Belonging - Softcover

Thayer, Nancy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0312958927 ISBN 13: 9780312958923

Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks, 1996

Synopsis

Today Joanna has the life she'd always dreamed of...

Joanna Jones, the successful host of Fabulous Homes, a New York based TV show, seems to have it all. Blessed with great looks, she has a successful lover and a job that gives her fame and money, while allowing her to indulge her passion for beautiful homes.

Tomorrow she might lose it all...

Suddenly and shockingly, Joanna will discover what she doesn't have: a committed relationship she can depend on. Now she faces a stunning discovery alone and makes the tuogh decision to leave her glittering life for an old Nantucket house on the ocean, new friends, and unexpected enemies. The choices ahead will test her courage; the surprising twists of fate will challenge her faith as she faces a day of ashes, a time of sorrow, and one extraordinary new chance for love, happiness, and...

Belonging

About this title

About the Author:

The engrossing writing talent of Nancy Thayer, author of Family Secrets and Three Women of the Water's Edge, captures what contemporary life feels like for American women--and reflects in irresistable stories their fears, choices and dreams.

From Booklist:

Thayer's new novel is meant to depict the life of, and appeal to, the American woman of the 1990s. Joanna Jones, an attractive, rich, and famous host and creator of a cable TV show called Fabulous Homes, begins to change her life after becoming pregnant with twins. Predictably, the married father shows cold disinterest in her and the babies. Joanna purchases a lonely old house in Nantucket and slowly assimilates into the island community, making friends with her wealthy neighbors and becoming particularly close to an odd young woman named Madaket, whom she hires as a housekeeper/cook and future nanny. Generally, the story is engrossing, portraying both relationships and life issues realistically. The eventual losses Joanna faces help make the all-too-perfect nature of her life more believable. Still, some inconsistencies in her supposedly strong female character are obvious. For example, Joanna, mostly feminist, sees only male doctors; she goes from wearing Armani suits to claiming items from a junk heap and explaining to Madaket (who shops at thrift stores) the benefits of recycling; and most ridiculous, Joanna's carpenter and real-estate agent explains architectural terminology regarding houses to her, the host of a show and upcoming author of two books devoted entirely to houses. The story surely captivates at moments and mostly satisfies. Except for the overattention to material and social superficiality, Thayer's story of a woman's quest for self-identity and self-affirmation does inspire. Janet St. John

About this edition

• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0312958927
• ISBN 13: 9780312958923
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• Number of pages: 388