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    The Underside of Joy
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    The Underside of Joy
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    The Underside of Joy
    Audiobook9 hours

    The Underside of Joy

    Written by Seré Prince Halverson

    Narrated by Geneva Carr

    4.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Set against the backdrop of Redwood forests and shimmering vineyards, Seré Prince Halverson's compelling debut tells the story of two women, bound by an unspeakable loss, who each claims to be the mother of the same two children.

    To Ella Beene, happiness means living in the northern California river town of Elbow with her husband, Joe, and his two young children. Yet one summer day Joe breaks his own rule-never turn your back on the ocean-and a sleeper wave strikes him down, drowning not only the man but his many secrets.

    For three years, Ella has been the only mother the kids have known and has believed that their biological mother, Paige, abandoned them. But when Paige shows up at the funeral, intent on reclaiming the children, Ella soon realizes there may be more to Paige and Joe's story. "Ella's the best thing that's happened to this family," say her close-knit Italian-American in-laws, for generations the proprietors of a local market. But their devotion quickly falters when the custody fight between mother and stepmother urgently and powerfully collides with Ella's quest for truth.

    The Underside of Joy is not a fairy-tale version of stepmotherhood pitting good Ella against evil Paige, but an exploration of the complex relationship of two mothers. Their conflict uncovers a map of scars-both physical and emotional-to the families' deeply buried tragedies, including Italian internment camps during World War II and postpartum psychosis.

    Weaving a rich fictional tapestry abundantly alive with the glorious natural beauty of the novel's setting, Halverson is a captivating guide through the flora and fauna of human emotion-grief and anger, shame and forgiveness, happiness and its shadow complement . . . the underside of joy.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateJan 12, 2012
    ISBN9781101538531
    Unavailable
    The Underside of Joy
    Author

    Seré Prince Halverson

    Seré Prince Halverson is the international bestselling author of The Underside of Joy, which was translated into seventeen languages. She and her husband live in Northern California and have four grown children.

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    Reviews for The Underside of Joy

