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    The Good Daughters: A Novel
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    The Good Daughters: A Novel
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    The Good Daughters: A Novel
    Ebook348 pages5 hours

    The Good Daughters: A Novel

    By Joyce Maynard

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    “A story of choices and events so intimate I felt I was part of it. The novel is wrenching, the emotions radiant, and it will leave readers transformed”
    —Luanne Rice, author of The Deep Blue Sea for Beginners

    “Joyce Maynard has outdone herself in this beautifully written story you’ll find hard to put down and impossible to forget.”
    — Elizabeth Berg, author of The Last Time I Saw You

     

    Bestselling author of the critically acclaimed Labor Day, Joyce Maynard now brings us The Good Daughters, a spellbinding novel about friendship, family secrets, and the strange, unexpected twists of fate that shape our lives. The story of two women born the same day in the same hospital, but raised in vastly different emotional environments, The Good Daughters is another high note in Maynard’s already distinguished writing career.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateAug 24, 2010
    ISBN9780062006820
    Author

    Joyce Maynard

    Joyce Maynard is the author of twelve previous novels and five books of nonfiction, as well as the syndicated column, “Domestic Affairs.” Her bestselling memoir, At Home in the World, has been translated into sixteen languages. Her novels To Die For and Labor Day were both adapted for film. Maynard divides her time between homes in California, New Hampshire, and Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.

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    Reviews for The Good Daughters

