Daughter's Keeper
by Ayelet Waldman
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 274)
Read in January, 2006
A book that really made me THINK. It was about a woman who unwittinly went on a ride with her boyfriend who was making a drug run, and has taken down a message for her boyfriend on the phone, even though she was against the whole idea, and had begged her boyfriend not to participate in it. He had promised her it was only a one-time thing, and unknowingly to them, they were watched by the drug enforcement agents and had gotten arrested. She was pregnant, and had to go through difficult decisions ...more
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Read in July, 2007
While not the most amazing book I've ever read by a long shot, I was pleasantly stunned by how good and informative this was. The story seems like it SHOULD be far-fetched, but I believed [nearly] every bit of it, and it's a story that doesn't seem to be frequently told. At least - not convincingly or engagingly.
Mostly it's an eye-opening insight on the American legal system in terms of drug trafficking, immigration, and the nuts and bolts of what happens to whom, when. Pretty much the dis...more
Mostly it's an eye-opening insight on the American legal system in terms of drug trafficking, immigration, and the nuts and bolts of what happens to whom, when. Pretty much the dis...more
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Read in January, 2006
The stars are more for what I learned from the book (policy-wise - mandatory minimums). I do like Ayelet Waldman. I think she's a good story-teller and most of her characters are well-drawn. I "got" Olivia. The story is heartbreaking. My stomach still turns when I think of how easy it was for her to make the mistake she did and the repucussions. Waldman's descriptions of the trial, prison, life there and Olivia's condition seemed absolutely believable. Elaine though - I did not "g...more
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Read in October, 2007
recommends it for:
Mothers and Daughters
Why do all the books I've read recently either try to make me cry, or succeed? This book was very difficult to get into. It's not divided into chapters, only 2 large sections (fine) and jumps from person to person at a dizzying pace that it almost gives you whiplash. I had to read the first several pages over and over again to figure out who in the world the characters were.
Once I got into it, the book was easy and fast to read. Although I could see where the book was going, it was still en...more
Once I got into it, the book was easy and fast to read. Although I could see where the book was going, it was still en...more
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i liked that it was set in berkeley, in elmwood, no less, my old stomping grounds. i liked the message about the absurdity and injustice of federal sentencing laws.
i liked pretty much everything about it the first time i read it--but liked it less the second time, when i re-read it for a book club. probably the second time i was focusing less on the suspense of the story and more on the characters and their relationships (primarily the mother-daughter one), which upon closer inspection w...more
i liked pretty much everything about it the first time i read it--but liked it less the second time, when i re-read it for a book club. probably the second time i was focusing less on the suspense of the story and more on the characters and their relationships (primarily the mother-daughter one), which upon closer inspection w...more
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Read in January, 2008
It isn't often that an author is able to craft a work of fiction that combines two central messages, but Ayelen Waldman has managed to do exactly that with great results. Daughter's Keeper combines the simultaneous coldness and warmth of a mother-daughter relationship with a scathing indictment of the government's failed war on drugs and mandatory minimum prison sentences.
This isn't a tough read- it took me about four hours total- but it's worth it.
This isn't a tough read- it took me about four hours total- but it's worth it.
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Read in July, 2008
Hated the characters. Pathetic. Boring...I was skipping pages. Very predictable- the synopsis pretty much tells you the whole thing. Too many weird sexual references that were unnatural. There were some good parts that focused on mother/daugher/granddaughter relationship, but I've seen better. I read the ending, which had more purpose, but it just wasn't the "highly emotional and unbearably suspensful" book as promised.
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Read in January, 2008
recommended to Mellissa by:
Linda
I will readily admit that this was not the most well-written book. The story, however, caused me to frequently pause and empathize with the characters. I was constantly asking myself what I would do in either woman's case. Waldman's experience with the criminal system lent itself to the validity of Olivia's predicament, and it is heart-wrenching to think that cases such as this happen all the time.
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Read in September, 2006
Full of vitriol in all the right places and meticulously researched. The plot and the characters flight for the limelight to the detriment of the pacing. Strenuously not recommended for people in Beijing feeling complexly homesick for Elmwood and the sometimes infuriating, sometimes beautiful always wacky characters who congregate in Willard.
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Thoroughly unlikeable characters. It's a book about weak people. It did, however, really make some interesting points.
Also, I like that Waldman is married to Michael Chabon. That's hot.
Also, I like that Waldman is married to Michael Chabon. That's hot.
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Read in August, 2007
I picked this up because I really enjoyed "Love and Other Impossible Pursuits," but this one is even better. Her characters are not always likable, but they are remarkably nuanced and very engaging. She has a terrific ear for dialogue as well.
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Read in August, 2007
got this book at goodwill for $1. Not an amazing read but not a waste of time. there was nothing really different or challenging about the topics in the book or the writing style. at least it gave me something to do on the bus.
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Read in August, 2007
I think Ayelet Waldman is one of the best writers out there - her books consistently entertain and inform, and inevitably make me tear up or outright cry, as the end of this book did.
Highly, highly recommended.
Highly, highly recommended.
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Read in April, 2008
Ayelet Waldman is a master at making you root for unsympathetic characters. Fast, well-written, enjoyable read focusing on the relationship between an emotionally limited mother and a headstrong daughter.
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Read in July, 2007
recommends it for:
People who live in the Bay Area
This story tells about the injustices of the law system when it comes to being friends with the wrong people. Set in Berkeley. Interesting for all, especially those from the Bay Area.
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Read in June, 2008
I actually really liked this book and was crying while I was reading the end last night, but I couldn't give it more than 3 stars because of the language. Too many f-words for me.
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Read in October, 2007
Surprisingly engrossing story about mother and daughter Elaine and Olivia, and how their lives are changed irrevocably when Olivia's Mexican boyfriend is drawn into a drug deal.
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Read in March, 2008
I'm not sure what I thought of this book. The daughter's selfishness made me angry, and the mother's lack of compassion and annoyance towards her daughter made me sad.
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Read in December, 2007
I must not be the intended audience for this book. To me it was didactic, predictable and boring. It read like the script proposal for a Hallmark Afterschool Special
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