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The Orphan Daughter
At forty-five, Jane McArdle has experienced her share of life’s twists and turns. Yet she’s shaken by the sudden death of her estranged half sister and the news that she’s now the guardian of her orphaned niece, Lucy.
Still nurturing unresolved grief from a marriage bookended by loss, as well as her guilt over her adult son’s imperfect upbringing, Jane is her own worst enemy, content to focus on her small Michigan farm. Now, confronted with a traumatized eleven-year-old, the prickly empty nester is thrust into motherhood again, unsure she’ll do any better this time.
City girl Lucy is bewildered by aloof Aunt Jane and a new life in rural Michigan. The debilitating phobia Lucy has developed since her parents’ deaths keeps her stuck in this place that’s nothing like home. She secretly plots to run away to live with other relatives. Jane and Lucy must decide if they’ll both endure yet another loss—each other—or if their paths will lead them to forge a new family together.
Still nurturing unresolved grief from a marriage bookended by loss, as well as her guilt over her adult son’s imperfect upbringing, Jane is her own worst enemy, content to focus on her small Michigan farm. Now, confronted with a traumatized eleven-year-old, the prickly empty nester is thrust into motherhood again, unsure she’ll do any better this time.
City girl Lucy is bewildered by aloof Aunt Jane and a new life in rural Michigan. The debilitating phobia Lucy has developed since her parents’ deaths keeps her stuck in this place that’s nothing like home. She secretly plots to run away to live with other relatives. Jane and Lucy must decide if they’ll both endure yet another loss—each other—or if their paths will lead them to forge a new family together.
368 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 8, 2018
1783 people are currently reading
1790 people want to read
About the author
Cari Noga
5 books48 followersI'm so appreciative of all the readers who've reviewed The Orphan Daughter and Sparrow Migrations, and especially grateful to those who have selected them as book club choices. If your club has, I'd love to have a picture for my website, or join via Skype if we can coordinate schedules. Email me at cari@carinoga.com. (You can also sign up for my author newsletter www.carinoga.com -- the best way to hear about a new book!)
If you've not read my books yet, I write resilience stories about contemporary, unconventional families. My latest, The Orphan Daughter, explores whether prickly Jane McArdle will do better at motherhood her second time around, after her orphaned niece Lucy Ortiz moves from New York City to Jane's Michigan farm. It's set where I've lived for 20 years, Traverse City, Michigan, which made it a lot of fun to write.
Resilience in a theme in my author journey as well. After failing to finish two manuscripts, I finally completed my debut, Sparrow Migrations, during National Novel Writing Month in 2010. It becames a semi-finalist in the 2011 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest, with Publishers Weekly describing the manuscript as “brimming with humanity and grace.” Sparrow’s protagonist, Robby Palmer, a 12-year-old boy with autism, and his parents, Sam and Linda, embody many experiences my husband and I have had as parents to a son with autism. I self-published it in 2013 and then was lucky enough to receive an acquisition offer from Lake Union Publishing an imprint of Amazon Publishing, in 2014. Sparrow was re-released in paperback, digital, and audio formats in June 2015. It was nominated for the Great Michigan Read, a statewide reading project, in 2015-16. A five-part small-screen miniseries adaptation is now available - producers wanted!
You can stay in touch by signing up for my author e-mail newsletter at www.carinoga.com. Thanks for reading!
If you've not read my books yet, I write resilience stories about contemporary, unconventional families. My latest, The Orphan Daughter, explores whether prickly Jane McArdle will do better at motherhood her second time around, after her orphaned niece Lucy Ortiz moves from New York City to Jane's Michigan farm. It's set where I've lived for 20 years, Traverse City, Michigan, which made it a lot of fun to write.
Resilience in a theme in my author journey as well. After failing to finish two manuscripts, I finally completed my debut, Sparrow Migrations, during National Novel Writing Month in 2010. It becames a semi-finalist in the 2011 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest, with Publishers Weekly describing the manuscript as “brimming with humanity and grace.” Sparrow’s protagonist, Robby Palmer, a 12-year-old boy with autism, and his parents, Sam and Linda, embody many experiences my husband and I have had as parents to a son with autism. I self-published it in 2013 and then was lucky enough to receive an acquisition offer from Lake Union Publishing an imprint of Amazon Publishing, in 2014. Sparrow was re-released in paperback, digital, and audio formats in June 2015. It was nominated for the Great Michigan Read, a statewide reading project, in 2015-16. A five-part small-screen miniseries adaptation is now available - producers wanted!
You can stay in touch by signing up for my author e-mail newsletter at www.carinoga.com. Thanks for reading!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 219 reviews
May 8, 2018
⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
The Orphan Daughter by Cari Noga made me tear up constantly, and yet there was still something missing for me.
The Orphan Daughter tells the story of Jane who is 45 and lives in rural Michigan, and her 11 year old niece Lucy. Jane has been estranged from her half sister Gloria (Lucy's mother) for years when she learns both Gloria and her husband have been killed in a car accident and dictated in their will that Jane is to take care of Lucy. Lucy is pulled from her life in New York City and sent to live with her aunt whom she hasn't seen since she was 4.
The book flips between Lucy and Jane's perspectives and while I usually enjoy when a book does that, I could have done with a little less of Lucy. Even though most of what I read was relative to the story, I still found myself skimming some of her parts when it wasn't adding anything to the story for me. Apparently I don't love reading from an eleven/twelve year old's perspective all that much.
At first I was really enjoying the book, but it kinda dragged a bit in the middle for me. I can definitely tell that Noga is a fantastic writer though, and I did want to keep reading.
The story in itself though is quite sad throughout the book. Jane's background is sad, and of course reading about Lucy's situation was sad as well. I lost my mom when I was about 3 so this book hit a nerve for me there and I found myself tearing up quite a bit. I appreciated that the author still ended on a hopeful note though without tying {everything} in a perfect bow.
Final Thought: I would definitely read another book from this author, and I think a ton of people are going to love this book. It just wasn't a perfect fit for me personally even though I appreciated the story. I would recommend The Orphan Daughter to anyone that finds the blurb interesting and is in the mood for a sad book with a hopeful ending.
The Orphan Daughter in 3-ish words: Heartfelt, Hopeful, & Evocative
The Orphan Daughter by Cari Noga made me tear up constantly, and yet there was still something missing for me.
The Orphan Daughter tells the story of Jane who is 45 and lives in rural Michigan, and her 11 year old niece Lucy. Jane has been estranged from her half sister Gloria (Lucy's mother) for years when she learns both Gloria and her husband have been killed in a car accident and dictated in their will that Jane is to take care of Lucy. Lucy is pulled from her life in New York City and sent to live with her aunt whom she hasn't seen since she was 4.
The book flips between Lucy and Jane's perspectives and while I usually enjoy when a book does that, I could have done with a little less of Lucy. Even though most of what I read was relative to the story, I still found myself skimming some of her parts when it wasn't adding anything to the story for me. Apparently I don't love reading from an eleven/twelve year old's perspective all that much.
At first I was really enjoying the book, but it kinda dragged a bit in the middle for me. I can definitely tell that Noga is a fantastic writer though, and I did want to keep reading.
The story in itself though is quite sad throughout the book. Jane's background is sad, and of course reading about Lucy's situation was sad as well. I lost my mom when I was about 3 so this book hit a nerve for me there and I found myself tearing up quite a bit. I appreciated that the author still ended on a hopeful note though without tying {everything} in a perfect bow.
Final Thought: I would definitely read another book from this author, and I think a ton of people are going to love this book. It just wasn't a perfect fit for me personally even though I appreciated the story. I would recommend The Orphan Daughter to anyone that finds the blurb interesting and is in the mood for a sad book with a hopeful ending.
The Orphan Daughter in 3-ish words: Heartfelt, Hopeful, & Evocative
July 7, 2018
I had a really hard time getting going with this book. I almost dnf'd it, but I hate to dnf any book. So, I kept reading. Once I was well over halfway through it started to grasp me a bit more, but I still feel like it was missing something.
Jane is the aunt and she is a strong female character who has had some difficult times through life. She is really hard on herself and thinks poorly on several aspects of her life. She is the half sister of Lucy's mother. Both of Lucy's parents have passed away and she is now the guardian of this 12 year old girl.
Lucy.. Oh Lucy, Lucy, Lucy. She got on my very last nerve most of the way through. Yes, she has been dealt a terrible hand. She has lost both of her parents and now she has to live with her aunt who she doesn't know much about. She also grew up in New York City and now she has to move to Michigan to a farm. Yes, very big life changes; traumatic even. I just can't understand why she is so hung up on going to Mexico to live with an aunt that she doesn't know and why she has so much animosity against the aunt that was named her guardian. She is snarky and ungrateful about everything. She doesn't want to live in the country. She doesn't have high speed internet, but when her aunt gives her that for a birthday gift, that isn't a birthday gift; it should just be a necessity. She has a fear of stepping on grass. She believes that stepping on the grass is what caused her parent's car to crash. It's a rhyme that she says in her head and has convinced herself of. Her aunt goes to great lengths to help her stay off the grass, but still go outside. There isn't any thank you, I appreciate your help; nothing! And then she almost heads to Mexico without telling her aunt. She has a friend buy a plane ticket using his father's frequent flier miles. I don't know.. she really annoyed me. I get that she is going through a lot, but her aunt is going the extra mile to help her through.
Besides her annoying me, the story was alright. It was a coming together and they both did get on in the end and seemed to help each other. It just took a really long time to get there and a lot of annoyance. I normally cry at books like this, but this one I really never got vested in enough to get an emotional attachment to anyone. I did get through it and I would give it 2.8 / 5.0 stars.
Jane is the aunt and she is a strong female character who has had some difficult times through life. She is really hard on herself and thinks poorly on several aspects of her life. She is the half sister of Lucy's mother. Both of Lucy's parents have passed away and she is now the guardian of this 12 year old girl.
