Once Upon a Day

by Lisa Tucker

From Lisa Tucker, the critically acclaimed author of The Song Reader, comes a wise, humorous, and deeply compassionate novel about the risks and rewards of loving when a single day can change our lives. Nineteen years ago, a famous man disappeared from Los Angeles, taking his two children, Dorothea and Jimmy, to a rocky, desolate corner of New Mexico where he raised them in complete isolation in a utopian "Sanctuary." The children grew up with books and encyclopedias, records and a grand piano, but no television, computer, radio, or even a newspaper. Now Dorothea, at twenty-three, is leaving this place in search of her missing brother -- and venturing into the wide world for the first time. Dorothea's search will turn into an odyssey of discovery, leading to the truth of her family's past and the terrifying day that changed her father forever. But Dorothea's journey will also introduce her to an unusual cast of characters, including a homeless girl from Missouri who becomes a jazz singer and a social worker whose mistake in judgment changes her best friend's life. And she will meet Stephen, a doctor turned cabdriver who, after suffering his own losses, has lost his ability to believe in a meaningful world. Together, they have a chance to make a discovery of a different that though a heart can be broken by the tragic events of a day, a day can also bring a new chance at love and a deeper understanding of life's infinite possibilities. Beautifully written, with a spellbinding story, Once Upon a Day is "a lyrically poignant reminder of the necessity of hope" (Publishers Weekly, starred review).

Genres: Fiction, Book Club, Adult Fiction, Adult, Chick Lit, Romance, Contemporary

368 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2006

About the author

Lisa Tucker is the author of six novels: The Winters in Bloom, coming this September; The Song Reader, Shout Down the Moon, Once Upon a Day, The Cure for Modern Life, and The Promised World.

Her books have been published in twelve countries and selected for Borders Original Voices, Book of the Month Club, the Literary Guild, Doubleday Book Club, People magazine Critic’s Choice, Redbook Book Club, Amazon Book of the Year, Barnes & Noble Reading Group program, Target “Breakout” Books, Books A Million Fiction Club, the American Library Association Popular Paperbacks, the Indie Next list and the Book Sense Reading Group Suggestions.

She grew up in Missouri, and has lived in Philadelphia and Santa Fe, NM. She has graduate degrees in both English and math. She has taught creative writing at the Taos Writers' Conference and UCLA.

She's also a mom who says "raising my son has been the best part of my life".

Reviews

[Shannon O’Neill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was so hopeful about this book. The first chapters were very interesting and had me eager to read more. The book is told from the POV of several different characters. The second is Dorothea, a young woman who grew up isolated from society. I enjoyed reading about her adventures learning about the outside world. Then the book went on to some other narrators and the backstory in CA went on way too long for me. I think it could've benefitted from some serious editing. I also found a few of the turns taken by the story so ridiculous that it no longer made the book enjoyable. I don't want to say more, I hate spoilers... It was just that I found the premise of Dorothea and her isolation so interesting that I wanted to hear more about her adventures - but it was disappointing when they were completely unbelievable. I know it's fiction, but I still feel the book lost something because of it.

[Sonja · Rating 3 out of 5]

I accidently stumbled upon this book (which doesn't happen often enough) and of-course read it in a heart beat (3h).

The story is not unheard of, but still interesting. It follows a couple of grown up siblings who were raised on an isolated part of land and now are discovering the world for the first time. The story also follows up on the life of their mother before they were born ( she was some famous actress) and the events that lead to their isolation.

All in all, it's not a bad story, again, just something to occupy your time, nothing life changing.
I'm not quite sure it deserves full 4 *, mainly because of the very, well, flat and unconvincing ending, and quite honestly i think this if the very first time I'm saying this- it all happens too fast.
Too many things happen, mainly due to the passive acceptance of the characters, which can be really annoying sometimes. The author made the characters so, well, nice, and normal but the environment around them completely insane, and that is a quite a thorn in the eye. Somewhere in the second third of the book you keep expecting for some big change , some small revolution, something to stair up that passive acceptance- but alas, nothing happens. Everything fluently goes to a happy ending.

