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Her Daughter's Eyes
In an upper middle-class neighborhood, on a street like Wildwood Drive, things like this are not supposed to happen.... Sixteen-year-old Kate is going to have a baby. She's done all to prepare for the new child's birth but one thing: She hasn't told anyone.
Except for her younger sister. Together, all they have is a crib made out of cardboard, sheets from the Goodwill...and hope. Hope that somehow, with the newborn baby in arms, everyone will forgive.
Except for her younger sister. Together, all they have is a crib made out of cardboard, sheets from the Goodwill...and hope. Hope that somehow, with the newborn baby in arms, everyone will forgive.
218 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2001
44 people are currently reading
532 people want to read
About the author
Jessica Barksdale Inclán
48 books462 followersJessica Barksdale Inclán's sixteenth novel, What the Moon Did, and her first short story collection, Trick of the Porch Light, were published in 2023. Her novels include Her Daughter’s Eyes, The Play's the Thing, and The Burning Hour.
A Pushcart Prize and Best-of-the-Net nominee, her short stories, poems, and essays have appeared in or are forthcoming in the The Sun, Salt Hill Journal, Tahoma Review, and So to Speak. Her work has been recognized and honored by The Sewanee Review, The Wigleaf, The North American Review, and The Ocotillo Review
She taught composition, literature, and creative writing at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, California and continues to teach novel writing online for UCLA Extension and in the online MFA program for Southern New Hampshire University.
She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband.
For more information, go to: http://www.jessicabarksdaleinclan.com
A Pushcart Prize and Best-of-the-Net nominee, her short stories, poems, and essays have appeared in or are forthcoming in the The Sun, Salt Hill Journal, Tahoma Review, and So to Speak. Her work has been recognized and honored by The Sewanee Review, The Wigleaf, The North American Review, and The Ocotillo Review
She taught composition, literature, and creative writing at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, California and continues to teach novel writing online for UCLA Extension and in the online MFA program for Southern New Hampshire University.
She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband.
For more information, go to: http://www.jessicabarksdaleinclan.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
August 24, 2016
Een tienermeisje raakt zwanger van haar buurman na de dood van haar moeder. Haar vader ontvlucht zijn verdriet, zijn gezin en het huis door zich in een nieuwe relatie te storten en meer tijd bij z'n vriendin door te brengen dan bij zijn dochters. Kate weet samen met haar zus Tyler de zwangerschap verborgen te houden. Ze bevalt thuis...Tyler helpt haar bij de bevalling. Uiteindelijk wordt ontdekt dat Kate een baby heeft en zullen alle betrokkenen hun verantwoordelijkheid onder ogen moeten zien. Een realistisch verhaal met een rauw randje, zonder enig sentiment geschreven. 3,5 sterren!!
September 27, 2012
This story is about two teenage sisters, Kate and Tyler, who find themselves essentially orphaned after their mother dies of cancer and their father moves in with his new girlfriend. When teenagers are completely alone with no affection or guidance from anyone, nothing good can come of it. It is easy for an adult man to take advantage of Kate, by showing her affection and attention, and the girl becomes pregnant. Kate is terrified that the birth of the baby, and the discovery of the baby's father's identity, will not only push her own father even further away but also cause her to lose the one tiny person she now loves more than anything. So she and Tyler decide to deliver, and raise, the baby in secret. What could POSSIBLY go wrong?
This story made me feel a lot of anger at the adults who surround (or fail to surround) Kate and Tyler. Their father does the unthinkable when he moves in with his girlfriend and her young children, rationalizing that the teenagers are "almost grown" and no longer need him. The father's girlfriend makes things worse by helping to convince the father that her children, being very small, need a consistent father figure in the home way more than Kate and Tyler do. Other adults either fail to protect the girls, or hurt them even more. This book made me want to punch a lot of people in the noses!
Of course that means it is a good story, because it invokes such an emotional reaction. So I recommend this book to any lovers of stories about family drama.
This story made me feel a lot of anger at the adults who surround (or fail to surround) Kate and Tyler. Their father does the unthinkable when he moves in with his girlfriend and her young children, rationalizing that the teenagers are "almost grown" and no longer need him. The father's girlfriend makes things worse by helping to convince the father that her children, being very small, need a consistent father figure in the home way more than Kate and Tyler do. Other adults either fail to protect the girls, or hurt them even more. This book made me want to punch a lot of people in the noses!
Of course that means it is a good story, because it invokes such an emotional reaction. So I recommend this book to any lovers of stories about family drama.
August 23, 2007
Not as good as I thought it would be...
August 17, 2010
I can't say that I honestly liked this book, I thought it had too much of a slow pace and nothing interesting ever happened, only at the end of the book.
May 2, 2013
This is an older book...copyright 2001...which I happened upon in a used book store. I am so glad that I did. It is about two teenage sisters, one of which is pregnant, who due to circumstances well beyond their control, have to make very adult choices, and keep very adult secrets. I was captured by the very first paragraph which reads, in part "...But in the closet, now empty of Air Jordans, Doc Martens and hairballs, Kate and her fifteen-year old sister, Tyler had made a crib out of a cardboard box, a camping pad they had washed and cut to fit, sheets Kate had bought at the Goodwill for fifty cents, and an old baby blanket...which used to be pink but had faded to the color of melted peppermint ice cream...". Four stars because it isn't Perfect...just very close.
December 10, 2008
The plot line in this books fascinates me. The thought of a 17 year old girl having a baby by her married 30 some year old neighbor is something that could happen but at the same time out there. In this particular story, the neighbor doesn't know or doesn't want to know that the baby is coming/exists until there is no way to deny it any longer. Kate, the mother and her sister Tyler, reminded me in a lot of small ways of me and one of my sistera who is about two years younger than me, just like Tyler is to Kate. Tyler and Kate plan for the birth and feel that they have no one to confide in ever since their mother died and their father started staying at his new girlfriends house with her two small boys' more than coming home. The author does a great job of showing family dynamics in my opinion and I loved the way so much of the book made me think deeply. I did stall out a little prior to the middle of the book but I'm pretty sure that had more to do with my life at the moment than the book itself.
I wouldn't recommend this to just anyone- it's not the sort of book that just anyone would read. This is for someone who to think about this sort of thing and wants to pull apart situations and people.
I wouldn't recommend this to just anyone- it's not the sort of book that just anyone would read. This is for someone who to think about this sort of thing and wants to pull apart situations and people.
April 2, 2012
Her Daughter's Eyes by Jessica Barksdale Inclan is the story of a secret. Two sisters share that secret, until they can't hide it anymore. Then it becomes both the thorn in their side and the glue that holds their life together. One of them is pregnant at 17.
The literary aspects of the story and writing are simple, hidden, and shocking. Tiny little moments that seem insignificant become huge forerunners for revelations later on. In the beginning I felt that the sisters were only 14, maybe younger. Their situation seemed that much more terrible. I'm wondering if that was intentional.
There was a lot of build up for the secret to come out. There's more than the pregnancy, and the book makes you feel it is one way, then another, and then finally it is revealed. I loved that it wasn't the pregnancy that was the big secret, although it was a minor one, but that something else was occupying the thoughts of the characters.
I have not read a young adult novel that felt this emotionally involved, real, and literary in a while. I truly enjoyed it.
The literary aspects of the story and writing are simple, hidden, and shocking. Tiny little moments that seem insignificant become huge forerunners for revelations later on. In the beginning I felt that the sisters were only 14, maybe younger. Their situation seemed that much more terrible. I'm wondering if that was intentional.
There was a lot of build up for the secret to come out. There's more than the pregnancy, and the book makes you feel it is one way, then another, and then finally it is revealed. I loved that it wasn't the pregnancy that was the big secret, although it was a minor one, but that something else was occupying the thoughts of the characters.
I have not read a young adult novel that felt this emotionally involved, real, and literary in a while. I truly enjoyed it.
August 11, 2013
Este libro sinceramente lo amé. Me enamoré de los personajes principales, de las dos chicas quienes pasan por la experiencia de enfrentar el embarazo de una de ellas, solas, sin ayuda ni orientación alguna. Quería meterme en la trama y abrazarlas para que no se sintieran solas JA!. Odie al padre de ellas tan cobarde.
Me gustó la trama, no me pareció gastada ni obvia. Impresionante lo que puede afectarse la vida de unas adolescentes al faltarles su madre (físicamente) y sentir el abandono moral de su padre. La traducción no me gustó, sé que es traducción española por los modismos, pero no fue por eso que no me gustara, le encontré algunos errores, no afectan la trama, así con esos errorcillos amé la novela.
El final me pareció, quizá apresurado en la redacción o quizá es que no quería que se terminara (honestamente).
Muy recomendado para familias con hijos adolescentes.
February 20, 2020
This book hit home hard for me. I lost my mom at 18, when I was still living with her and depending on her. This book brought me back to how I felt and how Kate and Tyler must’ve felt during that tragedy, and to have their dad walk out and abandon them the way he did throughout the story. The way it was written, it was easy enough to place myself into their shoes despite never being pregnant. I was old enough to create my own stability in my life.
This book is the first book in awhile to make me cry. Such a good one! The writing style was great, I wish we dipped more into Hannah’s life, I did not like her much because I didn’t hear from her much and when we did, she was always being an ass to Davis or the girls.
This book is the first book in awhile to make me cry. Such a good one! The writing style was great, I wish we dipped more into Hannah’s life, I did not like her much because I didn’t hear from her much and when we did, she was always being an ass to Davis or the girls.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 18, 2014
Very moving book
From the beginning of this book I was caught up in the story and the emotions of these two girls. It was a story of love, emptiness and the repercussions of grief and loss that are so often repressed. Each person tries to fill the hopelessness and fear in different ways without realizing what the real problem is. By doing this, other people are drawn into their lives and the tragedy extends to them. This is the incredible story of two teenage girls who travel a road in life that many of us would fear to travel.
From the beginning of this book I was caught up in the story and the emotions of these two girls. It was a story of love, emptiness and the repercussions of grief and loss that are so often repressed. Each person tries to fill the hopelessness and fear in different ways without realizing what the real problem is. By doing this, other people are drawn into their lives and the tragedy extends to them. This is the incredible story of two teenage girls who travel a road in life that many of us would fear to travel.
May 24, 2009
I would define this book as being a good find. Years ago I found this in the corner of the local good will and didn't know what to expect. It could have been not having any expectations that led it to become a great book for me. It isn't a heavy book, but it definitely brings certain emotions to the table that make you grieve and live with the characters. I actually lost my copy of the book, but I'm on my mission to find another one.
February 14, 2009
I probably would have given this book a hesitant three-stars had it not been for the fact that I woke up this morning and forgot how it ended. This was one of those books where you expect some big surprise, a big revelation at the end. It never came, leaving me disappointed, questions still lingering in my mind. I would not recommend this book to any of my friends.
August 28, 2011
A well-written novel. An emotional story about what happens with two families when a teenage girl gets pregnant by the next door neighbor's husband. Not your typical soapy novel, this one had some depth and had ineteresting exploration of these characters as they work through this situation.
September 19, 2017
I found this book disturbing. Sad and sometimes scary. It was one of those books that, while the content was troubling I had to continue reading to see the end.
February 15, 2018
Unremarkable
April 21, 2024
Just Ok
Parts of this book bore resemblance to some of my own childhood. Not all, but parts.
Shame on especially the adult males in this book. While I sympathize with their Fathers grief, his willingness not to "see", not only the pregnancy but that sleeping one night every 2 weeks at home is unacceptable and further to allow Hannah to make excuses for the guilt he should feel about abandoning his own kids, (teens or not) and then worse to continue to defend her to those kids in unforgivable. He is a pathetic excuse of an adult grieving or not.
Yes, the ultimate choice and guilt is his, but if he is really that blind that he couldn't see Hannah's selfishness and disregard for his children in favor of her and her own children then he needs a lot more therapy to discern red flags and manipulative behavior and has no business dating until he gains some emotional intelligence. His pathetic behavior made it impossible to sympathize with his grief.
Sandeep was also reprehensible. Though he may not have forced Kate, he still took grave advantage of a naive, grieving, abandoned 17 year old. The fact that she was somewhat of a replacement for his unrequited feelings for her dead mother is just sick.
I found myself skimming over a lot of portions of this book just to get to the end.
Parts of this book bore resemblance to some of my own childhood. Not all, but parts.
Shame on especially the adult males in this book. While I sympathize with their Fathers grief, his willingness not to "see", not only the pregnancy but that sleeping one night every 2 weeks at home is unacceptable and further to allow Hannah to make excuses for the guilt he should feel about abandoning his own kids, (teens or not) and then worse to continue to defend her to those kids in unforgivable. He is a pathetic excuse of an adult grieving or not.
Yes, the ultimate choice and guilt is his, but if he is really that blind that he couldn't see Hannah's selfishness and disregard for his children in favor of her and her own children then he needs a lot more therapy to discern red flags and manipulative behavior and has no business dating until he gains some emotional intelligence. His pathetic behavior made it impossible to sympathize with his grief.
Sandeep was also reprehensible. Though he may not have forced Kate, he still took grave advantage of a naive, grieving, abandoned 17 year old. The fact that she was somewhat of a replacement for his unrequited feelings for her dead mother is just sick.
I found myself skimming over a lot of portions of this book just to get to the end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 29, 2021
It was a good book about how the death of a loved one can send everyone in the family into a tailspin. Kate gets pregnant and hides the pregnancy from all but her younger sister, Tyler. She and Tyler are basically living alone, as their father, Davis, is living with his girlfriend in an attempt to not deal with his wife's death. Sanjay, the neighbor and father of the baby, is in his thirties and drifting away from his wife and turns to Kate. They all get found out and legal issues ensue. The end is good in that they all realize their mistakes and learn from them and get a chance to start afresh. The book did a good job of showing how each person was hurting and by not making any of them the "bad guy". I liked that, as none of us are perfect, and we don't know how we might react if we were in that situation.
January 5, 2023
I couldn’t put it down, and at one point I cried, so I suppose from a story telling perspective I enjoyed it. However, it felt like the criminal severity of the 36 year old man sleeping with his 17 year old neighbor was glossed over. Why did his wife take him back without missing a beat? Why didn’t Kate’s dad go beat the snot out of him? Maybe it’s because the book was written long before the “me too” movement… but the characters’ under-reaction to statutory rape disturbed me. I would not recommend this book to friends.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 30, 2019
This story was very dark and sad - had to put it aside for awhile and read more uplifting stories. But it did finish better. Kate and her younger sister are living in a dark place, grieving the loss of their mother, Their father can’t deal with his grief either and leaves the girls on their own. Kate turns to a neighbor and ends up pregnant, keeping the baby a secret from all but her sister, who delivers the baby at home.
January 15, 2019
The story flowed well and I liked how she split it into sections, different points of view. I was drawn in and really wanted to know how things worked out for Kate and Tyler. The dad was a pathetic, unlikable character in my opinion. This was an easy read but it was interesting and a good story about how a family can break while grieving the loss of their wife/mother.
July 17, 2017
Excelente libro, una lucha eterna entre lo correcto, el medio y lo que se debe hacer en algún momento crucial. Traes un bebé al mundo no es fácil ni para un dr. imaginar a una niña de 15 años hacerlo es algo aterrador.
May 2, 2019
Good book
In the beginning I had a little trouble getting into this book, but it grew on me and I loved it. Two next door neighbors with some serious problems. In the end things sort of worked out. I would love to read more about what happens later on.
In the beginning I had a little trouble getting into this book, but it grew on me and I loved it. Two next door neighbors with some serious problems. In the end things sort of worked out. I would love to read more about what happens later on.
March 6, 2022
This book was an emotional rollercoaster. Kate and Tyler are faced with tough choices that they shouldn't have to deal with as teenagers. The adults in the book all failed them and it is about the challenges that they face to survive through it all.
July 17, 2017
A Mother's death pushes a family into turmoil. Can this little family be put back together again.
Very good characters.
Very good characters.
October 30, 2017
I could not believe that the two girls were able to hide that she was having a baby. The adults in this store especially the father and his girlfriend were very selfish.
August 2, 2020
Conmovedor.
March 3, 2023
KAM but seriously a really bad ending
November 5, 2023
Tender and heartbreaking .Mixed feelings about the outcome although there is no ideal resolution.All of the characters have issues that will always be intertwined with each other.
November 26, 2025
it was such a short book but I feel like i was just dragging through it bc i felt bored. also the typos were annoying
Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews