Joy Fielding
Author of See Jane Run
About the Author
Author and actress Joy Fielding was born in Canada in 1945. She received a BA in English literature from the University of Toronto in 1966. While a student, she focused on acting and was one of four stars in a student movie, Winter Kept Us Warm. After graduation, she moved to Los Angeles and show more appeared on Gunsmoke. Her first book, The Best of Friends, was published without an agent. She has written numerous novels since then including Don't Cry Now, The Deep End, The Other Woman, Missing Pieces and Now You See Her. The Periodical Distributors of Canada named her book, Kiss Mommy Goodbye, Book of the Year for 1982. She has contributed book reviews to the Toronto Globe and Mail, CBC's The Radio Show, and CBC-TV's The Journal's Friday Night. Her books, See Jane Run and Tell Me No Secrets, have been adapted into films. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: Copyright Eye On Books.
Works by Joy Fielding
Don't Cry Now | Grand Avenue 1 copy
More Than Friends 1 copy
Associated Works
Mothers & Daughters: Celebrating the Gift of Love in 12 New Stories (1998) — Contributor — 88 copies
Reader's Digest Condensed Books 1986 v03: Lie Down with Lions / Tree of Gold / The Deep End / Cry Wild (1986) — Author — 39 copies
Reader's Digest Select Editions 2009 v05 #305: Still Life / Grace / Hell Bent / Prayers for Sale (2009) 20 copies
Reader's Digest Condensed Books 1993 v06: The Cat Who Went Into the Closet / Homeland / Tell Me No Secrets (1993) — Author — 20 copies
Reader's Digest Select Editions 2011 v05 #317: Now You See Her / The Peach Keeper / Buried Secrets / The Oracle of Stamboul (2011) 15 copies
Reader's Digest Auswahlbücher 201 : Die Pfeiler der Macht/ Schau Dich nicht um/ Wolfstage/ Virusjagd (1995) 4 copies
Het Beste Boek 131: De Commodore / Vrije Vlucht / Eindspel / Stap voor Stap (1988) — Author — 3 copies, 1 review
Livros Condensados: Não me Contes Segredos | O Senhor da Morte | O Deus do Rio | Pânico no Voo 19 (1995) 2 copies
Reader's Digest: De getuige; Lieve John; Het Venetiaanse masker; Roerloos — Author, some editions — 2 copies, 1 review
Reader's Digest Select Editions 2018 v06 #360: The Bad Daughter / The Recipe Box / The First Family / Collared (2018) 2 copies
Det Bästas Bokval (1995) vol 184 : Ingen återvändo; Sommarspel; Klart för tagning; Farliga vägar 2 copies
In eigen kring — Contributor — 2 copies
Australian Reader's Digest Condensed Books: By My Own Authority / The Deep End / A Walk in the Dark / Running Blind (1977) — Author — 2 copies
Readers Digest Select Editions: Forever and a Day / The Bad Daughter / The Echo Killing / Hope on the Inside — Contributor — 1 copy
Kirjavaliot - Varkaiden kunnia, Tammenterhojen talvi, Älä kerro salaisuuksia, Eloonjäänyt (1995) 1 copy
Of Love and Life: The Brightest Star in the Sky / Still Life / Leaving Unknown (aka The Good Luck Girl) (2009) 1 copy
Reader's Digest : libros selectos : Mi hija vive : Carmín en Afganistán : El centinela : La lista de navidad (2011) — Author — 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Tepperman, Joy (birth)
- Birthdate
- 1945-03-18
- Gender
- female
- Education
- University of Toronto (BA|English Literature|1966)
- Occupations
- novelist
actress - Short biography
- Joy Fielding was born and in Toronto, Canada in 1945 and went to the University of Toronto, where she received her B.A. after majoring in English, and appearing in the well-received student movie, "Winter Kept Us Warm." Acting ambitions subsequently took her to Hollywood where she got a part in an episode of "Gunsmoke" and worked in a lot of banks before leaving L.A. and returning to Toronto and her first love—writing. She has been married to her lawyer husband for almost 25 years, and they have 2 daughters, Shannon, age 22, and Annie, age 19.
