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Caroline's Daughters
“Alice Adams writes with beautiful economy, an infallible sense of the telling detail—she can reveal more in a few sentences than most writers do in a bulgingly over-fed chapter.” --San Francisco Chronicle
Once again, Alice Adams demonstrates her mastery of the family maze, her astonishing perception of the delicate and complex threads that bind us to one another.
Caroline Carter, “almost rich and almost old,” has five daughters from three marriages. As she assesses exactly what it means to be a mother to adult daughters, we follow them over the course of a year, in relation to their husbands and lovers. We see their deceptions, pleasures, triumphs, and setbacks. And we watch Caroline, as her own life changes irrevocably.
Once again, Alice Adams demonstrates her mastery of the family maze, her astonishing perception of the delicate and complex threads that bind us to one another.
Caroline Carter, “almost rich and almost old,” has five daughters from three marriages. As she assesses exactly what it means to be a mother to adult daughters, we follow them over the course of a year, in relation to their husbands and lovers. We see their deceptions, pleasures, triumphs, and setbacks. And we watch Caroline, as her own life changes irrevocably.
- GenresFiction
307 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1991
About the author
Alice Adams
67 books50 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Alice Adams was an American novelist, short story writer, academic and university professor.
She was born in Fredericksburg, Virginia and attended Radcliffe College, graduating in 1946. She married, and had a child, but her marriage broke up, and she spent several years as a single mother, working as a secretary. Her psychiatrist told her to give up writing and get remarried; instead she published her first novel, Careless Love (1966), and a few years later she published her first short story in The New Yorker. She wrote many novels but she's best known for her short stories, in collections such as After You've Gone (1989) and The Last Lovely City (1999).
She won numerous awards including the O. Henry Award, and Best American Short Stories Award.
Alice Adams was an American novelist, short story writer, academic and university professor.
She was born in Fredericksburg, Virginia and attended Radcliffe College, graduating in 1946. She married, and had a child, but her marriage broke up, and she spent several years as a single mother, working as a secretary. Her psychiatrist told her to give up writing and get remarried; instead she published her first novel, Careless Love (1966), and a few years later she published her first short story in The New Yorker. She wrote many novels but she's best known for her short stories, in collections such as After You've Gone (1989) and The Last Lovely City (1999).
She won numerous awards including the O. Henry Award, and Best American Short Stories Award.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
November 18, 2023
What a great book
September 7, 2016
The place is San Francisco.
The time: the late 1980s.
We enter the interconnected lives of a mother and her five daughters (by three marriages) women as diverse and diverting as the city they inhabit. This is the part that got me interested. Carline Cater, impeccably New England, "almost rich and almost old," is just back after a five-year absence abroad. She is happy to be near her daughters, yet uneasy about how much of a mother she still should be-uneasy about the paths their lives have taken... Sage, forty-one, the eldest, dark, too thin, is a "bravely unsuccessful" ceramicist with a too handsome, too young, and probably unfaithful husband. She is still friends (and secretly in love) with her stepfather, Caroline's second husband. This is the part that kind of got me wondering....Liza, thirty-five, the pretty one, though a bit on the heavy side, is everyone's favorite. She is married happily to a psychiatrist, mother of three children, victim of the "perfect life" which keeps her from her deepest desire..Fiona, thirty-three, well-off and well-turned-out, owner of this year's trendy California-cusine restaurant on Potrero Hill is self-absorbed beyong even her mother's patience...Jill, thirty-one, the secretive one, is a lover of all things expensive. She is a lawyer who supplements her more-than-adequate income in a startling and dangerous way. Portia, twenty-five, the youngest is a sometime poet, sometime horticulturist-a loner who manages to involve herself disastrously in other people's lives....Following Caroline's daughters over the course of a year, we see them in relation to their husbands and lovers.
We see their decpetions, pleasures, triumphs and setbacks. And throught is all, we watch Caroline-elegant and self-possessed even as her own life irrevocably changes.