Lucy.. Oh Lucy, Lucy, Lucy. She got on my very last nerve most of the way through. Yes, she has been dealt a terrible hand. She has lost both of her parents and now she has to live with her aunt who she doesn't know much about. She also grew up in New York City and now she has to move to Michigan to a farm. Yes, very big life changes; traumatic even. I just can't understand why she is so hung up on going to Mexico to live with an aunt that she doesn't know and why she has so much animosity against the aunt that was named her guardian. She is snarky and ungrateful about everything. She doesn't want to live in the country. She doesn't have high speed internet, but when her aunt gives her that for a birthday gift, that isn't a birthday gift; it should just be a necessity. She has a fear of stepping on grass. She believes that stepping on the grass is what caused her parent's car to crash. It's a rhyme that she says in her head and has convinced herself of. Her aunt goes to great lengths to help her stay off the grass, but still go outside. There isn't any thank you, I appreciate your help; nothing! And then she almost heads to Mexico without telling her aunt. She has a friend buy a plane ticket using his father's frequent flier miles. I don't know.. she really annoyed me. I get that she is going through a lot, but her aunt is going the extra mile to help her through.
Besides her annoying me, the story was alright. It was a coming together and they both did get on in the end and seemed to help each other. It just took a really long time to get there and a lot of annoyance. I normally cry at books like this, but this one I really never got vested in enough to get an emotional attachment to anyone. I did get through it and I would give it 2.8 / 5.0 stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 29, 2019
I wanted to love this book, but much of the story felt tedious, alternating between days that went on forever and sudden jumps of several months at a time. The characters also felt flat and stereotypical: the well-meaning woman who confronts her own prejudices and judgements, the hard-working Latino, the hoity-toity rich people, the all-knowing and wise therapist, etc. When I read a book, I want to know the good and the bad of the characters. I want to love them and get frustrated with them and to be proud of them and shake my fist at them. The more I see, the more real they become.
(P.S. I’m torn between sharing my real opinion for the people who read my reviews and erasing it all because I know how it feels to read criticism of your hard work. I continue to be in awe of the skill it takes to write a novel, and my critique is not meant to minimize that at all!)
(P.S. I’m torn between sharing my real opinion for the people who read my reviews and erasing it all because I know how it feels to read criticism of your hard work. I continue to be in awe of the skill it takes to write a novel, and my critique is not meant to minimize that at all!)
August 5, 2018
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I love to read about the in depth psyche of the characters, and I feel that is what the author does here. The complexities of family, friendships, what keeps us stuck in life, lose, is all part of this story and even though it is not a thriller or mystery, it is just a great look at the frailty of the human spirit and what is needed to go on.
Jane McArdle and her niece Lucy are thrown together due to a tragedy, where Lucy is left an orphan due to a car accident killing her parents. Having lived in NYC all of her life, Lucy has a huge adjustment to make going to live with her aunt Jane in rural Michigan on a small farm.
So many issues arise, from phobias, to migrant workers, to relatives in Mexico, to just adjusting to life, for all of the characters. this book kept me wanting to pick it up to see what was going to happen.
Great story and I am happy to see I already own the authors first book, which now I can't wait to read.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC of this book.
Jane McArdle and her niece Lucy are thrown together due to a tragedy, where Lucy is left an orphan due to a car accident killing her parents. Having lived in NYC all of her life, Lucy has a huge adjustment to make going to live with her aunt Jane in rural Michigan on a small farm.
So many issues arise, from phobias, to migrant workers, to relatives in Mexico, to just adjusting to life, for all of the characters. this book kept me wanting to pick it up to see what was going to happen.
Great story and I am happy to see I already own the authors first book, which now I can't wait to read.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC of this book.
April 5, 2018
This book brought two people, Aunt Jane and Lucy, together through tragedy. They both had traumatic events that happened to them which causes different issues they have to work through in their own time and ways. I felt that they both had to find a way to forgive....and mostly give themselves forgiveness, which isn't always that easy. The story drew me in enough that I wanted to see how, after they're put into each other's lives, they work through the emotional issues that seem to keep them at odds to each other. I felt Lucy is kind of demanding and expecting everything to be dropped at a moment's notice to appease her. Aunt Jane is reluctant to stand up to her because of her losses from her past. For both it's a time of learning what's important and it's not always fair what happens in life. It's a nice story and I feel that love conquers and wins in the end.
June 4, 2019
3.5 stars. This book dragged a little in the beginning. A quick easy read and kind of predictable but a good story nonetheless.
Want to read
December 18, 2018Amazon purchase
June 16, 2018
Once upon a time, I was in book publishing in New York. There were way too many books about coming of age in the big city. We spent a lot of time considering the perspectives of people of color or different sexual orientations, but way too little considering our fellow citizens who didn't live in big cities. A few authors, such as Jane Smiley, Lorrie Moore, and Kathleen Norris, represented the voices of who lived outside big coastal cities. Cari Noga has joined them.
The Orphan Daughter is a story with multiple perspectives, including that of a city girl meeting the rural part of America. Lucy, age 11, and her aunt, Jane, have each suffered the worst losses a person can experience. They tell their story in alternating chapters. viewing the same events from each of their points of view. Barely knowing each other, they are thrown together when they have no other options for love or care. Jane feels like a failed mother, having been unable to be fully present for her now-grown son after her loss. But sometimes a mother's love isn't warm and fuzzy. Sometimes a mother's love is just going through the motions so the child feels warm and fuzzy even when the mother is bone-tired, grief-stricken, clueless, or all three. Ultimately, performing her obligations capably but mechanically leads Jane and her niece to a new life with love and friends.
