What do you think?
Rate this book
Somebody Else's Daughter
Two young drifters, Nate and Cat, are forced by stress and circumstance to give up their infant daughter Willa for adoption. For seventeen years, Willa has lived in elegant prosperity with Joe and Candace Golding, her adoptive parents, in the Massachusetts Berkshires, where she attends the elite, private Pioneer School. But the Goldings have fled a mysterious past, and when a cleaned-up Nate arrives at Pioneer to teach English, the well-varnished façade of an idyllic small town begins to crack.
Somebody Else's daughter is a collision between two fathers, biological and adoptive; a woman artist whose independence and unconventionality have led her to the dead ends of life and love; "pillars of the community" who are not what they seem; and a villain whose intentions slowly unfold with the help-witting and unwitting- of all those around him.
Brundage, the author of The Doctor's Wife, has given us another electric, suspenseful tale of conflicted characters and the fractured landscape of the American psyche.
Somebody Else's daughter is a collision between two fathers, biological and adoptive; a woman artist whose independence and unconventionality have led her to the dead ends of life and love; "pillars of the community" who are not what they seem; and a villain whose intentions slowly unfold with the help-witting and unwitting- of all those around him.
Brundage, the author of The Doctor's Wife, has given us another electric, suspenseful tale of conflicted characters and the fractured landscape of the American psyche.
342 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
103 people are currently reading
3671 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Brundage
9 books502 followersELIZABETH BRUNDAGE is the author of five novels including The Vanishing Point and All Things Cease to Appear which was a WSJ Best Mystery of 2016, a NY Times Editor's Choice, and the basis for the Netflix movie Things Heard and Seen. She is a graduate of the Iowa Writers Workshop, where she received a James Michener Award, and attended the American Film Institute in Los Angeles. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times Book Review, Witness, New Letters, The Greensboro Review, and elsewhere. She has taught at Skidmore College, Bard's Simon's Rock College, Florida Atlantic University, Trinity College, the University of Hartford, and the Rochester Institute of Technology. She lives with her family in Albany, New York.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 550 reviews
August 24, 2021
Somebody Else's Daughter by Elizabeth Brundage
This was a five star read for me. I reviewed "All Things Cease to Appear" a couple of months ago and am going to change that rating from four stars to five. Elizabeth Brundage is a graduate of the prestigious Iowa's Writers Program and her writing reflects it. The Program in Creative Writing is more commonly called Iowa Writers' Workshop and is a highly celebrated graduate level creative writing. Wallace Steger, John Cheever and Jane Smiley are all former alumni.
I have to admit that her descriptive prose is a little slow going at first. Once I get used to her literary style I am so enchanted that I can not put her books down. I hated to get to the ending of her books because I am always left wanting more. Her character development is superb. As with all of her books there are both the good and bad side of humanity represented. This is not gentle, tranquil subject matter.
In Somebody Else's Daughter from the very beginning we are presented with Nate and Cat. They are both involved with heavy heroine addiction. Cat is dying of Aids, and Nate can't take care of their baby daughter. They drive from San Francisco to the idyllic Berkshires. Cat's only stipulation is that the wealthy adoptive parents keep the babies name Willa after Willa Cather. Willa Golding grows up with very wealthy parents. They both have secrets that they keep hidden.
Fast forward seventeen years and Nate (Willa's biological father) is her English teacher at an exclusive Pioneer private school. The Head Master has hidden secrets and he is not the pillar of the community that him and his wife pretend to be. There are many more characters and besides two fathers cascading on a collision course before all is said and done. There is great storytelling and I am not giving any spoilers. You will have to read it for yourself. Do yourself a favor and read both books. They are well worth the time and I highly recommend both books.
This was a five star read for me. I reviewed "All Things Cease to Appear" a couple of months ago and am going to change that rating from four stars to five. Elizabeth Brundage is a graduate of the prestigious Iowa's Writers Program and her writing reflects it. The Program in Creative Writing is more commonly called Iowa Writers' Workshop and is a highly celebrated graduate level creative writing. Wallace Steger, John Cheever and Jane Smiley are all former alumni.
I have to admit that her descriptive prose is a little slow going at first. Once I get used to her literary style I am so enchanted that I can not put her books down. I hated to get to the ending of her books because I am always left wanting more. Her character development is superb. As with all of her books there are both the good and bad side of humanity represented. This is not gentle, tranquil subject matter.
