FAMILY MONEY
Joan Hawkins’ work has provided a unique and fascinating portrait of family life, social mores and feminist drama since her first novel in 1974, Underwater. Since 2012, four more of Joan Hawkins’ titles have been published, including the most recent book, Family Money. It’s a fine, focussed novel set in the 1970s, with themes of social injustice and feminism.
Funny, wise, heartbreaking, passionate and always entertaining, all of Joan’s books are now finally available. We invite you to explore this new website to find out more about the author and her inimitable canon of work
Joan Hawkins
Joan Hawkins was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She attended Bennington College and New York University. She lived most of her life in New York, where she practiced psychotherapy. Her debut novel, Underwater, was published by G. P. Putnam in 1974. The book was critically acclaimed, challenging traditional gender roles and exploring controversial issues of the day. Joan Hawkins has continued exploring these issues in her subsequent books, the latest of which. Family Money is, once again, a snapshot of life in 1970s New York, with themes of social injustice and feminism, ever blending humour and vivid, smart writing with introspection and a quiet celebration of life.
Joan's other books
Underwater
A stunning and highly-charged novel set in New York at the end of the 1960s. Its depiction of a young woman at a crossroads in her life in a time of massive social and cultural change is both subtle and ground-breaking.
Bailey
At just ten years old, Bailey shot her mother’s abusive lover. She drowned the memory inside her until she was fourteen, when she became the youngest alcoholic ever admitted to Stockbridge rehabilitation center.
Trespass
Joan Hawkins’ third novel is set in an idyllic New England haven, where a newly-constructed swimming pool in the leafy grounds of Helen’s home becomes a symbol of her independence and of her family’s deepest resentments.
Rematch
Sylvia Stride is keen to succeed in the Manhattan law firm where she works, and has been assigned to a crucial sex discrimination case. Her career ambitions are tested however, when she uncovers clear proof of the firm’s old-guard sexism.