In addition to the main story, author Cari Noga touches on a number of contemporary issues: immigration, climate change, healthy eating. Major world issues directly affect life in rural Michigan--who will pick the crops? What happens when an early thaw, then freeze, destroys the main crop of the region? What are the economic effects of drug dealers half a world away? The story brings the issues home to everyday people in an area not traditionally thought of as liberal. It's not about politics, it's about the real people and situations Noga has created in The Orphan Daughter. Sometimes citizens of rural areas and citizens of cities share the same outlook, and that's a crucial message that's part of this warm book of motherhood and redemption.
The Orphan Daughter is a story with multiple perspectives, including that of a city girl meeting the rural part of America. Lucy, age 11, and her aunt, Jane, have each suffered the worst losses a person can experience. They tell their story in alternating chapters. viewing the same events from each of their points of view. Barely knowing each other, they are thrown together when they have no other options for love or care. Jane feels like a failed mother, having been unable to be fully present for her now-grown son after her loss. But sometimes a mother's love isn't warm and fuzzy. Sometimes a mother's love is just going through the motions so the child feels warm and fuzzy even when the mother is bone-tired, grief-stricken, clueless, or all three. Ultimately, performing her obligations capably but mechanically leads Jane and her niece to a new life with love and friends.
In addition to the main story, author Cari Noga touches on a number of contemporary issues: immigration, climate change, healthy eating. Major world issues directly affect life in rural Michigan--who will pick the crops? What happens when an early thaw, then freeze, destroys the main crop of the region? What are the economic effects of drug dealers half a world away? The story brings the issues home to everyday people in an area not traditionally thought of as liberal. It's not about politics, it's about the real people and situations Noga has created in The Orphan Daughter. Sometimes citizens of rural areas and citizens of cities share the same outlook, and that's a crucial message that's part of this warm book of motherhood and redemption.
May 17, 2018
I was a goodreads giveaway winner of this book. I would give this an almost four. Jane lives on a farm in Traverse City Mi. She gets news her younger sister and husband were killed in a car crash. They put in their will for their 11 year old daughter Lucy to live with Jane. This is a big surprise for Jane who doubts if she can provide a home for a niece she barely knows. She travels to NYC to make arrangements to bring Lucy home when her school year ends. Lucy comes to Michigan angry and full of fears. One fear being stepping on grass { the last text between Lucy and her mother was kidding about step on a crack break your mother's back step in the grass cause a car crash} although Lucy does not share why she refuses to walk on grass it makes it hard on everyone. For the next year Jane and Lucy try and find a way to live together with all the "roadblocks" along the way. A nice story. Like it takes place in Michigan my home state.
May 7, 2019
If you don't mind tantrums and spoiled rich kids, this is for you.
Lucy lost both parents in a car crash and had to move to the country. The worst thing to happen to a child, i'm sure. But from day one for over a year it was one tantrum, "it's ALL about me, i want it ALL my way" after another.
Makes her poor Aunt's life, that has taken her in, unknown that she was named guardian by her sister, miserable. Thru musings of Lucy, we can tell she was used to being quite spoiled with unlimited money. It got very tedious reading about all her whinihng. She's 12, not 4, old enough to understand the sacrifice and effort from her Aunt. Refused any help, mouthed back, refused to walk on grass because thinking she caused the crash, demanded to be carried over it! It was exhausting.
Lucy lost both parents in a car crash and had to move to the country. The worst thing to happen to a child, i'm sure. But from day one for over a year it was one tantrum, "it's ALL about me, i want it ALL my way" after another.
Makes her poor Aunt's life, that has taken her in, unknown that she was named guardian by her sister, miserable. Thru musings of Lucy, we can tell she was used to being quite spoiled with unlimited money. It got very tedious reading about all her whinihng. She's 12, not 4, old enough to understand the sacrifice and effort from her Aunt. Refused any help, mouthed back, refused to walk on grass because thinking she caused the crash, demanded to be carried over it! It was exhausting.
June 30, 2018
Thank you Lake Union Publishing and Netgalley for an arc of this book I’m return for my honest review.
I give this book 3.5 stars
I enjoyed this journey of loss and new beginnings. Lucy is a newly orphaned 11 year old, whose cosy New York life takes an unexpected, sharp detour. Jane is an empty nester living a hard working farm life when her mostly simple life suddenly gets thrust into complications as a newly announced guardian for her niece. I laughed and cried through this book and enjoyed the characters throughout.
An enjoyable read, delving into subjects such as loss, friendship, belonging and family while interweaving the complexities of different cultures.
I give this book 3.5 stars
I enjoyed this journey of loss and new beginnings. Lucy is a newly orphaned 11 year old, whose cosy New York life takes an unexpected, sharp detour. Jane is an empty nester living a hard working farm life when her mostly simple life suddenly gets thrust into complications as a newly announced guardian for her niece. I laughed and cried through this book and enjoyed the characters throughout.
An enjoyable read, delving into subjects such as loss, friendship, belonging and family while interweaving the complexities of different cultures.