In Somebody Else's Daughter from the very beginning we are presented with Nate and Cat. They are both involved with heavy heroine addiction. Cat is dying of Aids, and Nate can't take care of their baby daughter. They drive from San Francisco to the idyllic Berkshires. Cat's only stipulation is that the wealthy adoptive parents keep the babies name Willa after Willa Cather. Willa Golding grows up with very wealthy parents. They both have secrets that they keep hidden.
Fast forward seventeen years and Nate (Willa's biological father) is her English teacher at an exclusive Pioneer private school. The Head Master has hidden secrets and he is not the pillar of the community that him and his wife pretend to be. There are many more characters and besides two fathers cascading on a collision course before all is said and done. There is great storytelling and I am not giving any spoilers. You will have to read it for yourself. Do yourself a favor and read both books. They are well worth the time and I highly recommend both books.
November 20, 2008
When I first accepted this book for review, I was under the impression that it was mostly about the thoughts and feelings of Willa Golding, a teenager who was adopted as a baby by wealthy parents. It’s not. Although Willa’s point of view certainly comes into the story, this book is about misogyny, p*rn*gr*phy, pr*stituti*on, drug abuse, and a host of other sordid activities. Before I give my other comments on the book, I’d like to state that in no way do I believe that Brundage endorses these vices; however, I also don’t agree with her presentation of the case against them either. This book is brutally graphic, and I just wasn’t prepared for that. Knowing that this will color my review, I’ll try to be as fair as possible.
The book starts out by introducing Nate Gallagher and his girlfriend Catherine as strung out heroin addicts. Catherine gets pregnant with Willa and is clean for a time, but soon after Willa is born Cat becomes just too sick to care for her, and they decide to give her up for adoption. The couple who adopt her, Joe and Candace, are wealthy residents of the Berkshires and seem to have it all, yet they are hiding some pretty dark secrets. Very dark. Not only that, but it seems quite a few other characters in the story have even scarier skeletons in their closets. Here’s where it starts to break down for me a bit. It seems a bit too much that all of ‘this’ is going on in the same small community; it just is not believable to me. Gosh, I hope that wouldn’t be the case, anyway.
As Willa grows up, she attends an elite private school headed by Jack and Maggie Heath. Their daughter Ava is good friends with Willa, and the two girls have a group that they hang out with who are into alcohol, drugs, dares, and the like. All the girls are smitten with the new boy at school, Teddy, but it is Willa that catches his eye. Meanwhile, the new creative writing teacher at the school is a Mr. Gallagher. Yes, it’s Nate Gallagher, Willa’s birth father, but he tells no one of his relationship to Willa.
This is where the book then goes off into the weird areas listed above. Although I believe it was Brundage’s intent to bring awareness into the sufferings of women in these so-called ‘professions,’ the horrible descriptions of the things they endure was just too unnecessarily graphic. I know I am very conservative compared to most, but I have a hard time imagining that an average female reader would be able to get through this book without disgust and revulsion. I honestly would not have gotten through much of it at all had I not committed to this review. In addition, there are some descriptions of Willa’s s*xual experimentation that were very explicit to the point of poor taste.
I am honestly not trying to bash Elizabeth Brundage as a writer or as a person. However, I believe I do represent a certain group of women who share my views. I also believe it is my responsibility to speak out about content that is so over the top and objectionable so that those who feel the same as I do can stay clear of it or at least make an informed decision about it.
The book starts out by introducing Nate Gallagher and his girlfriend Catherine as strung out heroin addicts. Catherine gets pregnant with Willa and is clean for a time, but soon after Willa is born Cat becomes just too sick to care for her, and they decide to give her up for adoption. The couple who adopt her, Joe and Candace, are wealthy residents of the Berkshires and seem to have it all, yet they are hiding some pretty dark secrets. Very dark. Not only that, but it seems quite a few other characters in the story have even scarier skeletons in their closets. Here’s where it starts to break down for me a bit. It seems a bit too much that all of ‘this’ is going on in the same small community; it just is not believable to me. Gosh, I hope that wouldn’t be the case, anyway.
