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Book Review of Isabel's Daughter

Isabel's Daughter
Bookfanatic avatar reviewed on
Helpful Score: 1


A captivating tale of a young woman searching for the mother she never knew and in the process learning more not only about her mother, now deceased, but more about herself. The book starts off great. The opening line will grab you. "The first time I saw my mother was the night she died. The second time was at a party in Santa Fe."
The characters are real, the setting in New Mexico is very vivid. You really get a sense of the area.

Avery, who was raised in foster homes, not surprisingly doesn't allow anyone to really get close to her but two people, a wealthy classmate who gives her pure, unconditional love and an old woman who takes her in when no one else does, manage to pierce through her self-imposed shield. The love story in the middle of the tale is very sweet. This was an interesting book, but the author didn't tie up the loose ends very well. Avery doesn't seem to mature that much. At times, you get so irritated with her. She pushes away people who love her and want only the best for her. I wish her growth had been shown in greater detail. Even as an adult, she still came across as petulant teenager.