August 19, 2018
Beautiful as it is heartbreaking, this book weaves a story of grief, loss and love.
Thank you Netgalley for the eARC.
Thank you Netgalley for the eARC.
April 22, 2019
Good read.
This book explores several issues and emotional topics. It starts with 11 year old Lucy losing her parents and all the upheaval this causes in Lucy’s life, as well as her Aunt Jane who becomes her guardian. It explores legal, as well as illegal, migrant workers and the uncertainty of their life in the US. It also touches on the violence from the cartels being faced in Mexico.
This book explores several issues and emotional topics. It starts with 11 year old Lucy losing her parents and all the upheaval this causes in Lucy’s life, as well as her Aunt Jane who becomes her guardian. It explores legal, as well as illegal, migrant workers and the uncertainty of their life in the US. It also touches on the violence from the cartels being faced in Mexico.
April 24, 2019
Building a Family
A story about making a family by accepting everyone's baggage and waiting patiently for the opportunity to help them unpack it.
A story about making a family by accepting everyone's baggage and waiting patiently for the opportunity to help them unpack it.
Read
June 18, 2025Read for work. I liked it. Michigan setting was realistic so far as I can tell.
May 25, 2018
Updated review:
I wasn't very far into the story when I last reviewed, so want to post again now that I've finished. I disagree with those who say the back and forth is distracting. I enjoyed reading about the same events and how the way Lucy perceived it would sometimes be completely opposite of Jane but sometimes fairly similar. I would love to hear more about how things work out for the main characters. It would be great to hear more about Lucy and Jane, maybe with future stories that focus on some of the other characters but give us an update on these two. It took me a little while to get started on the story, but once I got into it, I couldn't put it down. This isn't earth shattering fiction, but it's a great simple read with, if not always likable, definitely relateable characters!
I received this book as a Goodreads winner and I am thoroughly enjoying it. I love the way it's told in two separate voices, Jane and her orphaned niece Lucy. The contrast between the big city lifestyle that Lucy is accustomed to and the rural lifestyle of Michigan is demonstrated especially well with the switch between the two characters. I'm a little more sympathetic towards Lucy at the moment, but I can understand the struggle that Jane is having with the complete upheaval of her normal, steady routine. I'm looking forward to the developing relationship between the two!!
I wasn't very far into the story when I last reviewed, so want to post again now that I've finished. I disagree with those who say the back and forth is distracting. I enjoyed reading about the same events and how the way Lucy perceived it would sometimes be completely opposite of Jane but sometimes fairly similar. I would love to hear more about how things work out for the main characters. It would be great to hear more about Lucy and Jane, maybe with future stories that focus on some of the other characters but give us an update on these two. It took me a little while to get started on the story, but once I got into it, I couldn't put it down. This isn't earth shattering fiction, but it's a great simple read with, if not always likable, definitely relateable characters!
I received this book as a Goodreads winner and I am thoroughly enjoying it. I love the way it's told in two separate voices, Jane and her orphaned niece Lucy. The contrast between the big city lifestyle that Lucy is accustomed to and the rural lifestyle of Michigan is demonstrated especially well with the switch between the two characters. I'm a little more sympathetic towards Lucy at the moment, but I can understand the struggle that Jane is having with the complete upheaval of her normal, steady routine. I'm looking forward to the developing relationship between the two!!
May 17, 2018
This is a book that I had a mixed response to. There was a lot about the characters that I found compelling and they kept me wanting to figure out more about them. Where I struggled was in the presentation. The constant shifting back and forth between the two primary characters, Jane and Lucy, left me feeling like I was watching a tennis match. It just kept bouncing back and forth. Sometimes this works -- but with Noga's particular writing style, it simply didn't work well for me.
I also struggled with wondering when something was going to happen. Due to an unfortunate association in the early part of the book -- one of the character's develops a psychological issue that essentially leaves her house bound for a good portion of the book. As a reader, this simply kept me wondering when something was going to happen and if the story was ever going to move forward. Consequently the story line development has a tendency to get bogged down, and even stagnate at places.
The issues that Noga deals with are significant emotional issues, and she does present some challenging questions about society. It also looks that the emotional upheaval that comes with loss, heartache and suffering. It was these deeper issues throughout the story that kept me going through this one.
I also struggled with wondering when something was going to happen. Due to an unfortunate association in the early part of the book -- one of the character's develops a psychological issue that essentially leaves her house bound for a good portion of the book. As a reader, this simply kept me wondering when something was going to happen and if the story was ever going to move forward. Consequently the story line development has a tendency to get bogged down, and even stagnate at places.
The issues that Noga deals with are significant emotional issues, and she does present some challenging questions about society. It also looks that the emotional upheaval that comes with loss, heartache and suffering. It was these deeper issues throughout the story that kept me going through this one.
June 28, 2018
This was a difficult book to read because of the tragedies that the characters experience. But it was also filled with a sense of family and growth...both personally and in relationships. The characters were well developed and you had strong feelings about them (you loved them or you were a little irritated with their behavior). Lucy had a lot of growing up to do. And even though she had experienced a major loss in her life, she was really a spoiled brat. Luckily Jane was the perfect aunt to help her overcome those shortcomings.
