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The Wild Zone: A Novel |  | Author: Joy Fielding
Publisher: Atria
Category: Book
List Price: $25.00
Buy Used: $1.40
as of 9/8/2010 04:01 CDT details
You Save: $23.60 (94%)
Seller: _athenaeum_
Rating:  reviews
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 368
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 6.3 x 1.5
ISBN: 141658529X
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9781416585299
ASIN: 141658529X
Publication Date: February 23, 2010
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | ISBN13: 9781416585299 | | • | Condition: New | | • | Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
From New York Times bestselling author Joy Fielding comes the suspenseful story of a seemingly casual bet among friends gone terrifyingly awry.
This is how it starts. With a joke. Two brothers -- Will and Jeff -- and their friend Tom are out one night at their favorite South Beach bar, the Wild Zone, and decide to make a bet on who can be the fi rst to seduce a mysterious-looking young woman drinking by herself. Pretty, dark-haired, blue-eyed Suzy has an innocent, almost ordinary girl-next-door way about her. "Just waiting for Prince Charming to hit on her," Jeff says. Little do they know the secrets she hides from the outside world, particularly those having to do with the daily horror she experiences under the watchful eye of her abusive husband. Little do they know she has an agenda of her own. Little do they know their harmless bet is about to take on a life of its own, a life full of deadly consequences for all concerned. Fielding is continually praised for her "heart-pounding" (Booklist) brand of storytelling, full of "chillingly satisfying twists" (People). There's certainly no going back once you've entered The Wild Zone.
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| Customer Reviews:
WOW! NOT FIELDINGS BEST WORK BUT WHAT A HOOT. September 6, 2010
D. Blankenship (The Ozarks)
First let me say, that like my wife, I am a big Joy Fielding fan. She has brought a lot of reading pleasure over the years to both of us. Of her more than twenty books so far, I cannot remember on of them that was a clunker. I would encourage anyone interested in a good read to pick any of her work. Her books are a wonderful way to kill a long winter weekend.
Now as to this novel: There is not a bit of a doubt in my mind that this is a far cry from her normal work. It is not, I fear, her best novel by far. As a matter of fact, I would have to put it at the bottom of the heap...as like in last place.
But that is okay in this case as far as we were concerned.
As we travel my wife and I read to each other to pass the time. We do a lot of traveling so we go through a lot of books. Some of the best reads we have had are not, by any standard, literary masterpieces. We go for the simple and simplistic. Often times the worse the book is the more we enjoy it. We both have rather strong opinions when it comes to literature, both have a pretty good sense of humor, and my wife in particular has a very sarcastic tongue. We quite often spend more time bantering and laughing than we do actual reading.
This novel, bless Fielding's heart, and I mean no disrespect, falls into that category.
The book begins with three guys in a bar making a bet on who will bed the new girl that has walked in. Two brothers, quite different, and a completely crazy (probably psychotic) friend are the leading characters of many. The story evolves from here with a pretty good cast of stereotyped characters. Hint: Read the first of this book very, very carefully...no spoiler here, but by paying close attention, your reading pleasure will be enhanced.
The characters of this book are indeed, as other have pointed out, quite contrived, predictable and way over the top as to stereo-typing. Again, this is good. This is what we, my wife and I, were looking for.
The plot is indeed, despite what you may read here, on the complicated side and you have to pay some attention. The book is a page turner no doubt because as bad as it gets in places, you develop, as you read, an unquenchable thirst to find out what happens next. You find yourself thinking "I cannot believe she wrote this stuff." Ms. Fielding throws in little bits here and little bits there, that simply make for interesting reading...keeping in mind that you do not have to give the entire work much thought. I was able to drive fine, as was my wife, during the entire reading.
The bad guys in this novel are really a bunch of pathetic wretches; the kind you love to hate. This is always a pleasing aspect of our traveling reads and we delight when we come across one.
To enjoy this work you will have to sort of put your mind on hold, ignore your perceptions of this author, and just enjoy the book for the third rate story it is. I suspect that Fielding knocked this one out purely for the dollars...and in this day and time, who can blame her?
I would strongly recommend though that you do not spend your hard earned money for this one. Like us, you should check this one out at the library.
I am tempted to give this one five stars simply because it met our needs, but that would be unfair to readers and quite misleading. I am though going to be overly generous and give it three stars with great reservations.
And by the way, being a bit eccentric myself, as is my wife, we loved the quirky ending.
Don Blankenship
The Ozarks
 as always a great book! August 21, 2010
Paula Emeigh (Raleigh, NC USA)
I have read everyone of Joy Fielding's books and I have never been dissapointed with any of them. A page turner that is hard to put down to the end. I always try to figure out what is going on, and as usual I didn't see it coming.
Loved "Tom" the most.He was a simple character and I found him quite interesting. Keep em coming Joy. YOU are one of the best!
A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE July 16, 2010
Bookworm-Red Rock (St. George Utah)
Envy and jealousy reign supreme in Joy Fielding's THE WILD ZONE. Every individual in the book has a run in with the "green eyed monster" at some point in the story. The cast of characters include....
Will, a shy PhD candidate currently taking a break from his studies at Princeton who envies his brother Jeff's good looks and easy way with the ladies particularly his current live in Kristin;
Jeff, macho physical trainer and potential poster boy for male chauvinism. He has never been in love and maintains a love `em and leave `em attitude with the women in his life. Half-brother to Will, he is bitter about Wills "chosen one" status within the family.
Tom, armed and dangerous married father of two whose explosive temper has earned him a dishonorable discharge from the military, a drinking problem, and second rate job. He is also jealous of what he perceives as Will's intrusion into his friendship with Jeff
Dave Bigelow, a doctor with a mean streak a mile wide who delights in imparting daily mental and physical abuse on his wife Suzy and considers himself to be "smarter than the average bear".
Kristin, bartender at fictional South Beach establishment called The Wild Zone, live-in girlfriend and bedmate to Jeff but strangely attracted to Will.
And finally Suzy, the abused wife with an agenda, whose trip to The Wild Zone brings about a bet between Jeff, Will and Tom that culminates in a situation that presents the reader with a strangely compelling read and an unexpected finale.
If the above referenced characters appear to be somewhat stereotypical, well they are what they are. The book may not win any awards but it does deliver a diverting afternoon read.
Page Turner July 13, 2010
Phyllis Niemeyer (Sea Girt, NJ USA)
I never read a book until I read the reviews in Amazon but the star difference of the comments urged me to find out why this book had such mixed opinions. I would love to know what the 1-2-3 star people are reading that is so much better than "The Wild Zone"! For me, this was a real page turner - I couldn't put the book down! The characters pulled me in from the first page -- their personalities were so diverse. Jeff and Tom are an example of what happens to men after experiencing war in Afghanistan. I felt so sorry for the family turmoil between Jeff and Will. Who expected the background and the emotions shared by Kristen and Suzy? The plot was refreshingly unusual. I never got bored because the action and suspense just kept coming on every page! What a surprise ending - I loved it - I couldn't read fast enough! I say Joy Fielding aced this one 5 times!!
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