Rating: 
Summary: A Moving and Wonderful Read
Review: I have only read one other of Joy Fielding's works. This novel has convinced me I must try all of them. I read a lot of books, and this one was the best I've read all year. There are moments of stunning and surprising pure beauty. Many times, I had to stop reading, put the book down and take a breather. Other times I had to go back and re-read a scene several times, unable to absorb it all the first time, or maybe just reluctant to let the moment pass. This book is "that" good. The story revolves around the family of Mattie, Jake and Kim; their laughter, tears and fear. You fall in love with them, follow all of their daily actions and thoughts, never becoming bored or uninterested in a single detail. Mattie is in a seemingly unhappy and trapped marriage, her husband seeks comfort in other women, and their daughter Kim is struggling with being 15 and growing up. When Mattie finds she is stricken with ALS, a fatal disease, it changes everyone's perspective and lives. Somehow, they must figure out all their feelings for one another while time is running out. I must say this is the best book I've read in a long time, and I don't imagine another one to take its place for awhile. This book is powerful, graceful, touching and real. I can't give it high enough marks. It is a novel that must be read. I couldn't put it down until I reached the last page, late into the evening. Read it now, and you won't be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: A poignant story of love,marriage and the trials of life
Review: I found this novel to be an excellent example of how our childhood can effect who we are as adults, even if we try to hide those feelings. I loved the storyline, the fact that the husband found his love for his wife, and realized this before the end was wonderful. I have to admit I did cry, at the ending even though I knew it was inevitable. The strength of the woman in this novel is the strength we should all have in our life.
Rating:
Summary: The First Time
Review: I have read all of Joy Fielding's novels and when I first started reading this one, I thought "come on Joy, stick to mysteries". I do not care for books of this type, but after starting, I couldn't put it down. This book was so well done, that it wasn't sad, but gave a whole new perspective on dying with dignity. I thought this was better than "Terms of Endearment" or even "Love Story". I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel.
Rating: 
Summary: HOW COULD I HAVE FORGOTTEN ABOUT THIS GREAT AUTHOR
Review: I CANNOT SAY ENOUGH OF THIS BOOK IT REALLY HIT HOME ABOUT SOMEONE BEING SICK AND STICKING WITH YOU THROUGH THICK AND THIN AND HOW A FAMILY FINALLY COMES TOGETHER TO HELP THE VICTIM DURING HER TIME OF NEED- I HAD FORGOTTEN ABOUT JOY FIELDING HAVING READ SOME OF HER BOOKS A LONG TIME AGO- WHEN I SAW THIS I BOUGHT IT AND FINISHED IT IN THREE DAYS READ IT YOU WONT BE SORRY-
Rating:
Summary: An Amazing and Cathartic Book!
Review: I had a sense of how strongly this book was affecting me when I began to bawl like a baby after my daughter shouted at me regarding a pair of socks. My confirmation of the power of THE FIRST TIME came when I finished it just now - sitting at my kitchen table, crying so loudly I scared the cat. This is an amazing work of fiction about a woman who is diagnosed with ALS and discovers that the worst year of her life is also the best year of her life. Mattie's husband of 16-years has cheated on her through their entire marriage. She knows, but he doesn't know she knows. He leaves her for another woman after she has a car accident, but when she is diagnosed with ALS, he moves back into the house to care for her and help care for their teen-age daughter. Mattie does not want the end of her existence to come with a man who only pities her. She gives Jason an ultimatum: "either pretend you love me or get out." Being a fundamentally good person, he decides to pretend, the result of which is that he finally gives of himself to Mattie, revealing things about his painful past he'd never before been able to share. Even though the reader knows Mattie is going to die, reading this book is NOT like waiting for a train crash you know is coming. There are too many questions the readers wants answered. Will Mattie and Jason find peace in themselves? Is it possible for them to find the love they missed during their marriage? How will he and their daughter carry on when she's gone? Author Fielding has crafted a novel with wonderful characterizations. Mattie and Jason are three-dimensional people who seem real - they don't always do the right thing, and some of the right things they do get them into trouble. I strongly recommend THE FIRST TIME for any reader looking for a well-written story of redemption and the bittersweet taste of people given a second chance at love. TTFN, Laurie Likes Books Publisher, All About Romance
Rating:
Summary: A Story To Make You Look At Life And Appreciate It:
Review: This is, by far, the best book that I have read in quite a while, and I read a lot of books by a lot of different authors. I first read Joy Fielding's 'See Jane Run' several years ago. I was impressed with her style of writing and her humor. I since have read all of her books and am always looking forward to a new one. I could not wait to get this book. This is one of those books where you actually become 'friends' with the characters. You feel as though you are right there beside them. I enjoyed every page, there is not one area where I was bored or sort of skimmed over to get to another part. Joy Fielding has a style of mixing humor into a book without making you feel that she is being insensitive or crass. This is one of those books where I dread coming to the end, so I will read a page, put it down for a bit, read another page, put it down. When I finally came to the end, it was done in such style and was so touching. This is not one of those books that you enjoy reading all the way through, than feel that the author was in such a hurry to get to the ending, you are disappointed...
Rating:
Summary: A three-hanky read!
Review: I agree that this is Joy Fielding's best book ever and I've bought and read (and kept) every one she's ever written. And it's funny I should say this because I was disappointed by the hints from early reviews about the subject matter of this book, but boy oh boy, Fielding can write. She squeezes every last drop of emotion from each well-chosen word, and the reader feels everything her characters are feeling. The description of Mattie's MRI almost paralyzed me with fear (I'm soon to have an MRI myself). I felt her panic as if I were right there with her. This is a wonderful story, one I highly recommend. It reinforced what I believe above all else: seize the day, for tomorrow we may die.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: I loved this book. It is one of those you can't put down. Be prepared to have plenty of tissues available when you read it. It makes people think a little for taking life for granted
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: This is a wonderful, well written book. I sat up all night reading it. Few books rarely bring me to both tears and happiness; but this book did both. It is engrossing, wonderful, poignant---you will not be able to put it down.
Rating:
Summary: A SAD AND MOVING NOVEL
Review: Mattie Hart has been married for sixteen years, and after her husband, Jake, becomes involved in another affair, she realizes it's time to call it quits. Shortly after Jake announces he is leaving Mattie, she is involved in a car accident, and while the accident was not very serious, Mattie's friend and doctor, Lisa, wants to run some tests to make sure that everything is ok. As Mattie struggles to get on with her life, and keep peace with her daughter Kim, she receives the devistating test results. Not knowing how to handle the news she receives, Maddie enters a state of denial about her sickness, and for the first time in sixteen years Jake shows an actual interest in his wife. Moving back in with Mattie and Kim, Jake, will come to deal with his wife's illness, and his unforgiving daughter, and provide the love and understanding that has been absent from their family. "The First Time" is a serious novel, dealing with love and marriage, tragedy, and starting over. The characters explode off the page, with a plot that is both captivating and moving, giving the reader an experience they will not soon forget. Joy Fielding has strayed from the thriller/mystery territory, and ventured into Danielle Steel's turf, and does so successfully. She has written a very cinematic novel, about the power of love. Readers will enjoy the story of a husband and wife coming to terms with their love for each other, as well as the unexpected tragedy's that can strike. Nick Gonnella
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