.
Lily Koppel’s book examines the lives of the wives of the Mercury astronauts, whose ranks expanded with the subsequent Gemini and Apollo missions. Unfortunately those hoping for some insight into these women and their lives will be disappointed with this glib and superficial book that never really gets to grips with its subject matter and at times reads like a cheap gossip magazine.
Part of the problem is that the book’s scope is too wide – there were simply too many wives to do justice to them all with the result that many are little more than names on a page. I couldn’t help but wish that Koppel focused purely on the wives of those astronauts involved in the Mercury and Gemini programmes. Some of the women do stand out – notably Betty Grissom and Rene Carpenter who found roles outside the astronaut circle – but important events like the marriage breakdowns are glossed over.
Koppel also makes no attempt to seriously examine the rivalry between the women, which clearly existed. Many of the wives were counting on the financial deals that came from the astronauts’ fame to support their families, but these resources dwindled the more astronauts were added to the programme. It would have been fascinating to know more about the impact of Harriet Eisele’s divorce from Donn, given the group’s fierce and cruel rejection of his second wife Susan (who they held responsible for the marriage breakup). Koppel disposes of this in a page or so, making no real attempt to look at the impact or the consequences.
Ultimately, this was a disappointing read that really didn’t do justice to its subject matter. Koppel wanted to recognise the women who helped keep the space programme together by maintaining the home front. She has not succeeded with this effort.
The Verdict:
Lily Koppel’s book examines the lives of the wives of the Mercury astronauts, whose ranks expanded with the subsequent Gemini and Apollo missions. Unfortunately those hoping for some insight into these women and their lives will be disappointed with this glib and superficial book that never really gets to grips with its subject matter and at times reads like a cheap gossip magazine.
THE ASTRONAUT WIVES CLUB was released in the United Kingdom on 6th June 2013. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the ARC of this book.
