The Good Daughters

by Joyce Maynard

The bestselling author of Labor Day returns with a spellbinding novel about friendship, family secrets, and the strange twists of fate that shape our lives

The Good Daughters

They were born on the same day, in the same small New Hampshire hospital, into families that could hardly have been less alike.

Ruth Plank is an artist and a romantic with a rich, passionate, imaginative life. The last of five girls born to a gentle, caring farmer and his stolid wife, she yearns to soar beyond the confines of the land that has been her family's birthright for generations.

Dana Dickerson is a scientist and realist whose faith is firmly planted in the natural world. Raised by a pair of capricious drifters who waste their lives on failed dreams, she longs for stability and rootedness.

Different in nearly every way, Ruth and Dana share a need to make sense of who they are and to find their places in a world in which neither has ever truly felt she belonged. They also share a love for Dana's wild and beautiful older brother, Ray, who will leave an indelible mark on both their hearts.

Told in the alternating voices of Ruth and Dana, The Good Daughters follows these "birthday sisters" as they make their way from the 1950s to the present. Master storyteller Joyce Maynard chronicles the unlikely ways the two women's lives parallel and intersect—from childhood and adolescence to first loves, first sex, marriage, and parenthood; from the deaths of parents to divorce, the loss of home, and the loss of a beloved partner—until past secrets and forgotten memories unexpectedly come to light, forcing them to reevaluate themselves and each other.

Moving from rural New Hampshire to a remote island in British Columbia to the '70s Boston art-school scene, The Good Daughters is an unforgettable story about the ties of home and family, the devastating force of love, the healing power of forgiveness, and the desire to know who we are.

Genres: Fiction, Book Club, Historical Fiction, Contemporary, Audiobook, Family, Drama

276 pages, Paperback

First published August 9, 2010

About the author

Joyce Maynard first came to national attention with the publication of her New York Times cover story “An Eighteen-Year-Old Looks Back on Life” in 1973, when she was a freshman at Yale. Since then, she has been a reporter and columnist for The New York Times, a syndicated newspaper columnist whose “Domestic Affairs” column appeared in more than fifty papers nationwide, a regular contributor to NPR. Her writing has also been published in national magazines, including O, The Oprah Magazine; Newsweek; The New York Times Magazine; Forbes; Salon; San Francisco Magazine, USA Weekly; and many more. She has appeared on Good Morning America, The Today Show, CNN, Hardball with Chris Matthews, Charlie Rose, and on Fresh Air. Essays of hers appear in numerous collections. She has been a fellow at Yaddo, UCross, and The MacDowell Colony, where she wrote her most recently published novel, Labor Day.

The author of many books of fiction and nonfiction, including the novel To Die For (in which she also plays the role of Nicole Kidman’s attorney) and the bestselling memoir, At Home in the World, Maynard makes her home in Mill Valley, California. Her novel, The Usual Rules—a story about surviving loss—has been a favorite of book club audiences of all ages, and was chosen by the American Library Association as one of the ten best books for young readers for 2003.

Joyce Maynard also runs the Lake Atitlan Writing Workshop in Guatemala, founded in 2002.

Reviews

[PorshaJo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating 3.75

The last few books I read were kinda duds for me. I couldn't find the next book to read that I could get it into. I was worried I was falling into a book slump. So naturally, I immediately fell back to a Joyce Maynard book, knowing that I would enjoy it and it would be comforting.

The Good Daughters tells the story of two girls, Dana Dickerson and Ruth Plank. The story is told in alternating view points of the girls from a very young age until late in their lives. The story is also about family secrets and how devastating they can be and have such a lasting impact. I don't want to say more to ruin this one. But there was at one point where I figured it out, not completely, but enough to make me squirm. It is quite sad also. I can't say this one would be for everyone due to the subject matter.

