Where Have All Our Daughters Gone

by Julie McAlpin Richmond

Mitchell Bellison always had an agenda. As a college student at the University of Florida, he didn't let the fact he lived in a trailer deter him from getting what he wanted. Now, with intelligence and looks, he cunningly charms his way into the life--and arms--of unsuspecting Kate Canterfield. Mitchell plays his part to perfection, but it isn't long after their marriage that Kate begins to see his facade crumble and the abuse begins. Still, due to her upbringing, Kate feels obliged to do her best and fix what's wrong, no questions asked. With money and power as an attorney, Mitchell eventually decides he no longer needs Kate in his life, and embarks upon a journey of self-satisfaction. Kate thinks it is enough she escaped an abusive marriage, but she can never totally break free of his control now that they share three daughters.

Where Have All Our Daughters Gone is a story of contrasts from love and compassion to narcissistic revenge and resilience, set against a backdrop of the wealth and privilege of Naples, Florida to the quiet charm of the Southern Low Country of South Carolina. Kate's is a story of compassion, resilience, and survival against the odds.

422 pages, Paperback

First published July 26, 2017

Reviews

[Melanie McGrade Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven’t felt this emotional about a book in a long time, it really affected me strongly and to a point that I want to do something. I want to stop things like this from happening, I want to help victims, I want to help spread the word about what can, and has happened, when you have money, I want to help make a difference.

I have always wanted to be a mother since I was a little girl, and though I had to endure so much before it happened, I eventually became a mommy to my two beautiful miracle children. I know the sometimes overwhelming and powerful feeling it is to be a mother and to want to do whatever you can to ensure your children are safe and loved. I can’t even fathom what it must feel like as a mother to experience what Kate did in “Where Have All Our Daughters Gone”. She is such an amazing and strong woman and I am so proud of her for standing up for herself and doing everything she could for her daughters. It absolutely infuriates me that people can get away with what they do with money and power. It makes me sick.

I clearly have experienced so many strong emotions while reading this book. I felt such anger and anxiety that I had trouble sleeping. I couldn’t stop thinking about what I had been reading every day and I have wanted to do nothing but read. I have finished reading the book but I do not want to simply move onto the next one and forget about this one. Though I received an ARC of this book, I am going to purchase it so that I can make my first contribution towards the Protective Mothers Revolution.

This book was so emotionally powerful and will be one that will certainly stay in my thoughts for a long time. I want to talk about it with others, I want to spread the word. Please read this book and then send out your own reviews and recommendations.

[Helen Manoli · Rating 2 out of 5]

Received a vopy of this book through netgalley.
Interesting story but I thought that it was a bit too long with all the court cases the same could have been achieved with less.
Characters seemed not to be real and it was difficult to associate with them,Clay seemed too good to be true in real life would someone really be so patient do not thing so.
Enjoyable plot but too long winded,same could have been achieved in less,characters needed to be built up more,its a rough diamond polished up would be a best seller.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I am grateful to have been given this book as an ARC from NetGalley. All opinions are mine.*

This book. This book. This book. Messed me up for a bit. I finished it in a few hours because I could NOT put it down. And when I did, I looked at my husband and wanted to slap him, just to make myself feel better about what the main character, Kate, and her three children went through. It was a tough read for me, having been through a bad marriage myself, and now having a daughter. I cannot imagine what I would do if I knew someone was abusing her and still had to let it go and deliver her to him. Well, I can, but it's probably best to not write about it (premeditation and all that). Reading it at midnight, I was falling asleep and still couldn't pull myself away from it without reaching the ending.

While this was a fast read, a lot of it seemed too incredible to be believed, but sadly enough I know that Kate's situation while fictional, is all too real for some women. Where Have All Our Daughters Gone does a good job at portraying what life is like when you marry someone that you don't really know, and how even once you're separated from them, there are still times where they control everything in your life. I feel like it could use a little tightening up, I would have liked to know where the kids ended up (maybe a epilogue of sorts) and I would have liked to see a bit more personality from Clay. I liked him, and after being married to someone like Mitchell, I was glad that Kate found someone to treat her right, but there is not a man on this Earth who is that patient and forgiving and never loses his temper. He was almost too perfect, which didn't come off as real.

All in all, I could definitely see this in our library, and possibly even as a women's book club read. It would certainly lead to some very open and honest discussions.

[Judy Kimball · Rating 1 out of 5]

Needed an editor. No character development and so many typos and structure errors. Couldn’t finish it .

[Brenda Pruitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was about marriage and how you can marry someone thinking you know them, when you surely do not. A good woman married a bad and terribly narcissistic man who lived to make her miserable. Even when she was divorced from him, he haunted her daily by taking her children through unscrupulous means. She had to move on or go crazy. But in doing so, she had to leave three daughters behind. A great book. I have lived with a narcissistic husband and they will go to any lengths to benefit themselves.