The Wives of Los Alamos: A Novel Hardcover – February 25, 2014

As the title says, this is a book of the wives (plural) of Los Alamos; therefore, it is written about the wives, collectively. It is not about individuals, but the group. It is about what they did, how they thought as they lived secreted away from family and the rest of the world. Collectively, they speculated what work was being conducted by their scientist husbands who were forbidden from discussing the project. Individualism is reflected to in (paraphrased) lines as “we laughed or we didn’t or some of us cried” … “we attended or we stayed home or we were in the hospital having babies”. I must admit that the writing style confused me for the first few pages, but then I concluded that the only way to write a collective story was in first person plural. Later in the book, the author states that alone they could not have done much – but together ”WE” could. The book says it is a novel, but I think there is probably more fact than fiction. My first trip to Los Alamos was just after I graduated from high school. Although Los Alamos was no longer a closed city, we did have to stop at the guard’s gate, tell who we were visiting, and wait for permission to continue into the town. Later, I lived in the city from 1967 – 1978, I know that much of this book is true. She talks about the strange “booms” occurring in the city. During the eleven years I lived there, we would hear those “booms” about once a month. No one would ever explain what they were, but they did cause windows to rattle. I know people whose birth certificate lists place of birth as P.O. Box 1663 – Santa Fe, NM. Fuller Lodge was still a hub of activity and until residential buildings began on Barranca Mesa, “bath tub row” was still fairly prime real estate. The author alludes to the possibility of “wife swapping” and talks about the use of alcohol among the wives. During my time on The Hill, Los Alamos had one of the highest rates of alcoholism among wives, per capita than any place else in the U.S. The rumor has always been that there was a “key club” in the city, but I don’t know if that was true. I had never heard that the explosion from the first testing in White Sands was seen 360 miles away in Los Alamos, but perhaps it was. I didn’t know the wives were responsible for the golf course or other of their accomplishments, but because so much of the book is true, I really don’t doubt what all they did. I have been to the scientific museum several times and have seen the front page of the Santa Fe New Mexican – bronzed for generations – saying, “Now the Stoories from the Hill Can Be Told”. I’ve been to the Historical Museum and have read some personal letters from that time period. I found it to be an excellent book that history buffs of that period would enjoy. My only disagreement with Nesbit is that throughout the book, she refers to Los Alamos as “the desert”. A Native New Mexican, such as I, does not refer to any place with so many trees as "desert". (There were 7 Ponderosa Pines in my Los Alamos yard). But then, the author was born in Ohio – perhaps that is the difference? Even with that flaw, it is a great book.

I have always felt if a book inspires you to think and talk about it and the subject matter it includes after you have closed the last page that it is a success. With that definition, I will say this book was a success. It told the story -- or stories -- of the thoughts and feelings of the experiences of the wives of those scientists and physicists who developed the atom bomb that was dropped on Japan to end World War II. What an experience to live through. Imagine being whisked off with your family to live in some secret place "somewhere out west" under mysterious conditions that you couldn't even tell your parents about, knowing at the core that your husband was involved in something secret having to do with the war.The writing style of the author was such that it conveyed the ambiguity of the wives by talking in generalities.When I say this made me think and discuss the subject, I wanted to discuss it more, but frankly I find it difficult to find people/friends who want to get involved in conversations that go to the core of war itself and/or eithical/moral issues related to developing weapons that can literally wipe out civilizations, etc. Considering the state of affairs today -- with Iran and other rogue nations developing nuclear weapons -- deterrence really is the name of the game for the continuance of mankind. In the near future, many more so-called rogue nations will have the capability of wiping out millions with one armed missle. Though we may "trust" such a weapon in the hands of the United States, who would believe the U.S. would actually release the weapon it did in WWII? In the hands of rogue nations, there is a real and dangerous threat to all of mankind. Thus, disarmnament by the so-called trusted nations alone is meaningless and leaves them at risk by those who would abuse the power. This is a subject that demands more open and serious discussion among so-called "friendly" governments in order to deter those who would (when they could) unleash such power.I am inspired to read more on this subject, so for that alone I believe this author did her job. Thanks.

maybe i failed the book with my continual desire to engage with characters more fully developed so the book became a little bit tiresome to read. with it written in first person plural (author was excellent at that), the book could not allow for a change in pacing or a change in delving further into any one issue or thread in the novel. while each chapter was fast and interesting, eventually i felt like i was listening to the same short nursery rhyme instead of listening to a symphony with its ability to dive deeper into the melody. that said, it was fascinating to read some of the details brought forth and while the book's focus was on los alamos it also did a great job of sketching the way that generation perceived life and one's role in our society. it's not a book i will read again (because i wanted more character development) but i wouldn't want my review to keep you from reading it because it does have some strong merits.

I didn't like this book when I started it, it's a bizarre writing style that I am completely unfamiliar with and kept waiting to get introduced to the characters... You don't! ...but it's hundreds of stories of hundreds of women all of whom were a part of something amazing,horrific, brave, horrifying and true. Once I reconciled that this was the books style, I let it take me with it and just 'read' it, it was excellent. It's a fabulous insight into the way we , as women work to make something out of nothing. Would highly recommend!

A believable recounting of women, transplanted with their families, from their urban homes to a small, secret community living on a mountain top in New Mexico. Not a gripping tale, but highly readable especially knowing that this was where the weapons were developed which allowed the Allies to end World War II. Credit certainly to the scientists and their accomplishment, but no small measure due as well to the women who kept them sane and happy in far from ideal circumstances.

A great read. Interesting and very informative about a part of our history we will all remember. I had some knowledge about the scientists involved but fascinated to learn about what happened at Los Alamos from the point of view of the women and their families.

It was an easy read with amazing insight into life for the women during an incredible period of history.Almost the unforgotten heroes behind the scenes......

I read a lot about Los Alamos and the making of 'the bomb' and this helped round out some of the story. Fictionally, but helps see the history differently.