Rating: 
Summary: Don't Forget Your Kleenex
Review: I'm in the Dom. Rep. and I wanted so much to read a book in English that I barely glanced at the title, let alone the author.But trust me, I won't soon be forgetting Ms. Joy Fielding. Kudos to her, and the story that she has amazingly been able to capture and bring alive. Of course, I wanted to dislike Jake Hart, but he was such a lost soul that I couldn't help but liking him and eventually rooting for him. And Mattie...what is there to say about this woman who despite everything managed to find love after living her entire life without feeling it. Although I think that was the saddest part about the whole thing...that she had to be at death's door to find love with the man she had lived with for 15 years, and with the mother that she had spent her life trying to please.
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Summary: A warm and moving story
Review: When I finished "The First Time" by Joy Fielding, I had to wait until the next day to write a review as I'd been close to sobbing while reading the final chapter! Mattie Hart, married to Jake Hart, a very successful lawyer, has been ignoring Jake's infidelities for all of the 16 years of their marriage. When Mattie became pregnant to Jake,as a teenager, he reluctantly married her, always making her aware of this lack of love.Even now, their 15 year old daughter Kim, is aware of the friction between her parents and is reacting badly.Jake leaves the family home to move in with his latest mistress and it takes a real tragedy in the shape of Lou Gehrigs disease to reunite them, even though it's only a surface reunion. I read this story very quickly as I became really involved with this family and couldn't stop until the final (and very emotional )chapter.
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Summary: Fielding didn't disappoint!
Review: It was her most recent novel, Grand Avenue, that got me interested in reading more of Fielding's books. And this one didn't disappoint at all!! It is refreshingly honest, gripping and delved into the myriads of familial relationships even before diaster strikes! Mattie Hart has spent almost 16 years playing wife to hot-shot defense attorney Jake Hart ~~ quietly ignoring the signs of his numerous affairs. She raised their daughter, the reason why they got married, Kim as best as she could. Not saying that Mattie is the perfect wife or mother ~~ she has made some mistakes in her lifetime as well ~~ but when she found out she was stricken with ASL or Lou Gehrig's disease, her whole world tumbled. Jake had already moved out and started living with his newest paramour ~~ only to move home to take care of Mattie. And this is their story. Theirs and Kim's. Families aren't always strong as it appears to the public ~~ Jake Hart's glowing image got tarnished throughout the story as he struggled with issues related to his marriage and childhood. Ultimately, he decided on one course and saw it to the end ~~ much to Mattie's great surprise. Kim, usually the perfect beautiful daughter, gets in trouble constantly at school or at home ~~ unable to totally understand what is really going on in her life and with her mother. She comes to realization later on as well ~~ accepting the fact that they all are human. Mattie ~~ the star of this book manages to live her life and lies gracefully ~~ though the disease ravaged her body. Some of the dreams she had never known she had held managed to come to the surface ~~ and she learns to deal with them as well as the fact that she is dying. This book strikes a chord in this reader's heart. Family relationships aren't always easy but if you stick them out, they turn out to be the greatest blessings. Fielding does a wonderful job of sharing her characters' thoughts and views as life they know it tumbles around them. And they manage to deal with Mattie's dying with grace and humor ~~ after a long, bitter fight. I have to admit, this is another book you can't just put down and forget about for a few days. You'll be grabbed by the characters' voices and dreams ~~ you'll know them as intimately as you know a friend or even yourself. And be prepared to have kleenexes nearby. It's a book you won't quickly forget! 5-20-02
Rating:
Summary: Read in 1 sitting. I couldn't put it down!
Review: This is the 1st book that I have read by Joy Fielding and I will definitely be reading more of her in the future. The book grabbed me from the first page and kept me emotionally involved the entire time. If you like the movie "Terms of Endearment" then I think you will love this book.
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Summary: Love and Marriage
Review: One would assume that these two things go together, unfortunately for the characters in this novel, Mattie and Jake, the two do not go hand in hand. Mattie and Jake married young due to an unexpected pregnancy. Jake always felt that he was pressured to do the right thing. He never truly gave himself to Mattie or their teenage daughter Kim. When Mattie discovers Jake's most recent infidelity she realizes that things have to change. Jake also wants a change in his life, he has decided to leave his wife and daughter and move in with his girlfriend. Mattie is ready to move on with her life when she receives the devastating news that she has ALS - Lou Gehrig's disease. Upon hearing this Jake decides to move back in with Mattie and Kim. It is then that he discovers that the only true way to find one another and fall in love is to communicate. Jake has had an abusive upbringing, something of which he has told Mattie very little about. Mattie herself has had to deal with a broken home and a father who walked away. It is during their time together now that Jake realizes his true feelings for Mattie. He falls in love with her for the first time. Ironically for Mattie, it becomes the best of times and the worst of times. Joy Fielding does a great job of delving into the relationships in this book. Everyone has their own demons to confront and the family does manage to draw together in their time of crisis. Unfortunately I was all too aware of the horrible effects of ALS, as a family member has recently passed away with this. Fielding deals with its consequences realistically. Since reading this book I am anxious to start her newest release. She has proven herself a wonderful storyteller.
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Summary: Loved it!
Review: This was such a touching story! The author really makes these characters come to life. I highly recommend this one.
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Summary: JOY FIELDING - THE FIRST TIME
Review: I WAITED FOR ABOUT TWO YEARS FOR JOY FIELDING TO RELEASE A NEW NOVEL AND THIS IS THE BEST BOOK SHE HAS WRITTEN BY FAR. IT IS THE STORY OF A WOMAN WHO KNOWS HER HUSBAND DOES NOT LOVE HER AND
THAT HE IS HAVING YET ANOTHER AFFAIR. SHE DECIDES TO CONFRONT HIM AND HE MOVES OUT BUT VERY SHORTLY AFTERWARDS SHE FINDS OUT SHE HAS A TERMINAL ILLNESS. HE COMES BACK TO HER BUT ONLY OUT OF DUTY. THIS BOOK IS ABOUT FINDING LOVE WHERE YOU WOULD LEAST EXPECT IT. IT IS EXTEMELY SAD BUT FILLS YOU WITH HOPE AS YOU READ IT.IF YOU LIKED THE FILM BEACHES YOU WILL LOVE THIS.
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Summary: What the &!*#
Review: Up until now, I have always thought Joy Fielding a fabulous author whose stories are full of suspense and mystery. This is no more that a Danielle Steele type romance novel. What a disappointment.
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Summary: Joy Fielding has long been a favorite...
Review: for her ability to write a suspenseful thriller about everyday people. In "The First Time", Fielding impresses without the need for suspense as she explores a deeply wounded family that draws together, albeit reluctantly, when they face tragedy. All four of the main characters, Mattie & Jake, a couple in crisis, their daughter Kim, and Mattie's mom come shining through the novel in brilliant colors, and find their union in a way that will make this book memorable to the reader, long after you have forgotten the last 10 fiction books you read. Fielding successfully approaches the story from Mattie's, Jake's and Kim's point of view, and pulls no punches in describing the hazardous emotional road faced by today's teenagers and their parents. Fielding had dropped off my reading list in the last couple of years, quite by accident, and I am fortunate to have rediscovered her in this, her best book to date!
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Summary: My Favorite Book
Review: This is the best book I have ever read. I could'nt stop reading. The writing is excellent. I am not an emotional person, I never cry at the movies or when I read, but I cried when I read this book. It reached me, as a wife, daugher, mother, and as a woman. GREAT BOOK
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