Joy Street is a novel written by Frances Parkinson Keyes. Released in 1950, it details a sheltered young Bostonian woman being exposed to new cultures and marital crises. Though largely forgotten today, it was an extremely popular novel in the 1950s.
Characters[]
- Emily Thayer Field - a young member of the prestigious Thayer family, wife of Roger
- Roger Field - a young lawyer, husband of Emily
- David Salomont - a Jewish coworker of Roger's who tries to get Emily to cheat on her husband with him
- Brian Collins - an Irish coworker of Roger's. First seems to be a nuisance but slowly becomes friends with Roger.
- Old Mrs. Forbes (or Evelina Forbes) - Emily's grandmother, a "mean" old woman with ties to high society and the U.S. Government.
- Pellegrino de Lucca - the Italian coworker of Roger.
- Harold Swan
- Roscoe Cutter
- Cleophas Mills
- Elliot Berkeley
- Cyrus Fletcher
- Cora Donlon - a secretary in the office of Roscoe, Cutter, and Mills.
- Caroline Field - the unconventional (for the time period) sister of Roger Field
- Sumner Thayer - father of Emily
- Mrs. Thayer (or Eleanor Thayer) - Emily's mother
- "Uncle" Homer Lathrop - a family friend of the Thayers with rather bigoted attitudes and ties to the goverment of Massachusetts.
- Priscilla Thayer - Emily's younger cousin, a vain woman.
- Simonetta de Lucca - Roger's beloved, assumed to be his cousin though this is disproven by Roger.
- Tim Tupperty - Brian's brother, a police officer.
- Russell Forbes - Emily's uncle, a senator
- Grandmamma Thayer
- Marion Swan
rest to be added
Publisher's summary[]
Full cover art of the Avon paperback reprint
In all the world there is no street like Joy Street, where Boston's bluest bloods live. They have a bit more money than others, but their problems are the eternal problems which beset all people - especially those in love.
Boston-bred Frances Parkinson Keyes knows well the world of Joy Street and people such as Emily Field, one of her most compelling heroines.
Emily was a loving wife and one of the city's most fashionable citizens until she met her husband's business partner. Emily's cool New England reserve was melted by the kiss of a man who would alter her destiny as she defied tradition.
Summary[]
Part One: Roger (Christmas Eve 1936 to June 1938)[]
Chapter One[]
While waiting for her boyfriend (Roger Field) to visit her, Emily Thayer watches Italian Catholic carollers. A friend of the family, "Uncle" Homer begins voicing his (rather negative) opinions about immigrants - specifically Italians. One of the carolers makes out with his companion (which Homer finds disgusting and Emily finds sweet) before the carollers leave. Homer and Emily then begin discussing local nuns and Emily's relationship with Roger. This discussion (and Homer's somewhat negative remarks about Roger) is what ends his conversation with Emily.
Chapter Two[]
Once Roger arrives, he watches another party through a window with Emily. After this, Roger asks Emily to marry him and then discusses an "experiment" at his new job - his employer is hiring people from racial/religious minorities (Italians, the Irish, Jews).
Chapter Three[]
Roger and Emily leave for the house's library, avoiding Emily's mother but meeting with Emily's grandmother. After Roger leaves the house, he wanders down the street - lost in thoughts about his fiance's grandmother and his new job. During this walk, he bumps into street carollers and finds a house for sale.
Chapter Four[]
Emily announces her marriage to Roger - shocking and disgusting most of her family (though Old Mrs. Forbes, Emily's grandmother, is not one of them). To placate them, she agrees to spend a year in Kentucky helping the poor but is adamant on marrying Roger.
Once Emily returns from Kentucky, she and Roger begin planning the wedding. Emily further angers her family by inviting Roger's new business partners (who come from "undesirable" races). The family ultimately caves to this demand, and the wedding goes off without a hitch.
Before Emily and Roger go on their honeymoon trip through Europe, Roger looks at the house with Emily but discovers that it comes with an extremely high price tag. Around this time, Old Mrs. Forbes warns Emily that her love for Roger is nothing more than a casual fling.
Part Two: Roger and David (June 1938 to November 1938)[]
Chapter Five[]
During their honeymoon, Emily and Roger spend most of their time in England and Scotland (with a brief stint in continental Europe) as Old Mrs. Forbes buys and begins work restoring the house that Roger was interested in. To staff the house, Roger hires an old maid of the Field family and her family. This gains the ire of his sister Caroline.
While Caroline visits Emily at her house, Emily lets one of Roger's business partners (David Salomont) into the house.
Chapter Six[]
David and Emily plan various future meetings between David's stepfather (Morris Brucker) and Old Mrs. Field (who has already met Morris Brucker before World War I). Roger arrives back home shortly after this, suffering from the first symptoms of a cold.
