Wild Zone [Hardcover]

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1847373410
• ISBN-13: 978-1847373410
• Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 1.4 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)

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

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Shockingly bad, March 14, 2010

By 

barry (Boston, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Wild Zone: A Novel (Hardcover)

I am a huge Joy Fielding fan. The first book I read by her was SEE JANE RUN. From then on I have highly anticipated each release from her. Some of her works are better than others but the reader is usually always promised great character development and a suspenseful realistic plot line. MAD RIVER ROAD and WHISPERS & LIES are also favorites of mine. She's had a couple that didn't quite work but they still managed to be enjoyable works.

I am speechless with this latest THE WILD ZONE. It is not just that I didn't like the plot or theme. It is honestly a very poorly written excuse for a novel. I am stunned that Joy Fielding wrote this, let alone let it be released. And where were her editors? Couldn't someone have caught this dribble before its release. It is obvious she is trying to expand her horizons here for the main characters are three men and that is totally new for her. And even though women are involved in the story it is basically about the lives of these three men. Sadly bringing a realistic male character to life is beyond her reach as an author. Here we have Jeff, Tom and Will and each one is an extreme over the top caricature. She tries to define their personalities through their dialogue and it becomes laughable. She does use language and plot turns that will shock some faithful readers but had they served a purpose in establishing true character development or storyline it would have been acceptable but instead it is very gratuituous. The fact that Joy thinks this is good baffles me.

The start is three men making a bet at a bar. Simple with lots of potential. What follows is plot twists that are shockingly unrealistic and characters that become more laughable with each page turn. I have only written praise for every Joy Fielding book since SEE JANE RUN so to write this review bothers me. But it also bothers me that the author sees fit to release this and expect readers to pay for such a poor book. I am shocked also by Publisher's Weekly praise for this book. There is no growing suspense. In all honesty, the only reason I finished the book was for it was so bad I couldn't put it down for I needed to see just how outlandish it would get. This is also a very fast read. It is mostly dialogue. The ending is a surprise and in the last 3 pages I felt a glimmer of the Joy Fielding I know and love.

I praise any author for trying to stretch but when it does not work it should not be released. Here we have what is meant to be a dark, stark gritty story about three troubled men and the troubled paths their lives take by a few mistakes in judgement. Instead we get this. I honestly laughed at many points for the dialogue was so corny and actions so unrealistic. Shame on you Joy Fielding. Your readers deserve so much better. Please acknowledge your limits as a writer and if you try something new have it pass through many eyes and get honest feedback before pushing it on your readers. I can in no way recommend this novel unless as a library read and you want to see a succesful writer falter. Regretably I will now question when I purchase a new Joy Fielding book and that makes me sad. If this review seems harsh it is only honest and I want readers to know what to expect.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Hard to believe Joy Fielding even wrote this garbage..., March 10, 2010

By 

Orlando Bookworm (Orlando, Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Wild Zone: A Novel (Hardcover)

I'm finding it hard to believe that Joy Fielding even wrote this novel. It was awful. All the male characters were laughably cliche, most notably Tom, who was so superficial and sterotypical that it was just way over the top. Joy can write so much better than this - she should be downrigt embarrassed to have her name on this lousy book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not the wildest ..., February 27, 2010

By 

W. Smith "4everSLAUGHTERED" (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Wild Zone: A Novel (Hardcover)

Best friends and former soldiers in war, Tom and Jeff, take Jeff's visiting "little brother" Will to the Wild Zone bar were Jeff's live in girlfriend, Kristin is the sexy bartender. The men make a bet as to who can score with a beautiful woman named Suzy. With the help of Kristin, Will is the reluctant winner. Jeff and Tom are in angry disbelief. Then the wild ride begins. All three can't get Suzy out of their heads. As Will seems to flourish with his new found relationship with Suzy, Tom and Jeff deteriorate. The characters deal with Jeff's bad but reasonably controlled behavior and then with Tom's extremely violent and frighteningly out of control behavior that worsens as the book continues. Plus, Suzy struggles with a horrific problem of her own and pulls in those that have entered the "Wild Zone".

The language through the book is very rough. Not for the prudish or Mary Higgins Clark fans. For example, Tom hires an "escort" and she rattles off her menu of services as well as her do's and don'ts for the bedroom. Yikes! There are also a lot of repetitive phrases that drove me nuts. Examples, "Do you want to talk about it", "I don't understand", "what do you mean", "it's because of Afghanistan".

This is a tale that has been told before except for the one amazing surprise at the very end of the book. Before you get to that amazing surprise - everyone gets what they deserve!

I didn't think this was a great book or a fun suspenseful read. It was just so-so for Joy Fielding and somewhat predictable. The best Joy Fielding book with the same feel is my highly recommended pick Mad River Road: A Novel . Her last book Still Life: A Novel was excellent!