Grand Avenue

by Joy Fielding

Book Overview

From the New York Times bestselling author of The First Time comes a story of how the friendship of four suburban housewives is tainted by betrayal, abuse, infidelity, and terror in this "trip down... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0743407075
• ISBN13: 9780743407076
• Release Date: October 2001
• Publisher: Atria Books
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.5" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

A Great Read

I started this book on a plane from Dallas to Los Angeles and continued reading to it's conclusion on a 15 1/2 hour flight to Melbourne--it was a great plane book ! I ran the gamut of emotions from terrible anger at an abusive husband, sympathy at some of the womens problems and joy at their closeness .It's an easy to read book, nicely written by a female who obviously enjoys a good relationship with other women. Don't want to give any of the plot away by going into details !

A Novel of Four Women and the Friendship that Binds Them

I loved this book and loved being part of the warm and cozy friendships developed among four women who lived on the same suburban street. They meet at a neighborhood park where each has brought her firstborn, a two-year old girl, to play. The chemistry amongst them is immediate and the reader is privvy to their darkest secrets as the book follows them over the course of the next 23 years.We are warned in the introduction that two will die, one violently, and one will turn out not to be a friend at all. Thus, the stage is set for suspense as we become involved in their lives.Chris is the abused wife who is beaten by her husband. Her bruises and broken ribs shame her and she hides her horrible secret behind the walls of her home. Barbara is the ex-beauty queen who never stops walking the runway and whose biggest decision is which plastic surgery to have next. Her greatest challenges, however, will come from her wandering professor husband, her inability to conceive again, and her relationship with her subdued daughter. Susan is the modern-day homemaker who goes back to school and finds a career as an editor, but also finds sexual tension and harrassment in the workplace as well as a rebellious teen at home. Vicki is the high-powered attorney who puts her marriage and family low on her list of priorities while concentrating on her career and sexual dalliances. The reader will be engrossed as the four bond and choose which secrets to share and which to hide.This is a can't-put-down novel that never lets up, gives you twists, turns, and unexpected surprises aplenty. So if you enjoy relationship dramas, uncovering the human qualities that bind us and the deep distress that tears us from our family and friends, you too will love this outstanding novel and long remember the four friends from Grand Avenue.

A real page-turner!

A group of reading buddies recommended this book in an online book club and since I was in the mood for something what I thought would be light and trivial ... I grabbed it at the library without a second thought. This book should have come with a warning. You cannot just put this book down to do chores or go to work. This book must be consumed in matter of hours because Fielding keeps you guessing throughout the whole book. Just when you think you have one of the characters figured out, you find another twist and turn. A group of four women who live on Grand Avenue in Cincinnati formed deep friendships with one another over the years as their daughters grew up. There is Barbara, a former beauty queen, intent on keeping her marriage with her professor husband. There is Susan who was juggling college and motherhood. There was Chris who sacrificed everything to keep her family together while bowing to her husband's whims and maniac jealousy. There was Vicki, the superwoman who is also a top lawyer in Cincinnati. These women are very different from one another but the bond of attachment they have for one another is deep and solid ~~ till circumstances changed their lives.This is a wonderful book about friendships between women and how despite everything it changes over the years. It is also a fast-paced novel ~~ best to be savored in one day. So I highly recommend you take the day off, turn the phone off the hook, lock the doors, send the kids to a babysitter ~~ and it'll be worth that couple of hours just to read this book. It is a fast-paced page-turner. One that I would read again! It's not a cheesy book either ~~ it is written with real emotion and passion. So what are you waiting for? I wouldn't hesitate to pick this book up!3/22/02

A wonderful book of women's friendships

This is the second book Joy Fielding has written that diverts from her usual suspense fare. The first, THE FIRST TIME was one of my favorite reads of 2000. With GRAND AVENUE she proves that her foray into women's fiction wasn't just a fluke. She joins the ranks of such authors as Barbara Delinsky, Kristin Hannah, Luanne Rice, and Patricia Gaffney as the one of the best the genre has to offer.Living on Grand Avenue in Cincinnati, Barbara, Susan, Chris, and Vicki met over 20 years ago when their daughters were just toddlers. Calling themselves "The Grand Dames," they became fast friends over the years despite their varied personalities and occupations. A number of social issues are addressed as housewife Chris deals with an abusive spouse, former beauty queen Barbara deals with infertility, magazine editor Susan deals with sexual harassment in the workplace, and attorney Vicki's drive for success affects her marriage and family.As the years go by, their friendship goes through changes as everyday life seems to get in the way. But when one of the four is threatened the other three are there for her. When tragedy strikes, friendship takes on a whole new meaning.I literally could not put this book down, devouring it in one sitting, and finishing at 3 AM in the morning! I've read quite a few wonderful "women's friendship" books in the last couple years (those by Patricia Gaffney, Robyn Carr, Mary Alice Monroe to name a few) and this one is definitely in the same caliber as these other fine books. If you like books dealing with families, women's issues, and friendship, don't miss GRAND AVENUE. I highly recommend it.

A Grand Read!

I enjoyed visiting "Grand Avenue" and highly recommend it. It's a truly 'Grand book' that held my interest from the first to the last page. The story is about four friends, Chris, Barbara, Vicki and Susan. It follows their lives over the 20 year span from 1972-1992. It's an emotionally packed roller-coaster ride of friendships, relationships, families, suspense and murder leading to a powerful conclusion. The four friends who live on Grand Avenue and call themselves the 'Grand Dames' first meet at a playground where they bring their young children. Barbara is a vain woman obsessed with plastic surgery, Chris is an abused housewife, Vicki's a career bent lawyer married to a wealthy older man, and Susan's a Doctor's wife and homemaker determined to get her college degree. Ms. Fielding is a gifted writer and she's very effectively brought these four friends to life in this emotional and intense page-turner. It's definitely a 'Grand Read'!!