Lost

Rating:
Summary: Could've Been Stronger
Review: This book is slow going till about page fifty-five or so and then it takes off like Thunderbolt the Wonder Colt, not slowing down for even a paragraph until the last chapter, when it comes to a screeching halt and a rather puzzling let down. I must say, I've read other books by Ms. Fielding and have always closed the book after the last page with a satisfied feeling, not this time.

Cinder Carver is having a bad morning, her aspiring actress daughter Julia is banging on the bathroom door, trying to get her sister to hurry up. Julia has an audition with a famous director and all she's thinking about is herself. The dog needs to be walked. It wasn't sister Heather in the bathroom at all, but her boyfriend, now Julia and Heather are arguing.

That night Julia doesn't come home. Cindy is sure something has happened. She involves the cops. She calls the hospitals. Her ex thinks she's overreacting. Cindy goes to Julia's boyfriend's, gets his roommate to let her in, goes through his stuff, finds semi-nude photos of her daughter, then finds the beginning of a novel about a guy who is going to kill his girlfriend. She calls the cops. They can't hold him. Then a dead body turns up that matches Julia's description. It's another girl. And so on and so on.

As a thriller, this book is, as I said above, a let down, however it does delve into the relationships of a dysfunctional family and I'm sure a lot of readers will see a lot of themselves on Fielding's pages. Fielding is a gifted writer who obviously understands people and she's written some terrific books, but sadly this isn't one of them.

Review submitted by Captain Katie Osborne

Rating:
Summary: Terrible!
Review: This book was horrible for all the reasons stated by other reviewers and then some. The main character is totally unlikeable and just when you think she is going to be called out for being selfish and totally obsessed with her equally selfish older daughter another character will apolegize to her and tell her how much they love her. This is the first and last book by this author that I will read. Do not waste anything (money or time) on this crap.

Rating:
Summary: Big disappointment
Review: This is one of the most unrealistic books I have read in a long time. The characters are not believable and have so little substance that you really don't care what happens to them. The heroine is whiny and is the only one really focused on the problem at hand. After spending hardcover prices on this book I didn't even bother to finish it. I hurried to the used book store before people realized it was a dog and I couldn't give it away.

Rating:
Summary: Lost
Review: This was a great disappointment. I have read many of Joy Fielding's other novels and found them to be great, but don't waste your money buying this one. I read it in one night. The story starts off okay and half way through your not sure where it's going, but the ending blind sighted me, and I was so angry with the daughter, the father and the stupid mother. Maybe that's what makes a good book when you really get involved with the characters - not being a writer I don't know. How can people be so insensitive and selfish. The father who is supposed to be an adult and to show my example that he would encourage this behaviour, is beyond belief. Read it for yourself and write your comments.

Rating:
Summary: very realistic mystery novel
Review: This was a very good book. I finished it in one day. Joy Fielding has a way of writing mysteries that keep you reading and reading.

This particular story is about Cindy, a fortyish divorcee who is struggling with a relationship with her oldest daughter. One day Julia {the daughter} goes missing and what transpires is so gut wrenching you can almost feel for the characters

It also explores what we really know about each other and in a time of crisis what really counts and who really cares. For any parent struggling with a relationship with an adult child this book really hits the spot in a lot of areas.

My hats off to Joy Fielding for another fine novel.

Rating:
Summary: CAVEAT EMPTOR! BUYER BEWARE!
Review: This whole book is nothing but a set up. Don't waste your money or your time and heed the warnings of other readers.

Here it is in a nutshell:

Stupid, odious characters
Stupid, almost laughable plot
A complete waste of time.

Once again, CAVEAT EMPTOR! BUYER BEWARE! DON'T be tricked into buying or worse, reading this drivel.

Rating:
Summary: It's just not good
Review: To be perfectly honest, the only reason I read this novel through to the end is because it was loaned to me by someone who thought I would enjoy it and I wanted to be able to tell her I had finished it. Actually, the ending was the one part of the book I enjoyed, as the mother finally takes a stand with the selfish and spoiled daughter who has put her through agony during the course of the story. Children in divorce situations do sometimes play one parent against the other but the premise of this book was just not believable. Also, some of the dialogue was bizarre. I think Ms. Fielding was trying to be humorous in parts but it just didn't go over well at all.

Rating:
Summary: A Suspenseful Read
Review: While I do not think this was one of Fielding's best works, it was entertaining, and as is customary with Fielding, I was in suspense until the end. My jaw dropped when it came to light that Julia's disappreance was a setup to give her career a boost.
I feel that the father's involvement in Julia's disappearance was despicable, but it was creative on Fielding's part. I liked how Julia "got hers" when Cindy refused to let her back home, as Julia was someone she didn't even like. A very moving ending, and a possible real turning point for Cindy and Heather to repair and rebuild.