The Taxi Driver's Daughter

by Julia Darling

When her mother is sent to prison for three months for assaulting a policeman with a stiletto shoe, fifteen-year-old Caris goes gently off the rails. Whilst her taxi-driver father Mac attempts to keep the family together, Caris meets George, a boy from the other side of the vale and from a very different sort of family. Their relationship leads her away from school and what she has known, into a new and unnerving world - and looks set to throw the family into terrifying chaos. Julia Darling's acclaimed novel blends the gritty and the everyday with the evocative and the enchanting, to create an original, inventive and often moving portrayal of family ties, suburban life, love and growing up.

Genres: Contemporary, Fiction, British Literature

263 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Julia Darling was born in Winchester in 1956 in the house Jane Austen died in. She moved to Newcastle in 1980 and began her writing career as a poet, working with a performance group 'The Poetry Virgins' for many years, 'taking poetry to the places that least expected it'[citation needed].

In 1995 she published a book of short stories, Bloodlines with Panurge Press, and many of these stories were broadcast on BBC Radio 4. In 1998 her first novel Crocodile Soup was published by Anchor at Transworld. The novel went on to be published in Canada, Australia, Europe and the United States and was long-listed for the Orange Prize. Her second Novel, The Taxi Driver's Daughter, was published by Penguin and long-listed for the Man Booker Prize and short-listed for the Encore Award. She wrote many plays for stage and radio. In 2003, Julia Darling's first full-length collection of poems, Sudden Collapses in Public Places, was published by Arc and was awarded a Poetry Book Society Recommendation. She worked on a number of arts and health projects, including work with elderly people in residential homes for Equal Arts, and she ran drama workshops for doctors and patients with the project 'Operating Theatre'. She was a fellow of Literature and Health in the English School at Newcastle University and was a recipient of the prestigious Northern Rock Foundation Writer's Award, the largest annual literary award in England.

Julia Darling died of breast cancer in 2005 aged 48.

Reviews

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adored this book and finished it over a Friday night and Saturday. 15 year old Caris, a spirited, inquisitive 15 year old girl lives in Newcastle, England, and is heading towards a nervous breakdown after her mother is sent to jail for stealing a stiletto shoe. Her torment is compounded when her only, friend, Margaret abandons her and joins up with the spiteful Layla and the two begin a campaign of mercilessly bullying Caris.

Caris finds what she thinks is relief in a self-assured 17 year old charmer George from the plush suburb on the other side of the vale. George proves himself to be a psychopath who leads Caris down a slippery slope to truant, drink, drugs and petty crime. Meanwhile Caris' taxi-driver makes pathetic attempts to hold the family together but is simply unable to do so. And things are not helped by his alcoholic mother in law who has come to live with the family. The only responsible member of the family is Caris' sister Stella but she eventually too finds it hard to cope.

I adored Caris and really found myself worrying about her. The book is a real gem when there are so few novels now being written about white working class people in Britain. The closest book I have read I can compare it to is JD Sallinger's Catcher in the Rye written 50 years previously. It is quirky, humorous, in parts tender, a pacey read , nad a genius mix of a light read that makes you think.

Sadly the author Julia Darling tragically passed away at the age of 48 from cancer two years after the publication of this book, in 2005. She will be missed and it is sad to think of the wonderful books she would have written in years to come.

Merged review:

I absolutely adored this book and finished it over a Friday night and Saturday. 15 year old Caris, a spirited, inquisitive 15 year old girl lives in Newcastle, England, and is heading towards a nervous breakdown after her mother is sent to jail for stealing a stiletto shoe. Her torment is compounded when her only, friend, Margaret abandons her and joins up with the spiteful Layla and the two begin a campaign of mercilessly bullying Caris.

Caris finds what she thinks is relief in a self-assured 17 year old charmer George from the plush suburb on the other side of the vale. George proves himself to be a psychopath who leads Caris down a slippery slope to truant, drink, drugs and petty crime. Meanwhile Caris' taxi-driver makes pathetic attempts to hold the family together but is simply unable to do so. And things are not helped by his alcoholic mother in law who has come to live with the family. The only responsible member of the family is Caris' sister Stella but she eventually too finds it hard to cope.

I adored Caris and really found myself worrying about her. The book is a real gem when there are so few novels now being written about white working class people in Britain. The closest book I have read I can compare it to is JD Sallinger's Catcher in the Rye written 50 years previously. It is quirky, humorous, in parts tender, a pacey read , nad a genius mix of a light read that makes you think.

