Expanding the scope of her storytelling as never before, "New York Times" bestselling author Joy Fielding delivers the novel that will captivate her devoted fans and win her countless new readers: an exquisitely tender and richly textured love story of astonishing emotional force. Behind the shiny facade of her seemingly idyllic life in Chicago, Mattie Hart feels as if she is falling apart. After sixteen years of marriage, and one beautiful teenage daughter, Mattie has discovered that her husband, Jake, a high-profile defense attorney, is ensconced in yet another love affair. It is only after Jake finally confesses his infidelity and leaves to live with his girlfriend that a far greater crisis descends upon the embattled Hart family -- Mattie receives some devastating news that will alter all their lives. Wracked by guilt at these unforeseen developments, Jake returns home to be with Mattie. Here, in this most daunting and unexpected of circumstances, Joy Fielding deftly ushers her characters through a poignant and heartbreaking drama about love's astonishing power to defy the greatest odds and to heal the deepest wounds. Bearing all the distinctive qualities of a contemporary classic, "The First Time" is a dazzling illumination of a marriage at the crossroads, where the ties that bind become frayed but refuse to sever, and where a long estranged husband and wife discover, for the first time, exactly what love really means. At once profoundly cathartic and inspiring, "The First Time" finds Joy Fielding at the height of her powers as she explores the amazing resilience of the human spirit.
"The Orlando Sentinel" (FL)
Every line rings true.
"Kirkus Reviews"
A tonic account of how one woman discovers her truest self in the face of supreme disaster.
"Publishers Weekly"
[An] affecting drama....Fielding is good at chronicling the messy tangle of family relationships....A three-tissue finale.
"Booklist"
This is rich stuff....Fielding has created an adept study of three flawed characters who, after years of playing head games, must learn how to communicate....Fielding has again pushed a seemingly fragile heroine to the brink, only to have her fight back, tooth and nail.
"Romantic Times"
After a long string of successful romantic suspense novels, Joy Fielding gives us something different, a human drama that celebrates life and love. Although you will need a box of Kleenex ready, this marvelous story will leave you cheering, even as you examine your own life and priorities.
"Every line rings true." -- "The Orlando Sentinel" (FL)
"Every line rings true." -- The Orlando Sentinel (FL)
"A tonic account of how one woman discovers her truest self in the face of supreme disaster." -- Kirkus Reviews
"After a long string of successful romantic suspense novels, Joy Fielding gives us something different, a human drama that celebrates life and love. Although you will need a box of Kleenex ready, this marvelous story will leave you cheering, even as you examine your own life and priorities." -- Romantic Times
"This is rich stuff....Fielding has created an adept study of three flawed characters who, after years of playing head games, must learn how to communicate....Fielding has again pushed a seemingly fragile heroine to the brink, only to have her fight back, tooth and nail." -- Booklist
"[An] affecting drama....Fielding is good at chronicling the messy tangle of family relationships....A three-tissue finale." -- Publishers Weekly
"Dramatic and heartrending...the emotions are almost tangible." -- Richmond Times-Dispatch (VA)