Overall, I'm glad I read this one but didn't enjoy it as much as I've enjoyed her other books. So I gave it a lower rating than the others. I listened to the audio and one of narrators was Maynard, so I was enthralled (I love to hear her narrations) and the other, the female narrator, sometimes read very, very slow. It was during crucial parts of the story only. There was also a male narrator who both opened and closed the book. In the end, this one really fit the bill for me. I feel rejuvenated in my reading again. Plus, I crossed another Maynard book off of my list.

[Allie · Rating 1 out of 5]

SPOILER ALERT. If you haven't read the book and you don't want spoiler, don't read this.

The more I thought about, the more I knew I had to change this to a one-star rating. Don't even bother with this book. Here's what really ticks me off about the book -- after getting 3/4 of the way through it, I find out the entire story is based on a stupid, flimsy premise. I figured out pretty early on that the two "birthday sisters" (which is what the one mother called them since they were born on the same day at the same hospital), were actually switched at birth. But the stupid thing is that at least one of the mothers knew it, and the father knew it, and they didn't do anything about it, and the one mother who knew it accepted it. Then what's even more stupid is that the father who knew the babies were switched wanted to keep it that way because he had actually fathered both babies. So here's this man whose character is portrayed as a solid guy, hard-working farmer, and good father, who actually had a one-night stand with a woman, impregnated her, and went home and impregnated his wife. And the wife stood for it? On top of that, the one daughter fell in love was the other daughter's brother and they lived together and had mad, passionate sex - but they were siblings and didn't know it (Of course, it wasn't a surprise to me because I had already figured it out). By the end of the book, it was as if I just watched a really really bad soap opera. So, don't bother with this book - it's a complete waste of time.

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 It was a hard book to sit through once you figured the direction it was heading in. It was seriously icky and squirm worthy during some of the passages, this book takes you on an uncomfortable ride but Joyce Maynard still manages to write in a way that didn’t make it feel unsavoury. It’s a sad story with lots of layers of complexity so this wasn’t a happy tale by any means. I can’t say I loved it but I enjoy the writing even though the book took a turn to a place I was not expecting before heading in, maybe reading some reviews prior might have prepared me a little better.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Good Daughters is an interesting story about family following two women that were raised like sisters throughout their life. The story is told alternating between Ruth and Dana’s perspectives as they grow up. Both women are very different but have similar struggles. I really enjoyed how different these characters were and the different problems they struggled with. Their lives intersect and converge as they grow up. They are neighbors born on the same day but grew up with drastically different home lives. Their families always stay close. The ending has an unexpected twist that I didn’t see coming. The twist was my favorite part of the book and so crazy. This is a great story of family and discusses the true meaning of family. I enjoyed all of the complexities in the story. I recommend The Good Daughters to anyone that likes character focused books about family.

Thank you William Morrow and NetGalley for The Good Daughters.

Full Review Coming Soon: https://justreadingjess.wordpress.com/

[Lynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!!! What an amazing story by an excellent storyteller!!! There is soooo much emotion in this book. So many daughters. I listened to it and it was so very interesting. Yet about a somewhat mundane subject. I want to inhale everything this author touches.

[TK · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this review in one big gulp over a long summer weekend this year. it's one of the best novels I have read in a good long while, and I recommend it to just about everyone except perhaps those among you who have hearts of stone, no sense of humor or are unduly boring and conservative in your values.

Maynard is a talented writer, and this novel is crafty and evocative. I appreciated the multiple meanings of the title, and that the earthy and everyday metaphors and similies Maynard uses, in plain straightforward New Englander talk, were ones that her characters (farmers and artists) would have used to describe their world and their life. The love story between Dana and Clarice was a beautiful, sparkling thing, and some of their chapters made me cry on the Long Island Rail Road as I read them!

THE GOOD DAUGHTERS is both intensely personal and universal; Maynard leaves things (big and small) in THE GOOD DAUGHTERS for your readers to pick up and recognize as their own.

