The First Time: Summary and book reviews of The First Time by Joy Fielding, plus links to an excerpt from The First Time and a biography of Joy Fielding.

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.

Media Reviews

Publishers Weekly None too subtle, the novel nevertheless wins points for honesty and forthrightness, tackling complex issues and gearing readers up for a three-tissue finale.   Kirkus Reviews It's only in the final stages of the illness, when Mattie's state seems to require some deeper insight, that Fielding comes up short. For the most part, though, a tonic account of how one woman discovers her truest self in the face of supreme disaster.   Booklist This is rich stuff. While skimping on plot, Fielding has created an adept study of three flawed characters who, after years of playing head games, must learn how to communicate.

Recent Reader Reviews

Rated of 5 by Debra
The first time
I really enjoyed this book, I took it away on holiday for one week and could not put it down. I was drawn in from the beginning to the character of Mattie and could identify totally with the dilemma in which she finds herself. The book is well...   Read More

Rated of 5 by carly
a very good book. i love joy as an author and i enjoyed this book as much as her others.

Rated of 5 by eyesod02

This book was GREAT! I didn't have high expectations for this book since I usually don't like romance novels, but picked it up at the bookstore since it was a "bargain book" and sounded somewhat interesting. All I have to say is...   Read More

Rated of 5 by toothfairy

Masterful storytelling! Joy Fielding creates complex, compelling characters that power the novel from beginning to end. She dares to and succeeds in exploring emotional issues that are as real as they are complicated. This novel hits home....   Read More

Rated of 5 by Anne
Congratulaions Joy Fielding! It's been a long time since i've picked up a book and haven't been able to put it down. 'The First Time' is a story that touches your heart... it can happen to any of us. You brought the characters to life so...   Read More

Rated of 5 by Rachael
I thought this novel was excellent. My mother read it and recommended it to me. I thought it was a wnderful book with emotion and real life situations. I would recommend it to anyone who loves books that they can't put down.

...2 More Reader Reviews

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