I thought this was an exceptional novel. It reads like an excellent literary novel, but before you know it you're caught up in a thriller that will not let you rest until you've finished. I was up all night with this one and sad when I'd finished it. This author has another book called The Doctor's Wife, which I've just picked up. I'm so happy I discovered this author.

This was a "I'm reading this to find out the ending" kind of book. It was kind of grizzly but couldn't stop reading it. I even kept it overdue from the library!

Boy oh boy these characters have hidden secrets. Just about all of them & more than I expected.

Sometimes when I become particularly frustrated with books, I leave them in the airplane seat pocket on purpose. I hope whoever got on the plane after me enjoyed this book more than I did. There was a lot of interesting set up, but there were a lot of characters, and they were constantly transitioning from one version of themselves to another, and so I never really fel connected to any of them. Because we rarely got to see or understand the transitions-- they'd want one thing when we met them, a More...

When I first accepted this book for review, I was under the impression that it was mostly about the thoughts and feelings of Willa Golding, a teenager who was adopted as a baby by wealthy parents. It’s not. Although Willa’s point of view certainly comes into the story, this book is about misogyny, p*rn*gr*phy, pr*stituti*on, drug abuse, and a host of other sordid activities. Before I give my other comments on the book, I’d like to state that in no way do I believe that Brundage endorses these vi More...

In a hurry at the FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY BOOK STORE, I reached over and grabbed the book with the back of a girl's head on the cover, and quickly scanned the synopsis on the back. Intriguing? Maybe...and I bought it. The book lay on my night stand for days, and when everything else was done, I picked it up and began reading. Amazingly, I could hardly put it down. Elizabeth Brundage wrote a tightly knit story involving many interesting characters whose lives are wound together in a sleepy idyllic More...

I had nothing to do. I had already finished both my current reading book and it was project real. Tehm finished the book and suggested that I read it becuase she said it was a really good book. Since it was her personl book she let me borrow it and I bagan to read. The first chapter pulled me in and I just couldnt get enough. I kept reading and reading and my book was suddenly pulled away and I got fustrated, because I wanted to keep reading. I look up to see kazi and sharon laughing. (they too More...

Elizabeth Brundage's sophomore novel, "Somebody Else's Daughter" solidifies her standing as one of the best mainstream fiction writers out right now. Brundage's stellar ability to write character driven fiction that plays into and off of the setting of the story creates a fusion between suspense/thriller and mainstream fiction that will leave the reader dumbfounded upon completion of the book. Brundage's writing style allows for so much to happen in such a short span of pages. A less skilled aut More...

Here is a partial synopsis from the author's website ...

"In the Berkshire mountains of Massachusetts a group of families is connected through the prestigious Pioneer prep school. Into this community enters Nate Gallagher, a teacher and struggling writer haunted by the daughter he gave up for adoption years ago. The girl, Willa—now a teenager and one of Nate's students—lives with her adoptive parents, Joe and Candace, who have nurtured her with their affection and prosperity. When Willa wins a co More...

great book! read it with my book club - ferocious discussions followed!

I enjoyed Ms. Brundage's novel, The Doctor's Wife, so much that I couldn't wait to read Somebody Else's Daughter. It's setting is in a small town in Western Massachusetts and centers around an elite private school, its headmaster, teachers, and students.

If I could use just one word to describe this novel, it would be 'dark.' The author covers many subjects including pornography, deceit, sex, AIDS, drug use and animal abuse. None of these subjects are covered in-depth but the author managed to w More...

Where do I begin with this one?

There was a whole lot of sordid, degenerate activities going on in this novel. It included everything from drugs, pr*stituti*on, p*rn*graphy, murder, suicide, infidelity, sexual abuse, infertility, dog fighting and animal cruelty, all in the insular and exclusive community of the Berkshires where they live. The characters, and there were many of them, are all involved in these things in some way, and definitely have their share of secrets to hide.

While these topic More...

Beautifully written and fast-paced. I read it in an afternoon-couldn't put it down. A powerful story about the couple who give their baby up for adoption and the couple who raises her. The novel opens with a letter written by Nate to Willa, his daughter explaining the dismal circumstances she was born into and why she was given up. Nate, now older, cleaned up and a writer/English teacher takes a job at Willa's posh high school in the Berkshires. The complex inner lives of the town's residents (W More...

