Joy Street

by Frances Parkinson Keyes

A young woman brought up in a Brahmin family on Beacon Hill and her husband are exposed to different cultures for the first time when he joins a law firm that has experimented by hiring a Jew, an Irishman, and an Italian, in addition to their traditional Protestants. Can Emily and Roger befriend these seeming upstarts without offending their own families and associates?

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Marriage, Romance, Novels

490 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1950

About the author

Frances Parkinson Keyes was an American author who wrote about her life as the wife of a U.S. Senator and novels set in New England, Louisiana, and Europe. A convert to Roman Catholicism, her later works frequently featured Catholic themes and beliefs. Her last name rhymes with "skies," not "keys."

Reviews

[CLM · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dated yet compelling look at a fictional marriage and lifestyle in the early-to-mid 20th century that confronted the prejudices of Brahmin Boston. While the attitudes may seem shocking to the modern reader, Keyes, as always, depicts a bygone era with care and vivid accuracy. The Beacon Hill setting, just a few blocks from the Massachusetts State House and from John Kerry's beautiful home, add an appealing element.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are reading this review either (1) you are already familiar with Keyes and her literary bon-bons and wonder if this one holds its taste in the 21st century or (2) you were charmed by the vintage book jacket at a library book sale and wonder whether to actually read it. In the case of 1, mostly. Keyes's sympathies clearly lay with the "modern" Boston Brahman newlyweds trying to expand the scope of their life beyond their conservative upbringing. She does a nice job of depicting life among the rich and wannabe rich in Boston, revolving around the young lawyers in a maverick law firm. It's an interesting note that big law firm law was thought to be just as soul-crushing in the 1930s as it is today. (2) If this book appealed to you enough to buy, you will probably have seen "Old Acquaintance" on TCM, the one where Miriam Hopkins writes vastly popular "women's novels" out of spite and jealousy directed at her best frenemy, "serious writer" Bette Davis. "Joy Street" is exactly the kind of book Miriam Hopkins's character would have written. Act accordingly.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The destiny of a Boston Brahmin family is changed by the husband's Italian, Irish, and Jewish law partners. Takes place between 1636-1946. I lived in Boston for college plus a few years, and I love Boston stories.

[Marie Saville · Rating 3 out of 5]

He adorado la mayor parte del libro: la minuciosa ambientación, la relación del matrimonio protagonista, la comunidad que forman en su nuevo hogar... Podría decir que todo hasta ese momento, hacia el final de la historia, en el que todo se vuelve enrevesado y forzado. ¡Qué lástima!

[Pdswhite · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so filled with emotion. I read it as a young married woman who was not finding everything in my marriage which I had thought would be there. So it was disturbing to read about this young woman and what happened in her life. Also was great to learn about the Back Bay of Boston. Ms. Keyes books are quite accurate in the history in which the book is set.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Keyes writes a family story about love and how love changes through time. She also writes about loyalty and responsibility taken on through marriage.
Expectations aren't always what they seem and those same expectations not always realized.

[Cynthia Stead · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is perhaps the best book about Boston, Boston society, and it wedding cake of tiers and classes ever written. A little known classic.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good choice if one ever desires to read Mrs. Keyes. The novel takes place in Boston and depicts quite accurately the social mores and unbelievable prejudices that governed "upper class" society there during the first half of the twentieth century.

[Mary Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an adult book that told its story without stooping to tawdry detail. I loved the way the stories were enmeshed and gradually unfolded. It kept my interest for over 700 pages, I never once thought that it dragged.

[Margaret Higgins · Rating 4 out of 5]

love books about boston.

[J-walk · Rating 4 out of 5]

JOY STREET served up platters of Boston history. 19th century homes claim notoriety on Joy Street and are still in existence today. Can you imagine living on a street labeled JOY?

Literature at its best with well formed sentences, rich dialogue, fascinating characters. Loyalty and integrity prevailed throughout the personal relationships of the main characters. And I absolutely loved Old Lady Forbes. Talk about a memorable character! She was the magnifying glass held over social activities related to her family and neighborhood.

[Terry Rupple · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! It was a best seller during the year I was born. I had several to choose from as this was a decision by our group for everyone to choose a best seller from the year we were born. I chose this book after reading a brief description of the subject matter and was not disappointed. Historical fiction is my favorite genre and the location in the Boston area where my mother's family first lived in America was intriguing.

[Cynthia J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredibly detailed and a good basic story. Of course these people practically have monopoly money and assets but there's a nice feeling of Boston's Beacon Hill and an old world that's gone now. I read this years ago but did enjoy rereading it.

[Nadine Sutton · Rating 5 out of 5]

well written and elegant, giving a picture of upper class Bostonian society, in the 1930s and with an interesting mix of characters

[Rosemary Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shows some of the view points in Boston around the time of World War II. A story of life and love. I would call it a historical romance.