The scope of this novel is so satisfying, I enjoyed knowing these folks lives from start to finish. It's immensely reassuring--the characters move through an awful lot of heartache and rejection to get to their peaceful place on the farm, but they do indeed get to that peaceful place.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 3 out of 5]

Look at the title. Look at the cover. Look at the author.

Be honest with yourself. You knew what you were getting when you decided to read this book.

Emotional conflict. Drama. Woman's point of view. Right?

If that's what you sought, you will rate this book high.

If you were expecting Tom Clancy, you aren't going to make it past chapter one. (Hint: Next time look for a submarine or a big gun on the front cover.)

But is it literary? I can hear you on the back row ask.

Oh dear. I'd rather you read the book and decide for yourself.

You are really putting me on the spot, aren't you, Bossy Reader in the Back?

Okay. If you are forcing me to give my opinion I'd say it falls somewhere between a genre mystery and one of the many novels you see from a first time author just out of writing school. Competent. Energetic. A surprise or two.

There. Now, go and try it for yourself. And thank you to HarperCollins for sending me this lovely copy.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! I love Joyce Maynard’s writing. . . It’s simple and poetic at the same time. Not necessarily something going on in every page, but never boring.

I am perplexed as to why this book isn’t rated higher, but to each his or her own. Sometimes I don’t like a book that everyone else seems to love and vice versa. Diversity make the world a more interesting place. I felt these characters were interesting and felt the plot was creative. But I’m not going to say anything more about the plot. I think it’s best to go into this one cold and just let the story unravel . . . Keep an open mind and an open heart.

Joyce Maynard really captures what it feels like to fall in love , to lose love and to experience grief. I always feel I connect with the characters on some level. I’m transported to another world and yet I’m often reminded or reacquainted with a part of myself. Not that many writers can do that for me.

After I finished the book , I played Joni Mitchell’s Blue album , which I haven’t listened to in years. 💙

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found Part 1 a bit slow and boring but I couldn't put the book down for Part 2....was a bit of a tear jerker.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Usually I get annoyed when there's a plot twist that I can see coming a mile away (example? SPOILER ALERT: Darth Vader is Luke's father. oh, and Leia's his sister). For some reason, even though I figured out what the plot twist was in this book, it didn't bother me.

There are three daughters here: Ruth Plank, fifth daughter of Edwin and Connie; Dana Dickinson, daughter of Val and George; and a new strawberry hybrid (I'm not kidding). Ruth and Dana are "birthday sisters", born nine months after a massive hurricane hits their rural NH town. Ruth's family, the Planks, have owned their farm since the 1700s, and while Ruth doesn't really fit in, she adores her father and helps out around the farm to be with him. Dana's family is one of those unsettled families, moving ever few years; the only constants are the George will have yet another failed get-rich-quick scheme and that the Planks and the Dickinsons will see each other for two brief visits every year.

Their lives intertwine more than just these visits, as Ruth has a massive crush on Ray (Dana's older brother), while Dana eventually becomes a farmer and successfully patents Edwin's strawberry. To reveal more would give away the plot twist.

This isn't an action-packed book, but the raveling and unraveling of their lives is well worth the read.

ARC provided by publisher

[Michele Harrod · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a long time since I read a book and had to go and find space alone, so I could allow the tears to freely pour down my face and drip onto my chest, as I experienced moments of intense love and loss - with characters that I had come to care for immensely, despite their frailties and failings. Most extraordinary, was knowing within 3 chapters exactly where the book was going, and being utterly astounded that the characters took 50 odd years to figure it all out? Yet, I loved them anyway. And I wonder if in fact, that magical thing about families is - that lies seem to hide so utterly well within them, simply because they are the place we least expect to find them.

Told from the perspective of the two main characters, Ruth and Dana, who are as different as chalk and cheese and don't particularly like each other, despite Ruth's mother insisting on maintaining a family friendship as both girls were born on the same day. Just a beautiful book, about family, and how it is possible to love as best you can, but it still, at times, not be quite enough. How redemption can lie deep within the heart of all accumulated failings. And a reminder that forgiveness is the only thing that can ever set you free.