It's always about the mothers isn't?
-Miss Kelsey's Review
The time: the late 1980s.
We enter the interconnected lives of a mother and her five daughters (by three marriages) women as diverse and diverting as the city they inhabit. This is the part that got me interested. Carline Cater, impeccably New England, "almost rich and almost old," is just back after a five-year absence abroad. She is happy to be near her daughters, yet uneasy about how much of a mother she still should be-uneasy about the paths their lives have taken... Sage, forty-one, the eldest, dark, too thin, is a "bravely unsuccessful" ceramicist with a too handsome, too young, and probably unfaithful husband. She is still friends (and secretly in love) with her stepfather, Caroline's second husband. This is the part that kind of got me wondering....Liza, thirty-five, the pretty one, though a bit on the heavy side, is everyone's favorite. She is married happily to a psychiatrist, mother of three children, victim of the "perfect life" which keeps her from her deepest desire..Fiona, thirty-three, well-off and well-turned-out, owner of this year's trendy California-cusine restaurant on Potrero Hill is self-absorbed beyong even her mother's patience...Jill, thirty-one, the secretive one, is a lover of all things expensive. She is a lawyer who supplements her more-than-adequate income in a startling and dangerous way. Portia, twenty-five, the youngest is a sometime poet, sometime horticulturist-a loner who manages to involve herself disastrously in other people's lives....Following Caroline's daughters over the course of a year, we see them in relation to their husbands and lovers.
We see their decpetions, pleasures, triumphs and setbacks. And throught is all, we watch Caroline-elegant and self-possessed even as her own life irrevocably changes.
It's always about the mothers isn't?
-Miss Kelsey's Review
October 29, 2019
5% = 1 Star
Giving negative reviews is really unpleasant - i'd just like to start there.
I didn't like this book but moreover what bothers me about it is that I am trying very hard to find something positive about it, something to learn from it, but..
Giving negative reviews is really unpleasant - i'd just like to start there.
I didn't like this book but moreover what bothers me about it is that I am trying very hard to find something positive about it, something to learn from it, but..
March 11, 2009
My "life's-too-short-for-this-book" moment arrived when I found myself rolling my eyes and muttering out loud on page 179. We're through.
September 12, 2014
This book could not hold my attention for more than 3 and a half chapters. The characters made me groan audibly. I think they all needed to pull their heads out of their asses.
November 12, 2025
I love Alice Adams' short stories, but this was my first full-length novel by her and which the characters were charming at first it read a little Danielle Steele. Also there was a lot of weirdly incestual stuff happening (parents refering to their children as "sexy", and a lusty relationship between a daughter and her former stepdad (who raised her), and scenes with SA that were murky and turned into jokes at times. Also chracters are described as being "5'7 and just under 90lbs" which seems insane??
September 11, 2021
Tags: 3 marriages, 5 daughters (half-sisters, mostly), San Francisco, gay people, yuppies, AIDS, politics, infidelity and scandal.
Caroline's daughters are people you know. Among their sheltered lives, jobs and family affairs, they create drama, have fights and work towards their dreams.
Adams' writing is really very detailed and thorough, allowing you to see all details, feel like you are actually there in San Francisco with the girls.
Caroline's daughters are people you know. Among their sheltered lives, jobs and family affairs, they create drama, have fights and work towards their dreams.
Adams' writing is really very detailed and thorough, allowing you to see all details, feel like you are actually there in San Francisco with the girls.
August 5, 2025
In looking for something good to read, I decided to clean out my bookcases and read some books that have been sitting there for a while. I read the first four chapters of this book. It was so boring that I went to the end to see if anything happened during the book. Did not hold my attention and I did not finish.
January 22, 2023
Wealthy San Francisco family, too sexualized, the ending flops: like she ran out of ideas & just quit writing. They have 5 daughters: a sculptor, mother of 3/novelist, restauranteur, lawyer/call girl, lesbian.
