From the bestselling author of "Labor Day" comes a spellbinding novel about friendship, family secrets, and the strange, unexpected twists of fate ...
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Mar 19, 2011
Allison
rated it: 
SPOILER ALERT. If you haven't read the book and you don't want spoiler, don't read this.
The more I thought about, the more I knew I had to change this to a one-star rating. Don't even bother with this book. Here's what really ticks me off about the book -- after getting 3/4 of the way through it, I find out the entire story is based on a stupid, flimsy premise. I figured out pretty early on that the two "birthday sisters" (which is what the one mother called them since they w More...
The more I thought about, the more I knew I had to change this to a one-star rating. Don't even bother with this book. Here's what really ticks me off about the book -- after getting 3/4 of the way through it, I find out the entire story is based on a stupid, flimsy premise. I figured out pretty early on that the two "birthday sisters" (which is what the one mother called them since they w More...
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Jan 01, 2011
Laura
rated it: 
Usually I get annoyed when there's a plot twist that I can see coming a mile away (example? SPOILER ALERT: Darth Vader is Luke's father. oh, and Leia's his sister). For some reason, even though I figured out what the plot twist was in this book, it didn't bother me.
There are three daughters here: Ruth Plank, fifth daughter of Edwin and Connie; Dana Dickinson, daughter of Val and George; and a new strawberry hybrid (I'm not kidding). Ruth and Dana are "birthday sisters", More...
There are three daughters here: Ruth Plank, fifth daughter of Edwin and Connie; Dana Dickinson, daughter of Val and George; and a new strawberry hybrid (I'm not kidding). Ruth and Dana are "birthday sisters", More...
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Sep 29, 2010
Susan
rated it: 
Having read, enjoyed and admired Labor Day, I found The Good Daughters to be a disappointment. The premise upon which the novel rests seemed implausible, and I thought it was very predictable in terms of it's narrative. The metaphor of the story's actual daughters and the strawberry plant which sends out it's "daughter" shoots may as well have been printed in bold type; it commanded the reader's attention instead of allowing him to discover a more subtle message. It is several notch
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(5 people liked it)
Mar 13, 2011
Wisteria
rated it:
THE GOOD DAUGHTERS[return]Joyce Maynard[return]William Morrow[return]September 2010[return]978-0-06-199431-9[return]$24.99, 288 pages[return][return]Power lines are down, trees are falling, winds gusting pushing rain to vertical, but you would expect that in a hurricane. So, as this story opens in October 1949, this violent storm surrounds the Plank and Dickerson families in New Hamphire. The aftermath of a hurricane can be devastating and permanent, and so like the hurricane, when Ruth and Dana
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Feb 08, 2012
Michele
rated it: 
It is a long time since I read a book and had to go and find space alone, so I could allow the tears to freely pour down my face and drip onto my chest, as I experienced moments of intense love and loss - with characters that I had come to care for immensely, despite their frailties and failings. Most extraordinary, was knowing within 3 chapters exactly where the book was going, and being utterly astounded that the characters took 50 odd years to figure it all out? Yet, I loved them anyway. A
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Jan 07, 2012
Lil Miss Red T-Shirt
rated it:
This book started off well enough, and had me thinking I would like it.
I wanted to like this book, but didn't. Perhaps others love this style of book... and it just wasn't meant for me. Perhaps I'll read the author's more popular book. I hadn't heard of the author before reading this book.
Though I wanted to like this book, I stopped reading when there was suddenly dull fantasy sex scenes. Really, the book is about a kid on a farm, then suddenly a character wants to make o More...
I wanted to like this book, but didn't. Perhaps others love this style of book... and it just wasn't meant for me. Perhaps I'll read the author's more popular book. I hadn't heard of the author before reading this book.
Though I wanted to like this book, I stopped reading when there was suddenly dull fantasy sex scenes. Really, the book is about a kid on a farm, then suddenly a character wants to make o More...