- Nationality
- Canada
- Birthplace
- Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Places of residence
- Toronto, Ontario, Canada (birth)
Palm Beach, Florida, USA - Associated Place (for map)
- Canada
Members
Reviews
For many readers of this book, Amanda was not a particularly likable character. I, however, did like her. I felt sorry for her, thinking that her upbringing must have been strange and that she had been her own worst enemy. I found her to be a believable character despite her personality flaws. The fact that she was a lawyer, that she never wanted children, that she had a negative outlook as well as a low tolerance for stupidity reminded me of one person I know well in real life! I would not show more mind meeting Amanda again in another Joy Fielding book. I still wonder, though, why Amanda left her first husband Ben (not a spoiler) in the first place.
As this story opens, Amanda returns to her hometown of Toronto, Canada, from her current residence of Jupiter, Florida. She learned that her mother shot and killed a man she did not know and is now being held in a detention center awaiting bail hearing. Amanda is ambivalent about being back in Canada because she never had a close relationship to her mother and her ex-husband Ben is her mother's attorney.
I thought this book was done very well. I loved that the plot revealed itelf constantly in little pieces as opposed to having the whole explanation at the end, a process which make me despise most mysteries. In addition, I was intrigued by the dark undertones of some psychological weirdness which pervaded this story. I was certainly surprised by the ending and found the story most engaging. I'm not sure why others gave this book only lukewarm reviews as I found it a fun read. show less
As this story opens, Amanda returns to her hometown of Toronto, Canada, from her current residence of Jupiter, Florida. She learned that her mother shot and killed a man she did not know and is now being held in a detention center awaiting bail hearing. Amanda is ambivalent about being back in Canada because she never had a close relationship to her mother and her ex-husband Ben is her mother's attorney.
I thought this book was done very well. I loved that the plot revealed itelf constantly in little pieces as opposed to having the whole explanation at the end, a process which make me despise most mysteries. In addition, I was intrigued by the dark undertones of some psychological weirdness which pervaded this story. I was certainly surprised by the ending and found the story most engaging. I'm not sure why others gave this book only lukewarm reviews as I found it a fun read. show less
Linda Davidson is seventy-six years old, recently widowed, and living in Jupiter, Florida — which sounds nicer than it is. Her best friend Carol has just been diagnosed with dementia and moved into Legacy Place, an upscale oceanfront memory care facility that refers to itself, with no apparent irony, as a "memory care facility." Linda visits regularly even though Carol barely recognises her anymore. Her daughter Kleo and Kleo's insufferable, chauvinist husband Mick have moved into Linda's show more house to "keep her company," which mostly means Linda has a front row seat to their incessant bickering. To escape, Linda goes to Legacy Place. And that's where she meets Jenny Cooper — ninety-two years old, tiny, sweet, eccentric, prone to blurting out swear words and accusing people of working for the CIA. Jenny pulls Linda aside and whispers her secret: "I kill people." Linda dismisses it. Obviously. Then a fellow patient at Legacy Place dies — everyone else sees it as a natural death — and Linda notices that Jenny had gone missing just beforehand. To the drug store. And Jenny used to be a pharmacist. Described as darkly funny, warm, and genuinely suspenseful, an Oprah Daily Best Books of the Fall pick.
[May contain spoilers]
Jenny's confessions are real. She's been killing men who hurt women — abusers, rapists, the type who walk away unpunished — for decades, and her dementia has made her both more honest and more dangerous. The ending is the thing: Linda, who started this journey as a passive grieving widow, ends up committing murder herself — specifically dealing with Mick, her daughter's abusive husband, the situation finally demanding action. The novel doesn't frame this as heroic or evil — it simply exists in a moral grey zone, with the final image of Linda hearing Jenny's voice telling her not to think about it. Linda has inherited Jenny's legacy. The twist is not a structural surprise so much as a moral culmination — by the end you've been rooting for it and it still makes you sit with something complicated.
