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Every once in a blue moon, a masterful writer dives into gothic waters and emerges with a novel that—like Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca, Minette Walters’s The Breaker, and Donna Tartt’s The Little Friend—simultaneously celebrates and transcends the tradition. Welcome Margaret Leroy to the clan.What’s the matter with Sylvie? Such a pretty girl. Four years old; well loved by her young mother, Grace. But there’s something . . . “off ” about the child. Her deathly fear of water; her night terrors; most of all, her fixation with a photo of an Irish seaside town called Coldharbour. “Sylvie, tell me about your picture. Why’s it so special, sweetheart?” My heart is racing, but I try to make my voice quite calm. “That’s my seaside, Grace.” Very matter-of-fact, as though this should be obvious. “I lived there, Grace. Before.” Grace doesn’t know what to do with this revelation—she’s barely scraping by as it is. A single mother with no family, Grace works full-time at a London flower shop to support herself and Sylvie. Overwhelmed by her inability to help her daughter, she turns to Adam Winters, a dashing psychology professor with some unusual theories about what might be troubling the child. Together, they travel to seemingly idyllic Coldharbour, hoping to understand Sylvie’s mysterious connection to the place. Impossible as it may seem, Grace has to accept that her daughter may be remembering a past life. And not only the danger bedeviling Sylvie from her past life is still very much a threat to her in this one. Margaret Leroy has been celebrated for writing “like a dream,” and her previous novels have been praised for their “hypnotic prose” and “sensuously ethereal, subtly electric drama.” Now, in Yes, My Darling Daughter, Leroy offers a novel both haunted and haunting—a wonderfully original, deliciously suspenseful story that enthralls from the first page to the very last.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2009
29 people are currently reading
1725 people want to read
About the author
Margaret Leroy
19 books191 followersI grew up in the New Forest. As a child I wrote elaborate fantasy stories that I never showed to anyone. But around age 12 I stopped writing, and didn't start again till my mid-twenties.
(from the Biography page of her website)
I went to Oxford to study music, at St. Hilda's College. In my twenties I tried all sorts of things - music therapy, play-leading with children with disabilities, work in a toy shop, teaching. I also got married - and divorced. Finally I found work I really enjoyed, as a social worker: I qualified at Leicester University, and worked in psychiatry and then in child protection. It's a reviled profession but I found it fascinating: though, intriguingly, in my writing social workers are more likely to be villains than heroes. Around this time I met Mick, who is now my husband - and I started writing again. I became a full-time(ish) writer after our younger daughter was born.
(from the Biography page of her website)
I went to Oxford to study music, at St. Hilda's College. In my twenties I tried all sorts of things - music therapy, play-leading with children with disabilities, work in a toy shop, teaching. I also got married - and divorced. Finally I found work I really enjoyed, as a social worker: I qualified at Leicester University, and worked in psychiatry and then in child protection. It's a reviled profession but I found it fascinating: though, intriguingly, in my writing social workers are more likely to be villains than heroes. Around this time I met Mick, who is now my husband - and I started writing again. I became a full-time(ish) writer after our younger daughter was born.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 278 reviews
July 11, 2025
I enjoyed this book.
Thought it was well written and very believable.
Four stars.
Thought it was well written and very believable.
Four stars.
October 23, 2009
Set in London and Ireland, Yes, My Darling Daughter has all those elements, which can hold the reader's interest till the end. Grace, a single mother of four-year-old Sylvie, works in flower shop in London. Her daughter is not like any other child. She acts beyond her age and seems to know something which is the beyond the understanding of Grace.
When Sylvie starts to get mean with her playmates and also has frequent tantrums, along with sporadic panic attacks, Grace doesn't know how to deal with it. Sylvie has this unknown fear of water, anything that involves water scares her and she has nightmarish attacks. Sylvie also keeps drawing a small cottage and speaks of stuff, that she has not seen but somehow knows. And then one photograph triggers certain something and Sylvie continually keeps saying it is her home and she lived there. Somehow Sylvie seems to get farther away from Grace. The place turns out to be somewhere in Ireland.
Getting panicky and as a last resort, Grace gets in touch with Adam Winters, a University professor, who has done some studies on Paranormal behaviour of children and also about behaviour pertaining to past lives. After one sesseion with Sylvie, Adam suggest that they travel to Cold Harbour, Ireland and find out what Sylvie is trying to tell them. He has certain theories what must be the reason of Sylvie's behaviour. He warns Grace about violent memories but tells her there is nothing to worry about.
Arriving there, Sylvie recognises the places and also tries to find Lennie. Now who is Lennie? And for that matter who is Sylvie? And when they do find something, Sylvie simply clams up, going silent, withdrawing from Grace. Grace senses and knows that Sylvie is troubled and wants to help her. And Grace is scared too that somehow she might lose Sylvie to something she can't understand.
The past life and present have merged in this novel and the supporting characters somehow make it so plausible. The paranormal element doesn't seem out of context. A book that holds interest and satisfies that something which every reader wants and wishes for. A satisfying feel after reading it. At places Sylvie might feel unlovable but what else can expect from a girl, who had died violently in her past life. Grace, as a mother is supporting, loving and even when not understanding Sylvie's behaviour is always there for her.
July 7, 2010
I thought the premise was interesting, but I had a hard time feeling any sort of empathy towards the main characters and the ending kind of wrapped itself up a bit too completely. That said, I did find myself reading the book really fast to find out the ending, so I did get kind of into the book... I just wouldn't recommend it.
February 28, 2010
For more than half of the book, I was very intrigued by the mystery. But it got a little too convenient and obvious and I was starting to wonder if Grace was naive or stupid. Adam too. I felt like ANYONE would spot the twins thing and who the bad guy was from a mile away. Sylvie's acceptance of everything was also really abrupt. And why wasn't Grace more curious about what happens from here? Or why Sylvie was the one who was affected and if it happens to everyone or just a select few? I felt like Grace should have had more questions; instead, I felt like her reactions were just to move the story along. The book was too long too and at times I found Sylvie extremely obnoxious. It's more like 4 stars for the first half and 1-2 for the second.
October 26, 2017
I didn't really enjoy this book very much! I didn't like Sylvie at all, her voice didn't ring true and her vocabulary was much too good for a 3 or 4 year old - even one who had lived before!
Grace came across as a wet lettuce who needed a man to rescue her from all her troubles.
The second half of the book was ridiculous and just fizzled out at the end. And as for the villain of the piece he might as well have been wearing a top hat, long black cloak and twirling his moustache it was so obvious, making me want to shout, "He's behind you!"
Grace came across as a wet lettuce who needed a man to rescue her from all her troubles.
The second half of the book was ridiculous and just fizzled out at the end. And as for the villain of the piece he might as well have been wearing a top hat, long black cloak and twirling his moustache it was so obvious, making me want to shout, "He's behind you!"
November 11, 2012
Beautifully written. Though the main character is making some crazy choices to move the story along and it sometimes feels a bit forced.
Favorite passage:
We sit there quietly for a moment. The sun is coming out through the cloud, and the sea holds every color you can think of - turquoise in the shallows, giving back the sky color, and farther out a richer cobalt shade. There's a line of deeper blue where the sea meets the sky. A sense of the strangeness of what we are doing here surges through me.
"When I was a kid," I tell him, "I used to wonder about the horizon. It bothered me. You know - what happens there? What happens over the edge? Do you ever think about that?"
He grins. "I guess you were deeper than me, Grace. I was far too busy worrying about my stick of rock. How they'd managed to write 'Whitely Bay' inside it"
I smile, I like to think of him as a child. When everything was ordinary, before the wreck, before it broke apart. I have an image of him in my mind - lanky, vivid and a little unpredictable.
"I used to try to work it out," I tell him. "What happened at the horizon. And I couldn't get my mind around it. That there's this edge, this limit to your sight, but if you got there, there wouldn't be an ending, there'd just be still more sea...There are places where your mind stops."
"Yes, there are," he says.
"And when you get older, you don't think things like that so much. But it's not that you've understood them now, it's just that you've given up trying..."
I have a sudden sense of loneliness, of our separateness from one another - here in this place among strangers, at what feels like the rim of the world. I glance at Adam, wanting someone to pull me out of this sadness, but I can't tell him, can't express it.
September 22, 2009
Grace is a single mom, who works in a flower shop full time, and spends her free time with Sylvie, her sweet little four year old daughter. The two live a simple life, in a not so great part of London, but their life seems happy enough. All seems perfectly normal with Sylvie until she begins having problems in preschool. She has outbursts, exhibits an extreme fear of water, and says odd things to her playmates. She also refuses to call her mother “mum”, and always called her “Grace” instead. She also tells her mother that she does not like living where she does, and wants to go home.
Grace is not sure what to do about the way Sylvie has been behaving. She takes her to a therapist who tends to blame the behaviour on her lifestyle. One day while Sylvie is flipping through a magazine, she becomes fixated on a photo of an Irish fishing village called Coldharbour. Her response to the picture is :
“It’s my seaside….I lived there…I lived in a little house, a white house….I had a cave and a dragon”.
Is it possible Sylvie lived in a past life? Grace and Sylvie are invited by Adam, a university professor involved in the paranormal , to go to Ireland on a research grant, and see whether there is any merit to what Sylvie has been saying.
Part, mystery, part Gothic tale, Yes, My Darling Daughter, had me anxiously turning pages to find out how it would all end. Although things got wrapped up, just a little too neatly, I still really enjoyed this book. I loved that it really held my interest, and that I was able to read it in one day.
RECOMMENDED.
Grace is not sure what to do about the way Sylvie has been behaving. She takes her to a therapist who tends to blame the behaviour on her lifestyle. One day while Sylvie is flipping through a magazine, she becomes fixated on a photo of an Irish fishing village called Coldharbour. Her response to the picture is :
“It’s my seaside….I lived there…I lived in a little house, a white house….I had a cave and a dragon”.
Is it possible Sylvie lived in a past life? Grace and Sylvie are invited by Adam, a university professor involved in the paranormal , to go to Ireland on a research grant, and see whether there is any merit to what Sylvie has been saying.
Part, mystery, part Gothic tale, Yes, My Darling Daughter, had me anxiously turning pages to find out how it would all end. Although things got wrapped up, just a little too neatly, I still really enjoyed this book. I loved that it really held my interest, and that I was able to read it in one day.
RECOMMENDED.
August 19, 2014
Three and a half stars. Sometimes blurbs on the back of a book can give a whole different idea of what a book is about as this one did. ’What if there was something deeply wrong with your child and nobody believed you?' That intrigued me. However it turns out to be not what I was thinking initially – but Grace’s almost four year old daughter remembering of a former life. While I do not in any way believe in reincarnation and the idea of past lives, I was still willing to suspend disbelief for the sake of the story. It is fiction after all and I was curious to see how it played out. The author did a good job of building the story. This was despite not being enamoured of the main character Grace or much of her life and parenting choices. Once you accept the idea of reincarnation, at least in the book, I thought it was obvious what the answer was. I read this book fairly quickly because it interested me although I thought the ending was a little contrived.
What I loved at times were some of the little details – like reading the Frog and Toad book to Sylvie while waiting at Dr Strickland’s office. This was a favourite book of my children and later grandchildren. Nice to see good children’s books get a mention. The Very Hungry Caterpillar is another than gets mentioned a few times, and one fits the theme of change in the book.
I liked the style of writing. It’s a quick read and I enjoyed it enough to be curious to pick up another of this author's books and read.
What I loved at times were some of the little details – like reading the Frog and Toad book to Sylvie while waiting at Dr Strickland’s office. This was a favourite book of my children and later grandchildren. Nice to see good children’s books get a mention. The Very Hungry Caterpillar is another than gets mentioned a few times, and one fits the theme of change in the book.
I liked the style of writing. It’s a quick read and I enjoyed it enough to be curious to pick up another of this author's books and read.
March 15, 2010
I must admit, this is certainly not a book I would have picked up on my own. I won this book through Goodreads. I don't typically enjoy books about the paranormal, but I was immediately drawn into the plot of Yes, My Darling Daughter. The short chapters and intriguing plot line make it a quick read. Parts of it were frustrating and predictable, but overall, I'm happy to have discovered this book. I will certainly pick up books written by Leroy in the future.
December 19, 2008
The back cover copy likens this pedestrian thriller to Henry James--please! It's badly written, plodding, and completely unambiguous. The Turn of the Screw it ain't.
May 27, 2014
The Drowning Girl is so good with a little twist in. I found I just keep turning pages after pages unable to stop.
May 30, 2011
When I saw “The Drowning Girl” by Margaret Leroy in my local Oxfam bookshop, I snapped it up. The question on the cover caught my attention - ”What if there was something deeply wrong with your child, and nobody believed you?”
Single mum Grace has a little daughter, Sylvie. As Sylvie grows up, Grace realises that she is “different” – she has emotional outbursts that leave them both utterly drained, she says odd things and she is completely terrified of water.
Professionals examine Sylvie and conclude that Grace is to blame for Sylvie’s behaviour. After one incident too many, Sylvie’s nursery refuse to let her attend any more, Grace’s closest friend cannot cope with the effect that Sylvie has on her own daughter and Grace finds herself alone, unable to find child care and desperate for help.
Grace and Sylvie are described in exquisite detail. We feel Sylvie’s emotions and empathise with Grace. We long for answers, just as Grace does. The journey that Grace and Sylvie go on – accompanied by an unkempt psychologist – is an interesting one, but for me it was a little too far-fetched.
Nevertheless, it is a well written novel that explores a difficult subject.
Single mum Grace has a little daughter, Sylvie. As Sylvie grows up, Grace realises that she is “different” – she has emotional outbursts that leave them both utterly drained, she says odd things and she is completely terrified of water.
Professionals examine Sylvie and conclude that Grace is to blame for Sylvie’s behaviour. After one incident too many, Sylvie’s nursery refuse to let her attend any more, Grace’s closest friend cannot cope with the effect that Sylvie has on her own daughter and Grace finds herself alone, unable to find child care and desperate for help.
Grace and Sylvie are described in exquisite detail. We feel Sylvie’s emotions and empathise with Grace. We long for answers, just as Grace does. The journey that Grace and Sylvie go on – accompanied by an unkempt psychologist – is an interesting one, but for me it was a little too far-fetched.
Nevertheless, it is a well written novel that explores a difficult subject.
January 16, 2015
Interesting read. It didn’t at all go in the direction I was expecting, which was refreshing in a way, but also a bit frustrating as it wasn’t the direction I felt it SHOULD go! Grace was such an annoying and drippy woman, the whole time I wanted and was expecting to find out she’d been imagining the whole thing about Sylvie having memories from a past life – projecting it all on her because she wanted there to be something terribly rare, dramatic and tragic wrong with her rather than a boring old mental disorder. I concede that the past-life thing made for more interesting reading, especially when the details of the cold-case murder mystery started emerging, but it was less realistic, and for some reason this bothered me. Grace’s friends just kept giving her all this logical, sane advice and I was like ‘YES! Listen to them! They are right! You are delusional and keep making terrible life choices!’ but then they all turned out to be wrong.
January 17, 2012
I will say that I really enjoyed this book. I never would’ve picked it up had it not have been for my book club (as my friend Erin mentions in her blog: book club = awesome.) It really does set you up with books you’d never find otherwise.
Okay, back to the book. I found this story to be really intriguing and it really captured my attention. Some of my friends felt that the beginning moved slow but I actually preferred the beginning to the last 1/4 of the story. I felt that Leroy really built up her story in the first 45 chapters only to end it abruptly in the last 10.
Things I loved: the setting, Adam, the thrill, Lavinia.
Things I didn’t love so much: Sylvie (!), Grace (!), the last ten chapters.
All in all, I would recommend this book. It was a quick read and kept my attention.
Okay, back to the book. I found this story to be really intriguing and it really captured my attention. Some of my friends felt that the beginning moved slow but I actually preferred the beginning to the last 1/4 of the story. I felt that Leroy really built up her story in the first 45 chapters only to end it abruptly in the last 10.
Things I loved: the setting, Adam, the thrill, Lavinia.
Things I didn’t love so much: Sylvie (!), Grace (!), the last ten chapters.
All in all, I would recommend this book. It was a quick read and kept my attention.
September 8, 2009
I read a good review of this book in some magazine and once I found out it took place in Ireland I knew had to read it. Interesting story line; can a child remember her past life? Sylvie the girl in the story is very strange w/odd behaviors and memories. Some people think she could be autistic but her mother knows something else is going on. They end up learning about a professor who investigates past lives in children and he takes on the case. They end up traveling to Ireland to "solve" the mystery...I won't give any spoilers.
It was an interesting read w/good character development, intrigue and a mystery story line. Towards the end it got a little too overdramatized when the villan was exposed and Sylvie & her mother are in grave danger. Otherwise, a good read to get lost in.
It was an interesting read w/good character development, intrigue and a mystery story line. Towards the end it got a little too overdramatized when the villan was exposed and Sylvie & her mother are in grave danger. Otherwise, a good read to get lost in.
February 22, 2010
This book had a wonderful premise; right up my alley. The writing style is wonderful. Short chapters, describes a scene very well. Sometimes a little repetitive. Words that are'nt the norm like inchoate. Might
have been the author's new favorite word as it was repeated. The
child, Sylvie, had one too many tantrums for me. That would have been
fine if there was something interesting at the end of each tantrum.
But enough already! I guessed who the murderer was but it didn't ruin the book. In fact, the book is left a little open at the end; which I usually hate; but so convinced was I about 'how' it should end that I
just assumed that it did end that way! I would definitely like to try
another of her books.
have been the author's new favorite word as it was repeated. The
child, Sylvie, had one too many tantrums for me. That would have been
fine if there was something interesting at the end of each tantrum.
But enough already! I guessed who the murderer was but it didn't ruin the book. In fact, the book is left a little open at the end; which I usually hate; but so convinced was I about 'how' it should end that I
just assumed that it did end that way! I would definitely like to try
another of her books.
June 30, 2013
I picked this up in a charity shop and thought it would be interesting as I'm really into psychological disorders in children. I thought Sylvie would have had autism or something similar - definitely wasn't expecting the eery and mysterious thought of reincarnation! I actually really enjoyed this, though the romantic moments with Adam were completely obvious and I felt that Grace was just being used.. The ending didn't give all the answers to the questions that seemed to pile up throughout the novel, which frustrates me a little bit, but I'm also glad that everything wasn't tied up neatly and finished perfectly, but the characters just moved on to their next chapter of life. A good book, I enjoyed it
August 15, 2009
This was a suprisingly enjoyable book for me and I found myself not wanting to put it down. I am an anglophile and love Ireland,too, and having this story set in both venues was great. The little 3 year old -Sylvie - was easy to have feelings for and her name was perfect for what I pictured as a waif of a pale, blonde child with a very serious demeanor. Her poor mother - who was not called Mum by Sylvie's choice -worked tirelessly to free her daughter of the memories in her mind that weren't hers to suffer. This book covered all my favorites for me including a small bit of romance - easy but enjoyable reading. I recommend it.
February 1, 2010
The Drowning Girl is an absorbing tale-so much so that I stayed up to 3am to finish it. The child Sylvie is very believable and the change in calling her Mum Grace to Mom is satisfying and reassuring when it comes towards the end of the book. The dealing with reincarnation is handled sensitvely and leaves the reader wanting more. However the end game is a bit too predictable with the revealing of Marcus as the villian. His resemblance to Dominic , THE CHILD'S FATHER AND HER MOTHER'S OLDER MARRIED LOVER IS INTERESTING AS HE IS DEFINITELY THE OTHER VILLIAN OF THE PIECE. tHE PSYCHOLIGIST aDAM IS A SYPATICO CHARACTER.
July 27, 2018
The first half of the book was promising - interesting plot and well-written (apart from some missing commas that added ambiguities and too many 'I say' 'she says' 'he says'). I was enjoying it. The second half, however, was a labour to read because everything that transpired (eventually) was totally predictable. The protagonist, who was rather lacking in substance even by the end, is constantly changing her mind because of recurring periods of doubt - this did become a little tedious. She also misses startlingly obvious clues that the average reader wouldn't miss - obvious clues that point to what really happened. This made for a rather protracted, frustrating read.
May 28, 2009
I love this supernatural mystery set in England! I was literally rivited by the story of a single mother named Grace whose four year old daughter is not quite normal. She never calls her mother "mum", makes strange comments about living in some other place, and is expelled from preschool because she is uncontrollable. You truly feel for Grace, who is beside herself with worry and fear. She finds an unorthodox psychologist who is convinced that Sylvie is reliving a past life, one where a terrible death occurred...
February 20, 2010
This is a noiry romantic mystery (think Rebecca). The mood and the feeling of the book are very well developed. Even in the description of the most mundane activities you feel the darkness and mystery surrounding the plot and characters. Margaret Leroy does creepy very well.
The only aspect I thought it lacked was the apex of the action, where the resolution and finale seemed a little predictable.
The only aspect I thought it lacked was the apex of the action, where the resolution and finale seemed a little predictable.
January 17, 2010
A very good book, but I couldn't bring myself to give it more than 3 stars. The best part of this book was how it was written - very eloquent, almost poetic in the author's choice of words. It was a book that I had a hard time putting down, because I kept wanting to see where it was going to go next. I figured out the ending too early on, and felt that the ending was kind of weak, but at the same time satisfying. I really did enjoy this book and would recommend it, as it's a very fast read and interesting story, especially if you enjoy reading about anything paranormal.
September 10, 2009
A little 4 year old girl puzzles her single mom when she only calls her by her first name and frequently says that this is not her life. Her mom, Grace starts to think that her daughter is remembering a past life and finds a professor that agrees with her theory. They travel to a coast where the little girl is drawn and find a case of an unsolved murder of a mother and daughter. You are lead to believe that the little girl is the re-incarnate of the girl that died and she miraclously lets go of her past life when she finds out. A little creepy.
September 7, 2009
Very well written book that keeps you turning the pages to see what will happen.
Sylvie is a 3 year who goes into hysterics when water is splashed on her, calls her Mom by her given name Grace in stead of Mum (English author) and tells Grace that she isn't really her family, that her family lives somewhere else. Grace who is a single parent is determined to get to the bottom of this peculiar behavior and finally settles on a psychologist who deals in the paranormal.
Sylvie is a 3 year who goes into hysterics when water is splashed on her, calls her Mom by her given name Grace in stead of Mum (English author) and tells Grace that she isn't really her family, that her family lives somewhere else. Grace who is a single parent is determined to get to the bottom of this peculiar behavior and finally settles on a psychologist who deals in the paranormal.
August 26, 2009
What a wonderful book! I was a bit apprehensive going into it because it is on Oprah's list and I find her books very sad and morbid so very often but this is a gem. I was drawn in from the first chapter. The way that Sylvie talked to her mother, Grace, made her seem like such an old soul. I love the story and the images of reincarnation as a way to put a finalization to someone's life. Just a great read.
May 29, 2009
I really want to give this three-and-a-half stars. The beginning --- in fact the first three-quarters of the book --- was gorgeous. The ending was so weak and pallid compared with it that I ended up being grievously disappointed.
Still, I think I'll seek out Leroy's other two novels. Her writing style in this one was masterful.
Still, I think I'll seek out Leroy's other two novels. Her writing style in this one was masterful.
December 5, 2009
Set in both England and Ireland, this is a chilling thriller about a little girl who may not be what you think she is at first. This is quite eerie and gothically dark in parts, but is also rather warm in the sense that it is about a young, un-wed mother who is struggling to be a great mum. Includes reincarnation and murder though no graphic violence.
July 31, 2009
I really enjoyed this book! Is it kinda creepy that this novel and another non-fiction book about past lives I had requested quite a while back, came in at the same time? I wound up not checking out the non-fiction because I decided I didnt have time for it right now. SO going to request it again now though! Sorry to the nice people at the library!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 3, 2009
I couldn't put this one down... Sylvie is a very difficult 3 year old. Her mother Grace, a single mom, is trying to keep it together but just doesn't know what to do. A child psychologist decides that nothing is really wrong. At her wits end she contacts Adam Winters, a pschologist who thinks Sylvie's issues could be due to problems in a past life... Loved it!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 278 reviews