The farm life and growing things naturally was appealing. It let you know that the work is hard and there are no guarantees about the crop surviving Mother Nature's wrath. But you learn so much and see how Jane's farm affects the lives of many people.
This was an educational ready and addressed many issues...loss, divorce, immigration, friendship, family, neighbors, etc. I would definitely recommend this book to others!
Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
The farm life and growing things naturally was appealing. It let you know that the work is hard and there are no guarantees about the crop surviving Mother Nature's wrath. But you learn so much and see how Jane's farm affects the lives of many people.
This was an educational ready and addressed many issues...loss, divorce, immigration, friendship, family, neighbors, etc. I would definitely recommend this book to others!
Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
April 28, 2019
Tragedy, coming of age, learning, understanding....
A nicely done coming of age, though I struggled at times getting past Lucy's self-centered, pampered, spoiled attitude. Jane and Lucy both have some obstacles to overcome - Jane is trying, Lucy is blaming. However, as a child her loss is great, and her understanding and coping abilities are limited...I struggled at times getting past her entitlement attitude despite understanding how tragic and difficult her life had become....this made some reading go much slower. As the story progresses her wealthy upbringing showed more and more in her behavior, expectations, and treatment/thoughts of her aunt. She did grow a lot but an understanding aunt really helped her...despite Jane's concern that she wasn't good enough she was doing so many things that another may not have she was definitely understanding more than she gave herself credit.
A nicely done coming of age, though I struggled at times getting past Lucy's self-centered, pampered, spoiled attitude. Jane and Lucy both have some obstacles to overcome - Jane is trying, Lucy is blaming. However, as a child her loss is great, and her understanding and coping abilities are limited...I struggled at times getting past her entitlement attitude despite understanding how tragic and difficult her life had become....this made some reading go much slower. As the story progresses her wealthy upbringing showed more and more in her behavior, expectations, and treatment/thoughts of her aunt. She did grow a lot but an understanding aunt really helped her...despite Jane's concern that she wasn't good enough she was doing so many things that another may not have she was definitely understanding more than she gave herself credit.
July 8, 2018
Enjoyable read
Again trying a book i didnt think i would like. But i was pleasantly surprised. I actually couldnt put it down. I enjoyed the writing from the two characters perspectives and how they felt about each other, the past, the new unfolding and quickly changing present, and the future. Lucy was a character who has grown up so much in the span of a year in the book. She went from an innocent, protected & loved daughter, to having to learn to cope with so many new things & in the process learn about herself, her family & life. Jane also is a very complex character whi is so hard on herself & a past she couldn't control. She also learns along the way about accepting change & they both learn that its ok to grieve & not blame oneself over life's many hardships. I absolutely loved this bbok & recommend it.
Again trying a book i didnt think i would like. But i was pleasantly surprised. I actually couldnt put it down. I enjoyed the writing from the two characters perspectives and how they felt about each other, the past, the new unfolding and quickly changing present, and the future. Lucy was a character who has grown up so much in the span of a year in the book. She went from an innocent, protected & loved daughter, to having to learn to cope with so many new things & in the process learn about herself, her family & life. Jane also is a very complex character whi is so hard on herself & a past she couldn't control. She also learns along the way about accepting change & they both learn that its ok to grieve & not blame oneself over life's many hardships. I absolutely loved this bbok & recommend it.
May 5, 2018
Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union publishers for giving me this book to review.
This is a touching story of love, loss and coming together. It’s about different people trying to make it in the US. In a time when so many are being treated so badly this story brings some hope that good still exists in this country.
From NY to Michigan and Mexico. Luch lost both of her parents in a senseless car wreck and had to move from NY to a farm in Michigan with an aunt she barely remembers. She had everything in NY. Living in a big Condo and wearing the best clothes. Having money meant nothing to her. She’s a typical 11 year old girl who’s life is turned upside down. I got very angry at her thoughout this book for being a smart mouthed brat. Then. I would cry with her when she felt her world crumbling again and again. It would have to be hard for a child to understand why things are the way they are, especially an 11 year old who had never had any worries before.
Aunt Jane has loses of her own and feels like she is to blame for them all. She has so much on her plate and then finds out she has an 11 year old coming that she is suppose to raise. She doesn’t know if she has what it takes to be a mother again. She feels she failed as a mother the first time. Her son is grown and in the army. She’s terrified of raising another child now but she knows she has to do what is right.
Lucy is suppose to have lots of money after losing her parents. She should have been a weathly young lady with no worries. But she has so many fears. Fear of grass being at the top of the list. Aunt Jane does all she can to help her get over this fear. Even making steps from a tree that fell on the house for her to walk on to different places on the farm. Neither Lucy or Aunt Jane realize that they need each other so much.
This is a story that will make you cry, laugh, feel hope and wonder what could possibly happen next. Lucy is kind hearted where she appears to be mean. She just needed to grow up some and to truly mourn the loss of her parents. Her mom is Aunt Lucy’s half sister but to them, Jane and Gloria, they were much more even when seperated for many years. Luis was a mexican immagrant who became an American citizen and tried to help his family get to America. Lucy meets several Mexican people at Aunt Jane’s farm and learns so much from them. They all are good hard working people who fear being sent back to a terrible life in Mexico.
This book will definitely tug at your heartstrings and pull you in and won’t let go until you read the very last word. It’s such a good story and I applaud the author for writing such a good story. Thank you for your compassion towards others. For making me feel like I was there.
I had to give it a 5 star rating. It was so good.
This is a touching story of love, loss and coming together. It’s about different people trying to make it in the US. In a time when so many are being treated so badly this story brings some hope that good still exists in this country.
From NY to Michigan and Mexico. Luch lost both of her parents in a senseless car wreck and had to move from NY to a farm in Michigan with an aunt she barely remembers. She had everything in NY. Living in a big Condo and wearing the best clothes. Having money meant nothing to her. She’s a typical 11 year old girl who’s life is turned upside down. I got very angry at her thoughout this book for being a smart mouthed brat. Then. I would cry with her when she felt her world crumbling again and again. It would have to be hard for a child to understand why things are the way they are, especially an 11 year old who had never had any worries before.
Aunt Jane has loses of her own and feels like she is to blame for them all. She has so much on her plate and then finds out she has an 11 year old coming that she is suppose to raise. She doesn’t know if she has what it takes to be a mother again. She feels she failed as a mother the first time. Her son is grown and in the army. She’s terrified of raising another child now but she knows she has to do what is right.
Lucy is suppose to have lots of money after losing her parents. She should have been a weathly young lady with no worries. But she has so many fears. Fear of grass being at the top of the list. Aunt Jane does all she can to help her get over this fear. Even making steps from a tree that fell on the house for her to walk on to different places on the farm. Neither Lucy or Aunt Jane realize that they need each other so much.
This is a story that will make you cry, laugh, feel hope and wonder what could possibly happen next. Lucy is kind hearted where she appears to be mean. She just needed to grow up some and to truly mourn the loss of her parents. Her mom is Aunt Lucy’s half sister but to them, Jane and Gloria, they were much more even when seperated for many years. Luis was a mexican immagrant who became an American citizen and tried to help his family get to America. Lucy meets several Mexican people at Aunt Jane’s farm and learns so much from them. They all are good hard working people who fear being sent back to a terrible life in Mexico.
This book will definitely tug at your heartstrings and pull you in and won’t let go until you read the very last word. It’s such a good story and I applaud the author for writing such a good story. Thank you for your compassion towards others. For making me feel like I was there.
I had to give it a 5 star rating. It was so good.
December 18, 2019
A decent read
Books that make me want to strangle small children just should on be on my “want to read” list. Nonetheless, this one slipped through.
Lucy is eleven and lives in NY. When her TV star mother and father are killed in an accident, she goes to live with her aunt, her mother’s half sister, in Michigan. Aunt Jane runs a farm and has her own baggage so taking charge of a girl - without being asked - is not in her future plans.
Lucy has a phobia, brought on by the accident, which is what drives me crazy. It is just, well, a little unlikely. I suppose Jane handles it far better than I would because, as noted above, it made me want to strangle Lucy.
This was a decent read. Well-paced, not too long, not too short. Good dialogue. The chapters successfully alternate between Lucy and Jane, a literary technique that is gaining popularity, but not often with this success.
Books that make me want to strangle small children just should on be on my “want to read” list. Nonetheless, this one slipped through.
Lucy is eleven and lives in NY. When her TV star mother and father are killed in an accident, she goes to live with her aunt, her mother’s half sister, in Michigan. Aunt Jane runs a farm and has her own baggage so taking charge of a girl - without being asked - is not in her future plans.
Lucy has a phobia, brought on by the accident, which is what drives me crazy. It is just, well, a little unlikely. I suppose Jane handles it far better than I would because, as noted above, it made me want to strangle Lucy.
This was a decent read. Well-paced, not too long, not too short. Good dialogue. The chapters successfully alternate between Lucy and Jane, a literary technique that is gaining popularity, but not often with this success.
March 8, 2023
As I'm listening to this book I had to keep reminding myself that the main character is 11 years old and I need to not hate her. At the same time I'm screaming at her for being whiny, narcissistic and completely out of touch with reality. Books like these always reiterate how much I don't want children. High five to artistic birth control.
An interesting story about family and phobias. How do you cope when your life is destroyed and you have to restart in a new place with a new cast of characters. What secrets is your family keeping from you that are meant to protect you but may be hindering you in the long run? Just because you're an adult doesn't mean that you made the right choices. The lies you have been telling yourself might not be as ridiculous as those of an 11 year old but they are just as harmful.
The end was a little too perfect and let a lot of characters off the hook without really dealing with everything. Still a decent read that was well written.
An interesting story about family and phobias. How do you cope when your life is destroyed and you have to restart in a new place with a new cast of characters. What secrets is your family keeping from you that are meant to protect you but may be hindering you in the long run? Just because you're an adult doesn't mean that you made the right choices. The lies you have been telling yourself might not be as ridiculous as those of an 11 year old but they are just as harmful.
The end was a little too perfect and let a lot of characters off the hook without really dealing with everything. Still a decent read that was well written.
