By the Same Door is a 1951 American novel by Blanche Chenery Perrin, first published by Macmillan Inc. in 1951. It was Perrin's second novel, written following a career in advertising.
Plot Madge Tinton, a beautiful but "thoughtless and flint-hearted"Laycock, Edward A. (ed). "Books to Read: The Globe's Weekly Literary News and Comment." The Boston Globe Vol. CLXI, No. 147, 27 May 1951, pA-31. Accessed 22 September 2023. woman driven by material and social-climbing ambitions, discovers that her husband Les is having an affair.
Reception By the Same Door was a modest critical hit upon release, described as effective but unremarkable by reviewers. Perrin's treatment of her complicated, unlikeable main character was commended by critics: "Madge makes all the mistakes that a self-centered female can make... And yet, because you've seen so many wives like her, you're fascinated by her story."
A reviewer for The Jackson Sun called it "an interesting commentary on present day marriages, written with humor and understanding."Schneider, Anne Harris. "Clever Women Are Often Too Clever To Find Happiness." The Jackson Sun Vol. 103, No. 186, 5 August 1951, s3p3. Accessed 22 September 2023.
Walter Spearman, writing for the Greensboro Daily News, called it "more mature and equally pleasant" to Perrin's first novel, Deepwood.Spearman, Walter. "Literary Lantern." Greensboro Daily News Vol. LXXIX, No. 151, 17 June 1951 Feature Section, p3. Accessed 22 September 2023.
The Edmonton Reader advised that "By the Same Door will not stay in the memory, but it's pleasant reading for a summer's afternoon.""Among the Queerest People: Brief Reports on New Books By 'Edmonton Reader.'" Edmonton Journal 23 June 1951, p 4. Accessed 22 September 2023.
A less enthusiastic review from the Binghamton Press and Sun-Bulletin called the novel "tediously written" and said that "if (the story) could have been written in an objective, instead of a personal, vein, it would have made a better novel."NFK. "A Woman And Her Woe." Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin Vol. 2, No. 49, 12 August 1951 p10-B. Accessed 22 September 2023.
References
External links By the Same Door Review at Kirkus Reviews