Dear Daughter: A Novel

I enjoyed the smack out of this book. The protagonist is so unlikeable in such a calculating, honest and fresh way that I couldn't help but stick with her for the afternoon it took me to race through this book - like Gillian Flynn protagonist unlikeable - like Mickey Avalon "So Rich, So Pretty" unlikeable. I always did like an honest mean girl over a fake nice girl, so . . . I thought the mystery was as compelling as the narrative voice, and I may have been lead down the path by red herrings, but I enjoyed the journey. I can see how some readers would be turned off by the wide cast of characters in the small town where Jane begins her investigation, but I was able to keep them clear after just a little time, and they all have an important role to play. I think that Jane is abrasive and so snobby that some people won't be able to tolerate her, but, come on, who doesn't love watching a Paris Hilton try to basically be me for a couple of weeks? I thought this was clever and witty, and if that makes me tacky, I don't even care. I initially thought this was a YA read, and I think it will appeal to some YA readers, but it probably wouldn't be on the top of any parent choice awards. Language and situations are definitely mature.

By far, my favorite book of the year. And very easily now on my top 5 favorite books of all time! Reading this book made me want to be Elizabeth Little's friend- You have to have an amazing personality to be the voice of Jane Jenkins- the protagonist (and my new favorite book character - sorry Ramona and Lisa Lutz's Izzy!). I don't believe in doing overviews of the book- you can read about it above. What I will tell you is that I did not put this book down until I was down. Which is a feat considering I'm a single mom of 3 and its back to school time! My kids might have gone with school with gum in their hair, but I was absolutely satisfied with this literary gem! Lots of amazing characters, well done research, and a main character with such acerbic wit that you can't dislike her- no matter what she does. Please Elizabeth Little, write another one ASAP! I'm already having withdrawals.

One time Hollywood socialite, now convicted murderer Janie Jenkins was recently released from prison. Her conviction has been overturned ten years into her life sentence for the murder of her mother as a result of mishandled evidence by the lab and Janie is free and determined to find the real murderer of her mother. Her memory of that night is hazy at best, (copious amounts of alcohol will do that to you), and with the help of her faithful lawyer Noah, Janie sheds her beautiful "it girl" persona and follows what information she gathered in prison to a tiny mining town in South Dakota. Mining truths from lies and digging into the past, Janie uncovers shocking revelations about not only her mother, but herself as well. I have to say, this book started out slow for me. The whole first half really seemed to drag with not so much going on, it was a struggle y'all. The second half picked up tremendously and really kept me engaged, lots of discoveries and increasingly building tension. The ending was for sure a shocker, I really didn't see that coming, but I was so dissatisfied with how Janies story was wrapped up. I mean, seriously?! I don't want to give away any spoilers for all of you who haven't read it yet, but it really didn't do any justice to the plot line in my opinion. What I did enjoy about the book was Janie as a character. She was the perfect combination of crass sarcasm and dry humor, which was entertaining to say the least. The plot, though slow to get started, was solid with lots of secrets and hidden truths (essential material for any good mystery/thriller). I did enjoy the small town characters and the sexual tension between Janie and Leo was well written and fun to read. For the most part this was a fairly good read. I still think Little could have given Janie a better ending but I enjoyed the story overall.

In Dear Daughter, Jane Jenkins was convicted of murdering her mother but through a technicality, she was freed from prison after 10 years. Now she is on the hunt to find the person who killed her mother. Unlike other books that I have read, what I enjoyed about this book was that all the characters were memorable but the kind of characters that you wouldn’t like to read about in a novel. Jane’s mom seems to come from a world of reality shows yet when Jane goes back to her mother’s hometown, there seems to be a past that she does not know about. Jane seems to be a sleuth in this story as she attempts to track down the killer although we are wondering if Jane did in fact kill her mother. She has to disguise herself in order to track down the killer since Jane is not the most popular woman in the world. I guess if you wanted to compare her to someone in Hollywood, then it would be Lindsey Lohan. The characters in the story seem to be built from a reality show series that I wouldn’t like to watch but it kept the story moving for me in any case. I thought it made the characters even more unlikeable as the story moved along. The movement was very slow in the beginning and the story seemed to move at a faster pace during the second part of the book. There were a lot of things that I liked about this book. I enjoyed the blogs and the newspaper articles on Jane and how it revealed her as a character that I didn’t like. I also enjoyed the way the author was able to sum up the relationship with Jane and her mother when Jane found the letter in the security box. As far as the writing is concerned, it was very dynamic and the characters were quirky which brought out comparisons with Lorrie Moore, one of my favorite short story writers. As far as the ending was concerned, I didn’t have a problem with it because I happen to think that you can never predict the outcome of a trial. I would rather that it was unpredictable in this case. I would have liked to have seen more suspense and tension in the beginning of the story instead of waiting until the middle of it. All in all, I would still give this novel four stars based on the unlikeable characters and a quirky unique story.

I finished this book in two days flat. The writing is so fluid and easy that it completely captivates you. But be warned this is not for everyone, its one of those teenage angst contemporary fiction that will get to your nerves if you dont like young adult fiction. If you are looking for a alternate view of life and society from a teenage perspective then go for it ......

It was a good story. I liked Jane, warmed up to her as the story went on which I'm thinking is exactly what the author intended. I recommend it.

Auf den "unexpected twist" wie in anderen Bewertungen beschrieben habe ich vergeblich gesucht. Absolut nicht nachvollziehbare Story, langweilig und das Ende - naja.

I read this book in a day, it was an easy read with plot twists to keep you reading. The Kindle edition I read had quite a few spelling mistakes though which were distracting.

Not the best thriller I've read. Simple plot, flat, caricature-like characters, some inconsistencies or unclarified situations, people-press literature, not my favourite!