As Willa grows up, she attends an elite private school headed by Jack and Maggie Heath. Their daughter Ava is good friends with Willa, and the two girls have a group that they hang out with who are into alcohol, drugs, dares, and the like. All the girls are smitten with the new boy at school, Teddy, but it is Willa that catches his eye. Meanwhile, the new creative writing teacher at the school is a Mr. Gallagher. Yes, it’s Nate Gallagher, Willa’s birth father, but he tells no one of his relationship to Willa.
This is where the book then goes off into the weird areas listed above. Although I believe it was Brundage’s intent to bring awareness into the sufferings of women in these so-called ‘professions,’ the horrible descriptions of the things they endure was just too unnecessarily graphic. I know I am very conservative compared to most, but I have a hard time imagining that an average female reader would be able to get through this book without disgust and revulsion. I honestly would not have gotten through much of it at all had I not committed to this review. In addition, there are some descriptions of Willa’s s*xual experimentation that were very explicit to the point of poor taste.
I am honestly not trying to bash Elizabeth Brundage as a writer or as a person. However, I believe I do represent a certain group of women who share my views. I also believe it is my responsibility to speak out about content that is so over the top and objectionable so that those who feel the same as I do can stay clear of it or at least make an informed decision about it.
August 12, 2008
I thought this was an exceptional novel. It reads like an excellent literary novel, but before you know it you're caught up in a thriller that will not let you rest until you've finished. I was up all night with this one and sad when I'd finished it. This author has another book called The Doctor's Wife, which I've just picked up. I'm so happy I discovered this author.
October 12, 2016
Somebody Else's Daughter by Elizabeth Brundage
I don't know what happened to my previous review of this book. I came back to fix something and it disappeared. I just wanted to say that I have read a lot of books and this is one of the best books I have ever read. It is literary contemporary fiction at its highest. I am very passionate about this book and Ms. Brundage is one of my favorite authors.
I also want to make a point that I am borrowing from somebody that liked my review. "I don't give ratings based on the subject matter. I rate on how much I enjoyed the actual storytelling."
Elizabeth Brundage is a literary writer of the highest order. Also a book can be a masterpiece and have unlikable characters as well as likeable characters. This book was a masterpiece in my opinion. I have gotten more feedback in the past over fluff that I didn't particularly like.
I don't know what happened to my previous review of this book. I came back to fix something and it disappeared. I just wanted to say that I have read a lot of books and this is one of the best books I have ever read. It is literary contemporary fiction at its highest. I am very passionate about this book and Ms. Brundage is one of my favorite authors.
I also want to make a point that I am borrowing from somebody that liked my review. "I don't give ratings based on the subject matter. I rate on how much I enjoyed the actual storytelling."
Elizabeth Brundage is a literary writer of the highest order. Also a book can be a masterpiece and have unlikable characters as well as likeable characters. This book was a masterpiece in my opinion. I have gotten more feedback in the past over fluff that I didn't particularly like.
March 30, 2011
Okay this book was by far one of the worst books I have ever read. There wasnt a plot and it kept switching back and forth between characters. The summary was incredibly misleading. I thought the book was going to be about Willa and about Nate and how their relationship interacts when he starts working at the school. But it was nothing of the sort. I couldn't even finish the book! I normally don't abandon books, no matter how bad they are, but this one...it just wasn't worth torturing myself for another 100 pages. I wish I could give this book ZERO stars.
did-not-finish
December 13, 2019DNF at 20%.
A mother's description of her daughter: Her hair was a dull shade of cornmeal, and her skin was pale, sallow almost, and sprinkled with freckles. She had Jack's nose, flat and prominent as an Eskimo's, and two lumps, tablespoons of flesh, that represented breasts.
Nope. I'm done.
A mother's description of her daughter: Her hair was a dull shade of cornmeal, and her skin was pale, sallow almost, and sprinkled with freckles. She had Jack's nose, flat and prominent as an Eskimo's, and two lumps, tablespoons of flesh, that represented breasts.
Nope. I'm done.
September 15, 2008
Too graphic for my taste, in a not-so-tasteful way.
July 10, 2008
Boy oh boy these characters have hidden secrets. Just about all of them & more than I expected.
October 8, 2008
This was a "I'm reading this to find out the ending" kind of book. It was kind of grizzly but couldn't stop reading it. I even kept it overdue from the library!
