(click cover for more information)
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I may very possibly lose my "guy card" with this review, but, hey, if a book captures you, it captures you.
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The Other Daughter is the first novel in Ms. Ferrell's "Coming Home" series, and it's a solid debut. She takes on a variety of tough issues--fornication, an illegitimate child, abuse, abandonment, alcohol, and more--and handles them directly and honestly, but with compassion. The above description may sound like it makes for rather dark reading. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
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Suzanne Carson's birthday preparations are interrupted by a simple knock at the door. That knock is the last simple thing that happens to the Carson family for the next several months of their lives. For standing on the doorstep is bedraggled thirteen year-old Brianna, who claims that Suzanne's husband, David, is her father. Needless to say, this presents Suzanne with something of a problem.
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David is a Christian. Suzanne is not. David had promised her that he entered their marriage bed pure. Suzanne was the only one who actually did. Both Suzanne and David are forced to deal with the consequences of his indiscretion in their own ways. But, as so often happens, the one who ends up hurt the most is the one who is most innocent--Brianna.
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Ms. Ferrell writes from the heart to touch the heart. What she delivers is a very intricate, multidimensional story that covers the spectrum of emotions from shock and disbelief, through anger and distrust, but finally to faith and redemption. And she does it very well.
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With the exception of a couple minor scene disconnects, which really don't mar the storyline itself, The Other Daughter is skillfully knit together, a product of enduring quality. If you like your heartstrings tugged, this is a book for you.
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Okay, so why the "guy card" thing? Well, I confess to being intrigued by the synopsis of The Other Daughter on Ms. Ferrell's Web site; however, this is not your archetypal men's book. Case in point: There are six very nice author endorsements on the first page--all by women. A quick scan of the thirty reader reviews so far on Amazon.com (this will be the thirty-first) revealed only two or three that were clearly identifiable as being from men. But, you know, that's okay. Really. I'm not intimidated.
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You'll have to excuse me now. I've got cookies in the oven.
