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Not My Daughter
by
Barbara Delinsky (Goodreads Author)
When Susan Tate's seventeen-year-old daughter, Lily, announces she is pregnant, Susan is stunned. A single mother, she has struggled to do everything right. She sees the pregnancy as an unimaginable tragedy for both Lily and herself.
Then comes word of two more pregnancies among high school juniors who happen to be Lily's best friends-and the town turns to talk of a pact. A ...more
Then comes word of two more pregnancies among high school juniors who happen to be Lily's best friends-and the town turns to talk of a pact. A ...more
Hardcover, 352 pages
Published
January 5th 2010
by Doubleday
(first published 2009)
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Community Reviews
(showing 1-30)
Dec 28, 2011
Tasha
rated it
it was ok
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
books-i-own,
read-in-2011
Although I have heard good things about Barbara Delinsky, I wasn't thoroughly impressed with her writing and I probably won't read more from her. I feel like I didn't gain a thing out of this book. The premise was appealing to me (pregnancy pact) but the book was really about what defines a 'good' mother. Which, as a mother myself, is also an appealing topic, but I just wasn't feeling this book. It went on and on about the same thing for countless pages. Even the epilogue was too drawn out!
The ...more
The ...more
The premice for this story was intriguing (though highly unlikely). Four 17-yr-old girls from good families make a pact to all become pregnant at the same time. (This isn't a "spoiler comment," because it occurs in the first few chapters). They don't want husbands, just babies. For no apparent reason. Which is what makes the girls unsympathetic protagonists. How can we feel sorry for those self-destructive immature idiots? Of course, they can't support themselves, so they expect to live with the
...more
Mar 22, 2012
Stephanie (Stepping out of the Page)
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
I really enjoyed this book. I felt as though it was well written and well developed. Although the novel featured several characters, it was clear and not confusing. Each character clearly had their own thoughts and feelings. The plot was an interesting one and I enjoyed the novel the whole way through. The book was well rounded up, which is something that I prefer when reading a novel. Definitely an author that I'd Iike to read more from.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I found this book to be exhausting and very frustrating. The insipid behavior of the girls in this book was just ridiculous. It is a baby, not a puppy or a stuffed animal. Then....the whole pact issue....It's a pact. No, it's not a pack. Yes, it is a pact. Well, maybe it is a pack behavior. At one point, who cares! The only part that made sense to me was Abby's reasoning for starting the "pact"...I could understand her thought process....but as for the rest of them...they should have gotten a pu
...more
I usually like Barbara Delinsky, and I did read this book to the end, but I thought it was pretty flat. The characters were underdeveloped and not real. Maybe my problem is that I just can't understand how teen-aged girls could enter into a pregnancy pact in the first place, but I also didn't buy the way the girls and their mothers reacted to it.
I have a confession: I feel mean writing the review I'm about to write.
I have a feeling that Delinsky is one of those bestselling authors who is bound by contract to produce a book every year (or at least every other year). The books sell because the fans are loyal, but the quality of the writing suffers.
The premise is compelling. Three teenage girls, best friends since childhood, have become pregnant. They have taken a pact to get pregnant and raise their children themselves, sans the fathers. ...more
I have a feeling that Delinsky is one of those bestselling authors who is bound by contract to produce a book every year (or at least every other year). The books sell because the fans are loyal, but the quality of the writing suffers.
The premise is compelling. Three teenage girls, best friends since childhood, have become pregnant. They have taken a pact to get pregnant and raise their children themselves, sans the fathers. ...more
Jan 09, 2012
Susan
rated it
liked it
Recommends it for:
women of all ages, book clubs
Recommended to Susan by:
book club
I read "Not My Daughter" by Barbara Delinsky as the book for this month for my new book club. I expected soap opera type drama and not much to think about...was I pleasantly surprised to find a compelling story with interesting characters. The premise is taken somewhat from newspaper headlines of an actual case that occurred several years ago. A group of girls, high achievers, happy, bright, well-adjusted from "good families" make a pact to get pregnant their senior year in high school. As I cou
...more
What constitutes a good mother? How much responsibility must a mother take for her daughter's poor choices?
These are the issues at the root of "Not My Daughter." Susan Tate is a single mom to her seventeen-year-old daughter Lily. She had her own daughter at seventeen, her parents threw her out, and she has had to struggle alone for all these years. She has made something of her life and stubbornly clings to the hard-won control over her life. She is the principal at her daughter's school. At age ...more
These are the issues at the root of "Not My Daughter." Susan Tate is a single mom to her seventeen-year-old daughter Lily. She had her own daughter at seventeen, her parents threw her out, and she has had to struggle alone for all these years. She has made something of her life and stubbornly clings to the hard-won control over her life. She is the principal at her daughter's school. At age ...more
Three bright, college bound teens make a pact to become pregnant and have babies. News of the pact is quickly leaked by one of the friends. The community's anger and disappointment is soon turned on one of the mothers......also the principal of the highschool. The mother having been pregnant herself at seventeen but still making a successful life.
