Helpful Score: 4
I rarely do not finish a book once I start. This was boring. I did not care about what happened to any of the characters. I finally stopped reading about 3/4 of the way through. I just did not care about what happened. I would not recommend this book.
Helpful Score: 4
It's a good story but there is a lot of cursing and some sexual situations that may not be for people who can't handle graphic depictions. It was a little much for me, but I did get through it. Just wanted to give a bit of a warning before it goes out.
Helpful Score: 4
I see some negative reviews that clearly say why they didnt like this book. The positive reviews really dont say enough about why it was a good book. I have not read any other book by this author so I cant compare it to the DR wife. I was influenced by the negative reviews, but I loved the first shocker on page 148. I didnt need to wait til the last 10 pages to enjoy the book. I really liked all the characters. The author had a way of writing that helped you really feel the characters raw dirt emotions. For instance she compares some characters to thumbellina marrying the mole. To be honest most of the characters were much deeper analytical thinkers than the majority of us. They all seemed lost, and raw and flawed. But they find what they are looking for. They find their strength and hope.
Helpful Score: 4
This was an interesting story. I kept reading because I wanted to see what would happen in the end. The characters are well-developed and the content is complex and textured.
Helpful Score: 3
This is not a "feel-good" story but it is told very well and the characters and plot unfold with subtleness. A good read.
Helpful Score: 2
Somebody Else's Daughter tells what happens after the adoption-gone-wrong
This Elizabeth Brundage novel is a gripping story of how two hippies give up their daughter for adoption and what happens when the supposedly perfect family has lots of secrets to hide.
The mother dies just after passing the baby to the new family, and the father goes off to mourn and clean up his act.
Fifteen years later he returns to the town where his daughter lives as a writing instructor at the prep school. I cannot identify with the la-di-da wealth of the kind of people this story is about, but the plot and the level of writing are several notches above the usual mass-market best-seller.
Nobody is quite what they pretend to be; everyone has secrets. Like where Willa's adoptive parents got their wealth, or why the school director keeps moving around from one school to another, or even the fact that the writing instructor used to be a drug addict and a father before he straightened out his life.
Unraveling those secrets keeps the book interesting through 300-plus pages.
Disturbing currents spoil the beauty of the Berkshires in Massachusetts. Small towns aren't big enough to hide secrets this big.
This Elizabeth Brundage novel is a gripping story of how two hippies give up their daughter for adoption and what happens when the supposedly perfect family has lots of secrets to hide.
The mother dies just after passing the baby to the new family, and the father goes off to mourn and clean up his act.
Fifteen years later he returns to the town where his daughter lives as a writing instructor at the prep school. I cannot identify with the la-di-da wealth of the kind of people this story is about, but the plot and the level of writing are several notches above the usual mass-market best-seller.
Nobody is quite what they pretend to be; everyone has secrets. Like where Willa's adoptive parents got their wealth, or why the school director keeps moving around from one school to another, or even the fact that the writing instructor used to be a drug addict and a father before he straightened out his life.
Unraveling those secrets keeps the book interesting through 300-plus pages.
Disturbing currents spoil the beauty of the Berkshires in Massachusetts. Small towns aren't big enough to hide secrets this big.
Helpful Score: 2
I read The Doctor's Wife, and LOVED it. So, I decided to pick up another book by the same author. Unfortunately, Somebody Else's Daughter did not meet the same expectations. The book was very slow and actually had very little to do with a father/daughter relationship. The last few chapters of the book were the most exciting.
Just could not get into the book, the plot moved waaaay too slow. Was disappointed in this book because Elizabeth Brundage's book, The Doctor's wife was excellent and very exciting to read.
Helpful Score: 2
Nate and Cate give up their daughter for adoption 17 years ago. Now Nate is back as a teacher in the school the daughter goes to. No one knows who he is. This is a private school for the elite in the Berkshires country. Slow moving story as we get to know the characters.
But in the end a good story.
But in the end a good story.
Helpful Score: 2
I was interested enough in the characters to finish this book, but want to warn others that it contains some disturbing sexuality that surprised me. I don't want to be specific about the type - because it would be a spoiler for those who do read the book, but want to warn those who might not want to find out.
Helpful Score: 2
This book sounded really good, but after 100 pages I just couldn't finish. There were too many characters with little detail and they just blend together without any meaning. It didn't work for me!
I could not stop reading this book. I made the mistake of starting it in the evening and I had to stay up all night because I couldn't stop. It is not a feel-good book, but it covers tough subjects while still creating a bond between the reader and the characters. While it might not be a 'quick read' the author develops the plot and takes the time to pull you into the story. I am a very picky reader and I loved this book. It is not light reading or for anyone who is uncomfortable with tough subjects including sex, abuse and drugs.
A dark, disturbing tale that covers everything from adoption, infidelity, drugs, abuse, to pornography and dog fighting. It's graphic and not for everyone, but it held me hostage for two days. You just knew that these people's lives were going to collide and it wasn't going to be pretty. I enjoyed The Doctor's Wife and I thought this one was even better. Beautifully written.
The story slowly draws you in. The characters are well developed with a deep,intelligent depiction of each. It starts a little slow and there doesn't seem to be a connection,but keep reading and give it time, you will not be disappointed. I'd rather would have liked to read the letter when the character it was meant for did, and not at the beginning. I had to go back and read it again, and it had subtext to it, that I didn't get the first time. It makes you analyze certain everyday things in a new light when you think through the ideas that pop up from the characters mind flow. I couldn't put it down on the last 100 pages!
Unfortunately not nearly as good as "The Abortionists Wife". The story was good but it waited too long to really move, all the action was in the last 10 pages.
This novel makes a promising start -- the insular community of a private school faculty begins showing cracks when a long-absent resident returns home, and a new writing instructor comes to the faculty. Old secrets surface, and the rot beneath the shiny surface begins to bubble up.
Unfortunately, this fine beginning devolves into melodrama, coincidence piled upon coincidence, and totally unbelievable decisions are made by some of the characters. By the time it's all over, the thing feels like a Hallmark Movie gone south.
Unfortunately, this fine beginning devolves into melodrama, coincidence piled upon coincidence, and totally unbelievable decisions are made by some of the characters. By the time it's all over, the thing feels like a Hallmark Movie gone south.
fantastic.
