Wednesday, February 24, 2010

17. Not My Daughter by Barbara Delinsky

I think I have read one or two of Ms. Delinsky's books in the past, but nothing really sticks in my mind. After reading quite a bit about of this book in the blogosphere, I decided to give it a try. It was a pleasant book to read and I enjoyed it. I give it a B+.

From Amazon:
When Susan Tate's seventeen-year-old daughter, Lily, announces she is pregnant, Susan is stunned. A single mother, she has struggled to do everything right. She sees the pregnancy as an unimaginable tragedy for both Lily and herself. Then comes word of two more pregnancies among high school juniors who happen to be Lily's best friends-and the town turns to talk of a pact. As fingers start pointing, the most ardent criticism is directed at Susan. As principal of the high school, she has always been held up as a role model of hard work and core values. Now her detractors accuse her of being a lax mother, perhaps not worthy of the job of shepherding impressionable students. As Susan struggles with the implications of her daughter's pregnancy, her job, financial independence, and long-fought-for dreams are all at risk. The emotional ties between mothers and daughters are stretched to breaking in this emotionally wrenching story of love and forgiveness. Once again, Barbara Delinsky has given us a powerful novel, one that asks a central question: What does it take to be a good mother?

This was an interesting and sad book to read. Three girls who seemed to have it all felt the need to get pregnant for different reasons, none of them that one would normally say is a "good" reason. I thought Ms. Delinsky did a great job of showing the emotions that the mothers go through as they try to come to terms with the pregnancies and try and understand where they went wrong. I have been trying to get pregnant for the past year and I will admit that I got a bit emotional while reading it, but overall I really enjoyed it. I may have to check out more books by Ms. Delinsky in the near future. If you've read any of her other books and have any recommendations, please let me know.

Right now I am reading The Bone Thief by Thomas O'Callaghan. I actually finished Not My Daughter Monday night but haven't had much time to read. School is back in session and my husband has a horrible case of the stomach flu so things have been a bit crazy. Tomorrow will be a long day and I have to work Saturday all day but hopefully I will be able to fit in some reading here and there. I would like to ideally finish two more books before the end of the month. Happy Reading everyone!

2 comments:

Literary Feline said...

This does sound sad but good. I hope your husband is feeling better, Kristie!

Staci said...

This is one that I want to read. I usually enjoy Delinsky's books for the most part. Hope your hubby is starting to feel better soon!!