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Sep 08, 2011
Laura
rated it:
There is a major twist in The Good Daughters that I had figured out very early in the novel. Although I knew the destination, I still greatly enjoyed the journey getting there. I thought the prose was beautiful and almost lyrical at times. I most of all relished seeing the journey of the two girls throughout their life from birth until approximately age sixty. I loved the story time frame with Ruth and Dana being born in 1950. Their experiences growing up were buffeted at times by histori
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Aug 08, 2011
Rachel
rated it:
One thing this book isn't, is subtle. Within a few chapters, I figured out the big twist and figured the author did this on purpose, because she wanted the reader to understand why the choices were made. Nope. Further, she creates one character to be the champion of the good guy and turns out, even he is an ass.
Also, I just didn't get the sense that the author was that comfortable with her characters. I know writers talk a lot about, characters speaking to them and choosing their dir More...
Also, I just didn't get the sense that the author was that comfortable with her characters. I know writers talk a lot about, characters speaking to them and choosing their dir More...
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Jun 02, 2011
They were born on the same day, in the same small New Hampshire hospital, into families that could hardly have been less alike.
Ruth Plank is an artist and a romantic with a rich, passionate, imaginative life. The last of five girls born to a gentle, caring farmer and his stolid wife, she yearns to soar beyond the confines of the land that has been her family's birthright for generations.
Dana Dickerson is a scientist and realist whose faith is firmly planted in the natural w More...
Ruth Plank is an artist and a romantic with a rich, passionate, imaginative life. The last of five girls born to a gentle, caring farmer and his stolid wife, she yearns to soar beyond the confines of the land that has been her family's birthright for generations.
Dana Dickerson is a scientist and realist whose faith is firmly planted in the natural w More...
Feb 02, 2011
Louise
rated it:
The Plank and Dickerson families both gave birth to daughters on Tuesday, July 4, 1950. The girls’ births bring the families together in a somewhat haphazard friendship. The Planks are farmers and the Dickerson’s visit their vegetable stand each July 4th in a sort-of celebration or recognition of the daughter’s birthdays.
I was somewhat disappointed to learn that there was going to be a surprise element in this story but the so-called “surprise” is easily guessed by page four and More...
I was somewhat disappointed to learn that there was going to be a surprise element in this story but the so-called “surprise” is easily guessed by page four and More...
Jan 22, 2011
RNOCEAN
rated it:
"Two families, the Planks and the Dickersons, are mysteriously entwined in this exquisite novel that centers on decades of life at a New Hampshire farm. Youngest daughters Ruth Plank and Dana Dickerson, born on the same day in the same hospital, take turns narrating the struggles they face as children. Ruth feels a coldness from her mother; Dana is unsettled by her kooky parents constantly uprooting her and her brother Ray. Regardless, the Planks pay a yearly visit to the Dickersons no matt
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Dec 09, 2010
Christine
rated it:
A two-sided tale of girlhood that lurches clumsily into womanhood from the perspectives of oddly matched "birthday sisters." Two women born in a small town hospital on the same day, Dana and Ruth couldn't be more dissimilar.
Wrapped in the Plank family's farm life, Ruth's life is driven by the seasons, dependable, regular. Taller and thinner with a strong artistic bend, Ruth struggles to fit in with her four practical sisters and gain the approval of her often-dour mother, Con More...
Wrapped in the Plank family's farm life, Ruth's life is driven by the seasons, dependable, regular. Taller and thinner with a strong artistic bend, Ruth struggles to fit in with her four practical sisters and gain the approval of her often-dour mother, Con More...
Nov 10, 2010
Kdevoli
rated it:
Ah, how I love Joyce Maynard. This was such a great story - about two babies born on the same day in a small town in New Hampshire - so called "birthday sisters' - and their lives from birth through about age 60. the chapters alternate the stories of the two girls. Usually in this type of book, the two girls would at least at some point in their young lives be close friends - but Maynard often puts a twist on her stories, and these girls never really cotton to each other. They are very diff
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Aug 02, 2010
TK
rated it:
I read this review in one big gulp over a long summer weekend this year. it's one of the best novels I have read in a good long while, and I recommend it to just about everyone except perhaps those among you who have hearts of stone, no sense of humor or are unduly boring and conservative in your values.