December 16, 2008
Elizabeth Brundage takes a much bigger bite than she can chew in the complexity and multitude of issues she tries to address in Somebody Else's Daughter. Included among the many conflicts her characters face, are those of post-adoption identity crises (on the part of both parent and child), the return of an adult to childhood haunts, eating disorders, drug abuse, physical abuse, animal abuse, sexual assault, prostitution, AIDS and confrontations resulting from socioeconomic disparity.
Perhaps the most relevant theme of the novel is that of women's rights. Brundage's message; however, seems to be lost, as the female character who initially demonstrates the greatest strength ultimately is lured first, by the male protagonist whose wealth is secretly acquired through his success as a bigwig in the porn industry, and later by the weakest male character who sheepishly harbors an identifying secret of his own, that he is the true father of the female protagonist, adoptive daughter to Mr. Porn CEO.
The title subject manages to retain a healthy sense of stability for the majority of the novel, yet the downward spiral that she eventually enters is somewhat abrupt. Furthermore, the author could stand to do, as the English teachers say, a lot more showing than telling.
Clearly this novel involves a tangled web of characters, and Brundage absolutely deserves to be lauded for her ability to develop all of her characters' in full via a plot that is easily followed and, at times, pretty suspenseful. That being said, maybe next time she will consider implementing a narrower focus on the conflicts her characters address.
(Should be posted to www.shortandsweetnyc.com soon)
Perhaps the most relevant theme of the novel is that of women's rights. Brundage's message; however, seems to be lost, as the female character who initially demonstrates the greatest strength ultimately is lured first, by the male protagonist whose wealth is secretly acquired through his success as a bigwig in the porn industry, and later by the weakest male character who sheepishly harbors an identifying secret of his own, that he is the true father of the female protagonist, adoptive daughter to Mr. Porn CEO.
The title subject manages to retain a healthy sense of stability for the majority of the novel, yet the downward spiral that she eventually enters is somewhat abrupt. Furthermore, the author could stand to do, as the English teachers say, a lot more showing than telling.
Clearly this novel involves a tangled web of characters, and Brundage absolutely deserves to be lauded for her ability to develop all of her characters' in full via a plot that is easily followed and, at times, pretty suspenseful. That being said, maybe next time she will consider implementing a narrower focus on the conflicts her characters address.
(Should be posted to www.shortandsweetnyc.com soon)
July 18, 2011
My mother had picked this up off the bargain bookshelf and that should have been my first clue. While I was at her house and desperate for reading material, I thought I would give it a go. I really thought the book was off to a good start even if it was a little too graphic for my taste. Unfortunately it quickly went downhill and seemed to me as if the author were hoping the book would be picked up to become one of those horrid Lifetime movies. It is quite unfortunate because some of the ideas behind of the story could have made for an interesting read if the author had not felt the need to shortcut into a predictable and obvious thriller angle that never really made sense.
September 21, 2008
Two teenage heroin addicts give birth to a baby girl. The mother tells the boy they have to put the baby up for adoption so she doesn’t grow up poor. They do. The mother dies after handing the child over to the adopted mother. The father, years later, gets his life together and becomes a teacher in his child’s school. The school’s principle is a rapist and he and his wife kill his victims. This was not a page-turner for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 24, 2008
Good storyline, good plot but very graphic and perverse. I think the author could have told the same story without so much violence and sex. I came close to throwing this book away but I stuck it out hoping it would improve which it did a little. That said my favorite part of the book is when they play prison poker. This could be made into a movie but it would have to be toned down quite a bit.
August 18, 2008
This has all the key elements of an engaging novel yet somehow it missed the mark for me--I was involved enough in the plot and the characters to see it through yet I felt there was too much going on with too many characters and in the end not everything got resolved.
July 19, 2009
I did not care for the style of writing in this book at all. I ask myself why I bothered to finish reading it since I did not really care about the characters or what happened to them. The plot was contrived and false.
September 5, 2018
I quite enjoyed this book. I wasn't hooked immediately, but it didn't take long. All of the characters are so complex and layered, there was always something surprising to come. Willa is a teenaged girl who was adopted and lives an ideal life in the Berkshires...until her mom starts unravelling, her dad's habits and history become known, she falls in love with the new kid, she meets a prostitute, she questions live, sex, drugs,...and there is SO much more. Brundage's characters tackle so much in this book, some moral issues, some personal conflict --I could go on, but just read it!