The story drew me in when I wondered, 'What the heck were they thinking?" And then......pft, what they were thinking was never really explained. The gi ...more
The story drew me in when I wondered, 'What the heck were they thinking?" And then......pft, what they were thinking was never really explained. The gi ...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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"Well, I know if I were in that situation I'd..."
How many times do we say that to ourselves, especially when it comes to the problems, struggles, and trials of others? "Not My Daughter" provides plenty of opportunities for reflection upon what we would do in a host of situations both large and small.
Susan is the mother of a 17 year-old who gets pregnant on purpose. As an unmarried woman who had her daughter at 18, she finds herself thrown into a situation she never anticipated. The problem is c ...more
How many times do we say that to ourselves, especially when it comes to the problems, struggles, and trials of others? "Not My Daughter" provides plenty of opportunities for reflection upon what we would do in a host of situations both large and small.
Susan is the mother of a 17 year-old who gets pregnant on purpose. As an unmarried woman who had her daughter at 18, she finds herself thrown into a situation she never anticipated. The problem is c ...more
This is one of those books where the discussion and questions brought up after reading are stronger than the actual book itself. The book chronicles the experience of Susan Tate: a single mother of one seventeen year old girl. A girl who happens to be pregnant along with two of her very best friends. It's news that rocks their small town: a pregnancy pact. To make things a little more interesting, Susan Tate is the acting principal at the high school all three girls attend, appointed in spite of
...more
A fictionalized version of the real-life “Pregnancy Pact,” that took place in 2008, in Gloucester, Massachusetts with 17 high school girls expecting babies. This story takes place in the fabricated, small town of Zaganack, near the coast of Maine and only has three pregnant teenagers. One is Lily. Her mother Susan, is the principal of the high school. Lily and Susan are best friends with mother-duo’s of Kate and Mary Kate, Jessica and Sunny, and Pam and Abby. The books strongest point, is how th
...more
Not my usual choice of literature, this book is definitely chick-lit. The reason I was interested is that it was inspired by a 2008 report of a pregnancy pact in Gloucester, Mass. In this story, 3 supposedly bright, college-bound Seniors make a pact to get pregnant at 17 because. . . . .and here's where the story gets fuzzy. Understanding that the girls were best friends and thought it would be cool for their kids to be best friends too, and that the girls loved babies, I still couldn't buy the
...more
Once again, Barbara Delinsky explores family relationships and their far reaching consequences in a compelling tale of desire and responsibility, of love and trust. In “Not My Daughter,” the subject of teenage pregnancies is the catalyst for other issues. With well developed characters and plot, Ms. Delinsky illustrates how a single decision can affect so many, even to the point of dredging up old problems from years before that were never resolved. When it becomes apparent that one mother may l
...more
I've always loved Barbara Delinsky's books and this was no exception. I thought that it offered tasteful insight into the world on teenage pregnancy and the repercussions that take place. There were certain parts that I got angry, like the fact that the school board and the townspeople wanted to point the finger at Susan(namely, because she was the school principal)and I found myself wanting to shake Susan's mother because she was so cold and unforgiving. And then there were the sad parts(Susan'
...more
Not my daughter sheds some light on teenage pregnancy and the shadow it casts upon the family of the teenage mother.
Even though I did feel some sympathy for the girl, I felt quite a bit of sympathy for the mother. I don't even have children, but my best friend in high school, who is still my best friend today, had a son when she was sixteen. I never thought about what people said about her mom behind her back, but this book made me consider the ideas.
Good story.
Even though I did feel some sympathy for the girl, I felt quite a bit of sympathy for the mother. I don't even have children, but my best friend in high school, who is still my best friend today, had a son when she was sixteen. I never thought about what people said about her mom behind her back, but this book made me consider the ideas.
Good story.
Abby, Jessica, Mary Kate, and Lily are best friends that do everything together, including getting pregnant. The pact results in one miscarriage, three pregnancies, and many bewildered and stricken parents. As the moms are best friends themselves, they turn to each other for support and try to figure out the next step. When Abby outs the others at school, Lily's mom Susan - the high school principal - find herself fighting for the rights of the three pregnant teens, as well as her job and her re
...more
Just started but a book not to be put down....must finish! Finished today and must say was a "dont put down" book..had tears parts because I related personally to this book, but a happy ending....it shows what mother-daughter-grandmother relationships are all about and how we should all get along....definitely worth reading...
Not My Daughter is about a single mother, Susan, who is the principal of a high school in a small, conservative town, and her daughter, Lily, who becomes pregnant at 17. History is repeating itself, since Susan also got pregnant at 17, and raised her daughter, Lily on her own. The difference is that Susan did not plan on getting pregnant, while Lily did. In fact she made a pact with a group of friends and a total of 3 of them end up pregnant. Lily is a high achieving student and I had to suspend
...more
Not My Daughter tackles a topic that gets a whiff of media attention every now and then - pacts.
In this book a group of 17 year old seniors all end up pregnant within weeks of each other and it comes out that they made a pact to all get and be pregnant together and then raise their babies together. Seemed so easy and cut and dry to them. Never mind the boys who fathered, unknowingly, the babies. Never mind their siblings who would have to endure teasing and scorn. Never mind their parents who h ...more
In this book a group of 17 year old seniors all end up pregnant within weeks of each other and it comes out that they made a pact to all get and be pregnant together and then raise their babies together. Seemed so easy and cut and dry to them. Never mind the boys who fathered, unknowingly, the babies. Never mind their siblings who would have to endure teasing and scorn. Never mind their parents who h ...more
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Every time I think this is my favorite book by BD (like More Than Friends then The Secret Between us then While My Sister Sleeps) she writes another book and I love it even more. This book is my most favorite of her books. I loved every part of this book. I knit so I loved how the characters have their own knit shop. I like how she applied the knitting to life experiences. I had a daughter at 18 so I could relate with Susan due to then it was taboo and you didn't do that. I was hidden from peopl
...more
a melodramatic tear jerker. A bizarre subject . Three accomplished, alpha type high school girls aged seventeen who are on a pregnancy pact. They get pregnant out of choice - after trying for a few months, without the knowledge of their boy friends, and tell their moms only when they are nearing the end of first trimester so that abortion is not a very viable option. One of the mothers is the principal of the high school, who, herself was a teenage unwed mother (pregnancy was unplanned, but she
...more
First let me say that I always seem to enjoy a Barbara Delinsky book. Not just because she is a New England author, but because her stories most always about real life situations. This particular novel is about a subject that would make most mothers of teenage girls cringe: A Pregnancy Pact.
In a nutshell Lily, Mary Kate and Jess are three teenage girls, lifelong friends, who decide it would be a great idea to get pregnant at the same time, so that their babies too could be friends. The girls are ...more
In a nutshell Lily, Mary Kate and Jess are three teenage girls, lifelong friends, who decide it would be a great idea to get pregnant at the same time, so that their babies too could be friends. The girls are ...more
This was the first Delinsky book that I've read. I might read another, but I don't feel compelled to do so (as I do with some authors because I just can't wait to read more of what they have to say). In this book, a small town principal's daughter is involved in a local scandal (that eventually becomes more than merely a local scandal) and the entire family (but especially the single-mother principal) must deal with the fallout. I found the description of the community gossip and school board fu
...more
I cannot say I fully enjoyed this one as much as I wanted to, but I didnt hate it either.
A first for me from this author and I really was expecting more from it because of the subject matter, and it did start off well, but didnt get quite as good as what I was expecting.
I didnt read any previous reviews of this so didnt realise it had so many mixed reviews, so I went into this not knowing what to expect, but somehow expected more.
It wasnt the writing style so much, but the characters. I really d ...more
A first for me from this author and I really was expecting more from it because of the subject matter, and it did start off well, but didnt get quite as good as what I was expecting.
I didnt read any previous reviews of this so didnt realise it had so many mixed reviews, so I went into this not knowing what to expect, but somehow expected more.
It wasnt the writing style so much, but the characters. I really d ...more
When high school principal Susan finds out that her seventeen-year old daughter is pregnant, she is not happy, but when she finds out that two of her closest friends are also pregnant, she is horrified. The girls had a pact, and all three pregnancies were planned. Susan had become pregnant herself at the same age, and knew all too well what was ahead for her daughter. Soon it becomes more than just a family issue; Susan's competency as the high school principal of the same northeastern town beco
...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madison Mega-Mara...: #74 Not My Daughter | 1 | 2 | Aug 05, 2014 01:14PM | |
| Aiossa's 14/15 Se...: Desiree Cain goodreadr #5 | 1 | 1 | Feb 08, 2013 12:47PM | |
| This book could have been written better | 2 | 36 | Sep 10, 2011 11:47AM | |
| (Lifetime's The Pregnancy Pact)*(Desperate Housewives)=Not My Daughter | 1 | 19 | Aug 01, 2011 09:00PM |
I was born and raised in suburban Boston. My mother’s death, when I was eight, was the defining event of a childhood that was otherwise ordinary. I took piano lessons and flute lessons. I took ballroom dancing lessons. I went to summer camp through my fifteenth year (in Maine, which explains the setting of so many of my stories), then spent my sixteenth summer learning to type and to drive (two sk
...more
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“You have a fuchsia heart. And a fuchsia heart doesn't die, it simply bides its time, taking a backseat to pragmatism, all while leaking helpless drops of color here and there. Hence, teal gables, turquoise earrings, and saffron scarves.”
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