Sadly the author Julia Darling tragically passed away at the age of 48 from cancer two years after the publication of this book, in 2005. She will be missed and it is sad to think of the wonderful books she would have written in years to come.

[Liana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am going to write a few words about a book I have recently read. The book is written by the well-known English writer Julia Darling. The title of the book is The Taxi Driver's Daughter. The plot of the book is incredibly interesting. The book tells us about a family, which had many problems with relationships. The main hero of the story is 15-year-old Caris, who fell into depression after her mother was imprisoned for an unpleasant incident. After that, her best friends leave her and she thinks that the whole world has become against her and she finds solace in only one boy George who later betrays her:(
There is one more hero of the book that Caris's father, he works as a taxi driver and he is trying to build good relationships in the family and help Caris with her problems. But it doesn't work out. Mac (which is the name of Caris father) has another daughter Stella, she is the only one who tries to be calm but in one of the happening with Caris friends, she breaks down and starts yelling. I was a little shocked seeing Stella on the other side of her character.
 To cut a long story short, the book has many interesting characters and events. If you are interested in it, then start reading right now. I am sure you’ll get a great pleasure.

[Ksenia Bobrysheva · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is wonderful. The plot is very interesting and catching.
The characters are attractive, even 'bad' characters. But it's hard to say who's completely positive and completely negative. All of them can do good and bad deeds. It depends on their life, their upbringing, their problems, their way of thinking, etc.
The end of the book was unexpected personally for me. I liked the rapid development of the events with Caris and George, and Mac and Degna.
All in all, I was enjoying reading this book. It made my evenings lighter and cozier.

[Nadya]

I was impressed with the book "The taxi driver's daughter".The author describes an usual life of usual people.But a fifteen-years-old Caris has some difficult curcumstances in her period of life and other family members too.I feel sorry about Caris and her sister Stella because there are very little girls and Caris especially tales to heart everything.I think, girls don't feel enough support from their father-Mac and granny-Nana when their mother was arrested.
But I was surprised when I read the end of this book!All characters are happy as they wanted.
I'm very glad that it all ended like this.

[Rosemary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mac is a Newcastle-on-Tyne taxi driver whose wife is unexpectedly arrested and jailed for shoplifting and assaulting a policeman. In her absence, the family begins to fall apart, especially 15-year-old Caris, who starts skipping school, smoking and drinking, and taking up with an attractive but dangerous boy from the posh side of town.

I found this very readable and didn't put it down one day when stuck at home with Covid. I felt involved with the family, worried for Caris, and was glad that little hints were given of various characters' futures. Especially glad to know that the nice but ineffectual schoolteacher escaped!

[Valeriia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book told us about two daughters' mother Louise and about her husband Mac. Louise was arrested for shoplifting. She stole a luxury footwear.
I think it's a very tangled story which needs to unravel like a ball of string. All events take place very quickly and sometimes you are trying to understand how did it happen. In general, I have a good impression of the book. You can't get bored with it. I think one of the main problems of the book is about adolescent problems. I'm happy about the ending of the book. All is well that ends well.

[Mila · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for class.

Not something that I'd choose to read myself but it was decent.

[rubywednesday · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the characters and the setting of this book a lot. For me, it was really relatable and realistic but still managed to keep a nice sense of whimsy.

I didn't care so much for the writing style. As pretty and as a real as it was, universal third person omniscient just isn't really my thing and it pulled me out of the story a few times.

And that George was a little shit, wasn't he? after all the YA romances I read, that was very much a shock to the system.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read mostly from curiosity as it's set in my home town. This was a charming book, concerned with the fragmentation of a family that has forgotten how to look at one another until a major upset forces them all down some very scary paths. Absolutely loved the shoe tree. Beautifully written, multiple person POV. I could feel the streets beneath my feet.

[Suzanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

My first book by this Author .. and not one I'd pick up for myself

The book was very slow to get going and I really didn't like any of the characters and the general storyline was quite weak ..
The overall teenage angst did make me think that I wasn't really the target market for this Story - it's been a little while since I was a teen ..
I enjoyed it a little more after the half way mark, when the premise got more interesting and the messages the Author was hoping to convey became more defined ..
I thought that the ending completed the tale off nicely ..

My Rating 2.5, rounded down on GR

[Kasandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though the characters never felt fully real to me, the story pulled me along, and the book steadily seemed to get better as I went, more interesting. I really liked the ending. It's a bit predictable, and a bit transparent, but on the other hand, it's an enjoyable read and seems like the sort of thing that would easily transform into an after-school special. If you remember those, and kind of liked them, you may like this.

[Mikhail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book. I always wanted to read something from foreign literature. And I was lucky enough to read this book. Very interesting for teenagers. I think even as a gift someone will like it. Because Caris has life problems that can be with us.

[Annie · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars.

[Tori_Miel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty nice book, it shows the world of an average man who doesen't really enjoy his life.

[Judi Mckay · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read and full of interesting characters. Not sure why this was shortlisted for the (then) Orange prize, though. It didn't strike me as a stand out book

[Denis Alexeev · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s nice but not the beat reading of my life

[Mandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quirky little story of a family falling apart and back together again. Lots of angst ridden teenage emotions that brought back some memories lol

[Siobhan Markwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very readable dark comedy that pitches adolescent angst against marital boredom and retiree alcoholism. Well-written caricatures are entertaining and likeable.

[Simon S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book group book, so have to keep quiet until the meeting, but that was excellent.

[Bleu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Louise's family is left lost after she is imprisoned for three months for assaulting a policeman with a stolen shoe. Her husband, Mac, retreats into work; her eldest daughter, Stella, focuses on her schoolwork and starts cleaning excessively; her mother moves in with the intention of 'helping out', while her youngest daughter, Caris, feels stranded.

Caris finds she can't go to school, so wanders around the Vale, the one place she's always been told by her mother not to go, but she's not around now. There she meets George and his Tree of Shoes, and becomes wrapped up in his dark and gritty life.

The writing style in this book was the best element for me. It follows all of the characters smoothly, exploring their deep and honest feelings, regardless of if they're socially wrong. These include a parent thinking about how much they hate their child or that they view their spouse as just 'a heap of duvet in the bed'. They're not the opinions you want to hear, but they're real.

There were other, very specific feelings that Darling gets spot on, like that of being a young teenager in an expensive shop; the way you are simultaneously ignored and followed around as the staff don't know what you're doing there but don't really care as long as they don't have to interact with you.

'Until Louise was arrested, Caris had never really thought about what she didn’t have, about the world outside her street and her school, and the fact that most of the things she owns cost less than nine ninety-nine. Now she feels invisible, as if she hardly exists, as if she is filling up the cracks between people.' p26

These observations brought a grounded, relatable tone to the story, that also highlighted the bleak nature of every character's life- they are invisible and no one around them cares or likes them.

It's bleak, but it feels deeply honest.

[Windy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of a family which starts to crumble when the mother goes to prison. Sometimes sad, sometimes funny. A difficult story told in an easy way.

[Adelyne · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars.

This book wasn’t on my radar previously, but I chanced upon it so gave it a shot and was quite pleased to discover that I did quite like the story. Telling the story of Caris’ life after her mother goes to prison for what on the surface seems like a very minor offense of assaulting a policeman with a shoe, I loved how the author subtly incorporated the theme of “small things happening related to shoes” throughout the course of the story, and found it clever how she used this to illustrate how gradual the process of going off the rails is in the grand scheme of life .

The premise was properly grim, and there was a little part of me that hoped it would get better at some point, though I have to admit I wasn’t very optimistic. As such, I wasn’t entirely disappointed to find that things just continued to get worse and worse , though the author found a nice and accessible way to tell the story in the sense that it wasn’t completely unreadable despite this.

I didn’t love it, hence not full stars, but a solid 4 star. I sort of wish I liked at least one of the characters more than I did – I get that they weren’t exactly written to be the most likeable of people but I always think that surely a book can fit in one character that people vaguely like!

[Bronwyn Rykiert · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the story of Caris, a 15 year old whose life was turned upside down when her mother, Louise is caught shoplifiting and had to spend 3 months in prison. Her father Mack, a taxi driver tried to keep the family together but without Louise he was a little out of his depth. Having his drunken mother-in-law move in didn't help at all.

This story could have been better but it was an okay read.

[Mariya]

NO

[Sara]

03 longlisted for booker prize

[Gillian De'Ath · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really engaging story. I was compelled to read it very quickly. Hope to re-read as I'm sure I there is more to enjoy

[Vladimir Titov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect story, but the final is so annoying for me. The main characher betrayed her beloved.