Four classic novels from the 1950s & 60s depicting the betrayals, passions, crimes and desires of people living the new, and controversial, “suburban lifestyle.”
THE WIFE SWAPPERS by Bonnie Golightly
Bed sheets don’t talk…It’s the early 1960s, and suburbia is exploding. But with this new lifestyle comes new attitudes towards sex and marriage. These are people with too much money, and too much time, on their hands…especially the pampered, bored housewives who wander out, past their manicured lawns, come home with someone else’s husband. And, if it’s the husband of a good friend, well, have a drink and forget about it. That’s a nice fantasy, but how can you forget what you feel? How can you forget the consequences if you begin to feel too much.
THE LOVE SURVEY by Morton Cooper
A group of scientists exploring human sexuality picks the quiet little town of Waymouth for their research…but despite the very public howls of indignation from the residents, the locals are surprisingly willing to participate, revealing shocking secrets about themselves and their community. The stunning revelations of betrayal, shredded morality, and erotic daring threaten to destroy families, relationships and the town… and tear apart the team of researchers, too.
THE GIRL CAGE by Charles Mergendahl
Martha Gwynn hated “the girl cage,” the San Diego house she shared with four other military wives while their husbands were fighting in Korea. She especially hated how the other women escaped that cage. Freida snuck off to motels with any man in a uniform. Colleen couldn’t resist a sailor. Ellen fell for a rich playboy. And Joan slaked her desires with forbidden passions. But Martha promised herself she wouldn’t be like them — that she would resist temptation and wait for her husband’s safe return. But then she met Lt. Hank McKellar in a bar and her resolve began to crack, threatening to shatter her life.
Originally published in 1953, the book was later re-released as The Lonely Ones. Author Charles Mergendahl (1919 – 1959) was a novelist and screenwriter best known for his 1958 bestseller The Bramble Bush, which was made into a movie starring Richard Burton and Angie Dickinson.
PARTY WIVES by Jim Layne
These women have it all ….the big houses… the big cars… the lush backyard swimming pools….and can have any man they want. They’re the wives of young, corporate executives, men on the brink of success, needing just that little extra push to put them over. It’s the kind of push a wife can give if she’s lovely enough…. and willing to be the wife if the party, trading shares in passion for an interest in the corporation.
This novel was written by “Jim Layne,” a pseudonym mostly used by Joseph Chadwick, who authored scores of suburban potboilers, including The Party Game, The Six Weekers, The Swap Set, Company Woman, Sex Lane and Borrowed Lover.
Bonnie Golightly, Charles Mergendahl, Jim Layne, Morton Cooper /
Anthologies, Historical, Romance, Sexy Fiction