    4/5

    82 ratings49 reviews

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    • 4/5
      This is a story about families, acceptance and secrets kept. When does a secret kept to protect turn itself around and end up hurting those it was meant to help? Pretty much most of the time. Joyce Maynard has written another tender book about the love of families-functional and dysfunctional. Pick this story up for a lovely fast paced read.
    • 3/5
      Throughout Part 1 of the good daughters I was giving this book 5 stars for character development. Watching the two daughters pretty much raise themselves and delve into their interests was fascinating. Following the development of Dana both professionally and personally, through the rest of book maintained the promise of the beginning. I especially liked the development of the agricultural symbolism of the good daughters of both the strawberry and human variety. Unfortunately, early in part 2 a strange blight seemed to effect Ruth, stunted her growth, and turned her into a specimen not worth reproduction. In accordance with the agricultural symbolism, Maynard places heavy emphasis on the importance of nature versus nurture in the maturation, and lack of maturation of the girls. Perhaps Ruth's strange blight is a manifestation of sexual schizophrenia. Unlike plants, however, people have personalities and schizophrenia is not manifested in only one area of the personality, so I have no idea what Maynard was trying to do with the character. One star deducted for inconsistent character development of one of the main characters.Then I had to deduct one big star for the tiresome use of The Big Secret plot device. Why, oh why do authors insist on scooping up a big dose of secret and plopping it on characters who remain clueless while the reader grows more and more nauseated trying to work her way through it? Thus a book that should have been 5 star if it had matched Dana's story with something equally consistent from Ruth and, at the least, greatly diluted The Big Secret effect ended up with a disappointing 3 stars. Maynard thanked her editor for all her help. I think she needed a great deal more.
    • 4/5
      The Good Daughters is the story of two women who were born on the same day in the same New Hampshire hospital. Their families could not have been more different, and yet their parents kept in touch, however superficially, throughout their lives. As much as the story drew me in and kept me reading, there was something about it that was off. Early on, I started putting sticky arrows on entire phrases that were repeated. Yes, I know Edwin talked about the difference in milk fat content between Holsteins and Guernsey?s but I didn?t need to hear that more than once. Yes, Ray is lanky with blue eyes; I get it. There are many other inexplicable examples.I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did. It was an interesting story with a first person, alternating narrative. I normally like this method but in this case, maybe half the book in Ruth?s voice and the other half in Dana?s would have been an improvement as I kept having to think about who was who. Or maybe the entire book in Dana?s voice as she was the character who was most fully drawn. I would recommend as a book to read when you?re in the mood for something light. It really did have its good moments. The only other book I?ve read by Maynard is Labor Day, which I loved.
    • 4/5
      When I first read the summary of The Good Daughters I figured it would end up being a 'switched at birth' plot, but really it turned out to be a story that focuses on two girls lives as they struggle trying to find their places in the world. The chapters alternate between Ruth and Dana, through love, secrets, and loss, as we follow them through their adult lives.Ruth Plank was born into a family that owned a lucrative farm. With just her and her sisters, her parents no longer had any hope of passing the farm down to a son as was the custom with previous Plank generations. Her father accepted this outcome and loved all of his girls equally and was not shy in showing his pride for his lovely family of daughters. Ruth just cannot understand why her relationship with her mother is such a struggle through her whole life.Dana Dickerson is born to a family that cannot seem to put roots down in any one area. She finds herself longing for stability and a place to call home. The Plank family seems to show up at their doorstep for a visit at least once a year and although the Dickerson's don't look forward to these visits, Dana does enjoy spending time with Edwin, Ruth's father, as he is always generous in sharing agricultural information with her.As much as Dana enjoys agriculture, Ruth finds an artistic side of her just waiting to burst out of her skin. She has no desire at all to join her sisters in the farmwork, except for managing the small roadside vegetable stand. Through the work that she does in the stand she finds a special place in her heart for the farm that helps her develop a closer relationship with her father.As truths and secrets are revealed in the book I found myself getting angry with Ruth's parents, Edwin and Connie Plank. Before I knew it, I was all upset with the story as I couldn't imagine the path that Edwin and Connie decided to take. Connie especially frustrated me as she appeared to be such a God-fearing and strong-willed woman, but then I came to understand why her character reacted the way that she did. Everything did come full circle for me in this novel that let me find the appreciation that this book deserves.I think this book would make a great book club selection with themes of love, family, secrets, and loss. As I was reading it I could only imagine the different comments that would be made from various members of my group. I did enjoy this novel and I'm confident that many of you would also!
    • 4/5
      The Good Daughters is an interesting book about 2 girls born on the same day, at the same hospital to different families. The girls were born in 1950 and the story spans the next few decades following the lives of both families. The author has a wonderful way with words and even though I knew the direction she was taking with the story it held my interest until the end.
    • 3/5
      Maynard's story of two linked families covers too much time in too few pages. Not that the book should have been longer; the big "reveal" of just how closely the families are entwined, had it been made known to the reader from the outset, might have informed a more interesting read with more accessible characters.
    • 4/5
      I was drawn into this story and read it in one day! I thought I had it all figured out and then there was a final twist. Good fodder for the nature vs nurture discussion.
    • 4/5
      Like her previous novel Labor Day, Joyce Maynard's new book The Good Daughters uses a plot device that strains credulity in the service of a moving story about family. The plot device here is Switched at Birth,which is what happened to our two heroines Ruth and Dana. Each feels like an alien in her family, and feels unloved by her mother.The different paths taken by the two women raise interesting questions about nature vs. nurture, and about where people learn resilience and strength. This is a fast, easy read, yet a deceptively deep novel that would make a good selection for a book discussion group.
    • 3/5
      The Good Daughters is the story of Dana and Ruth, who are "birthday sisters". Their families are very different, but the fact that they were born on the same day creates a seemingly thin tie between the two families. The book moved a bit slow for me, and the alternating chapters/points-of-view were a bit bothersome at times. As was the foreshadowing, making it relatively easy to figure out the 'big twist'. Over all it is a quick, easy read, though.