[Sophie · Rating 2 out of 5]

You have to appreciate the egoism of Frances Parkinson Keyes. I mean, what else but rampant egomania would lead a writer to begin her book with a foreword detailing the overwhelming difficulties and sacrifices of her life as a best-selling author?

I also hope that Joy Street will seem worth while to enough other people, so that eventually the effort which went into it will seem worth while to me, after all.

(Or as Lina Lamont put it: "If we bring a little joy into your humdrum lives, it makes us feel as though our hard work ain't been in vain for nothin'.") Once Keyes finishes describing the terrible burden of being a talented writer, she begins her acknowledgements, but can't resist slipping in random tidbits about all the times she correctly described some house or artifact without benefit of having researched it.

...it was one thing to have visualized a silver-gilt tea set, of which there were actually five; it was quite another to visualize a signet ring of which there was only one!

Such brilliance! She then concludes the foreword by detailing when and where she wrote the outline, the various places and times she produced the first draft, and when and where she finished the book and wrote the foreword. Sheesh, what an ego.

With that intro to overcome, a book had better be damned good. This one isn't. The author has lofty ambitions (natch) but doesn't follow them through. For me, the biggest reason the book doesn't succeed is that there isn't any real character growth, no hero's journey. Emily is essentially the same person at the end of the story as she is at the beginning. What we're left with is a catalogue of events with very little depth (historic verisimilitude does not equal depth) and lots of extraneous details. (So many extraneous details and random tangents that I almost regretted I hadn't gone for the abridged version.)

Clearly, the author's purpose in writing this story (the effort that cost her so very much!) was to combat bigotry and racism (she was diversity before diversity was cool), but I doubt she succeeded in convincing anyone. For one thing, she makes the Irish, Italian and Jewish lawyers hired by the Boston firm too perfect to be real. Especially David Salomont, the Jewish lawyer, who is so talented, smart and wonderful he borders on insufferable. Frankly, I found him so unappealing (underneath his perfection and charm is an arrogance and cynicism that was more than off-putting) that I wondered if FPK's commitment to combating antisemitism was as deep as she thought it was. (Not hard to imagine that an egomaniac of her proportions would be oblivious to her own deeply held prejudices.) She comes closest to succeeding with Brian Collins, the Irish character, whose situation and family seem most realistic. She even shows what the Irish characters are up against in Boston, making the reader see the prejudice they face. (Unlike the Jewish character who talks about facing prejudice, but is met everywhere he goes in Boston with nothing but acceptance and admiration.)

Overall, I'm sorry I couldn't like this story more, but I'm starting to think I need to give up on FPK. This is the fourth of her (really, really lo-o-ong) novels that I've read, and they have all shared the same flaw: too much plot, not enough characterization. And after all her costly, life-draining work...!

[Mole Mann · Rating 2 out of 5]

"I should say you did a good job!" he exclaimed. "This is a man's room all right - the kind every house ought to have!"
I find it interesting that the Boston of this novel is not far removed from the Boston of The Scarlet Letter - an extremely insular world. The main change in this Boston is that the old Puritan families have become rich WASP families who shove out anyone they don't like.
I'd probably rate this book a two and a half. There are quite a few scenes I liked but there were also a lot of moments that bored me. Something that interested me in concept though bored me in execution, there's scenes in this book where characters go for a walk and we see the inner workings of their mind. I am unsure if it is stream of consciousness, as I have yet to read any notable examples of it in action. It feels close.

[Shelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book took me forever to read and I have to admit that I skimmed the last 50 pages. It’s my classic from 1951 as I am reading a classic from each year since I was born. Joy Street is about the Boston Bluebloods of the 1930s. It brings in the tension between the wealthy on Joy Street and the newly arrived Irish and Jewish immigrants that make their way into society through a law firm.

[Ronnie Fody · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this novel several years ago along with every novel Mrs. Keyes wrote. She is an exceptional writer of historical fiction. She also traveled extensively through out Europe and experienced events in Europe as the war started over there. Frances was married to a U.S. senator and wrote about her experiences as a Senators wife.
RFody

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is absolutely fantastic. I loved the author's writing style. She weaves an interesting plot with all sort of interesting and humorous sidelines and pieces of dialogue. She also does a great job of describing different areas of Boston so any Bostonians should definitely read this.

[Christina Jolicoeur]

My 2022 reading resolution was to read one book a month from the 1950s. This is the first one and I didn't finish it. It was straight out of a 1940s moving will silly dialog and even though I was warned of this in reviews, I couldn't get past it. There was really no story line. Moving on.

[Sheryl Sato · Rating 4 out of 5]

An epic novel. Good writing and moving story.

[Samantha Glasser]

This was on the New York Times best-seller list.

[Toni Wyatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good story about the elite of Boston back in the early 1900s.

[Megan Moser · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hated it. Long and over done. Hated the characters and took forever to get through. I skipped around and finally finished it. Would not recommend.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

An old style love story about people in a time that embraced "old money", lavish homes with lots of servants and a world war that changed all of it. Loved it!

[Gaile]

Dis remember

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

a good book for little girls to read but not me.