I just finished the novel and it was great!
The husband is still a jerk through much of the book but he is a more complete character than he is in the film. You understand that he is acting that way because of disappointing things that have happened to him.
You also feel more of the love between Tina and Jonathan.
The character of George, though, is a complete a$$.
I read the book a few years ago and loved it. I like how the book is literally written in the style of a personal diary so the reader sees that this is from Tina's point of view. The title is an interesting play on words as she is not a 'mad' (crazy) housewife, as the wording implies, but instead a 'mad' housewife in the sense of being angry (and justifiably so.)
shareI just read a later novel of Sue Kaufman's, Falling Bodies. haven't seen Diary in years, but very similar theme and genre.