    4.5/5

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    • 5/5
      READ THIS BOOK. My mom recommended it to me when she finished. I asked if it was good, and she cited the sentence: "And Annie and Zach would zoom out the door each morning on their ever-growing limbs, each taking giant leaps along the ever-shortening path of their childhood." This book is full of such lines - unique ways the author thought to describe ordinary occurrences and ideas. The story itself was interesting and well-done, but the words made this book a joy (no pun intended) to read. It is Seré Prince Halverson's first novel, and I'm eagerly awaiting more from her.
    • 3/5
      This story started out interesting but midway through it became so-so and ended up being completely predictable. Also so there's nothing positive to say about the writing style, there is none.
    • 4/5
      Two mothers and two children that mean the world to them both in many different ways. For Ella Beene life became complete the day she met Joe and his two children Annie & Zack, but after his sudden & tragic death all of life’s joy seems to slip away from her. For Paige her life ended when she walked away from Joe and her two children only three years prior and the news of his death becomes a reason to live again and to make up for the moments missed. In the months that follow a struggle between Ella and Paige could end in another tragedy for both of them. Is it possible to have happiness when everything seems to be so wrong? When I initially picked up The Underside of Joy by Sere Halverson I was most intrigued by how the story would play out and my prejudice against the birth mother Paige began almost before I turned the first page. Who wouldn’t dislike a mother who picks up and leaves when things get a bit tough? But what I learned from reading The Underside of Joy was that there is always more to the story than there appears at first glance. Sere Halverson’s ability to build this multi-dimensional world where the lives of these characters are revealed layer by layer was miraculous especially considering this is her debut novel. Within a couple of chapters I was completely absorbed in Ella’s story, her loss, her future and the potential she still had for losses to come. It was beautiful story telling and one that made me more appreciative of the fragility of the lives we live. Ella’s story was obviously the main focus of The Underside of Joy and it was something I’d never read before. Imagine marrying the love of your life, inheriting two beautiful children to then have it all ripped away only a couple of years later. It was unbelievably compelling and I couldn’t help but have extreme sympathy for her even when in most cases the step-mother is looked at as the “evil” one. Ella was kind and loving and perhaps a better mother than I even am, so it was unbelievably sad to see her whole life ripped away. Her determination and devotion to her family and the life she created was something I thoroughly enjoyed. What I was surprised by was how much I disliked Paige’s character and subsequently Joe’s as more truth was uncovered throughout the book. It’s a theme I’ve seen before in other books and one that I find incredibly interesting. We all keep secrets, everyone does. The question is when does it go too far and when do those secrets do more harm than good. In Paige’s case the truth was something that not only damaged her, but her future life with her own children. At the same time, had some of those truths been revealed earlier I’m not sure whether they would have helped or hurt her case in regards to the custody of her children. Would Ella revealed them, were she told by Joe, and subsequently had her deemed unfit to be a mother? I’m not sure, but in the end things played out for the best for everyone no matter how unconventional it may be. The Underside of Joy by Sere Halverson is a stunning debut. A novel that turns the standard stereotypes of step-mothers on it’s head and creates a gorgeous portrait of a woman devoted to her family & life. There were only a few occasions near the beginning of the story that I felt were a little slow, but otherwise I was completely engulfed in the beautiful writing of Sere Halverson. Reading about the lives of these characters, their choices and the secrets they kept from one another was perfectly crafted creating a story that played out layer by layer to reach a very surprising ending. I’m eager to read more by Sere Halverson in the future and I’d highly recommend The Underside of Joy who loves well written women’s fiction. Originally reviewed and copyrighted at my site Chick Lit Reviews and News.
    • 3/5
      This is the story of Ella who is fighting for custody of her step-children after the unexpected death of her husband.
    • 4/5
      Joe Jr's death starts a series of unforeseen events for Ella who thought her life was so idllyic. This story is a true testament to the concept that there are no simple answers and each one of us is a complex entity composed of so many events and people that shaped our lives as we continue to shape the lives of others. Well done for debut novel; good for book discussion.
    • 5/5
      For starters, I loved everything about this book! I read it in less than a day and wish it kept going! This story is filled with heartbreak and happiness, sadness and joy and everything in between. When Ella's husband Joe dies in a sudden accident, she is left in mourning and at the same time has to remain strong for her two step-children, Annie and Zack. Paige is Annie and Zack's mother and returns to the family after she hears of her ex-husbands passing. Ella and Paige love the children, but the story begs the question of what makes a mother? Is it the woman who gave birth to you and then had to leave for your own safety or the woman who steps in after this? Ella and Paige fight for custody of the children while dealing with other family members secrets and fears. Fabulous book!