What I think: This is genuinely charming in premise and execution — the dark humour around aging, dementia, and vigilante justice is handled with real warmth. Jenny is a magnificent creation. The Florida setting is pitch-perfect. The domestic abuse subplot with Mick gives it real emotional stakes beyond the mystery. Linda becoming a murderer herself is the kind of earned, morally ambiguous ending you tend to love. show less
[May contain spoilers]
Jenny's confessions are real. She's been killing men who hurt women — abusers, rapists, the type who walk away unpunished — for decades, and her dementia has made her both more honest and more dangerous. The ending is the thing: Linda, who started this journey as a passive grieving widow, ends up committing murder herself — specifically dealing with Mick, her daughter's abusive husband, the situation finally demanding action. The novel doesn't frame this as heroic or evil — it simply exists in a moral grey zone, with the final image of Linda hearing Jenny's voice telling her not to think about it. Linda has inherited Jenny's legacy. The twist is not a structural surprise so much as a moral culmination — by the end you've been rooting for it and it still makes you sit with something complicated.
What I think: This is genuinely charming in premise and execution — the dark humour around aging, dementia, and vigilante justice is handled with real warmth. Jenny is a magnificent creation. The Florida setting is pitch-perfect. The domestic abuse subplot with Mick gives it real emotional stakes beyond the mystery. Linda becoming a murderer herself is the kind of earned, morally ambiguous ending you tend to love. show less
** I received this in a Goodreads “First Reads” giveaway **
After many fits and starts in the career choices department Bailey Carpenter has settled on being a private detective for an elite Miami law firm. She excels at her job and more importantly she really enjoys it – well most of the time – she could do without trying to catch errant spouses and deadbeat dads. It is on just such an assignment that the unthinkable happens. Bailey is on surveillance when suddenly she is attacked show more from behind, a pillowcase pulled over her head and she is brutally raped and beaten. Lucky to be alive she remembers very little about the actual attack and virtually nothing about her assailant, except that he was wearing Nike athletic shoes, his breath smelled of mouthwash and his words still play over and over in her head, “Tell me that you love me”.
Her physical injuries are healing but the emotional ones are taking a little longer to scab over. Bailey cannot face going outside much less back to her job. She cannot bring herself to leave her apartment and fears she is beginning to lose her sanity. Every man she sees is her potential assailant, so even a simple elevator ride to the apartment gym is a nightmare.
Her support system consists solely of her brother Heath, a frequently unemployed actor and very frequent drug user, until she gets a surprise visit from estranged half-sister and her teenaged niece. She and Claire have never been close but being a nurse, Claire swoops in and takes over Bailey’s life. Claire is ultimate caregiver, while her niece Jade is the epitome of a sassy uncensored teenager. Between the two of them running intervention and forcing her back into a semblance of reality Bailey seems to be getting her life back. Until one night a pair of binoculars gets them all into trouble. Is it possible someone has been watching Bailey all along and the attack was not random? Could he still be watching her?
This book had me hooked from the first few pages. The plot itself was a good one and add to that the fact that I liked the characters, how could I not enjoy the book? I liked Bailey and found her reaction to what happened to her a believable accounting. I mean who wouldn’t want to hide from the world? I could feel her anxiety as she wandered around the apartment checking every nook and cranny holding a lethal sounding pair of scissors in her hand.
Without giving anything away let me just say that despite the author’s cleverly disguised hints throughout the whole book (easy to see now that I’ve read it all) I was quite astonished when the rapist’s identity finally came to light, so well-done Ms. Fielding, but even better was the second twist that totally caught me off guard. As I turned the last page and closed the book I was nodding my head and thinking that I should have seen it coming. I’m glad this book ended up on my shelf. I enjoyed it very much. show less
After many fits and starts in the career choices department Bailey Carpenter has settled on being a private detective for an elite Miami law firm. She excels at her job and more importantly she really enjoys it – well most of the time – she could do without trying to catch errant spouses and deadbeat dads. It is on just such an assignment that the unthinkable happens. Bailey is on surveillance when suddenly she is attacked show more from behind, a pillowcase pulled over her head and she is brutally raped and beaten. Lucky to be alive she remembers very little about the actual attack and virtually nothing about her assailant, except that he was wearing Nike athletic shoes, his breath smelled of mouthwash and his words still play over and over in her head, “Tell me that you love me”.
Her physical injuries are healing but the emotional ones are taking a little longer to scab over. Bailey cannot face going outside much less back to her job. She cannot bring herself to leave her apartment and fears she is beginning to lose her sanity. Every man she sees is her potential assailant, so even a simple elevator ride to the apartment gym is a nightmare.
Her support system consists solely of her brother Heath, a frequently unemployed actor and very frequent drug user, until she gets a surprise visit from estranged half-sister and her teenaged niece. She and Claire have never been close but being a nurse, Claire swoops in and takes over Bailey’s life. Claire is ultimate caregiver, while her niece Jade is the epitome of a sassy uncensored teenager. Between the two of them running intervention and forcing her back into a semblance of reality Bailey seems to be getting her life back. Until one night a pair of binoculars gets them all into trouble. Is it possible someone has been watching Bailey all along and the attack was not random? Could he still be watching her?
This book had me hooked from the first few pages. The plot itself was a good one and add to that the fact that I liked the characters, how could I not enjoy the book? I liked Bailey and found her reaction to what happened to her a believable accounting. I mean who wouldn’t want to hide from the world? I could feel her anxiety as she wandered around the apartment checking every nook and cranny holding a lethal sounding pair of scissors in her hand.
Without giving anything away let me just say that despite the author’s cleverly disguised hints throughout the whole book (easy to see now that I’ve read it all) I was quite astonished when the rapist’s identity finally came to light, so well-done Ms. Fielding, but even better was the second twist that totally caught me off guard. As I turned the last page and closed the book I was nodding my head and thinking that I should have seen it coming. I’m glad this book ended up on my shelf. I enjoyed it very much. show less
Alfred Hitchcock once said "there is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it" and Joy Fielding is a master at using this concept to build suspense and tension in her writing. This is nowhere more evident in her book, Cul-de-sac. The novel is set in what seems like a quiet upper-middle-class neighbourhood on the surface, an idyllic peaceful cul-de-sac, hidden away from all the violence and chaos of city life, There are five houses occupied by five different families, all show more apparently well-off and happy. But behind closed doors, well, that's another story and a sense of imminent violence permeates the tale as secrets start rising to the surface.
Cul-de-sac is compelling, suspenseful, and engaging.Through the use of short paragraphs and dialogue and her use of what should be a safe haven that most readers can relate to, Fielding builds a real visceral feeling of impending disaster. Cul-de-sac begins introducing us to the characters in each house but, right from the start, there are hints that things are not what they seem and violence is only barely kept in check, As the story progresses so does the tension and it's clear it will take only a spark, like that of a firecracker on July 4th, to start a conflagration - the only question is which house will explode first.
This is the kind of book that immerses the reader from the first page and never lets go until the final explosion and I can’t recommend it highly enough. One word of caution though -once started, it’s completely unputdownable so best to start it when you know there will be no distractions like, oh, need to get some sleep.
Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review show less
Cul-de-sac is compelling, suspenseful, and engaging.Through the use of short paragraphs and dialogue and her use of what should be a safe haven that most readers can relate to, Fielding builds a real visceral feeling of impending disaster. Cul-de-sac begins introducing us to the characters in each house but, right from the start, there are hints that things are not what they seem and violence is only barely kept in check, As the story progresses so does the tension and it's clear it will take only a spark, like that of a firecracker on July 4th, to start a conflagration - the only question is which house will explode first.
This is the kind of book that immerses the reader from the first page and never lets go until the final explosion and I can’t recommend it highly enough. One word of caution though -once started, it’s completely unputdownable so best to start it when you know there will be no distractions like, oh, need to get some sleep.
Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review show less
Lists
Female Author (1)
Awards
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Statistics
- Works
- 51
- Also by
- 26
- Members
- 12,164
- Popularity
- #1,929
- Rating
- 3.5
- Reviews
- 376
- ISBNs
- 1,050
- Languages
- 21
- Favorited
- 25
