The Good Daughters caught me from the very beginning and never let me go. I liked almost everything about this book.
I had never read anything by the author, in fact, had never heard of her. I approached the book with some trepidation as a result. As it turns out, I absolutely love her writing style.
I thought the characters were (for the most part anyway) realistic. There were good guys and bad guys, but not in the black hat/white hat way of some books. The characterizations seemed genuine. For example, the character that I liked the least, really disliked in fact, was Dana’s father. However, he wasn’t abusive in the strictest sense of the word. He didn’t sexually abuse her, nor did he physically abuse either of the children. Yet, he was so immature and unavailable that I wanted to strangle him. And really, Val wasn’t much better, though I found her to be less disturbing.
On the other side of the coin, I really liked Edwin. Despite the fact that he had cheated on his wife (who appears to be somewhat frigid), he was just so very kind to his daughter. I felt like he really went out of his way to be kind to Ruth, perhaps because he observed that her so-called mother was so distant to her.
Which character did you like best and who did you like least?
I said that I liked almost everything about the book. There were some things that I thought weren’t particularly realistic. For example, I felt that it was too predictable that Dana loved farming and Ruth was artistic. Having said this, however, I have to say that I never suspected the truth about the girls’ father until Ruth’s Connie came and took her away upon learning that she was pregnant with Ray’s child. Ah ha, I said. Perhaps I shouldn’t ever decide to be a detective. At what point did you suspect the truth?
I also am curious as to your opinions on whether or not Connie ever knew that Val had an affair (or at least a one-night stand) with Edwin. She knew that Val was Ruth’s mother, but did she know that Edwin was Ruth’s father? I guess I think she did, and suspect that is part of why she had so much interest in Val as well as Dana.
I also was somewhat disconcerted by the fact that Connie apparently just went along with Edwin when he suggested that they not make a big deal about the switching of the babies. Really? That didn’t seem terribly realistic to me.
Overall, I thought this was one of the best books I’ve ever read, and I would rate it an 8 out of 10. I will definitely read something else by this author.
As an aside, I was so interested in her that I looked her up on Wikipedia. I learned that she lived with J.D. Salinger for some time starting when she was about 18 years old. Interesting.
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I did get caught up in this book. Really. I did. But then after, I realized I had unconditionally embraced what Miss Vigliante, my high school English teacher, taught me is called "willing suspension of disbelief".
ReplyDeleteSmall town, salt of the earth farmer, has a one night stand with a woman, and on the same night becomes father to two girls, born on the same night roughly nine months later. Hospital staff happen to switch the babies, at least one mom realizes the switch, but formerly mentioned salt of the earth farmer won't let the babies be switched back. Flash forward a couple of decades and change, and one of the girls has a longish affair with her brother and becomes pregnant. Very religious Mother, Connie, who raised her, who knows her lover is her brother, considers incest worse than abortion and organizes a military style search, extraction, and clean-up but never tells her daughter the truth, even on her deathbead, even though the daughter was her primary caregiver. Meanwhile, salt of the earth farmer never stops carrying a torch for the other mother. Girls both end up figuring out or hearing the truth and end up buying the farm together. Wait -- that would have been a good ending! Dual truck crash. Or maybe Dana realizes she's a lesbian and decides to have an affair with Ruth, creating a sort of wacky "sins of the grandfather get passed on" sort of moment.
Sorry - I had to get that out.
I agree with Kris - loved the characters. But the plot!
I'm glad Dana completed Edwin's strawberry project. I loved everything about that part of the plot. I even, for a while, had mathematical feng shui when they explained that each strawberry plant has five good daughters. Edwin had five daughters. Until we found out he had six. I didn't see Edwin as the dad coming, but I figured out they were switched when Val saw Ruth at the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum.
I found Ray totally annoying. I know his behavior was explained - he had schizophrenia, and probably was manic, but I didn't like anything about his character. And the man who wanted to purchase the farm -- I can't remember his name, but I thought he was sleazy. I liked Val's second husband; he seemed like a decent fellow.
Overall, I think I got so caught up in this book because the characters were so interesting, and I wanted to find out what happend to them. I would read other books by this author, and that's what I use as my final measuring stick of a book.
Well, if you put it that way....
ReplyDeleteI did recognize the unlikliness of all of the aforementioned coincidences, but forgave the author and attributed it to literary licence because I found the characters so compelling. I mean, didn't you just love Edwin?
Okay, so, I was going to rate this book a 9. But after Margaret's recap of the plot, I'm definitely lowering my score to an 8!
ReplyDeleteI did enjoy the book very much and I loved the author's writing style.
My favorite characters were Edwin and Ruth. I despised George. I loved when he asked to borrow money from Dana and she said told him no!
I enjoyed the story line about the strawberry propogation and how the author wove that through the novel.
I knew early on in the book the girls were switched but couldn't figure out how that happened and who the exact parents were. I thought the tale of Edwin having the one night affair was plausible and that he might have pined for Val forevermore after that. But the switching of the babies and BOTH women allowing that was ridiculous. I would have punched my husband in the face for even thinking that I would allow that. And Connie did know because she immediately began the yearly vacations.
P.S. I knew the girls were switched because the author mentioned numerous times about Ruth's shape being like Val's and Dana's being like Connie's. (hint, hint)
After I finished reading the novel and was reading about the author I realized I have been following her blog for about a year. I find her very interesting and that makes me glad I enjoyed her novel. I want to try another one of her novels, as well.
I don’t have too much to add to this discussion. I did enjoy the book and would rate it an 8. I liked the characters, especially Ruth. It took a while for me to warm up to Dana, but I enjoyed how she became interested in farming and especially strawberry cultivation. I liked the relationship the author developed for her; unlike Ruth, she had a fulfilling love. I did not like George or Ray, and I don’t think I was supposed to. Both were simply useless. I was a little less impatient with Ray, partly because he had a real illness. But, mostly I held George accountable because he had children and, thus, a responsibility to them. Val certainly didn’t do much for them. I did not much like Connie. If she wasn’t strong enough to stand up for what was right when she was given the wrong baby, then she needed to summon up a mother’s love for the baby she kept. I found Edwin likeable, even though I realize he probably wasn’t a very moral guy.
ReplyDeleteLike others, I enjoyed the strawberry motif that ran through the novel, and especially the author’s reference to the “good daughters” that were the runners. Although the plot was a bit unbelievable, I felt the author’s writing, especially her use of that and other motifs, was strong. As a long-time English teacher, I’m definitely a proponent of the “willing suspension of disbelief.” Probably the main reason I liked the plot is that it had a happy ending. I know, I know, probably too happy, but it’s a nice switch from the usual wicked twists at the end of many contemporary novels.
Did anyone else find it annoying that Clarice contracted ALS and died so young? I have to admit, I'm a sucker for happy endings, and despite everything, Dana was living a pretty happy life after finding Clarice. It made me mad when Clarice was denied tenure, but that was an appropriate portrayal of what would have happened -- in fact, she probably wouldn't have been able to teach there anymore. The sisters would have found each other even if Clarice had lived. I wish the strawberry plant was named the Plank strawberry... I think it would have been if Clarice had lived. I found it just a touch maudlin that Clarice died. And, yes, Kris, I did like Edwin!
ReplyDeleteMargaret, hilarious summary of the plot! I agree that the plot was somewhat ridicuous but it didn't strike me as ridiculous when I was reading it. I give the book a 7/8. It kept my attention but I didn't love love it.
ReplyDeleteI didn't love any one particular character. I did like Edwin alll the way through the book but of course he ends up being a jerk and cheating on his wife. I don't care if it was raining and trees were falling, DON'T CHEAT ON YOUR WIFE!!:)
I did figure out pretty early that the girls were switched but didn't realize that Edwin was both their fathers. I agree with Aunt Bec about Connie needing to love her daughter even though she wasn't her "real" daughter. If you weren't going to say anything don't take it out on her.
I thought the way Ruth found out about the switch at birth was random. The way the author has this mystery lady, that was well known to the characters but not the readers, reveal a major secret. I felt it was abrupt or rushed.....maybe those aren't the words but I thought it was weird.
Hey did Edwin know that he was the father of both the girls? I'm not sure he did.
Maggie, I think Edwin knew he was the father of both. That's why he insisted Connie keep baby Ruth when she suspected. He wanted a part of Val with him forever!
ReplyDeleteMargaret, regarding Clarice contracting ALS, the author was surely going for a good old fashioned love story with a 21st century twist!
I have had so much going on in my life the past few weeks that I really had to go get the book and kind of look at it to refresh my memory, I finished well over a month or so ago. I agree the story was a little ridiculous but it still kept my interest. I really did not have any one favorite person or dislike anyone in particular. George and Val were worthless as parents, some people just should not have children. I figured out pretty early on that Ruth and Dana were switched, but really!!!! you don't do anything about it!!! I agree if Connie did not have the junk to get her own child back she should have not taken it out on Ruth, she was an innocent victim. Of course then she had sex with her brother, hello a good reason maybe to have told the siblings....I did enjoy Dana's character and her interest in the farm and her relationship with Clarice, wanted that relationship to last...I was also disappointed that Ruth did not keep up with her art, she had the talent and that made me sad..Overall I rate the book a 7. Had a happy ending and it was kind of nice for a change that they got to keep the farm.
ReplyDeleteI thought we were going to discuss the book in a different format this month, so I haven't been checking this page.I just realized that there was a conversation going on. Maggie said she recieves notification when a comment is made, but I don't.
ReplyDeleteOkay....I tried to post this morning but was unsuccessful, so I am trying again. I would give this book a 6/7. I did enjoy reading it, but I wasn't as involved in it as much I would have liked to have been. While I did like the story, and I didn't really care that much of it was extremely far fetched, I wanted the voices of Dana and Ruth to be different. I know their lives, thoughts etc. were different, but their narratives sounded like they were told by the same character. In the past when I have read novels that were written from multiple perspectives, I could "hear" more of a different voice for each character. That would have made it a better story for me.
My favorite characters were Edwin and the daughter he raised. ( I finished the book about a month ago, so I have forgotten some specifics.) My least favorite was Goerge. I was frustrated by Connie and Ray but I didn't dislike them. Perhaps if part of the story had been narrated by either one of them, I may have understood their points of veiw with a little more sympathy, but I just wanted them to make better decisions.
I would like to mention that I did read The Knitting Circle and I'd Know You Anywhere. It has been great to learn about books that I would never hear of otherwise.