Good storyline, good plot but very graphic and perverse. I think the author could have told the same story without so much violence and sex. I came close to throwing this book away but I stuck it out hoping it would improve which it did a little. That said my favorite part of the book is when they play prison poker. This could be made into a movie but it would have to be toned down quite a bit.

It's not fair that people leave books on my desk with cryptic little notes like, "Once you read the first 10 pages, we know you, you will be hooked." and the bastards were right.... so now I have to read this book after I'm done reading the other three I'm currently with..lol... Damn Old People!..lol

Excellent... this book pulled at the heart strings.. My peeps and I enjoyed it.

The extent of my cursing vocabulary ranges from damn, as evident by the fact that my son seems to think it's a perfectly acceptable adjective and on a rare occasion, shit. Under dire circumstances, I might utter an f-bomb where the emphasis will be put on the wrong syllable and it will become clear that I don't say the word often enough to give it the necessary zing.

The first chapter of this book is full of words and images that made my stomach turn. If it weren't so heavy and dark, I would have More...

This is a literary/psychological thriller that is generally gripping. It's told in multiple points of view and it tackles the porn industry, dog-fighting, prostitution, domestic abuse, and drugs. For the full review, see Perpetual Folly.

An Incredible Suspenseful Rich page turner- I was torn between finishing the book sadly leaving the story versus needing to know what happens next..
I was immediatley immersed in the believable characters from drug-addicted parents giving up their baby, to the wealthy Berkshire families that send their children to the prestigious private school. I loved how the book was told from different characters' point of view. The depth and variety of issues that are involved including but not limited to ad More...

I really enjoyed this book. This novel delves into the relationships between fathers and daughters and husbands and wives. It explores sexuality from several different perspectives. I found that I couldn't stop reading because the characters were very colorful adn dynamic. This author is a great writer.

An excellent book. A real ensemble cast that leaves you guessing how it could possibly all work out.

The last 100 pages or so are quite the thrilling climax.

Her writing reminds me of Ann Patchett or some other newish female writer. Really well done. I'll read more Elizabeth Brundage

A conversation between father and son:


Father: Hey, what are you reading?

Son: Hi Dad, I'm reading Somebody Else's Daughter by Elizabeth Brundage. You were reading this a week ago, I think, and it got me curious.

F: Is that where that girl Willa was adopted by a rich couple after her own parents decided they could not take care of her? Is that the one?

S: Yeah, the one where her biological father comes to teach in her school and becomes her teacher. Really freaky and interesting right?

F: I agree, an More...

This has all the key elements of an engaging novel yet somehow it missed the mark for me--I was involved enough in the plot and the characters to see it through yet I felt there was too much going on with too many characters and in the end not everything got resolved.

This book was enjoyable, but it took a bit of work. By that, I mean that it had quite a few plots and many characters, and many of them intertwined, and it wasn't always easy to keep everything straight. It was a bit taxing to try and keep up with all of the various characters, as the book jumped aroun between all of them without any introduction -- so the reader is left to figure out who is the topic of the chapter just by the narrative.

Regardless, the story was interesting -- it seemed to hav More...

The first book in a very, very long time that made me gasp out loud when a character did something I didn't like! The ending was a bit too neat and tidy for my taste, but it was so good overall that I didn't mind all that much really...

If you're looking for a book that is consistently taking you by surprise, Somebody Else's Daughter is for you. The characters are very well developed, and completely engrossing. Very well written, and a lot of fun to read.

.Elizabeth Brundage's second novel covers a relatively short chronology - less than a year - but a lot of psychological and relationship territory in this story of the community around a small prep school in the Berkshires. She introduces a lot of characters, and it takes a while to see how their stories will intersect, but have faith that eventually they will.

At first glance, the "somebody else's daughter" of the title seems to be Willa Golding, who came to her parents, Joe and Candace, via a More...

Well, this book has a lot going on; there is drug abuse, violence, rape, pornography, etc. It's a very real look into some very disturbed people but the point is that no one knows all the secrets these people carry around with them. Just like we never truly know the teachers who teach our kids or our next door neighbor. We interact with people on a daily basis and never truly know who they are, sometimes these people are even our spouses. That is what I got from this book, money and looks are de More...