December 3, 2023
This was an engrossing read, perfect for the airplane. Some of the characters were annoying and I didn't feel especially warmed or moved by the message about the selfishness of the 80s, but it was entertaining nonetheless.
August 13, 2019
Great read, particularly if you lived in SF during the 1980’s.
July 13, 2020
The story and the characters were not believable. I did not finish this book
January 28, 2021
I enjoyed it, but I had forgotten how insufferable San Francisco was in the 80s.
Want to Read
May 9, 2022Heidi H loves the author, recommends this book
September 13, 2022
One of the reviews said the words “family maze.” I think that describes it perfectly. Numerous POV. Some pretty interesting characters, swapping partners, cheating spouses, etc.
February 11, 2024
A family of adult half sisters has sex with one another’s husbands and stepfathers. I kept wanting to put it down but then more shit kept happening.
July 6, 2024
A charming story about a charming family that seems to fool around an awful lot. Nice for a beach read.
November 9, 2016
The place is San Francisco. The time: the late 1980s. We enter the interconnected lives of a mother and her five daughters (by three marriages) women as diverse and diverting as the city they inhabit. This is the part that got me interested. Carline Cater, impeccably New England, "almost rich and almost old," is just back after a five-year absence abroad. She is happy to be near her daughters, yet uneasy about how much of a mother she still should be-uneasy about the paths their lives have taken... Sage, forty-one, the eldest, dark, too thin, is a "bravely unsuccessful" ceramicist with a too handsome, too young, and probably unfaithful husband. She is still friends (and secretly in love) with her stepfather, Caroline's second husband. This is the part that kind of got me wondering....Liza, thirty-five, the pretty one, though a bit on the heavy side, is everyone's favorite. She is married happily to a psychiatrist, mother of three children, victim of the "perfect life" which keeps her from her deepest desire..Fiona, thirty-three, well-off and well-turned-out, owner of this year's trendy California-cusine restaurant on Potrero Hill is self-absorbed beyong even her mother's patience...Jill, thirty-one, the secretive one, is a lover of all things expensive. She is a lawyer who supplements her more-than-adequate income in a startling and dangerous way. Cool! Something cool just popped up. Portia, twenty-five, the youngest is a sometime poet, sometime horticulturist-a loner who manages to involve herself disastrously in other people's lives....Following Caroline's daughters over the course of a year, we see them in relation to their husbands and lovers. We see their decpetions, pleasures, triumphs and setbacks. And throught is all, we watch Caroline-elegant and self-possessed even as her own life irrevocably changes. It's always about the mothers isn't?
November 26, 2009
Story of mother & five daughters who live in San Francisco in the ‘80’s. Too many good things happen to the lot and make the story unbelievable. Mother is married 3x, daughters unknowingly share the same man as lovers, one sister cheats with another sister’s husband. All 5 are successful (writer, attorney, restaurant owner, etc.)
February 26, 2015
Very interesting. It kept me riveted, but yet it wasn't that great and I didn't really care about the characters. It was just the author's style that made me keep reading. Not sure if I would recommend to others.
June 2, 2007
Though I found myself pulled into the story for the greater part of the book, the end left me feeling like I had wasted my time.
April 25, 2008
Story of a mother of five grown daughters and their life dilemmas, set in San Francisco in the 1980s.
July 17, 2008
Average, at best.
August 27, 2008
I too felt let down by the ending of the book. There was no closure for me.
November 19, 2009
Read in 2008
June 24, 2012
I liked Alice Adam's style of writing but the book seemed to have no plot. None of the characters was particularly likeable.
October 10, 2012
Not her strongest, but still a "Good Read".
May 26, 2014
Is it me, or does Alice Adams write 75% of Lifetime Moves? I don't watch that many of them, but after reading two and a half of Alice Adam's books, I'm done.
July 5, 2008
Interesting development of female relationships in a family. Light reading
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews