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Daisy: A Historical Novel of Family Friendship and Love
"A perfect weekend or holiday read"
Sit back, relax and escape for a little while into the world of DAISY.
"DAISY" is a gentle family saga, spanning almost 100 years, from 1887 to 1974. It is set in Alabama, Harlem and London and incorporates some of the evils of society -- poverty, racism and snobbery -- as well as some of the greatest that life has to offer -- family, friendship and love.
"Being born poor was a scar that never faded."
"She had never experienced racial hatred first hand, so had no real idea of how it could erode a person's whole life."
Sit back, relax and escape for a little while into the world of DAISY.
"DAISY" is a gentle family saga, spanning almost 100 years, from 1887 to 1974. It is set in Alabama, Harlem and London and incorporates some of the evils of society -- poverty, racism and snobbery -- as well as some of the greatest that life has to offer -- family, friendship and love.
"Being born poor was a scar that never faded."
"She had never experienced racial hatred first hand, so had no real idea of how it could erode a person's whole life."
244 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 8, 2020
9 people are currently reading
35 people want to read
About the author
Pat Backley
12 books22 followersPat Backley is English, but decided to become a Kiwi when she was 59. She now lives in Auckland New Zealand.
She wrote and published her first book just before her 70th birthday and having discovered her passion, she now intends to write till she dies!
She wrote and published her first book just before her 70th birthday and having discovered her passion, she now intends to write till she dies!
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
September 18, 2023
Daisy by Pat Backley
On the back cover, Daisy is billed as a perfect weekend or holiday read. I read it in two sittings, thoroughly enjoying every word! The only comfort when I reluctantly closed the book after reading the last page was to know I could read the follow up book by Pat Backley: The Other Daisy.
I thoroughly enjoyed the family sagas and the character developments. The background of her characters and their personalities are detailed in such a way that they quickly feel like friends. Certainly, Pat Backley is skilled in portraying tragedy and life’s battles in such a way that one feels hope and encouragement.
There are a lot of characters in Daisy. However, the author doesn’t leave us floundering to remember who is who. She subtly reminds us of connections and main events so we quickly remember the salient points.
There’s mystery as well. Who are these people from Illinois and Harlem. How will they fit into the story? Will I like them too? Her talent is in weaving everyone together such that they all belong and I remember them well.
Pat Backley doesn’t shy away from the hard topics either. Sexism, racism, and snobbery are all dealt with and overcome in a believable way. What stays in my heart is the love and affection her characters have for each other. Daisy lives on in the child we encounter at the end. Family values of handing down not just financial resources but a way of living that inspires and edifies each generation could be well emulated in today’s world.
I highly recommend this book to lovers of family saga and history.
On the back cover, Daisy is billed as a perfect weekend or holiday read. I read it in two sittings, thoroughly enjoying every word! The only comfort when I reluctantly closed the book after reading the last page was to know I could read the follow up book by Pat Backley: The Other Daisy.
I thoroughly enjoyed the family sagas and the character developments. The background of her characters and their personalities are detailed in such a way that they quickly feel like friends. Certainly, Pat Backley is skilled in portraying tragedy and life’s battles in such a way that one feels hope and encouragement.
There are a lot of characters in Daisy. However, the author doesn’t leave us floundering to remember who is who. She subtly reminds us of connections and main events so we quickly remember the salient points.
There’s mystery as well. Who are these people from Illinois and Harlem. How will they fit into the story? Will I like them too? Her talent is in weaving everyone together such that they all belong and I remember them well.
Pat Backley doesn’t shy away from the hard topics either. Sexism, racism, and snobbery are all dealt with and overcome in a believable way. What stays in my heart is the love and affection her characters have for each other. Daisy lives on in the child we encounter at the end. Family values of handing down not just financial resources but a way of living that inspires and edifies each generation could be well emulated in today’s world.
I highly recommend this book to lovers of family saga and history.
January 26, 2022
ambitious narrative and an easy read
Trying to pay homage to so many characters and generations is an incredibly ambitious task. To cover 100 years amid social upheaval, war and the personal triumphs and tragedies of so many individuals is an onerous fictional feat. Pat Backley has succeeded. There are echoes throughout this work but it succeeds so well in drawing a theme of tolerance and love. Ms Backley has been able to bring to life the good ordinary folk that make a remarkable family. I think she is drawing us into a family we should be able to recognise in our own hearts. Recommended highly.
Trying to pay homage to so many characters and generations is an incredibly ambitious task. To cover 100 years amid social upheaval, war and the personal triumphs and tragedies of so many individuals is an onerous fictional feat. Pat Backley has succeeded. There are echoes throughout this work but it succeeds so well in drawing a theme of tolerance and love. Ms Backley has been able to bring to life the good ordinary folk that make a remarkable family. I think she is drawing us into a family we should be able to recognise in our own hearts. Recommended highly.
October 30, 2021
Journey of a loving family
Beckley tells the story of a family surviving racial and social bias spanning almost 100 years. There are many characters and intertwining stories that show how love is the strength that got them through their trials. The message I took away from the book is inclusion. Each generation of the family faced different forms of hardship, but they found strength from family and close friends and learned to provide the same throughout each generation. It was a heartwarming read.
Beckley tells the story of a family surviving racial and social bias spanning almost 100 years. There are many characters and intertwining stories that show how love is the strength that got them through their trials. The message I took away from the book is inclusion. Each generation of the family faced different forms of hardship, but they found strength from family and close friends and learned to provide the same throughout each generation. It was a heartwarming read.
January 24, 2022
Loved It
Loved this story. Completely excited there’s another one waiting for me to start. These characters were so real. I couldn’t wait to pick up where I’d leave off. I’m a fan of this author. You will be too.
Loved this story. Completely excited there’s another one waiting for me to start. These characters were so real. I couldn’t wait to pick up where I’d leave off. I’m a fan of this author. You will be too.
December 15, 2020
Loved Pat’s writing!! I love the multi-generational aspect & how everything came full circle.
December 27, 2020
Lovely person to interview & engaging book - on Spotify Now: Pink Cloud 9 Podcast
October 17, 2020
Well written, very detailed and extremely insightful!
Daisy is a story about acceptance - of people different from oneself - different in terms of wealth, education, occupation, social standing, color, sexual orientation, gender, etc.
Some words to live by were provided by the characters Old Frederick and Melissa. According to Old Frederick, “Having a smart car and a bit of money doesn’t make you a better man. It just means you were lucky enough to be born into a wealthy family. How you live your life and treat other people is what counts.” And according to Melissa, “…We are all equal, all God’s children, whatever our colour. No matter if we are rich or poor, we should treat everyone as we would like to be treated.”
To live a life free from slavery, poverty, racial prejudice, bullying, and the like is to live a happier life.
We praise the author for writing this story about topics that are very timely. The story is well written, very detailed and extremely insightful!
James L. Jordan, PhD, PhD and Deovina N. Jordan, PhD, MD
Daisy is a story about acceptance - of people different from oneself - different in terms of wealth, education, occupation, social standing, color, sexual orientation, gender, etc.
Some words to live by were provided by the characters Old Frederick and Melissa. According to Old Frederick, “Having a smart car and a bit of money doesn’t make you a better man. It just means you were lucky enough to be born into a wealthy family. How you live your life and treat other people is what counts.” And according to Melissa, “…We are all equal, all God’s children, whatever our colour. No matter if we are rich or poor, we should treat everyone as we would like to be treated.”
To live a life free from slavery, poverty, racial prejudice, bullying, and the like is to live a happier life.
We praise the author for writing this story about topics that are very timely. The story is well written, very detailed and extremely insightful!
James L. Jordan, PhD, PhD and Deovina N. Jordan, PhD, MD
February 6, 2022
I’m not sure what I expected, but when I read the first few pages, I knew that Daisy was not your everyday novel. There is so much going on in Daisy that at times you’ll feel you need a spreadsheet to keep track of all the players. But Daisy captured me and held me until the very end. Backley’s writing is complex, her dialogue is very well executed and her characters almost feel like they are in the room with you. Backley touches on several hot-button issues such as rape, racism, homosexuality and classism and how not much has changed with regard to some of these over the last 100 years. Daisy takes place over an almost 100 year period of time and there is so much history shared within the story it is amazing;there's so much about the human psyche that you won’t ever learn in school. I can’t wait to read The Second Daisy and find out what happens in the lives of these people who are connected in some amazing ways.
September 8, 2022
This book felt like a fairy tale, with a moral message. The story is engaging and covers a long time period, meaning each character only gets a moment in the spotlight. The story was not laid out in a linear way, and I found the going back and forth in time disconcerting at times. I would have liked to have spent more time with each character, seen more descriptions and more looking inside their heads. So much was packed into such a short novel, it felt like a synopsis for a whole series of books.
October 16, 2020
A Wonderful Story
I thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful story with its theme of love overcoming prejudice. The ties that bind family together over generations were beautifully written and made me feel involved with each of the characters. Read this story if you want your heart warmed. I loved it!
I thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful story with its theme of love overcoming prejudice. The ties that bind family together over generations were beautifully written and made me feel involved with each of the characters. Read this story if you want your heart warmed. I loved it!
October 17, 2020
Awesome read!
I love a good book with great characters and an amazing story. This book falls in all of those categories. Some people are afraid to talk about issues concerning race and don’t like discussing poverty, but his author dealt with those topics and a few more to bring her story together. Thank you!
I love a good book with great characters and an amazing story. This book falls in all of those categories. Some people are afraid to talk about issues concerning race and don’t like discussing poverty, but his author dealt with those topics and a few more to bring her story together. Thank you!
October 14, 2020
Heart Lifting
Such a lovely read, poignant and thought provoking. The author knows her characters so well, you understand their struggles and triumphs, a beautiful insight to a different world. Thank you, really lovely.
Such a lovely read, poignant and thought provoking. The author knows her characters so well, you understand their struggles and triumphs, a beautiful insight to a different world. Thank you, really lovely.
July 21, 2024
A beautiful historical fiction spanning almost 100 years.
Highlighting love and friendship, endurance and resilience when the gap between black and white, rich and poor, is so incredibly vast and heartbreaking.
I was given a copy by the author and all opinions are my own.
Highlighting love and friendship, endurance and resilience when the gap between black and white, rich and poor, is so incredibly vast and heartbreaking.
I was given a copy by the author and all opinions are my own.
March 28, 2021
Pleasant enough
I wanted to like this book a lot more. It wasn't bad in any way, and there is obviously lots of love behind all the characters. But there were so many characters that are introduced so fast - the book should have doubled in length to accommodate them all. I frequently forgot who was who. Especially since so many had names that start with the same first letter.
In some ways this just felt like a book of a family's history, almost list-ish but then would have pockets of beauty and notable events.
Not a lot of character development, just bits here and there.
I wanted to like this book a lot more. It wasn't bad in any way, and there is obviously lots of love behind all the characters. But there were so many characters that are introduced so fast - the book should have doubled in length to accommodate them all. I frequently forgot who was who. Especially since so many had names that start with the same first letter.
In some ways this just felt like a book of a family's history, almost list-ish but then would have pockets of beauty and notable events.
Not a lot of character development, just bits here and there.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews