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Summary and Reviews of Daddy's Girls by Suzanne Gold

Daddy's Girls by Suzanne Gold

Daddy's Girls

by Suzanne Gold
  • Critics' Consensus (5):
  • Readers' Rating (2):
  • First Published:
  • Nov 1, 2000, 575 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Nov 2000, 575 pages
  • Rate this book

About This Book

Book Summary

A rich yet simple tale of love, madness and spirit, told by the three women in a family on the verge of mental illness.

Daddy's Girls is a rich yet simple tale of love, madness and spirit, told by the three women in a family on the verge of mental illness. Overlapping vignettes reveal the dark forces beneath their middle-class veneer as they struggle to love one another. From her dual perspective as a psychologist and sister of a schizophrenic, Suzanne Gold portrays insanity as a metaphor for spiritual purpose.

Allison
thirty-one years old

THE LAST TIME I saw Cherie she was still beautiful.

I used to envy her perfect nose, her perfect teeth. Even her artificially-straight artificially-blonde hair flattered her. I dread seeing her now.

Mom says Cherie's mental state deteriorated fast after her boyfriend/cocaine connection dumped her, and soon she was seeing black helicopters following her, international conspiracies spying on her. When she ran out of money and tried to get the boyfriend to take her back -- yelling on his doorstep, threatening, and frightening the neighbors -- he called the police. They threw her into Egg Harbor State Hospital, where she's been for over a year, court-committed, with reviews every six months.

Lost in memory, I stare out the airplane window, barely registering the dull roar of the engines or the attendants rolling carts down the aisle. Thirty thousand feet down, barren waves of earth undulate. Probably mountains, but from up here ...

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Reviews

Media Reviews

BookReviewCafe.com
A fascinating story, one I won't soon forget. I was captivated. In my opinion, a must read!

ForeWord Magazine
ForeWord Magazine's Book of the Year Awards 2001 Gold Medal for Fiction. "Daddy's Girls," a bittersweet novel of love, redemption and spirit in a dysfunctional family won a Gold Medal for Fiction.

Nelson (BC) Daily News - Anne DeGrace
Writing from personal experience can be cathartic. Writing from the heart with a depth of understanding, placed in dramatic context with the prowess of a good storyteller, can also be good fiction. Daddy's Girls is a tragic story of loss, frustration, blame and anguish, it's also a heartening tale of love an its resurrection against all odds. Gold suggests possibilities beyond an accepted norm, and lends a new dimension to an old story.

Ruth Williams, author of Younger Than That Now
Daddy's Girls is a luxuriant narrative, telling the stories of three complex women -- two sisters and their mother. Their lives are impacted by the mental illness of one, a fascinating and obviously well-informed look at heartbreaking realities. This is a book written from the heart.

Midwest Book Review - Terry Mathews
I received the galleys of this book from the author -- I'm right in the middle of a remodeling project at my house so I really didn't have much time, but I thought I'd just read a few pages before turning out the light. WRONG! I wound up reading until 4:00AM and was back up at 8:00 to finish this marvelous book.
The story centers around Allison and Cherie, the unfortunate offspring of a marriage between Ruth and Warren, two very unhappy people. Allison is mild, meek and feels inadequate. Her younger sister Cherie is wild from the moment of birth and never looks back.
The dysfunctionality (if there is such a word) of this family is difficult to watch, but the author's style pulls you into the story and you cannot put the book down until there is some kind of resolution.
This is not light reading, but it is a book that will speak to you on many levels, a book that can alter your perception of the world -- and to me, that's what good fiction should do -- it should broaden your horizons and urge you to think outside the box. I am serious when I say it is the best one I've read since Cunningham's The Hours. This book is worth your time!

Reader Reviews

bonnierose333

Daddy's girl is an excellent read. Many people world-wide are oppressed because of past experiences.
jessica

this book was one of the most interesting book, that i have ever read. i, a matter of fact liked this book so much, i decided to do a three page book report. I turned i in and got a (At).

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Read-Alikes

Read-Alikes Full readalike results are for members only

If you liked Daddy's Girls, try these:

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    The harrowing, insightful, and courageous account of a prominent man's struggle with multiple personalities.

  • The Memory of Running jacket

    The Memory of Running

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    A story of families and friendships, of mental illness and addiction, of growing up and growing older, of first loves and second chances and of one man's journey across America toward personal redemption.

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