    • 5/5
      Set in the richly described small town of Elbow, California, this novel tracks a family through grief and joy, exploring the complex bonds of family and the true meaning of motherhood. Halverson's prose is descriptive and emotionally charged, but never overly dramatic or forced. Her characters are real people with real faults and feelings, and she writes them in such a way that you feel each moment, good and bad, alongside them. I strongly felt the author's desire to show empathy both for Paige and for Ella, though the story is told from Ella's perspective. As the two women navigate the very rocky and always dirty minefield of child custody following the loss of Ella's husband Joe, the reader feels for both women - there is nothing easy or obvious in that minefield. The lush natural setting of vineyards and river imbue this novel with a warm and homey atmosphere, the ideal setting for a family story. I highly recommend this novel, it will make you question your ideas on family, on love and on grief - once I started reading I couldn't put it down, though I was dreading what might happen next. I give The Underside of Joy five stars.
    • 3/5
      I was really drawn into this story of Ella, who loses her husband, Joe, and shortly afterwards risks losing her step-children, when Joe’s ex-wife Paige comes back onto the scene with a claim for custody. I liked the way the story was told, so that you could come to see the situation from the perspective of the many different characters involved: Ella, Paige, and Joe’s Italian family, who have their own silences about their own history. The contrast between the seemingly self-assured Paige and the grieving Ella – who is desperate to hold it together enough to prove that she would be equally as good for the children as their natural mother – was sympathetically drawn, and I thought there were interesting parallels between the silences in Joe’s family, and the silences between Joe and Paige. Ultimately, I felt sympathy for both Ella and Paige, and sadness at the way the custody case pitted them against each other. I’m not sure that I was entirely happy with the resolution of the story, but I don’t think there would have been a way to end this (for me) that was both realistic and satisfactory …
    • 4/5
      I really, really enjoyed this book! It was well written and an easy read. The subject matter was not easy but the writing pulled you in and made this book extremely readable. I loved Ella. She was real. I could see myself doing a lot of the things that she does which made me relate to her even though I have not had the same experiences. This is a story about family in it's many forms, about loss, about not being perfect, and about forgiveness. Do yourself a favor and read this book! I don't think you'll be disappointed!
    • 5/5
      I loved this book - characters, writing style, plot - everything. Ella was very believable as a loving stepmother and grieving wife. The backstory of the Italian-Americans during WWII was worked into the story nicely. Ella's fight for her children was emotionally, but I would have liked her to have handled the disclosure of the letters differently - not tell family members/friends they were found. And not to disclose to the court their existence. She could have been more generous in the visitation agreement, rather than risk losing the children.
    • 4/5
      After a string of 3-5 star reads I am going to give this book a 4 becuase I enjoyed the story and felt empathy for the characters and it was a book I became really engrossed in. Ella is happily married to Joe and lives with him and his children by his first wife Paige. Paige walked off and left the family when the children were very young and later Ella met Joe and has been living with him for three years. But one day Joe is killed in a tragic accident and life changes in an instant. For Ella, all she has left is the children whom she loves dearly , and the family business, and this she now discovers is in dire straits financially. She is just formulating a plan to try and rescue the business when Paige turns up again determined to win custody of the children. We then discover that Paige left because she was suffering from severe post natal depression after the birth of each of the children and the second time was worse than the first. She left because she felt she could not cope but with medical help has got her life back together and has a good job. She swears that she wrote letters to Jo and the children after she left but Ella cannot find these letters, and the court awards custody to her. But before she is able to sign the papers the letters unexpectedly turn up and they paint Paiges story in a completely different light. So what is Ella to do. She feels she has to give the letters to the court, but then she will probably lose custody of the children, and Joe's Italian extened family are dead set against her revealing the letters. I started off feeling much sympathy for Ella in her situation and wanted her to have custody, but after I discoverd Paige's story I felt some sympathy for her too, but she was more intractable and unprepared to give any ground away to Ella. I wanted things to work out between all parties but my only complaint about the book would be that maybe the ending was a little too tidy, and finished off a little too quickly but the book ends with the title words ...It is the underside of joy- there is pain underneath or behind all our joy and things are never perfect.
    • 4/5
      This is an interesting read about a stepmother caught up in interfamily dramatics after the sudden death of her spouse, old secrets being revealed, a poignant custody fight, and unexpected resolutions.
    • 4/5
      Thanks to LT's Early Review program for this book.I'm twisted on this book and hung between a 3 and a 4 star rating. Being both a bio-parent and a step-parent I was able to see both sides to a story. However, it is the bio-parent in me that just can not forgive Paige for her abandonment. I couldn't get passed that as it is nothing I could ever do under ANY circumstance. And even though it was the story it fell in the way of my enjoyment as I just was just so angry for what children go thru and especially with the courts and there idea of what is right.This was what ironically made it such a good book. Very well written and I would read another from this author so in the end I went with a 4 star for this one.
    • 4/5
      I was so looking forward to reading this book, and really enjoyed it. Ella Beene, unexpectedly widowed and left with her husband’s two young children, was a very sympathetic character. I wanted to hate the children’s mother, Paige, right from the start, for deserting her babies and husband. But, as the story went on, you find there are always more sides to the story than first seen. Overall, I found the book very well written. My only complaint was the very tidy, almost too tidy ending.
    • 5/5
      This novel stirred so many emotions in me! Fear, sadness, happiness, and terror. It's a story of a young woman who has suffered through five miscarriages, and the disintegration of her marriage. She takes off to find a new life. She somehow ends up in a tiny town called Elbow, California and and starts again. Ella tells her story of falling in love with newly divorced Joe Carpozzi, and all of his large Italian family. But most importantly to her, are his two beautiful children Annie, and Zach. Raising and loving Joe's children, who quickly call her Mommy, she has what she considers a beautiful life, until tragedy strikes. Joe's death is merely the beginning of her downward spiral. Through it all she has to put the children first, sometimes with the anger of the family. Lies become an almost daily discovery, breaking down her confidence.This is a story of a mothers love, both biological, and a stepmother's. Ella raised Zach from infancy, he knows no other mother. Annie, who to me seemed precocious at times, just wants life to be the same as when Daddy was there. I have picked this novel for my Book Club meeting, and can't wait for the discussions we have about it. It is a heartrending story, but worth every emotion spent.
    • 5/5
      This is the author's debut novel and I certainly hope she continues writing. I loved the story, the writing style, the characters....I highly recommend this book!The story begins almost immediately with the death of Ella's husband Joe. Ella has been married to Joe for 3 years and in that time has become a stepmother to his two young children. In fact, Ella is really the only mother the children have known, since their birth mother abandoned them 3 years earlier.But suddenly, Paige, the children's birth mother, returns after Joe's death and wants custody of the her two children. She claims she left for their own good, and attempted to contact Joe through out the years.Ella denies that Paige ever tried to contact Joe. But as she hears more of Paige's story, she begins to try and understand why Paige left, why Joe never talked about their relationship and what keeping secrets can do to a child.Ella loves these children as though they are her own. I felt Ella's pain and despair. This book was written so well and towards the end of the story, I could not put it down and stayed up late just to find out how it all would end.The story takes place in the Redwood forests of California in a family oriented small community. I loved the setting, the story idea and the character of Ella and her Italian family members.I can't wait to see what this author comes out with next! I reviewed this book as part of the Librarything EarlyReviewers.
    • 4/5
      The Underside of Joy is a touching story of happiness and sorrow, motherhood and family. After fleeing her broken marriage, Ella stumbles upon her soul mate in the tiny town of Elbow, California. Dazzled by Joe's good looks and the gorgeous children in his arms, Ella can hardly believe her luck and after a whirlwind courtship she is happily ensconced in family life. Then one morning, just three years later, Joe doesn't come home and Ella's perfect world comes crashing down. At his funeral Joe's ex wife appears demanding access to the children she abandoned and Ella begins to unravel the secrets her husband had kept from her. Terrified of losing everything, Ella has to make some hard decisions and can only hope they are the right ones for the children she calls her own.I was drawn to The Underside of Joy by the intriguing premise and the promise of an interesting conflict between two women who both consider themselves mothers of the same children. Halverson touches upon some important issues in this novel including postnatal depression, infertility, child custody and the role of step mothers. In a broader sense the themes ask the reader to consider if honesty is always best, what are the limits of love and asks how we define a family. These are highly emotive issues and The Underside of Joy treats them sensitively. I connected with this book and it's characters, on an emotional level, I was caught up in the drama and was prompted to wonder what I would consider to be best for the children.I do have a few small complaints, though they didn't really occur to me until after I had finished the novel. The children are just a little too precocious for their age, the characters are weighted towards stereotypes (the Italian mama, the reclusive artist, the trailer park crazy and the gay foodie) and the plot is a tad predictable. Still, it is to Halverson's credit that it made absolutely no difference to me while I was reading because I was so emotionally invested in the story.Unexpectedly there is