June 3, 2010
I had nothing to do. I had already finished both my current reading book and it was project real. Tehm finished the book and suggested that I read it becuase she said it was a really good book. Since it was her personl book she let me borrow it and I bagan to read. The first chapter pulled me in and I just couldnt get enough. I kept reading and reading and my book was suddenly pulled away and I got fustrated, because I wanted to keep reading. I look up to see kazi and sharon laughing. (they took my book)....they said I was too in to it. ;0 helloo! it was sooo good. I wanted to read more. But by the time I had gotten my book back the bell for lunch had rung and I had to end my reading.
The main characters name is Willa, she is a adopted child. She loves her parents (adoptive) {joe and candance} but the fact that she knows nothing of her biologiocal parents; or why they gave her up, kinda bothers her.
Her biological parents {cat and nate} gave her up because they couldnt take care of her. Cat - the mother had aids and they were both drug addicts;no position to raise a baby. So they kinda had no choice but to gve her up.
When Willa turns 17 her parents allow her to read a letter her biological father wrote to her. In the letter he says to her WHY they had to give her up and what happened, when they were going to bring her to the parents.
I like how the author of this book - Elizabeth made the first chapter the letter that he wrote to her, but the letter itself is not mentioned till towards the middle of the story. I love how in the beginning it is just stating facts and then its sort of confusing but then later on it all adds up. I really enjoy reading books like that.
Nate - Willas birth father wanted to be close with willa, so he became a teacher at Willas highschool. (he is her english language arts teacher) so although she does not know it the man she longs to meet and know more about is right beside her. Only thing that makes this story even more lovable and unique is that nate does not choose to tell Willa that he is her father, not even willas adoptive parents know that he is there by her side, becuase he has a diffrent apperance. (longer beard)
Almost everyone in the book has trouble/problems ; such as the couples. joe and candance (willas parents) are very wealthy and live in a beautiful home and raise willa well. HOWEVER theres a bog reason to why they are rich. what do they do for a living? I wont spoil it :) beccause I feel like it has the biggest peice, it changes everything and everyones attitude. and the whole thing is just plain shocking to me.
A part of me feels as if maybe it would be slightly better if Willa knew her dad, like just maybe know who he was. But then again I dont, because then maybe what happened in the end would not have happened. And also Willa liked this guy named teddy, if she was knew her dad it kind of would have been weird because her birth nate is dating teddys mom; claire. so that would have been just a bit weird in my opionion.
Claires position in the story I think is really important and that she changed alot of things. Joe cheated on his wife with her, but due to the fact that she didnt approve of what he did for a living she refused to be with him nate went with claire and they had a very good realtionship and they really liked each other. But my point is that becuase Claire didnt approve of what joe did and left him he learned to love his wife and began to attempt to fix their relationship.
This book was very......unique in my opinion. Theres not many books that have such a good and different story. The ending is not predictable and I like that. Usually I can guess how a book is going to end and it is then just like any other book. This book was really good, and it has now become one of my favorite books.
pg226 (text) "It got late and Mr.Gallagher (nate) offered to drive her home in his truck. He played the radio, the classic rock station "brown eyed girl" came out and they sang it together, extremly loudly out the windows of the truck. At the house her mother came out and invited Mr.Gallagher in for a drink, which to willas surprise he accepted."
I guess I was reading so fast that I didnt catch this part until later on because after reading that it makes me relize that they actually connected for once. Also it makes me think about ; if she was comfortable enough to sing with her teacher does this make her feel comftorable with her teacher? She doesnt know that he is actually her biological father but they connected and I like that. It reminds me of that time that Mr.Ngyuen was our teacher and he and ally + olivia were singing the song "i kissed A GIRL" by katy perry. It was really funny.
Ssomebody else daughter is a great book. I reccomend it to anyone who would just want to sit back and forget about everything and just relaxe ; maybe even loose yourself into a book. I belive that this is the book for you then. i say its a 5star book. very well written and unique. I love reading a challenge and this is a different book that made me think alot.
:)
The main characters name is Willa, she is a adopted child. She loves her parents (adoptive) {joe and candance} but the fact that she knows nothing of her biologiocal parents; or why they gave her up, kinda bothers her.
Her biological parents {cat and nate} gave her up because they couldnt take care of her. Cat - the mother had aids and they were both drug addicts;no position to raise a baby. So they kinda had no choice but to gve her up.
When Willa turns 17 her parents allow her to read a letter her biological father wrote to her. In the letter he says to her WHY they had to give her up and what happened, when they were going to bring her to the parents.
I like how the author of this book - Elizabeth made the first chapter the letter that he wrote to her, but the letter itself is not mentioned till towards the middle of the story. I love how in the beginning it is just stating facts and then its sort of confusing but then later on it all adds up. I really enjoy reading books like that.
Nate - Willas birth father wanted to be close with willa, so he became a teacher at Willas highschool. (he is her english language arts teacher) so although she does not know it the man she longs to meet and know more about is right beside her. Only thing that makes this story even more lovable and unique is that nate does not choose to tell Willa that he is her father, not even willas adoptive parents know that he is there by her side, becuase he has a diffrent apperance. (longer beard)
Almost everyone in the book has trouble/problems ; such as the couples. joe and candance (willas parents) are very wealthy and live in a beautiful home and raise willa well. HOWEVER theres a bog reason to why they are rich. what do they do for a living? I wont spoil it :) beccause I feel like it has the biggest peice, it changes everything and everyones attitude. and the whole thing is just plain shocking to me.
A part of me feels as if maybe it would be slightly better if Willa knew her dad, like just maybe know who he was. But then again I dont, because then maybe what happened in the end would not have happened. And also Willa liked this guy named teddy, if she was knew her dad it kind of would have been weird because her birth nate is dating teddys mom; claire. so that would have been just a bit weird in my opionion.
Claires position in the story I think is really important and that she changed alot of things. Joe cheated on his wife with her, but due to the fact that she didnt approve of what he did for a living she refused to be with him nate went with claire and they had a very good realtionship and they really liked each other. But my point is that becuase Claire didnt approve of what joe did and left him he learned to love his wife and began to attempt to fix their relationship.
This book was very......unique in my opinion. Theres not many books that have such a good and different story. The ending is not predictable and I like that. Usually I can guess how a book is going to end and it is then just like any other book. This book was really good, and it has now become one of my favorite books.
pg226 (text) "It got late and Mr.Gallagher (nate) offered to drive her home in his truck. He played the radio, the classic rock station "brown eyed girl" came out and they sang it together, extremly loudly out the windows of the truck. At the house her mother came out and invited Mr.Gallagher in for a drink, which to willas surprise he accepted."
I guess I was reading so fast that I didnt catch this part until later on because after reading that it makes me relize that they actually connected for once. Also it makes me think about ; if she was comfortable enough to sing with her teacher does this make her feel comftorable with her teacher? She doesnt know that he is actually her biological father but they connected and I like that. It reminds me of that time that Mr.Ngyuen was our teacher and he and ally + olivia were singing the song "i kissed A GIRL" by katy perry. It was really funny.
Ssomebody else daughter is a great book. I reccomend it to anyone who would just want to sit back and forget about everything and just relaxe ; maybe even loose yourself into a book. I belive that this is the book for you then. i say its a 5star book. very well written and unique. I love reading a challenge and this is a different book that made me think alot.
:)
July 27, 2013
Everything is not alright in the Berkshires regardless of what it looks like on the surface. This story supports the theory that things are not always the way they appear. The past does filter it’s way quietly but significantly into the present and future. What looks good can sometimes truly be evil. What looks bad at its core may be struggling, fighting an inner battle to be good. Life isn’t easy. People make mistakes but if they really want it, change can prevail.
I wasn’t sure what I was going to get when I started this book. I had just put another book I attempted to the side and was really hoping for something good. I’ve had this book on my shelf for some time and I thought it would be something else so I hadn’t read it until now. It most definitely was different than what I assumed it would be. I really liked it! It’s been a while since I’ve read a book with this type of formula but I know that I always enjoy it. The formula of slowly feeding the reader the various components of the story gradually, the peak, the cliffhanger, the explosion and the happy resolution. I loved it. I was always curious. I was always interested. I was always talking back to the book.
I found a lot of quotes that give a feel for what the book is about. This author is talented and the book flowed smoothly and easily.
A few adjectives: drama, dysfunction, hidden pasts, secrets, dirty laundry, love wins in the end.
I would recommend this to all my mystery/thriller readers. To all my character study readers as well because these people either slowly fall apart or slowly reassemble. I will read this author again.
Sorry just a quick review. I'm feeling like reading so I want to quickly jump into the next read but do read this book. It's good!
I wasn’t sure what I was going to get when I started this book. I had just put another book I attempted to the side and was really hoping for something good. I’ve had this book on my shelf for some time and I thought it would be something else so I hadn’t read it until now. It most definitely was different than what I assumed it would be. I really liked it! It’s been a while since I’ve read a book with this type of formula but I know that I always enjoy it. The formula of slowly feeding the reader the various components of the story gradually, the peak, the cliffhanger, the explosion and the happy resolution. I loved it. I was always curious. I was always interested. I was always talking back to the book.
I found a lot of quotes that give a feel for what the book is about. This author is talented and the book flowed smoothly and easily.
A few adjectives: drama, dysfunction, hidden pasts, secrets, dirty laundry, love wins in the end.
I would recommend this to all my mystery/thriller readers. To all my character study readers as well because these people either slowly fall apart or slowly reassemble. I will read this author again.
Sorry just a quick review. I'm feeling like reading so I want to quickly jump into the next read but do read this book. It's good!
January 21, 2010
I'm a little conflicted about this book and debated between 2 stars and 3. The prose is very well-crafted but at times, it felt a bit overdone. The author uses a lot of metaphors and imagery-rich language and there were times when I would have liked to strip some of it out and just get to the point of the scene or passage.
I thought this would be a story of a reformed drug addict's quest to know the daughter he gave up for adoption as an infant and his journey to make peace with that decision and to reconcile his past self with his current self. However, as I read, the theme of society's disregard for women and their consequent victimization started to emerge and I felt a bit like that theme was snuck in on the reader without really being fully explored. I also felt that the character of Jack Heath was one of the more interesting in the book but (trying for no spoilers here), but I didn't feel that last-minute change in his character rang true.
The book explores drug abuse and addiction, prostitution, pornography, adoption, domestic and sexual sbuse, animal abuse, self-identity issues, eating disorders, family dysfunction, and of course, the victimization and objectification of women. That is a ton of things to include in one story which I believe resulted in the superficial exploration and treatment of many of those issues. I think the author tried to cram too much into one novel.
I thought this would be a story of a reformed drug addict's quest to know the daughter he gave up for adoption as an infant and his journey to make peace with that decision and to reconcile his past self with his current self. However, as I read, the theme of society's disregard for women and their consequent victimization started to emerge and I felt a bit like that theme was snuck in on the reader without really being fully explored. I also felt that the character of Jack Heath was one of the more interesting in the book but (trying for no spoilers here), but I didn't feel that last-minute change in his character rang true.
The book explores drug abuse and addiction, prostitution, pornography, adoption, domestic and sexual sbuse, animal abuse, self-identity issues, eating disorders, family dysfunction, and of course, the victimization and objectification of women. That is a ton of things to include in one story which I believe resulted in the superficial exploration and treatment of many of those issues. I think the author tried to cram too much into one novel.
August 7, 2012
The premises of this book is just one single story line. Girl is given up for adoption, father returns to her hometown, how will this all play out? Well badly of course or why else would you write this book?
Turns out the author got REALLY EXCITED about the idea that we all have secrets, that we're all damaged, that bad things happen to good people because dear lord, before you know it everyone and their mother's deep dark secret was on display. She's got an eating disorder, she was molested, he's a sadist, he's heavily disturbed, omg they're in the porn industry (WHAT??), and on and on and on and we're still going, on.
There was a story there. An interesting one no less. And I feel like it got lost with all the other muck. Sure, I was interested, but in the way I am interested while I watch Real Housewives of New Jersey.
Turns out the author got REALLY EXCITED about the idea that we all have secrets, that we're all damaged, that bad things happen to good people because dear lord, before you know it everyone and their mother's deep dark secret was on display. She's got an eating disorder, she was molested, he's a sadist, he's heavily disturbed, omg they're in the porn industry (WHAT??), and on and on and on and we're still going, on.