A book that reminds you of loves great pleasure and her inevitable pain. It was harrowing, it was fabulous. I loved every page.

[Barb H · Rating 3 out of 5]

The rhythms of Nature and the seasons courses with natural cadence through this bittersweet novel by Joyce Maynard. It is the tale of two very dissimilar families. One is a farming family, existing in the routine of life created by their environment and the requirements of their work. The other is smaller, less organized, less traditional group, who lead a more erratic life, living from hand-to-mouth.

Maynard has deftly described the life of two daughters of these families. The emotional experiences and the development of these young ladies is palpable throughout. Family relationships are clearly interpreted, along with the dynamics of love, loss, friendship and yearning. Their stories are voiced capably throughout the book in alternating chapters.

Although there was an unexpected turn of events to this narrative, I had inklings of the twist prior to the author’s revelation. Despite this, I was not completely prepared for the decisive revelation.

Some of the more interesting features of this book lay in the stories of the crops, hybridization and animal culture. Maynard disclosed through her characters the painstaking processes of cross breeding plants and development of new genetic cross pollination. This confirmed my belief that one can frequently enhance learning through a work of fiction.

Although I preferred Maynard's, Labor Day, her ability to voice human emotions clearly continues to shine through. I would prefer to rate this at 3.5 stars.

[Elyse Walters · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it!!! I like Joyce Maynard!

[Elizabeth of Silver's Reviews]

What a heartwarming, cozy, feel good read.....a sweet, nostalgic book...but with all good things there usually are regrets, heartbreak, and secrets. I really enjoyed this book...you will be surprised at who/what the "good daughters" turn out to be and will also learn some fun agricultural facts about fruits and vegetables.

Dana and Ruth were born on the same day, but they came from two completely different backgrounds. Dana Dickerson had a childhood that wasn't stable, and Ruth Plank had one that was totally what a childhood should be. Dana's parents were flighty, moved around, and their father never held a job for too long...her mother was an artist and acted as though she didn't even have any children. Dana actually never even called her parents Mom and Dad. Ruth's parents were very down to earth, had a farm to take care of, made sure their children were taken care of, and were called Mom and Dad.

Ruth's mother felt some sort of kinship with Dana's mother since their children were both born on the same day, even though Dana's mother laughed at Ruth. Ruth's mother would make a point of visiting the Dickersons each year even though it was a long trip and as usual an uneventful, uncomfortable, and unfriendly occasion.

The book continued by describing the lives of the two families during the 1950's with the focus on the girls and their choices of careers and partners that of course had been affected by their family and childhood.

I really enjoyed the book...it was during the time I was a child, and I could relate to some of the situations...if you liked The Glass Castle, you will like this as well. My rating is a 5/5. Great story.

[Donna Weber ( Recuperating from Surgery)]

So many thing to like in this book. But what if, early on, the reader is privy to major twists the characters themselves have no idea about? Still thinking about.





Spoiler Alert

What if one of the major twists is HUGE, in a very upsetting way, and the character, who I liked, had an extremely blasé reaction to it?? Like, apparently, no big deal...but it is an extremely big deal!

[Mara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maynard's premise in this book is an interesting one. Unfortunately, her efforts to be coy about that premise result only in heavy-handed foreshadowing that really leaves very little to the reader's imagination. Given how much she gives away, it seems that what was really important was not what the big secret was, but how the characters would react once they found out. That being the case, I wonder why Maynard chose to frustrate the reader by giving away almost the whole thing through less-than-subtle hints rather than just telling the reader what happened in the beginning and letting the story focus on the characters and how learning the truth changes (or doesn't change) their lives. There are a few details that are left unanswered until the big reveal near the end, but it wasn't enough to maintain any sort of narrative tension.