And i just don' t like that. That differs a summer read and anything even a bit more brain stimulating.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm giving this book a "wow!" right off the bat. It's about a young woman who, along with her brother, has been raised in complete isolation by their eccentric father. When her brother leaves home and she goes after him, secrets about their past come to light, but not in the way I expected at first. There's a romantic subplot as well, where the girl meets a damaged man, which is satisfying if you're willing to deal with some serious suspension of disbelief (I was). Anyway, I really enjoyed this and along with me "wow!" give it an A.

[Carol Brill]

Gave this one 50 pages and just can't get into the story about a doctor turned taxi driver after a family tragedy and sister and brother survivalists experiencing the outside world for the first time.
I think I'll make a New Year's resolution to put down a book that doesn't hook me within 50 pages. Sound fair?

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

An absolutely beautiful story. Hard to believe that a group of people could sustain so much damage, physically, psychologically, and emotionally and still find each other and find love in the process. The story moves back in forth in time, and slowly brings the whole narrative together into a cohesive, stunning whole. It demonstrates that trying to fully protect the ones you love from harm inflicts its own damage in so many ways. While isolation may seem to reduce the chances of outside forces destroying what you are trying to protect, it causes a false dependence and an inability to function normally in the outside world. Part mystery, part love story and altogether lovely, Ms Tucker has crafted a terrific story. Makes me want to read her other works.

[Mom · Rating 2 out of 5]

Intriguing premise, and a good start that caught my attention. But so much of the plot was unrealistic, and the writing was nothing special. The plot gave great opportunity for character development and psychological insights, but I didn't find them. I'm tempted to give 3 stars -- the plot was certainly interesting, but the improbable nature of the characters' actions and the lack of psychological insight was just too disappointing. I almost didn't finish the book, but kept on hoping that I'd learn something significant in the end -- I didn't.

[Samantha Boyette · Rating 2 out of 5]

Considered stopping multiple times through the read. Not really the book's fault, it just wasn't the sort of book I wanted it to be. Goodreads recommended it based on another book that I love, but this wasn't much like it. So I put this in my dreaded category of "too interesting to not finish, not good enough that I'm enjoying it"

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good and interesting book. The story is basically about a girl and brother who were raised in seclusion away from everyone by their father. The boy decides to go off into the world away from their secluded life, the sister goes after the brother some time afterwards. The sister meets a man who helps her find her brother and they learn some secrets about their past. There is romance, mystery, suspense, all rolled into this book and we learn just how far some parents are willing to go to "protect" their children.

But overall I thought it was a pretty good read. I also liked at the end of the book the author had a section where she answers some questions about the book. And it also had some questions for if you are reading this in a book club which I thought was pretty nice to. I would have liked the ending better if it would have said what happens to the characters, the end kind of just leaves you hanging.

[Jim B · Rating 4 out of 5]

The audio book reader, Joyce Bean, differentiated the characters in the book well and was unobtrusive. Others probably would enjoy her reading of this book, but her plain, midwestern woman's voice gave the book a simplistic feel that misled me about how complex the story is.

The title is neatly tied in to the two story lines. I was impressed with the author's understanding of human nature, including the tendency to think negative as soon as something positive develops in a relationship. I truly appreciated that the lead characters in the story chose the kind path in relationships (contrasted with modern sarcasm, judgmentalism and dismissiveness of their friends).

The book became increasingly complex as it went along, so that what seemed like it might be a morality story of the type that the movie director in the book preferred, it would have unexpected turns.

[Roberta · Rating 1 out of 5]

I started out thinking I was going to like this book about a wrong-side-of-the-tracks starlet who marries a big-time movie producer and has beautiful children. The husband kidnaps the children and raises them in a New Mexico "sanctuary". Some things just didn't jive for me. The daughter Dorothea seemed amazingly capable out in the big world for a girl who had been so sheltered. I found the author's style to be juvenile and awkward.

[Maja · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75

[Justine Glaesser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Had me hooked from the beginning! Ending was left thinking there could be a sequel? 👍🏻

[Rosemarie Baccarella-Grover · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! Another one I couldn't put down!

[Bridget · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd been wanting to read this book since we read The Cure for Modern Life: A Novel for book club a few years ago. A couple of the other girls read it before me to varying reviews, so I'd held off for a while.

Listen, here's the thing: the concept for this book is absurd. A famous director (on par with Spielberg and Scorcese) kidnaps his children from his (much-younger) wife, who also happens to be his protege and an up-and-coming film star. And yet, for 19 years....they cannot be found. Absurd. Come on. Someone would have found him, even with the reclusive lifestyle he maintained.

Anyways, I got on board with the general premise and then I really got into the suspense and human interest of the story. I don't think Lisa Tucker had especially deep and fascinating insights into the lives of people undergoing such trauma, both in the case of the mother and her kidnapped children, but she does weave a good story. I was hooked pretty early on and followed through to the end. The one thing that bums me out is that this book, with such a serious topic, could have been really fascinating and such a character study and probably something I would have loved. Tucker takes a much lighter view of it all, but it's still entertaining nonetheless.

[Gianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know if the poor translation is to blame, but there seemed to be something missing. I gave it a relatively good rating because as far as the story itself goes- I was amused. The technical part of it all was the source of the problem. First, as I mentioned, the translation I read was underwhelming and just... terrible. Second, I don't like it when writers change the narration. Dorothea's story is told in the first person, while the rest is told in the third person. I would've felt more comfortable if it were all told in third person because, personally, I prefer a more objective take on stories. Also, the character Janice didn't feel important enough to the general plot to have actual chapters written from her perspective.
The story itself is quite imaginative and intriguing. I read it in two days and that's saying something. It captured my attention and for that I'm grateful.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another beach read (after my just-finished Sister's Keeper). It was nothing special but just good enough to keep things interesting and make me want to finish it. I was almost going to give it 3 stars, but then when I thought about how ridiculous the characters/plot were I decided to downgrade. (the father who has the crazy reaction to trauma and was really unrealistically weird/crazy even before that; the kids who grew up w/no social contact and then somehow were able to negotiate the world w/just a few questions; the guy who likes her even though he she is a complete weirdo...) I wouldn't recommend *against* reading it, it was just nothing special.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked Once Upon A Day because it was a quick read and it kept me interested throughout. The idea of growing up in such isolation was fascinating and I liked how the author showed the different effects of this upbringing in the two characters. I felt like the author got tired at the end though and didn't finish the book very realistically. In summary, it was worth the read and I liked the idea of one day completely changing all of the characters' lives.

[Kathleen Basi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite the cover blurb, this book is not primarily about Dorothea searching for her brother. In fact, I'd argue the primary conflict is the one in her mother Lucy's life, and half the book is devoted to that story. But that is not a criticism; I was riveted to this book almost from the outset. Simply beautiful.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am impressed with Tucker's writing. She weaves a compelling story of the damaging effects of fear and, conversely, how love and hope can prevail. And, yes, it is definitely fiction, and the scenarios unlikely, nonetheless a good read. I'm happy a friend passed it along.

[Sarah Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book about what it takes to become a family. I highly recommend it to anyone, however, do not read the back because I feel it gives away too much of the book.

[Megan Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

The start of this book gripped me and made it hard to put it down. There was a mystery that was about a girls family that lived on the outskirts of humanity. When her brother leaves, the story of her family slowly starts to unfold.
What I liked about this was the collision of stories with the doctor turned cab driver and the chance occurrence that bring the two together. The more I read, the more intrigued I was with the story. I was excited to see a girl who had no connection or interaction with the outside world until she forced herself to go and look for her brother. When she tracks him down in a hospital, she finds out that he was looking for their mother who he believes he killed.
Then the story shifts to the mother's perspective and that is when it started going down hill for me. The mystery of what happened, the questions of where the mother is is answered with her narrative. The whole books seems to shift from the daughter's story and morphs into the mothers. After spending so much time with the mother and her history, it seems as though the spotlight is on the mother and when I finished it felt like the original story got lost and to finish it, things were too rushed and didn't feel like they fit.
It felt like there were two stories put into one and it turned into a disappointing read. One that I was glad was over when I reached the end.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this family drama with intriguing characters and an underlying mystery. It pulled me in from the very first page and I was invested in it til the end.
This mainly centers around Dorothea, raised alongside her brother by her father and grandmother in an isolated corner of New Mexico. When her brother ventures off on his own, she follows in an attempt to bring him home, ending up in St. Louis where she meets a grieving cabdriver whose fate soon becomes intertwined with her own.
Dorothea is such a fun character to read, seeing the world through her eyes for the first time. Naive, innocent and often unintentionally funny, she ties the story together. Dual timelines look back at her father and mother's life while she tries to piece together how her family got to the point it is today.
This book is unfathomably dark at some points but ultimately extremely hopeful with a very satisfying ending. I think I'll read other books by Lisa Tucker.