There was a story there. An interesting one no less. And I feel like it got lost with all the other muck. Sure, I was interested, but in the way I am interested while I watch Real Housewives of New Jersey.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 28, 2009
I was hoping for family drama, and that's not exactly what I got. That is not the book's fault, but the whirlwind of elements contained within this volume grew to the point of ridiculousness. Prostitutes, porn, murder, oh my!
I loved those who I thought were truly at the heart of the story: Nate and Willa. I think the book would have been much better served to be more about the people it was actually about.
(read: 227)
I loved those who I thought were truly at the heart of the story: Nate and Willa. I think the book would have been much better served to be more about the people it was actually about.
(read: 227)
November 3, 2019
338 pages and this book really didn’t even have a plot. What could have been a great novel about a father moving to the same town as his adopted daughter was instead a complicated weaving of irrelevant events in various characters lives that all lead up to a pretty lame ending.
Took this from an Air BnB library and really regret it.
Took this from an Air BnB library and really regret it.
July 28, 2008
If you're looking for a book that is consistently taking you by surprise, Somebody Else's Daughter is for you. The characters are very well developed, and completely engrossing. Very well written, and a lot of fun to read.
September 29, 2008
The first book in a very, very long time that made me gasp out loud when a character did something I didn't like! The ending was a bit too neat and tidy for my taste, but it was so good overall that I didn't mind all that much really...
December 21, 2008
great book! read it with my book club - ferocious discussions followed!
March 24, 2009
To many stories intwined together... it all ended on one page.
March 31, 2017
Somebody Else's daughter by Elizabeth Brundage is a twisted, psychological thriller that has a lot of mystery and the characters are very well developed through the story and fully engrossed. The story tells about a young girl who grows up in an elegant part of town, and then she comes to find out she was adopted and her biological father wont let himself if he doesn't see her again. This book is very dark and violent, but with the right amount of mystery to keep the book going and the characters developing.
Though I loved the characters and how they were developed throughout the story, I thought the book overall was very good, but a little too sick and twisted. the author makes the characters go through very detailed, dark situations that sometimes get too graphic. The author does use a good writing technique, including the use of many analogies and metaphors to further explain very details situations throughout the book. I didn't think this book was badly written, and i would recommend this book to a friend if they were into dark, graphic, and detailed books.
In conclusion, I really liked this book overall, even though some parts were too gory for my taste in books. this book was well written, and the characters are very well developed throughout the story.
Though I loved the characters and how they were developed throughout the story, I thought the book overall was very good, but a little too sick and twisted. the author makes the characters go through very detailed, dark situations that sometimes get too graphic. The author does use a good writing technique, including the use of many analogies and metaphors to further explain very details situations throughout the book. I didn't think this book was badly written, and i would recommend this book to a friend if they were into dark, graphic, and detailed books.
In conclusion, I really liked this book overall, even though some parts were too gory for my taste in books. this book was well written, and the characters are very well developed throughout the story.
July 24, 2018
I enjoyed this book - I will definitely seek other books by the same author as I really enjoyed the writing style.
This book is about a girl who was given up for adoption as a baby and was raised in a loving family. The story follows her life, that of her parents, and her birth father as he re-enters her life. Life is not so innocent - her birth parents were drug addicts, her adoptive parents have their own issues, and there are other characters in the book with some really major issues, too. The book is kind of like an accident waiting to happen. You know that something is going to happen, but it takes a long time for the story to unfold.
All in all, a little strange, but enjoyable.
This book is about a girl who was given up for adoption as a baby and was raised in a loving family. The story follows her life, that of her parents, and her birth father as he re-enters her life. Life is not so innocent - her birth parents were drug addicts, her adoptive parents have their own issues, and there are other characters in the book with some really major issues, too. The book is kind of like an accident waiting to happen. You know that something is going to happen, but it takes a long time for the story to unfold.
All in all, a little strange, but enjoyable.
June 15, 2021
Not thrilling at all.
June 14, 2021
It was just very hard to get excited about anything happening it was just presented very blah. Which is sad because the story had alot of great parts i just couldnt get hype for
Displaying 1 - 30 of 550 reviews