    • 4/5
      Very nice book. Easy read. Interesting and straightforward story about two daughters that are both born on the same day, therefore becoming "birthday sisters." One is born the fourth daughter of a third generation farming family. And the other is born to a hippy couple. From chapter to chapter the book switches from the voice of one girl to the other and follows them as they grow up.
    • 3/5
      This book would have been helped with another couple rounds of editing. The facts of these women's lives were interesting but too much foreshadowing of most of the major events deluded any surprise element. That a big reveal happens in a letter from a minor character is fairly weak and the explanation of the letter is unneccesarily complicated.
    • 4/5
      Predictable but still enjoyable, good characters.
    • 3/5
      Good storyline and likable characters, but unfortunately also a strong element of predictability.
    • 3/5
      This is the first book that I've read by this author and while I thought that it was an interesting plot, I just couldn't get into the story the way that I wanted to. Dana and Ruth are good characters and with the interchanging chapters you get a chance to view both of their lives and how they grow up together, but it only felt like glimpse, not anything in-depth.
    • 4/5
      With the odd twist in this novel, which is easy to spot from the beginning, it would have been easy to turn this book into a voyeuristic tale. Instead Maynard creates an interesting and engrossing character-focused story. I couldn't put it down.
    • 3/5
      This book is the story of two women born on the same day (birthday sisters) in the same rural hospital and how their lives intertwined and eventually came together in the same place again.Ruth and Dana are very different and yet very similar. Ruth is a farmer's daughter who loves art. She grows up on the farm helping her father (she has 4 other sisters) but longing for girly things like a Barbie doll. Dana is an artist's daughter and is very scientific and down-to-earth, eventually getting a college degree in horticulture .The story is told in alternating chapters with the two women as the narrators. The entries are almost as if the reader has been handed their diaries which have been shuffled together, showing moments that they shared as well as their individual lives. The idea of this story is not new and the outcome was pretty evident early on. Each of the issues that appear in the book are easily predicted by the reader. It was well-written but not great reading because of the lack of originality.
    • 3/5
      I liked this book though I did know where it was leading from very early on.The story is told in the alternating chapters and voices of Ruth and Dana. Each giving through their own words what was happening in their lives and how they understood it.For me, I found myself identifying with Ruth the most. The relationship she had with her beloved father was very much the same as the one I had with mine. I relived out walks, our talks and how it didnt matter where he went as long as I could go with him.While I dont understand the reasons of why the families choose to do things the way they did, it was interesting to try to understand. Short chapters made it very easy to read just one more.Recommended for anyone who likes a family story that will touch you and make you laugh at the same time.
    • 5/5
      What a heartwarming, cozy, feel good read.....a sweet, nostalgic book...but with all good things there usually are regrets, heartbreak, and secrets. I really enjoyed this book...you will be surprised at who/what the "good daughters" turn out to be and will also learn some fun agricultural facts about fruits and vegetables.Dana and Ruth were born on the same day, but they came from two completely different backgrounds. Dana Dickerson had a childhood that wasn't stable, and Ruth Plank had one that was totally what a childhood should be. Dana's parents were flighty, moved around, and their father never held a job for too long...her mother was an artist and acted as though she didn't even have any children. Dana actually never even called her parents Mom and Dad. Ruth's parents were very down to earth, had a farm to take care of, made sure their children were taken care of, and were called Mom and Dad.Ruth's mother felt some sort of kinship with Dana's mother since their children were both born on the same day, even though Dana's mother laughed at Ruth. Ruth's mother would make a point of visiting the Dickersons each year even though it was a long trip and as usual an uneventful, uncomfortable, and unfriendly occasion.The book continued by describing the lives of the two families during the 1950's with the focus on the girls and their choices of careers and partners that of course had been affected their by their family and childhood. I really enjoyed the book...it was during the time I was a child, and I could relate to some of the situations...if you liked The Glass Castle, you will like this as well. My rating is a 5/5. Great story.
    • 4/5
      I have been reading Joyce Maynard's work for many years. I love her essays about domestic life for their detail and appreciation of the natural world. The Good Daughters contains these elements and reads like a story that you might hear in your community about people that you know. The plot twist was predictable, but I was unable to figure out exactly how it came about, which kept me reading. The descriptive passages are beautiful, lush pictures of farm life in New Hampshire. Very enjoyable read.
    • 4/5
      Maynard's premise in this book is an interesting one. Unfortunately, her efforts to be coy about that premise result only in heavy-handed foreshadowing that really leaves very little to the reader's imagination. Given how much she gives away, it seems that what was really important was not what the big secret was, but how the characters would react once they found out. That being the case, I wonder why Maynard chose to frustrate the reader by giving away almost the whole thing through less-than-subtle hints rather than just telling the reader what happened in the beginning and letting the story focus on the characters and how learning the truth changes (or doesn't change) their lives.
    • 3/5
      Ruth Plank and Dana Dickerson are born on the same day...July 4, 1950. Ruth's mother (Connie) declares that they are "birthday sisters" and maintains contact with the Dickersons even as the Dickersons move every year to another town or state. This need for contact is somewhat baffling to Ruth, who feels no attachment to Dana. The story spans about six decades in the lives of the two "sisters".It's an good book even though the big mystery is very easy to figure out. The characters are interesting and that's what kept me reading. I wanted to know how their lives played out....even if there had been no mysterious connection.
    • 4/5
      I loved this book. It was a wonderful story with a twist that kept you listening. So great and so glad I listened to it!
    • 4/5