Maynard is a talented writer, and this novel is crafty and evocative. I appreciated the multiple meanings of the title, and that the earthy and everyday metaphors and similies Maynard More...
Maynard is a talented writer, and this novel is crafty and evocative. I appreciated the multiple meanings of the title, and that the earthy and everyday metaphors and similies Maynard More...
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Jun 30, 2010
Jackie
rated it:
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 th More...
themselves. I definitely became attached to them and enjoyed watching their lives unfold (though they both face difficult times th More...
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(3 people liked it)
Sep 11, 2010
Jennifer
rated it:
From my book review blog Rundpinne.
"Heart breaking, beautiful, and life affirming, The Good Daughters by Joyce Maynard tells the story of Ruth Plank and Dana Dickerson, known as the birthday sisters. On July 4, 1950 at the peak of strawberry season in Bellersville Hospital, Edwin and Connie Plank welcomed their 5th daughter into the world and two hours later, the Dickersons were greeting their second child and their first daughter. Maynard writes a beautiful, moving novel, More...
"Heart breaking, beautiful, and life affirming, The Good Daughters by Joyce Maynard tells the story of Ruth Plank and Dana Dickerson, known as the birthday sisters. On July 4, 1950 at the peak of strawberry season in Bellersville Hospital, Edwin and Connie Plank welcomed their 5th daughter into the world and two hours later, the Dickersons were greeting their second child and their first daughter. Maynard writes a beautiful, moving novel, More...
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May 29, 2011
Katelyn
rated it: 
The Good Daughters follows the lives of two daughters, Ruth Plank and Dana Dickerson, who have been deemed birthday sisters due to both being born on the same day. Their shared birthday is practically all these two misfits have in common and yet there exists a similar theme to each daughter’s story. With each chapter switching from Ruth to Dana I would sometimes become slightly confused exactly whose story was whose, but this concept was effective in keeping readers interested in the different s
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Aug 24, 2011
Lydia
rated it:
Original review posted <a href="http://thelostentwife.net/2011/08/24/the-good-daughters-by-joyce-maynard/>here</a>
Sometimes a book isn’t about the dramatic unveiling of mysteries and secrets.
When I picked up this book, when I read the back of it, that short summary that talked about “birthday sisters”, I guessed immediately what the “twist” of the story would be – so it was with a bit of a sigh that I opened up the book.
Then I was blown away b More...
Sometimes a book isn’t about the dramatic unveiling of mysteries and secrets.
When I picked up this book, when I read the back of it, that short summary that talked about “birthday sisters”, I guessed immediately what the “twist” of the story would be – so it was with a bit of a sigh that I opened up the book.
Then I was blown away b More...
Nov 21, 2010
Debbie (Readerbuzz)
rated it:
Look at the title. Look at the cover. Look at the author.
Be honest with yourself. You knew what you were getting when you decided to read this book.
Emotional conflict. Drama. Woman's point of view. Right?
If that's what you sought, you will rate this book high.
If you were expecting Tom Clancy, you aren't going to make it past chapter one. (Hint: Next time look for a submarine or a big gun on the front cover.)
But is it literary? I can h More...
Be honest with yourself. You knew what you were getting when you decided to read this book.
Emotional conflict. Drama. Woman's point of view. Right?
If that's what you sought, you will rate this book high.
If you were expecting Tom Clancy, you aren't going to make it past chapter one. (Hint: Next time look for a submarine or a big gun on the front cover.)
But is it literary? I can h More...
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(2 people liked it)
Aug 30, 2010
Mara
rated it:
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-th
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Jul 15, 2011
Dawn
rated it:
Based on the reviews I've seen, on this site and others, I am clearly in the minority in my opinion of this book. I'm not sure what others have seen that I'm missing, but I really just didn't like it. The story is told in alternating chapters from the point of view Ruth Plank and Dana Dickerson, as they each tell their respective life story. Ruth and Dana are 'birthday sisters', having been born on the same day in the same hospital in rural New Hampshire. I found Dana to be a little more lika
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Sep 09, 2010
Laurel-Rain
rated it:
Hurricane season in New Hampshire brings about an unexpected aftermath in the year 1949. Nine months later, on July 4, 1950, two girls are born to two very different families living in this little community. The families feel a connection because of this event, although the two are very different and seemingly have nothing in common—except, of course, for the two "birthday sisters." The girls are Ruth Plank and Dana Dickerson.
