Whispers and Lies

Rating:
Summary: Best of Joy Fielding
Review: This is the first Joy Fielding novel that I have read and I enjoyed it enormously. It grabbed me from the first page and although it seemed to become predictable as I proceeded to read, the writer fooled me. It was a great surprise and a wild ride for the latter part of the book. I have since tried to read 3 or 4 novels by this same author, but none have the great twists found in "Whispers and Lies".

Rating:
Summary: Mixed bag
Review: "Whispers and Lies" is not an easy book to review. Previous opinions have run the gamut from glowing to glowering. Perhaps this is because this is not the typical Joy Fielding novel. I can see where any faithful fan of hers might be upset by this book. So my advice is this: if you enjoyed the movie "Psycho" you might enjoy this book. If you enjoy novels about women, friendship, love, and relationships, you might not. If you are expecting, as the book jacket states, "an unforgettable drama of one woman's fight to reclaim her life" then you will be sorely disappointed.

Even for those of you who do enjoy books on the creepy side, this one goes over the deep end. There are too many red herrings. There are many scenes that are not explained at the twist ending. The protagonist Terry Painter does not act in a consistent manner, and as the story progresses you will become confused. The behavior of Alison's friends towards Terry is very unrealistic and mystifying, especially considering the ending. Although the suspense and mystery build up to a fever pitch as the story progresses, you will probably be let down by the ending. I was.

Rating:
Summary: More to this than what meets the eye
Review: I had high hopes when I found the paperback copy of this book. I am a devoted Joy Fielding fan and this book is not quite what I expected. It does have an unusual twist at the end ~~ and the character, Terry Painter, is so incredibly annoying ~~ so naive and so gullible. I had a hard time finding any reason to like her. But, the writing is good like always and the suspense is there to keep me turning the pages. But this is not Joy's best book. Far from it.

Terry Painter is a 40-year-old nurse who lives alone, never married and never had children. She rents a charming little cottage behind her house to tenants. She is the perfect land-lady. Always there with a great meal, a smile and an ear ~~ her patients adore her. The only problem Terry has is dealing with the memory of her dead mother, who had never loved Terry. Then Allison moved in after her previous tenant left ~~ leaving behind unpaid rent and a mess in the cottage. Allison is this gorgeous 28-year-old with a sense of love and life. She drags Terry out to live up life ~~ becoming the best friend Terry has always wanted. Till lies and whispers dodge Allison's trail everywhere she goes.

This is an incredibly suspenseful book ~~ but like I said, it's not Fielding's best book. It's a great book to read while snuggling under a blanket on a cold fall night ~~ but don't expect it to be stellar like Grand Avenue.

9-22-03

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing!!!!
Review: I have read the author before but was not prepared for the hokey storyline. The jacket sounds MUCH more interesting than the book ever was. Nothing could save this book. Save your money!

Rating:
Summary: Still Waters Run Very Deeply!
Review: In this story, the main character Terry, is a nurse living a quiet peaceful, somewhat anti-social existence. That was the case until Allison, an enigmatic 19 year old girl walks into her life wanting to rent the cottage Terry is advertising.

The two women supposedly strike up a friendship, but Terry has difficulty trusting Allison very far. They go out to dinners and such, while all the while Terry wonders about Allison.

Strange things begin to happen to Terry, and she begins going crazy herself.

The book gets stranger from the middle part of it on. Allison seems to bring out the VERY WORST of Terry, and brings out these instincts she never knew she had.

The book had holes in the story the more I thought about it. Some of the parts made me wonder why the author wrote it the way she did. It keeps you reading, but it's hard to understand why she created the story as she did.

Rating:
Summary: VERY DISAPPOINTING!!!!
Review: I have read every other book by this author and loved them. This was a terrible and depressing book! I will certainly not buy her lastest book (Lost) until I read customer reviews!!!

Rating:
Summary: Started great ....then became ridiculous!!
Review: WARNING: This review contains SPOILERS.

As an avid Joy Fielding fan, I was anxious to read Whispers and Lies. I immediately was pulled into the story and couldn't turn the pages quickly enough. Then, about midway through the book the mysterious events took on an implausible, almost surreal quality. Still, I had hope that these happenings would all be explained in the end....but they never were!!

Can someone tell me how a woman who can't swim and would risk her own life by attempting to save 2 drowning boys could ALSO be capable of murdering her tenants and patients for reasons non altruistic <??>

Why would 3 twentysomethings into drugs & body piercings want to spend New Years eve hanging out in a hospital corridor for a 40 yr old nurse to get off her shift??

Why did Terry get so violently ill on Thanksgiving?
Why did Lance try to drown her that night?

AND, as an RN of 20 yrs myself, I feel I must question HOW a hospital employed nurse can take an HOUR off for lunch and leave the premises for a romantic date. In reality, we're lucky for a bathroom break once during our shift!

Anyway, If there was any indication that Ms Painter suffered from multiple personality disorder as a result of being raised by a lunatic, there sure wasn't any evidence to support this.

It's a shame that this well written book turned into such a disappointment. I wanted to root for the lonley nurse who so tragically was seeking love which time and time again failed. Instead, I wound up not liking her, not "getting her", and caring less about what happens to her.

Rating:
Summary: WOW
Review: I really loved this book, I was totally shocked of the ending I had no clue. I had some thoughts but totally oposite of this. I would recommend this and all her books.

Rating:
Summary: Simply Awful
Review: It's hard to believe this same author wrote "Grand Avenue" which was such a richly developed story. "Whispers and Lies" appears to have been written in a few days, with a reading level that almost approaches grammar school. This happens all too frequently with an author who feels confident that everyone will buy his or her books once they have have achieved a reputation based on earlier works. I don't see how Joy Fielding would even put her name on such garbage, much less write it. She certainly has lost this reader!

Rating:
Summary: disappointing
Review: I have read every single one of Joy Fieldings books and enjoyed every one of them. I am only happy this was not the first book I read because it would have been the last. I would have missed out on so much. If this was her first book for you, keep trying you will not be disappointed.