      This is the first book that I've read by this author, although I have several more on my "to read" list. I was glued to this book. I suspected I knew what was going on, but I couldn't wait to see if it would be confirmed, and really to find out WHY??? I'm not going to spoil this, so you'll have to read it yourself to find out if they answers were ever revealed. The story was of two girls born in the same town on the same day. One from a large farming family and the other from a highly disfunctional family that could never stay in one place and set down roots. Neither of these girl's mothers ever bonded with their daughters, which was the reason for some life changing decisions that changed the course of their lives. Very good ending too! I won this book in the Early Reviewers contest.
    • 3/5
      A beautiful interweaving of the stories of two girls, Dana and Ruth, who were born on the same day in the same hospital. Going back and forth between the two girls' lives as they experience childhood, relationships and marriage, Joyce Maynard provides insight into the emotions of these two likeable characters. Each experiences a very different childhood, yet there are similarities as well - each girl is missing something important. I won't give away the twist here, although I saw it coming early on in the book. Altogether a good read with characters I cared about.
    • 4/5
      I'll say flat out that I enjoyed this book more than "Labor Day", a book I liked quite a bit. It was easier for me to relate to the two main characters--maybe because they were women, maybe because they were farmers at points in their lives, maybe because they were searching for a place to belong and someone to be cherished by who would love them for themselves. I definitely became attached to them and enjoyed watching their lives unfold (though they both face difficult times that moved me greatly) over the 50ish years the book ranges over. I figured out the "big secret" in the book pretty quickly (I felt that Maynard was a bit heavy handed with the foreshadowing, actually, but nobody's perfect). Even so, I knew WHAT it was, but I kept reading because I really wanted to know WHY it was. The answer was not as complex as I had hoped for, but the ending of the book was better than I expected, so I'm satisfied and will be recommending it heartily when it hits the shelves in September.
    • 3/5
      My mother and her cousin had daughters born on the same day, at the same hospital. We lived parallel lives, not great friends, but cordial friends, until she passed away. So the premise of this book attracted me to it.Ruth Plank and Dana Dickerson are "birthday sisters," born on the same day at the same hospital. The story switches back and forth between these two as narrators, beginning at their youth and moving into late middle age, chronicling their lives, and leading up to what I think was supposed to be a "shocking" revelation.I found the chapters to be too short to keep my interest, and the "revelation" was obvious to me very early on in the book. The story and characters never connected with me, although I can see how it would be appealing to a different kind of reader. Ultimately disappointing to me.
    • 3/5
      This book is a bit more of a literary style than what I usually choose to read. The basic story is that two girls were born on the same day at the same hospital and that, through the years, the one mother kept trying to keep the two families in touch with each other. I guessed the plot twist before it was revealed, and before the daughters in the book figured it out. The first family (the Planks) is a farming family with 5 girls--only the youngest daughter feels out of place in her family. She likes art but also seems to be the only one of the daughters who cares much about the farm. This family runs a roadside stand to sell items produced on their farm, particularly strawberries. The father even works at creating a new variety of strawberries. The mother insists on a yearly visit to the second family (the Dickersons), in particular to see how the "birthday sister" is getting on.The Dickersons consist of a mother who is an artist (who often seems to ignore her children for her art) and a father who is always seeming to have a get-rich-quick scheme that never quite works out (who eventually leaves the family). The children are a son (who eventually ends up attracted to the Planks youngest daughter) and a daughter born on the same day as the Planks' youngest daughter. For a while, the Dickerson family visits the roadside stand to buy strawberries. The Dickerson daughter is interested in growing things and raising animals (vs. the Barbies her mother is buying her at every opportunity). Eventually, the Planks father passes his strawberry project on to the Dickerson daughter. In the end, the two "birthday sisters" unite over the Plank family farm.
    • 3/5
      A predictable plot (and so-called "twist"), rather flat characters, and average writing made this an uninteresting read for me. I couldn't love either Ruth or Dana, although I did like some of the descriptions of farm life and farming itself. Couldn't begin to understand the parents of either girl.
    • 3/5
      If you want to read a book where you know the "twist" immediately, if not sooner, then this is the book for you. In all honesty, I expected it to be something different than what it was, considering all the foreshadowing that went into it. But it ended up being precisely what all the hints led up to it being.This didn't make this a bad book, please don't misunderstand. The characterizations were excellent, and it was fascinating to read of the "birthday sisters'" struggles to fit into their families' dynamics. Two very different families, both with their own versions of the hardscrabble life. Two very different women who, in the end, make their peace; with each other, with their choices, and with their losses. I did expect it to be more complex than it ended up being, but it still was a nice, quick read.
    • 5/5
      Joyce Maynard's previous novel, Labor Day, has been languishing on my bookshelf and making me feel guilty for at least a year. Still, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to read and review her latest novel, The Good Daughters.The Plank and Dickerson families both gave birth to daughters at the same small town, New Hampshire hospital, within hours of each other. The two families couldn't be more different. The Planks are a strong farming family while the Dickersons were bohemian artists. Still, from that point forward, Mrs. Plank considered Dana Dickerson her daughter Ruth's birthday sister. After the Dickersons moved away from their community, the Planks made a point of traveling to visit them every summer. It is clear that this relationship meant more to the Planks than the Dickersons. Although the girls themselves really didn't feel the birthday sisters connection, they were each drawn to each other's family. Ruth had an artistic flair and an interested in Ray Dickerson and Dana loved everything there was to know about farming. Soon, each young woman would come to terms with who they are and the connections their families share.There are many secrets in that New Hampshire community. As readers, we're clued in to the driving force behind Ruth and Dana's story rather early. Normally this would have bothered me, but it was perfect for The Good Daughters. It definitely added some expense and spice to the story.From the very beginning, I didn't want to put this novel down. It was a great read that made me fall in love with Joyce Maynard's story-telling and writing. In telling the story of these two girls brought together by outside circumstances, she also highlighted how easily children place their parents in the same kind of box they believe they were raised in. Unlike children, parents are often not let out until it's too late.Final ThoughtsIf you have some Christmas booty to spend (or are just looking for a good read), The Good Daughters would make an excellent choice.