also a subplot in the Underside of Joy that speaks to the little known internment of Italian Americans along with Japanese Americans during WW2 which is fascinating and fits surprisingly well into the themes of the plot.The story of The Underside of Joy contrasts two women who both want the same thing, three year old Zach and six year old Annie. Ella has nurtured them for three years and considers them her children. Paige gave birth to them and though once she thought it best to remove herself from their lives, she wants them back.Ella's pain at the loss of her husband is raw with the sadness, anger and confusion you would expect from a grieving wife, which is magnified when she discovers her husbands secrets. I liked Ella a lot, even when I was tempted to judge her for what can be construed as willful ignorance, as she never really wanted details about the children's mother or Joe's business. I feel Halverson created a well developed protagonist in Ella, she is flawed and contradictory but that is what makes her real. She makes mistakes but ultimately tries to do what's right, and takes steps to recover her fragile sense of self - seeing a lawyer, re-imagining the business. Naturally Ella is immediately sympathetic as she loves Zach and Annie so deeply.I was ready to feel outraged at Paige's demands for her children after she had left them, just a tiny baby and a three year old, with barely a backward glance but as Halverson slowly reveals the circumstances of her desertion I became more sympathetic. Paige isn't as substantial in character as Ella but because this is really Ella's story it doesn't matter too much. It's enough that we get her truth so that we are able to consider an alternative side of the story.Both Ella and Paige are very much affected by their respective pasts, both touched by tragedy they are swayed by childhood patterns of thinking and behaviour. For both women, Joe's death is the catalyst for them to make peace with their legacy.The supporting characters also have their own stories, including David, Joe's brother, who was overlooked to inherit the family store, and Liz who snubs Ella in allegiance to her past friendship with Paige. I also loved the setting, being a sucker for small towns with a real sense of community, which Halverson captures with evocative imagery.The Underside of Joy is an emotionally compelling story and an impressive debut by Sere Prince Halverson. Poignant and thought provoking it captures the trials of motherhood, the intimate bonds of family and the indeed, the underside of joy.
    • 4/5
      This book is just so real, at least for the most part. It is wonderfully written, alternately heart warming and heartbreaking. Tackles the timely subject of stepmothers and blended families, and how to be fair to all involved. Deals with grief, the secrets in a relationship and how past events can influence our present actions. Loved all the characters. If I have one little complaint, I thought the ending was a little to cliche, to pat, but it didn't keep me from enjoying the book.
    • 5/5
      This was a quick read for me because it was such a good story. Love, loss, fear and, even though it dealt with a situation I am not familiar (step parenting,) it was a wonderful story with a great ending.
    • 5/5
      We want to believe that once we’ve found joy in our lives, all of the hardships have been worth it and nothing will spoil that wonder we have gained. As such, we take pains to keep our lives unblemished and pure and for some people, that means hiding the wrongs they have committed or the mistakes they have made in order to keep their lives as joyful and pain-free as possible. They never understand, after the fact, how it could have gone wrong or what they missed or how they have hurt their loved ones.It is in the midst of this joy that we find Ella. She has been through one bad marriage and has found her way to Joe and the children she could never have. They have settled in Elbow, in Northern California, surrounded by the forests and water. Joe has a hobby of photography and chooses to go out and take pictures of the waves one particularly windy morning. He does not return. The aftermath of his loss is where we find The Underside of Joy by Sere Prince Halverson.On the day of Joe’s funeral, his ex-wife, long gone, has returned. Ella has already lost Joe and now she is faced with the possibility of losing everything she has left. The business he ran is failing, his children are learning to appreciate his ex-wife (and their biological mother) and Ella is slowly estranging from Joe’s family. Will she have anything left as her own when it is finished? What will she learn about herself and the nature of all encompassing love? Will she be able to forgive Joe his trespasses against all of them as he kept his secrets and his weaknesses from her to keep them in their own personal romance?The Underside of Joy is, at heart, a love story. However, it in non-traditional in the sense that we already know that Ella and Joe found each other. What happens when they lose each other is where the real learning and bonding takes place. Did Ella ever really love Joe? Did she ever really know Joe? And can she learn to be alright with herself and who she is without him? The story is melded beautifully with some lovely twists and turns. Ella is completely fallible and she recognizes this in herself and strives to change it. So frequently authors make their heroines unaware of their weaknesses and Halverson allows Ella to grow through hers in many ways and cling to them without letting go, as well. She is a fragile heroine, at best, and a conflicted one, at worst. In other words, she is like most of us.Plot-wise, the story was solid. I appreciated the polished setting and the author’s ability to move me in and out of the small town of Elbow and keep me feeling like I was a true part of this story without Hemingwaying me to sleep. It is a rare occasion that I feel like I am a part of the book, sitting on the edge of the page looking at the characters and silent like a ghost. I was truly there in many instances. When Ella found out about Joe, I reeled with her, though I already knew what was happening. When Paige steps in to take her children back, I fought with Ella, and yet I yearned for Paige to have what she lost. The true test of a story is whether or not it can make you believe even when you know something different. This novel passed the test.It is a thoughtful read and I enjoyed taking my time with this one, though it is a feasible one sitting novel if you have a rainy day, a cup of tea, and some fresh cookies. I can absolutely see settling down on the couch and devouring this novel in a day and enjoying it greatly. I hope you can, too.Note: I received this book for free in order to review it. Thank you for allowing me to share my opinions, good or bad.
    • 4/5
      Sere Prince Halverson’s debut novel, The Underside of Joy, explores a family where the lack of a legal relationship between stepparent and stepchildren contributes to an already complicated situation. Having arrived on the scene just a few months after Joe Capozzi’s wife left him and their two small children--one just a baby--Ella Beene falls very easily into their lives, and a near-instant family is born. Three years later, that family is almost as instantly broken when Joe is suddenly swept into the ocean and drowned. Ella’s struggles with her own grief, and that of the daughter and son who feel like her own, are complicated by the unexpected discoveries she’s making about things Joe never told her...especially the ones about the family business that’s barely surviving and the children’s mother who wants to re-establish her relationship with them. Paige Capozzi left her kids while in the depths of major postpartum depression, fearful for their safety with her; she’s recovered now and rebuilding her life, and wants them back in it. The fact that her children have just lost their father and have little recollection of her as their mother isn’t going to deter her from pursuing that goal.One dead parent and a custody conflict would be enough domestic drama on their own, but Halverson adds in a history of family secrets and Things Not Discussed to raise the stakes. Some of the Things Not Discussed were between Ella and Joe, and as she starts digging into them after his death, she’s forced to recognize her own complacency and willingness not to know. Willful denial plays at least as much of a role in this family’s lives as does deliberate secret-keeping, and things don’t begin to change until Ella pushes herself past her own denial and begins to dig for the truth.There is a lot of story packed into The Underside of Joy, but little of it feels extraneous. Having said that, there were a few plot points that felt a bit contrived and Lifetime-movie-ish to me, most notably one dramatic episode near the end of the novel; I was invested enough in this family’s story by then that I found it unnecessary. Halverson is both a mother and a stepmother, and although she chooses to narrate the story through stepmother Ella’s first-person perspective, she deals with the complex nuances of the relationships here with great empathy and effectiveness, and I was very impressed by that. The Underside of Joy looks at the blended-family relationship under fairly extreme conditions, but within that framework, it explores some broader truths, both factual and emotional.
    • 5/5
      The first part of this story had me in tears, literally. Ella has just lost her husband to a sleeper wave off the coast of Bodega Bay in Northern CA. They had only been together for three years, so technically they are still newlyweds. Heartbreaking. To make matters worse Ella had not adopted Joes children from a former marriage and when the birth mother, Paige, shows up at the funeral she makes it clear she is there to get her children back. The following ensues a custody battle that no newly made widow should ever have to go through. Family secrets are brought to the front as Ella wrestles with the situation. But all is not black and white and there are always two side to any story or dispute. I thought this was very well written and the descriptions of the landscape of Sonoma County where I have lived for over 25 years were very well done. It was a kick for me to see the author use names of towns and cities I have lived in and driven through every day for many years, especially because 'West Sonoma County' is not that well known in other parts of the world but for Alfred Hitchcocks thriller "The Birds". I loved seeing my local newspaper 'The Press Democrat', Memorial Hospital (the hospital where my daughter was born), Freestone Bakery - a great place for unusual and elegant breads and others, all mentioned. That was a private bonus for me.Well done with well drawn characters. Highly Recommended.
    • 5/5
      I will begin by saying that I really enjoyed reading this book; and working in the court system, I can say that this type of situation happens more than one thinks. Ella is happily married and living the live she has always wanted as a wife and a “mother” to 2 young children (ages 3 and 6) whose biological mother left them when the youngest was 2 months old and has not been heard from since. Then tragedy strikes and her husband is suddenly killed in an accident. After his death, biological mother appears to reclaim her children. This book is about deceit and secrets along with the potential of love and forgiveness.
    • 4/5
      Ella is living a happy life, with her husband and step-children, until one day a horrific accident changes all of their lives forever. Soon, Ella learns all too well that happiness and joy always have a flip-side. I really enjoyed this book.