The Planks are a farming family. Edwin and Conni More...
The Planks are a farming family. Edwin and Conni More...
Sep 26, 2010
Sue
rated it:
I found out that Joyce Maynard wrote this book quite by accident while reading a post on Facebook. I have grown up with her since she published a piece in the NY Times Sunday magazine when she was just 17 years old. Her picture was on the cover of the magazine and she wrote about being a teenager in the early 1970s. I was only a year or so younger and I was so impressed. Years later I read her memoir about her life which included marrying and raising 3 children. I knew she had been involve with
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Sep 11, 2011
Elaine
rated it:
I can't say this isn't a good read. It is. The writing is pedestrian but not clumsy. Still, I couldn't give it more than three stars. Each chapter is narrated by one of two daughters, but the wording is so alike that the only way you know who's narrating is by the chapter name or, as the book goes on, by the people or places referred to. For instance, if Clarice is mentioned, it must be Dana talking.
None of the characters has his or her own voice. The only metaphor-and it's laid on More...
None of the characters has his or her own voice. The only metaphor-and it's laid on More...
Sep 21, 2010
Naomi
rated it:
My comments are excerpts of a posting on a forum with Joyce Maynard:
What a read...What an emotional roller coaster this book was for me! Anyone who looks at my profile can see I am an avid reader and I pushed several books aside because I could not put this book down because of its' twists and raw emotions. It was wierd because it was mainly anger and frustration-I can't say at who, but anyone who has finished this book will know why.
BTW...I am giving this book 5 stars o More...
What a read...What an emotional roller coaster this book was for me! Anyone who looks at my profile can see I am an avid reader and I pushed several books aside because I could not put this book down because of its' twists and raw emotions. It was wierd because it was mainly anger and frustration-I can't say at who, but anyone who has finished this book will know why.
BTW...I am giving this book 5 stars o More...
Aug 10, 2010
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 More...
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 More...
May 20, 2011
Kitty
rated it:
Following the lives of two anything- but- ordinary girls, this novel is filled with family secrets, explorations for identity, romance, and love. This heartfelt tale, traveling with the two girls from two extraordinarily different families, Dana -- earthy, intelligent, and strong, and Ruth – whimsical, artistic, and beautiful, as they struggle to find their place in the world is focused on how two people so different can have such a common bond. As the characters discover a secret twist into th
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Jul 24, 2010
Kasa
rated it:
Joyce Maynard has a way with a story. Although the "secret" at the core of this luminescent novel is apparent from reading the liner notes, the how of that secret is not revealed until the end. Two girls are born in a rural hospital on July 4, 1950, a good date because it makes tracking their progress through the decades easy to calibrate. Ruth's farmer family has been rooted to the land for generations whereas Dana's is virtually nomadic, her self-absorbed parents moving her and he
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Oct 25, 2010
Sunita
rated it:
The Good Daughters-good literature.Each girl expressly has uniqueness of their character and spirit.Through Joyce Maynard's insightful writing, I found the off-shoots, not only good daughters, but also strong women, each with a powerful belief in herself that held true
through times of duress as well as triumph.The writing is steady gives a good clear picture of the farm, rural areas, and the time.One can feel the sunlight, the dark sky and the emotional pain of the characters.
Maynar More...
through times of duress as well as triumph.The writing is steady gives a good clear picture of the farm, rural areas, and the time.One can feel the sunlight, the dark sky and the emotional pain of the characters.
Maynar More...
Sep 05, 2011
TinasBookReviews
rated it:
When this story opened in the face of a hurricane, I was riveted by the prospect of people going crazy, perhaps a murder mystery, trees flying into windows or something in the air that made everyone freaky for a bit.... but the hurricane itself was just the catalyst in bringing a subtle aftermath which paints two families in a different light, one being hard working farm people, the others artsy carefree people. Ruth and Dana, daughters from each family tell the story of their lives in alternati
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