May 7, 2018
This was an emotional novel! I enjoyed the way the characters’ emotions were depicted and the realistic issues that were portrayed. Jane has been struggling for years with what happened in her marriage and with her son over the years. She spends her days working on her remote farm in Michigan. Then one day she is notified that her half sister has died in an accident and she is now the guardian of her eleven-year-old niece, Lucy. Lucy moves from the city to go live with Jane. Author Cari Noga explores Jane and Lucy’s personal struggles and the interactions between them throughout her novel. She portrays how an older woman struggles with her past and at the same time how a young girl struggles with the changes and losses in her life. This story is about family, friendships, and the bonds they create. It is also about loss, grief, and overcoming these overwhelming events.
June 19, 2018
Chapters rotate between Jane's and Lucy's viewpoints. Lucy, age 11, lives in New York City. Jane, Lucy's aunt, lives on a small farm in Michigan. I don't want to give anything away, but you can pretty much tell from the book title that Lucy is the orphan daughter. Through a traumatic circumstance, Jane becomes Lucy's guardian. Lucy doesn't want to live with her Aunt, whom she has never met, but wants to move to Mexico to live with her father's relatives, even though she has never met them either. Characters are well developed: Jane, Lucy, Crop Share customers, migrant workers. The story is interesting and easy to follow, even jumping back and forth between the main characters.
I enjoyed the overall story, both Jane's and Lucy's backgrounds, and the developing relationships of all the characters.
I enjoyed the overall story, both Jane's and Lucy's backgrounds, and the developing relationships of all the characters.
May 11, 2019
it would be a shock to find out you have been named guardian for your estranged sister's eleven year-old daughter that you have not seen in years. The fact that she has been raised with wealth in New York City and you live on a farm in Minnesota raising organic vegetables barely making ends meet just adds to the concerns on both sides. So what do you do?? She comes to live with you as a very unhappy child with a whole host of problems and you feel like you have failed your now adult son due to the stillbirth of your baby daughter many years ago. This well written story shows us the many ups and downs of this situation as they work out their problems sometimes together and sometimes alone. After reading this story, I am sure you will ask yourself, what would I do? It will make you rethink your own life and the decisions you have made. Perhaps, we all need to make some changes.
July 17, 2019
I've read books in the past with this essential plot -- woman without child suddenly "inherits" a child after the death of her/his parents -- so I was a little worried that this might follow a similar path of struggle to assimilate followed by loving devotion. And it did move in that direction to some degree, but the path there seemed less "wondrous". I did marvel at Jane's patience a few times in light of the obstacles that Lucy's phobias created for both of them. I still felt that the emotional disconnect between them could have been more clearly portrayed, but generally it was an enjoyable read. I usually enjoy books told from dual points of view, because you gain a better perspective on the emotions each side is experiencing. I just thought the use of the technique was a bit weak here.
April 30, 2018
This is a good story. It is about a young lady named Lucy who lives with her parents in New York City. Her Mother’s sister is Jane and she lives in Michigan- rural Michigan- on a farm! Because of a family tragedy, little Lucy goes to live with Aunt Jane. Their relationship is tenuous at best. The story takes you through how both Jane and Lucy go through not liking each other at all to barely tolerating to Jane, the adult, loving her niece and finally Lucy, loving and trusting her Aunt. They are believable characters that I would like to know. Isn’t that what a good book should be like? Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union for allowing me to read an advance copy for my honest review. I will recommend to family and friends.
May 9, 2018
This is an emotionally charged story about an aunt taking in her orphaned niece to raise after losing her parents. It's difficult and challenging for both. Aunt Jane lives on a farm in Michigan and hasn't been able to keep in touch with her niece Lucy as much as she feels she should have. Lucy lives in NYC and is not used to the country life.
Told in alternating chapters from each of them you can see how much difficulty they are having melding into their own lives. Through sadness, love, heartache and reconciliation, this is a wonderful story.
Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union for allowing me to read an advanced readers copy and to the author Cari Noga for this beautifully written book. I recommend this book very highly, it definitely deserves 5 stars.
Told in alternating chapters from each of them you can see how much difficulty they are having melding into their own lives. Through sadness, love, heartache and reconciliation, this is a wonderful story.
Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union for allowing me to read an advanced readers copy and to the author Cari Noga for this beautifully written book. I recommend this book very highly, it definitely deserves 5 stars.
April 19, 2018
4 stars for The Orphan Daughter by Cari Noga. This is a heartbreaking story of loss, change and acceptance.
For Lucy, how does she carry her loss and her feelings of guilt? For Jane, how to care for a child she never expected to have that has many issues arising from the loss of her mother? It was very difficult for both of them, but while I sympathized with the positions they found themselves in, at certain times I wanted to yell at Jane to act like the adult in the room.
Overall, this was a good book and I'll definitely read something else by Ms. Noga, a new author to me. If you like women's fiction at all, this is a book I'd recommend.
For Lucy, how does she carry her loss and her feelings of guilt? For Jane, how to care for a child she never expected to have that has many issues arising from the loss of her mother? It was very difficult for both of them, but while I sympathized with the positions they found themselves in, at certain times I wanted to yell at Jane to act like the adult in the room.
Overall, this was a good book and I'll definitely read something else by Ms. Noga, a new author to me. If you like women's fiction at all, this is a book I'd recommend.
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