Somebody Else’s Daughter ended up being a compelling read, even if nothing much happened until the last 100 pages or so of the book. At first, it did seem like the author was bombarding me with characters and issues (feminism, adoption, AIDS and pornography, to name a few), but they do all pretty much tie together at the end.
This is a great example of a character driven novel. Although the back cover may lead you to believe this is the story of Nate and Cat and the daughter they gave up for adoption 17 years ago, it is really the stories of many different people living in one small, affluent community in the Berkshires. And everyone seems to have secrets. There’s Nate, now a teacher. And his biological daughter Willa. And Willa’s parents, Joe and Candace Golding. And Jack Heath, the headmaster of a private school. And his family. And Claire, who is a sculptor and single mom. And her son. And Pearl, the local prostitute. And a few others.
Despite the fact that not much happens for a very long time, this is still an engaging read, mostly because the characters are interesting…and I wanted to know what happens to them. The more I read the more layers I discovered there were to people. Brundage throws in a few twists, although I will say I thought the end was pretty predictable.
The one thing that did disappoint me was the stereotypical development of the student characters. The kids all go to a private school and it seemed like most of the clichéd student issues were thrown in. Not that I’m saying these things don’t happen, and that kids don’t experiment, but was it really necessary to include smoking, drinking, pot, Ecstasy, meth, bulimia, midnight cemetery jaunts, teenage angst, tattoos and dyslexia? After awhile I was wondering what else the poor kids were going to be subjected to.
However, despite the flaws of too many people and issues, it was still entertaining. And Claire’s feminist stance (and arguments with Joe) make this a candidate for the Women Unbound Reading Challenge. Not a strong candidate, but I’m still counting it.
You can’t count this book for Women Unbound until you share more of Claire’s ‘feminist stance’.
)
(nah, just kidding! you count if you want to – no one’s policing…
Care´s last blog ..Proust Was a Neuroscientist
You enjoyed this one a lot more than I did. I thought Brundage tried to do too much although I did like the idea of using mirror characters. I totally agree about the teens, but I also felt like a lot of the other characters were stereotypes as well.
Lisa´s last blog ..Christmas Giveaway at The Christmas Spirit
I find characters to be the most intriguing and engrossing part of reading so this sounds like a good book for me. Thanks for the review.
Trisha´s last blog ..The Second Sex
I love how you find stories and author’s that I’ve never heard of before. That does sound a bit like overkill with all the “smoking, drinking, pot, Ecstasy, meth, bulimia, midnight cemetery jaunts, teenage angst, tattoos and dyslexia”
Ladytink_534´s last blog ..No Brain Muching Here
This book does sound like it covers a lot of ground in terms of what the characters experience. I am not sure I will be picking this one up to read, at least not yet. I’ll have to look into it further to know for sure.
Literary Feline´s last blog ..Review: The Girl on Legare Street by Karen White
I have this, of course, in my TBR pile. I enjoyed the Doctor’s Wife, and hopefully I will enjoy this one as well- issues run rampant and all. I think Doctor might have been like that as well.
Nicole´s last blog ..Progressive Dinner Party: Cornbread Stuffing/Chicken & Dumplings
Your description of this book reminds me of How to Buy a Love of Reading, in terms of the affluent high school kids being stereotypical part. Not sure if this is really my bag, but at least you met one of the reading requirements for a challenge!
Aarti´s last blog ..Review: Red Seas Under Red Skies
The cover is so familiar to me, but the plot line isn’t, so I guess I haven’t read it. It sounds like a book I would like a lot.
Kathy´s last blog ..Wondrous Words Wednesday
I’m impressed that you stuck out the first 250 pages before something started happening!
rhapsodyinbooks´s last blog ..Review of Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris
I read her book “The Doctor’s Wife” and I had a very similar reaction to it. Lots of issues tossed in (abortion, Christianity, infidelity, craziness) and everyone had a secret. It was a book I would call “OK but not great.” I didn’t think of reading anything else by her after I read that one.
Jenners´s last blog ..FreeVerse: Poems About Marriage
I’ve had this on my shelf for ages. I’ve heard such mixed reviews for it which is why it’s still sitting there.
Darlene´s last blog ..GIVEAWAY: 3 copies of The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker
These kids need more to deal with.. hmmm, there must be something else we can throw at them.. how about teen pregnancy? date rape? ADHD? cutting? LOL
Lisamm´s last blog ..Keeping the Feast – Winter Reading Series Announcement!
Your blog looks so awesome!
I liked this book…
Sheri´s last blog ..The Sunday Salon: One More Week & Counting…