Puppet [Hardcover]

Joy Fielding (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 4, 2005

Amanda Travis is a successful twenty-eight-year-old criminal attorney who races through her glamorous life with very few concerns. Her estranged mother, dead father, two ex-husbands and a past love that once consumed her are just distant memories now. But when ex-husband #1 calls to tell her that her mother has shot a man at point-blank range in the lobby of Toronto's Four Seasons hotel, Amanda knows she must return to her hometown to race her demons and uncover the hidden facts behind her mother's violent outburst. All too soon, she is drawn into the dark, strange power her mother seems to hold over everyone. Her childhood nickname, Puppet, echoing in her ears, Amanda must finally confront the past in order to be free of the ties that bind and learn to stand on her own.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Fielding is a master of anticipation and tension."

-- The Globe and Mail (Toronto) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Joy Fielding is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Still Life, Charley's Web, Heartstopper, See Jane Run, and other acclaimed novels. She divides her time between Toronto and Palm Beach, Florida. Visit her website at www.JoyFielding.com. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Atria (January 4, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743488008
• ISBN-13: 978-0743488006
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,729,868 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Joy Fielding is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Still Life, Charley's Web, Heartstopper, See Jane Run, and other acclaimed novels. She divides her time between Toronto and Palm Beach, Florida.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good fast read, January 19, 2005

By 

Annie "bookwishes4" (United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Puppet (Hardcover)

Joy Fielding has written many popular books in the past years such as Grand Avenue and Whispers and Lies and I think Lost is sure to be another hit.

Puppet opens with us meeting Amanda Travis, a main character you certainly are not going to love. She is an up and coming attorney living in Florida who is twice divorced, does not like losing cases, and thinks it is ok to sleep with married men.

Out of the blue, her first ex husband Ben calls from Toronto to tell her that her estranged mother has been arrested for shooting a stranger in the Four Season Hotel and he would like her to come home to help. After much deliberation and some extra heat from past relationships knocking at her door, Amanda decided to take a quick trip home. Ben takes Amanda to see her mother the day after she arrives only to be told that her mom, Gwen does not want any kind of defense. She just wants to plead guilty and take her sentence. Being the attorney that she is, Amanda can't take that as an option so she starts digging around to find out the truth behind the shooting. What Amanda gets is a whole lot more than she bargained for when the truth about her past starts catching up to her and life will never be the same.

Puppet was a very quick read with a lot of dialog so be forewarned if you do not like that format in a book. For those of you who have read many of Joy Fieldings past books you will not be surprised to know that she once again throughs in a zinger that you would not have originally guessed and thats all I am saying.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous Intrigue!, February 1, 2005

By 

Marion "[e-mail]" (Louisiana) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Puppet (Hardcover)

I have to admit that this book started out a little slow, but the minute the pace picked up, it never slowed down until the shocking, surprising ending. If you enjoy suspense, you'll love this well-plotted tale of a dysfunctional family full of hidden secrets!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good thriller (not to be misread), January 3, 2006

By 

Glenn Hopp - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Puppet (Hardcover)

It's surprising how many readers commenting here seem to feel that the main character in a popular novel always must be a real role model or at least someone with minor or understandable flaws. The white-hat syndrome. Why is that? Here, Joy Fielding clearly presents a main character who is not very admirable or very happy, either. The character's fast mind and quick wit keeps us turning pages, but the author does not intend for the reader to look up to or admire the main character, as shown by her bitterness and unhappiness. (Probably she doesn't want her condemned outright, either--just accepted as a character.) It's too bad that so many people gave up on the book just because the main character is who she is. The plot explores how she became the cynical, self-destructive person she is, what experiences made her who she is. The author is not endorsing such behavior, or else the character would not be so dark and brooding. It is kind of silly to judge a novel like a person for its supposed morality or immorality, anyway, but if you are going to do that, the judgment should be based not on what the subject is (a woman whose life ignores traditional morality) but on what attitude the book takes toward that subject. The attitude here is analytical--to show how she became the way she is (and how, in a very cliched happy ending) she eventually gets beyond all of this behavior to a new beginning.

Popular fiction can seem to cover such extremes (fantasy, history, horror, romance), but all of that, I guess, is really misleading because underneath whatever genre is being used, the range is really pretty constricting--all readers seem to want is a main character who is supergood, someone to look up to, no matter how unrealistic that may be or how unsuitable it is for the kind of conflict that makes for interesting fiction. Readers should consider widening their expectations from the novels they read. Books can provide a role model to look up to--and sometimes other types of people, too, people who can be better understood as we see their pasts. In the book An Experiment in Criticism, C.S. Lewis talked about people who "use" literature for "egoistic castle-building" rather than surrender themselves to the book they are reading open-mindedly. He makes a good point.