Once I got beyond the fact that there was no mystery where it seemed like there was supposed to be one, I was able to enjoy this book. Maynard's descriptions of her settings are beautiful, and I did find myself caring about the characters and how they would deal with finding out the truth. Unfortunately, the lovely prose does not make up for the narrative shortcomings.

[Bookreaderljh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book which is a little odd as at points it was a real downer and the topics it covered were less than upbeat. But the story of these two good daughters - growing up in the "wrong" family and yet in the end finding their own way. It starts slow as the two characters are children but it builds the foundation for all that is yet to come. And so it comes. So many of these stories could have made a whole book just to themselves but I never felt any story line was rushed (except maybe at the very end). But the writing was so wonderful and I felt like I really knew both Ruth and Dana and wanted so much to see how everything would turn out in the end. But the topics touched was unbelievable in retrospect - lesbianism, prejudice, schizophrenia, incest, euthanasia, cancer, ALS disease, Alzheimer's and yet I also learned about farming and strawberry propogation and had a glimpse into Woodstock. How one book was able to handle all of this and still tell a compelling personal story of two woman was nothing less than remarkable. In the end their ties to each other and their father was so much more than the circumstances that pushed them apart early on.

[Katz Nancy from NJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book although the premise of one family visiting another no matter how far they were wore thin. Still the chartacters were well described and I did enjoy most of them. For the most part I find Joyce Maynard's books poignant and well written. I especially loved The Usual Rules.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll say flat out that I enjoyed this book more than "Labor Day", a book I liked quite a bit. It was easier for me to relate to the two main characters--maybe because they were women, maybe because they were farmers at points in their lives, maybe because they were searching for a place to belong and someone to be cherished by who would love them for
themselves. I definitely became attached to them and enjoyed watching their lives unfold (though they both face difficult times that moved me greatly) over the 50ish years the book ranges over. I figured out the "big secret" in the book pretty quickly (I felt that Maynard was a bit heavy handed with the foreshadowing, actually, but nobody's perfect).
Even so, I knew WHAT it was, but I kept reading because I really wanted to know WHY it was. The answer was not as complex as I had hoped for, but the ending of the book was better than I expected, so I'm satisfied and will be recommending it heartily when it hits the shelves in September.

[Andrea MacPherson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. There was nothing particularly memorable or original about this novel. I was not connected to the characters--they felt like sketches, more than anything--and over-reliance on certain traits (farming and artistic inclination) felt like heavy-handed devices.

I guessed the 'twist' (though not the motivation behind it, which was a huge letdown) at about page 30, and waited to be surprised. I wasn't. The plot was predictable, the characters uninspired.

There was a LOT of repetition--phrases, info, image--throughout. So much so that it pulled me out of the book. Logic and info gaps. heavy-handed use of very obvious symbolism. Overall, it felt rushed, more like an early draft than finished product.

[Roxenne Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though I agree with the one reviewer who thinks the plot is like a bad soap opera, I have to admit that sometimes I need that kind of story. The writing is magnificent, the plot is engaging, and the characters are people I really like. And not beside the point, I've found that real life is often very much like a bad soap opera. So what's the problem?

After years of dismissing Joyce Maynard as a fraud for having made me believe (through her "Domestic Affairs" column) that she had a blissful family life that we all should envy and emulate, I have long since forgiven her. She has matured as a writer and undoubtedly as a person. She is an excellent writer and story teller and she understands something true and good about the human heart.

[Kira FlowerChild · Rating 2 out of 5]

I initially gave this book 3 stars but honestly, although it is reasonably well written with a couple of exceptions, those exceptions drag it down to 2 stars.

I know back in the late 1940s and 1950s women didn't have a lot of the freedoms we take for granted today, but for a woman to know that she took the wrong baby home from the hospital and not to do something about it just because her husband didn't want to "embarrass the doctor" is just ludicrous. And you have to read at least three quarters of the book before you find out that little tidbit.

The other thing that I found irritating is that, because the point of view switched back and forth between the two main characters, there was a lot of repetition. It's unavoidable, I suppose, and in some cases it was interesting finding out the other character's reaction to certain events, but it did get old after a while.

In the Author's Note, Maynard mentions that the book is loosely based on a couple of newspaper articles. Perhaps there was a switched at birth situation similar to this. If so, I have no respect for parents who would knowingly take home someone else's baby, while letting their own baby go to strangers. Maynard has the family who knows about the switch keeping tabs on the other family. If this actually happened in real life, who knows whether those parents kept in touch with their "daughter's" birthday twin?

[Alice Meloy · Rating 1 out of 5]

In alternating chapters, Ruth Plank and Dana Dickerson tell their own stories about growing up in the 50s, 60s and 70s. Though they had little interest in each other, their families were connected in ways that it took them much longer to figure out than it takes the reader of this lackluster novel. The premise makes a worthwhile plot, up to a point, but because you know where it's going, you may find yourself skimming through the last half of the book, looking for the point when the family secret final reveals itself to the last two people on earth who don't know it -- Ruth and Dana. Along the way, we visit a multitude of themes centering on small-family- farm life v. peripatetic life of artists and entrepreneurs, the culture of the 1960s, incest, lesbianism, goat farming, strawberry growing, failed marriages, death of aging parents, adoption, mental illness, child abuse (what have I left out....?). All this said, there are some readers for whom the descriptions of family life, particularly the girls' relationships with Ruth's father, will warm the cockles of their hearts.

[Ann Douglas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Warning: This novel is not suitable for reading in public, unless, of course, you don't mind having people stare at you, wondering why it is that a book has brought you to tears.

I was fortunate in that I lucked out and was able to read about three-quarters of this novel on a quiet Saturday when no one else was around. I was able to cry when I needed to -- which was often -- and I'm not the kind of person who cries easily while reading books. (Movies? That's an entirely different story.)

This is a fabulous novel. The plot is intriguing; the main characters are complex and likeable; and the narrative is both passionate and inspiring. (The descriptions of love and loss are incredibly moving. The idea of "good daughters" was brilliant and so fitting, given the premise of this novel.)

This is the first work of fiction I have read by Joyce Maynard. I am so excited that I have the rest of her backlist to explore.

[Brenda · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is sad story with lots of complicated layers but once I figured out the direction it was heading it became difficult for me to read. I pushed through the story to get to the ending.
Unfortunately, I found it unbelievable! And some of the plot was a bit uncomfortable to read. Secrets kept by mothers and fathers making relationships between siblings difficult and inappropriate. It just didn't feel real to me.
The author writes well but the plot just did not do it for me. I hope to read more from this author in the future though.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow & Custom House for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Good Daughters chronicles the lives of the birthday sisters (Ruth and Dana) from infancy through adulthood. The book is written through the voices of these girls in alternating chapters. At the core is a family secret which is apparent to the reader very early in the book yet the story unfolds without losing the attention and curiosity of the reader.

[MadamMim · Rating 4 out of 5]

En vrai c'est pas le livre de l'année car le twist de l'histoire se devine très facilement... Mais c'était agréable cette vie de fermiers américains dans les années 50-60. Et j'aime beaucoup le style de Joyce Maynard.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Des longueurs dans le premier tiers du libre, mais finalement comme dans tout bon roman, c'est là que les acteurs et les lieux prennent position. Après cette acceptation, je découvre dans ce livre beaucoup de sensibilité, et où la vie simple de la terre prends tout son sens. Faire ce que l'on sent profondément est sans doute la clé du bonheur

[Jasna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some parts in this book were so icky but I couldn’t stop flipping the pages.

[Diana Curran · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I especially liked the way the author told the story through alternative viewpoints/chapters of the main characters.