[Kim R. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book, really wanted to. It starts our very interesting, but after all the stories intertwine, it ends abruptly with no closure for any of the characters. It was all too neatly cutesy

Now, the character of Dorothea was totally unbelievable. After spending 19 years in isolation with only her father, brother and grandmother, she takes off on her own to find her brother and meets, falls in love with, and has an intimate relationship with an older man who takes her under his wing. In 11 days!!!! This turnaround turned me off the story as it became so unrealistic that I couldn't relate at all.

I also wondered about the husband - did he have anything to do with the attack on his wife? We never find out the end of that story. Were the attackers ever caught? What was their motive? How did they get to the pool? etc.? Way too many loose ends.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I procured this book from the “Take a Book, Leave a Book” shelf at a hotel. I read it long into the night but I returned it read in the morning before we left. It was totally worth the late night page turning.

The story of the isolated children and the twist of plot involving the mother, was riveting. I enjoyed the spark of romance as well. This book kept me guessing throughout.

The characters felt real, it was well written. The author balanced an air of innocence versus harsh realism throughout the novel.

Overall, I’d recommend this book to those looking fir a quick but satisfying well written novel.

[Mary Erickson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Purely implausible plot, but basically cotton candy fluff and good vibes--despite spousal emotional manipulation, a horrific personal assault, self-mutilation, and a family purposively and spitefully split apart for 20 years.

I usually avoid these types of books, but I saw it in the library and was intrigued by skimming through the first chapter with its "fish out of water theme" and the rest was a page turner. I guiltily admit I really enjoyed reading it on a long car ride. And I'll probably forget it i a few days.

Now on to something more substantial, because too much sugar isn't good for you.

[Annemarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A single traumatic day changes the lives of a loving family irreversibly.
A husband, already protective of his wife and children, becomes even more so. The wife feels stifled and rebels and the husband's answer to this is to disappear with the children.

A doctor loses his purpose in life when his wife and child are taken from him in a car accident. Now a cab driver, these two stories entwine when he picks up a passenger who changes his life.

I felt many emotions whilst reading this story and found the characters, and their actions, quite believable.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent but also somewhat disturbing story of a family and the trials and tribulations they face when tragedy strikes. The story is told through the perspective of a daughter and also a mother and is really well developed. The characters are rich with detail and personality and the story feels as if it has many layers. The book did seem to end rather abruptly with a lot of unanswered questions but I’d still recommend it!

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book because it kept me engaged and anxious to pick it up and continue reading.
A famous filmmaker disappears 19 years ago with his two children and live in complete isolation. The kids enter the real world when they are older for differing reasons and it ties back to why their dad took them away when they were little. It ties in heartbreak, love, fame, wealth, mental disease - - so many issues but does not feel choppy. It may not all be realistic but kept me entertained.

[Kristina who loves squirrels · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved their parents' story, but I couldn't attach to Dorothea's own. It is quite unbelievable that somebody who hasn't seen the real world in years would react that way to it and be able to adapt to it in the course of few days. Also, I can't bring myself to believe people fall in love in eleven days and decide to live together.

But I'm giving it 4 stars because of the tragical background of their parents. Other I'm not interested in.

[Vicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

First impression: shmaltzy. This book is a very good read if you can get past the absolute ignorance/naivety and her growth from childlike to a woman having intimate relations within a week. I mean it's unreal. But I still enjoyed reading. Its NOT a great thriller. It shows great imagination from Lisa Tucker and I plan on finding another novel from her right away. I'll definitely give her a chance.