Unfortunately for Roger, his daily life worsens his cold until he has to be bedridden for a few days. As such, he is left completely alone as Emily visits the meeting between her grandmother and Morris Brucker. A few days later, Emily and Roger begin planning a dinner while Roger is still bedridden.
Chapter Seven[]
The dinner is a disaster. One of the dinner guests (Brian Collins) arrives late and sloshed (which causes Emily's maid to burn the ducks given to Emily by a relative and not make the planned soufle). Brian later yells at another drunken guest for making mean comments.
Chapter Eight[]
After the disastrous party, Emily begins wandering around the streets of Boston. During one of these walks, she sees an Italian kid being hit by a truck (with the kid only receiving a gash on his head). During this, one of Pellegrino de Lucca (one of Roger's business partners and the male caroller that Emily saw at the Christmas party)'s relatives (and the female caroller that Emily saw, Simonetta de Lucca) rushes out to help the kid. Police soon arrive at the scene (with one of them being Tim Tupperty, a relative of the "odious" Brian Collins) arrive and help the kid into an ambulance. Emily tries to visit Simonetta but she refuses to see her.
Chapter Nine[]
While Emily frets over parties, Roger begins to feel bored and unsatisfied with his new job - and that his boss is giving him the drippings of his backlog. Roger's boss soon gives him a jury trial, but Roger discovers from David that even this is nothing more than a backlog case that Roger's boss has already thrown at one of his underlings.
Chapter Ten[]
During the trial, Roger's client doesn't show up. He is able to stall for time until the court has to close. Roger finds his client, but the client demands that he just throw money at the problem. Unfortunately for Roger, the other side's lawyer refuses to take the money. Due to all of this runaround, Roger makes it home extremely late and find Emily and David sitting around the fireplace.
Chapter Eleven[]
Though Roger doesn't voice his anger at David (as he didn't actually catch him having sex with his wife), he goes to bed with pure wrath at the thought of David coiling around his heart and through his mind.
Part Three: Roger and Brian (February 1939 to January 1940)[]
Chapter Twelve[]
Several months later, Old Mrs. Forbes visits Roger at his job to try to clear up a tax issue (involving cows owned by Mrs. Forbes) and a family issue (Emily's mother and father are selling a house owned by Old Mrs. Forbes). During this, she namedrops her ties to the Government (claiming to have called President Franklin D. Roosevelt). After Mrs. Forbes leaves Roger is visited by Brian and invited to visit the Collins family.
Chapter Thirteen[]
Roger has dinner with Brian's family and then plays poker with various men in the family. During this, he gets advice about Old Mrs. Forbes' house from one of the poker players.
Chapter Fourteen[]
Returning home late at night, Roger finds Emily extremely worried about him (as all of her attempts to contact him while at the Collins' failed). Instead of being relieved, Emily is cold and distant. The two briefly argue with each other for a brief time. Though the argument is short-lasted and ends without any ill will, Roger felt a red-hot anger during it.
Chapter Fifteen[]
Roger's fortunes begin to better themselves. He is given a raise by his boss and becomes close friends with Brian (inviting him and Pell to poker nights, with David being left out). This chapter also gives more depth to the night shown at the end of Chapter Ten - David danced with Emily and then (against Emily's will) kissed her.
Chapter Sixteen[]
The Field couple help Priscilla (a younger cousin of Emily's) establish herself into Bostonian society. This gives David (who Priscilla likes) opportunities to visit Emily again. During one of these visits, he tries to convince Emily to cheat on her husband but is interrupted by Brian arriving.
Chapter Seventeen[]
After Emily's parents vitriolically argue with each other over money and as Old Mrs. Forbes and company (including Priscilla) travel to Europe and Roger's coworkers go on vacation, Roger and Emily visit another cousin of Emily's - Elizabeth - in her home as the cousin repairs her home. Old Mrs. Forbes has to return to America due to the outbreak of World War II, and Priscilla returns to the household of her older cousin - though Emily starts to grows tired of her cousin's abrasiveness and friendship with David.
Chapter Eighteen[]
During New Years of 1939-1940, Roger and Emily (accompanied by Priscilla, David, Brian, Elizabeth and several others) visit Eilzabeth's Hollyhock Hill home for sledding and skiing. While skiing, Emily accidentally runs into a fence due to David distracting her with a race.
Chapter Nineteen[]
Roger and Brian bring Emily back to Elizabeth's cabin so that she can rest due to her sprained ankle. Elizabeth reveals that she is going to be married soon and asks Emily to come to the wedding. To escape a snowstorm, Roger and Brian leave - with David staying behind. One night, while her mind is consumed with "sinful thoughts", Emily accidentally runs into David while wandering through the cabin.
Part Four: Roger and Pell (August 1940 to March 1943)[]
Chapter Twenty[]
Within the legal firm, some big changes begin. One late night, Mr. Mills (one of the higher-ups in the organization) finds that two of his subordinates are quitting. One (Elliot Berkeley) had already asked to leave the firm while the other (David) plans to quit for a small amount of time due to a letter from the Adjutant General of the Army looking for lawyers to serve the Army during the then-brewing World War II. Mills tries to get David to reconsider leaving, but David refuses and essentially leaves the company due to this. To cover the slack (and to silence his whining about money), Brian is promoted. He quickly uses his new powers to renovate the offices - to the boon of Roger and Pell.
Chapter Twenty-One[]
While they are the only two people in the office, David finds the office receptionist (Cora Donlon) crying over him leaving. David offers to show Cora his house - an offer which Cora accepts. At the house, David shows Cora several of his valuables (including an ornament dating back to the reign of Catherine the Great) and has drinks with her.
The next day, after talking with Roger for some time, David goes for a walk. While on this walk, he begins thinking about the people around him and comes to a realization - he is in love with Emily.
Chapter Twenty-Two[]
One night, David visits Emily and proclaims his love - and his belief that David is a much-more suitable husband than he could ever be - to Emily. After telling Emily about this, he leaves.
Two days later, David goes out to the Cape with Priscilla. While walking with David, Priscilla reveals that she wants to marry David. David adamantly refuses her proposal - first pointing out the prejudice against Jews in Bostonian society and then revealing that he plans to join the war against Hitler. When this doesn't make Priscilla drop her proposal, David reveals that he is already in love with someone else (though he doesn't reveal that it is Emily that he is in love with).
Chapter Twenty-Three[]
As Pell and Roger eat dinner, Roger discusses one of his cases - in which a man was shafted by his employees. During one of these lunches, Roger reveals that he believes that the employers are deliberately trying to shaft the stockholders in their company and begins looking at the documents of the company. While he is doing this, Pell reveals that the two of them are to report to the Army immediately - the National Guard is entering into the War.
Roger discusses this with Emily - with him agreeing to go to war as they don't have any kids. Despite this, Roger is declared invalid to enter into combat by an Army doctor.
Chapter Twenty-Four[]
As America begins to enter into the War and Brian Collins enters further into local politics, Old Mrs. Forbes helps out with Elizabeth's marriage and helps bring refugee children into America (making Emily's mother take care of some of them). While talking with her grandmother, Emily reveals David's proclamation of love.
Chapter Twenty-Five[]
While Old Mrs. Forbes rants about the shabby state that local council meetings are in, a call comes in saying that Elizabeth has given birth to a son. Emily and Old Mrs. Forbes begin preparing for the new baby's christening. Old Mrs. Forbes sends letters to Pell and David asking them to attend, but both don't come. David sends a lengthy letter that Emily reads while hiding away in Old Mrs. Forbes' room.
Due to the sudden loss of Pell and David, Roger has to pick up their work. His overwork is worsened when Brian reveals in a letter that he is being drafted.
Chapter Twenty-Six[]
Shortly after Brian leaves, Roger begins trying to clear the work that Brian left behind. He discovers that Brian's handwriting is nigh-inelligible and sends him letters to clear matters up. In his letters back to Roger, Brian reveals that he was made into a receptionist. Several days later, Brian reveals that he has been sent to the Enlisted Reserve Corps and is able to return to work. This return is short-lived, as America declares war on Japan after the destruction of Pearl Harbour. Brian is given a brief window to remain at home before he leaves for enlisted service. During this time, a celebration is thrown for him at the office.
Due to being declared invalid, Roger is unable to join Brian. Instead, he helps out in local preparations for wartime. During these preparations, Priscilla reveals that she is leaving America entirely to join the war effort. Around the same time, Old Mrs. Forbes receives a letter from David revealing that he has been cut from overseas duty.
Chapter Twenty-Seven[]
While Pell returns to Boston from active service briefly, he visits Roger and tells him about a few details of his life. Orphaned at a young age, he was adopted by an "aunt" (who married someone with the same last name unrelated to his father) who gave birth to a daughter when Pell was seven - this daughter is Simonetta, with whom Pell is in love with despite the two being cousins (at least in the eyes of the Church, which refuses to be marry them). Pell's grandfather-in-law died recently and left him a large estate, which somewhat angered his aunt/mother (a misanthropic woman since her husband died in the 1918 influenza plague) who has contested the will.
Chapter Twenty-Eight[]
Roger and Emily discuss Pell's situation. Though Emily is somewhat skeptical, she agrees to help Roger help Pell. The two buy Pell a house in the Joy Street area and help Pell and Simonetta to get married. One day, during a storm, Simonetta visits the Field couple in a dishevelled state and reveals that Pell has ran away.
Chapter Twenty-Nine[]
Roger briefly has time to think about this, as Cyrus Fletcher drops dead. While meeting with Cyrus' wife, Roger discovers that Cyrus was admitted into a respectable club on the same day that he died. Roger becomes even more overworked due to the sudden death and Emily tries to convince him to take a vacation due to advice from Roger's doctor. Roger refuses to heed this advice.
One day, Roger and Emily visit one of Pell's uncles (Nazareno) - who is in charge of a family restaurant owned by Pell's grandfather before his death - and talk about Nazareno's father's will. During these talks, Emily points out that Carmella (Pell's adoptive mother) is not listed as a member of the de Lucca family.
Chapter Thirty[]
Several months later, Roger serves in the trial over the will. He first cross-examines Carmella and feels that the jury is beginning to turn against him. After a quick break, he returns to cross-examining Carmella about her birth certificate. He reveals that Carmella checked out the birth certificate of a woman born at the same time of her and closes with the revelation that this woman is Carmella "de Lucca" - meaning that she is completely unrelated to the de Luccas and has no claim to the will.
Chapter Thirty-One[]
While driving home after the trial, Roger falls extremely ill and only avoids crashing the car in this state by sheer luck. He arrives home and falls into a fugue - waking up in bed some time later. He is visited by a doctor, his wife (who reveals that she is pregnant with his child), and various other figures (including Deirde, the old family maid) as he dies. His last dying thought is joy over his winning his last case.
Part Five: Emily (March 1943 to November 1946)[]
Chapter Thirty-Two[]
Though despondent about the death of her husband, Emily is able to hide most of her grief. She decides to abandon the Joy Street house until her child is born. During this time, her father starts to visit her and the two begin meeting in the garden of the Joy Street house while Emily tries to help Simonetta build a home. While on leave from his post at Manus, Brian visits Emily and tries to help her stop being depressed and help her efforts to build Simonetta's house. After Brian leaves, Emily takes a trip to Vermont and miscarriages. While Emily is extremely depressed by the loss of her baby, she has one hope left - that David will return.
Chapter Thirty-Three[]
Emily recovers from her depression and the side effects of the miscarriage enough to help plan Simonetta's wedding. Around the same time, she invites Brian up to her attic. While the two of them drink rum, Brian reveals that he has been in love with Emily but has hid his feelings as Emily was already married. Emily refuses her advances, as she reveals that she is in love with David (though she refuses to say his name). Though somewhat dissapointed, Brian does not get angry and shares a drink with Emily.
Chapter Thirty-Four[]
Later that day, Emily and Old Mrs. Forbes talk about the fate of the Joy Street house and a letter from David that has arrived stating that he is returning to Boston soon. Once David returns, he visits Emily and talks about his war-service and love for killing Nazis before revealing that he has fallen in love with Priscilla.
Chapter Thirty-Five[]
Shortly after her talk with David, Emily returns to her grandmother and reveals that David turned her down. She also reveals that David and Priscilla plan on getting married. Emily and her grandmother attend the marriage - with Morris Brucker also in attendance. Despite Brucker being present, Old Mrs. Forbes leaves early with her grandmother. That night, Old Mrs. Forbes reveals that she had an affair with a Romanoff shortly before his death at the hand of the(-then) emerging Soviet government. Three days later, Old Mrs. Forbes dies in her sleep.
Chapter Thirty-Six[]
Though Emily is saddened by her grandmother's death, she is able to recover in a short time. Old Mrs. Field's servants move in with Emily and most of Old Mrs. Forbes' falls into the hands of her granddaughter. Around this time, Pell returns to Boston and marries Simonetta while Brian begins his run as a senator - battling with Uncle Russell. Though Russell tries to get Emily to support his cause, Emily refuses due to her friendship with Brian. While working on his campaign, Brian also works with Pell to create their own legal firm - with Priscilla's brother intending on joining the firm even though he hasn't graduated high school. On election day, Brian proposes to Emily - who accepts. The last scene of the novel shows the new senator showing his new wife to his family.
Author's continuity[]
- In Chapter Twenty-Three, while Roger and Pell eat dinner, a visitor to the restaurant they are at references the restaraunt Antoine's. This restaurant previously appeared in Dinner at Antoine's.
See also[]
| Title | Author | Release date | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Also the Hills | Frances Parkinson Keyes | 1943 | A novel by the same author with similar themes also set around World War II |
| The Bostonians | Henry James | 1885-1886 | A novel with similar themes also set in Boston |
Sources[]
- Goodreads
- Wikipedia