Field of Stars

by Alice Mattison

Unable to come to terms with personal relationships after a lonely childhood in which she was brought up by her grandparents, Susan Sternfield finds it necessary to supplement her happy marriage with the hidden life of an affair

Genres: Fiction

253 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Alice Mattison's new novel, WHEN WE ARGUED ALL NIGHT, will be published by Harper Perennial as a paperback original on June 12, 2012. She's the author of 5 other novels, most recently NOTHING IS QUITE FORGOTTEN IN BROOKLYN, 4 collections of stories, and a book of poems. Many of her stories have appeared in The New Yorker and other magazines. She grew up in Brooklyn, New York and has lived for a long time in New Haven, Connecticut. She teaches fiction writing in the Bennington Writing Seminars, the low-residency MFA program at Bennington College in Vermont.

Reviews

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a curiously haunting story of a woman who is always a stranger in her community and, perhaps, finally finds a way to belong. It took me a while to get into it, but then it caught me, perhaps as Susan makes peace with her--and others'--imperfections.

[Cynthia Paschen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a fan of Alice Mattison, since reading "The Book Borrower."

This is her first novel. Part one especially, sounds like something she wrote when she was very young. Part one nearly lost me with descriptions of summer camp work and Susan's friendships.

The novel picks up speed and explores marriage, motherhood and infidelity.