- Paperback: 368 pages
- Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark (Nov 25 2004)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1402203136
- ISBN-13: 978-1402203138
- Product Dimensions: 20.2 x 13.3 x 2.4 cm
- Shipping Weight: 386 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #552,400 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Waldman, author of the Mommy Track mystery series, here takes a more serious tack, telling the story of a young woman who battles the American legal system's inflexible drug laws. Olivia Goodman, a rebellious 22-year-old, dropped out of college as a sophomore and headed for Mexico. After she moved back to her hometown of Oakland, Calif., she was followed by Jorge Luis Rodriguez Hernandez, with whom she had a brief affair in Mexico. Jorge crossed the border illegally and is unable to find work, and Olivia feels obligated to support him. Desperate for money, Jorge is persuaded to participate in a drug deal, and Olivia's vague complicity sweeps her into an intense legal battle when she is arrested with Jorge. To make matters worse, Olivia discovers she's pregnant with Jorge's baby. As Olivia fights for her freedom, her mother, Elaine Goodman, is doubly tormented. Elaine raised Olivia on her own, but never felt she could love her enough. Now, when she has finally found happiness with a man, she is forced to choose between helping her daughter and holding on to her fiance. Waldman takes a somewhat didactic approach-U.S. drug laws are discussed at length, and the story of Elaine and Olivia's relationship can read like a case history-but Waldman's passion and affection for her characters shines through.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From School Library Journal
Adult/High School-Waldman departs from her relatively lighthearted "Mommy Track" mysteries with this politically charged, emotionally complex novel. Olivia, in her early 20s and living with her illegally immigrated Mexican boyfriend in Oakland, CA, identifies with a number of radical causes. Her pharmacist mother, Elaine, having struggled against her tendency to be free of the burdens of motherhood almost from Olivia's birth, is about to marry her accountant boyfriend, with whom she already leads a judiciously predictable life in a middle-class Berkeley neighborhood. When Olivia's boyfriend participates in a methamphetamine deal, the young woman is arrested as an accomplice. The machinations of federal law pertaining to drug conspiracy, the use of criminal informants, a mother's lifelong connection to her child, and the hothouse of Berkeley's raised consciousness on issues from biracialism to psychotherapy to choice of street slang all come to life. The two women and the men in their lives are fully realized, with both their sympathetic and shameful motivations clearly limned and juxtaposed to create optimum tension. How Olivia copes with her unexpected pregnancy and Elaine's eventual discovery of her own ability to nurture a dependent baby resonate with credible bumps and jerks that ironically enhance the plot's smoothness. Waldman gives readers the opportunity to consider how economics, the law, social mores, and human beings' natural tendencies interact with and counteract one another.
Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley Public Library, CA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley Public Library, CA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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First Sentence
They were obviously mother and daughter: the expression on the young woman's face gave them away. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
They were obviously mother and daughter: the expression on the young woman's face gave them away. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A GREAT BOOK,
By "agcscribe" (Austin, TX United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Daughter's Keeper (Hardcover)
Do you want to read a REALLY good book? One that you can't put down? DAUGHTER'S KEEPER by Ayelet Waldman the best book I've read in a long time. Walman, besides being a smooth, even writer, weaves the hot issues of drugs, abortion, racial intergration,with most definitely the U.S. federal Court System. Some reviewers say that Waldman is prejudice concerning the system. There are thousands of stories that contradict that idea. Last there are mother-daughter issues, love, much weeping and memorable characters.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Compelling look at America's "war on drugs",
By
This review is from: Daughter's Keeper (Hardcover)
The main character of this novel, Olivia Goodman, is an outspoken young woman who drops out of college to travel to Mexico. While there, she meets Jorge, a charismatic young man with whom she has a brief affair. Olivia returns to the US, and to her surprise, Jorge soon turns up on her doorstep as an illegal alien. Their life becomes a dreary routine of Olivia supporting them through her waitressing job while Jorge attempts--mostly unsuccessfully--to find work. Jorge's desperation to become the breadwinner leads to his tangential involvement in a drug deal; unfortunately, his poor judgment results in not only his own arrest but Olivia's as well.What follows is an interesting insider's view of America's legal system, particularly the "mandatory minimum" sentences which can result in lengthy jail sentences for innocent bystanders like Olivia. However, the novel also contains a series of engaging character studies, as the story is told from various perspectives. Olivia herself is confronted with the necessity of taking responsibility for actions in light of both her possible jail time and her impending pregnancy. Her mother, Elaine, is torn between her disapproval of Olivia and her desire to help her child; Elaine must face the lack of maternal instinct which has clouded her entire relationship with her daughter. Olivia's public defender, Izaya, is a jaded but brilliant attorney who is spurred on by Olivia's innocence as well as his growing feelings for her. Finally, lesser characters such as Jorge and Arthur, Elaine's boyfriend, also impact the storyline with their unique viewpoints. I found myself caught up in Olivia's story, silently rooting for her as she faced trial. Although both Olivia and Elaine were not always likeable characters, it was easy to sympathize with them and the unfairness of Olivia's predicament. At the end of the novel, Olivia and Elaine each emerge as very different people; while this was not entirely believable, it made for an appealing and enjoyable read. Overall, I felt that this was a promising novel from an author who I would definitely read again.
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not slush-pile, but not Pulitzer Prize s tuff either,
By lisatheratgirl "lisatheratgirl" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Daughter's Keeper (Hardcover)
I read this book through to the end and tend to agree with almost all of the previous reviews. The story (the plot) is interesting and compelling and kept me going. The author did make her point about the DEA and the federal sentencing guidelines and how the federal system eats the innocent and the amateurs, while the hard-core professional criminals are rewarded for ratting out others. I am a lawyer and this is not my field of work, but I did know a little bit about the subject. I say this because even I was horrified at the results obtained in the case the author described and I'm sure it is accurate. I think the book is worth reading just to open people's eyes. That said, the author's writing technique is not very good, use of m--dashes on every other page to break up runon sentences drove me crazy, as well as all the other things reviewers mentioned. I also felt that her characters were not well thought out or believable, particularly Elaine. If you're going to deliever such an important message, take the time to do it well,
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