Sunday, June 27, 2010

Book Review: Yes, My Darling Daughter by Margaret Leroy

Something is off with Grace's four year old daughter Sylvie. She is terrified of water, has bad nightmares, and becomes obsessed with a ad from a magazine depicting a seaside town saying she lived there "before".

I loved the atmosphere in this one. Sylvie is creepy, and as her behavior begins to alienate all of Grace's social contacts, Grace's situation gets more desperate. As a last resort, she turns to a psychologist, Adam, who specializes in past life theories to try to help Sylvie.

Even though the book has its imperfections - the relationship/"romance" between Grace & Adam doesn't feel quite right, Grace seems way older than 22, and there are a couple of very convenient coincidences in the plotting - this is still a thrilling, gothic-tinged ride.

YES, MY DARLING DAUGHTER is available in now paperback. I got my copy from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers Program. Find out more about the book, called THE DROWNING GIRL in the UK, at the author's website.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh, this sounds like a very unusual and intriguing novel. I'm noting it for the next time I'm heading to the library. Thanks for the review!

Nicole (Linus's Blanket) said...

You just have to love creepy four year olds. This one is news to me, but I will keep and eyes out for it.

Sandy Nawrot said...

This sounds right up my daughter's alley!

bermudaonion said...

That does sound creepy!

(Diane) Bibliophile By the Sea said...

I liked reading this one; very atmospheric indeed.

Amanda said...

Sounds like a good fall book! I love reading creepy books in the fall.

Staci said...

Ohhh....this one does sound very interesting indeed!

Shooting Stars Mag said...

Nice review. It does sound like an intriguing novel. Creepy little kids are very fascinating. haha

-lauren

Zibilee said...

I have read a lot about this book and think it sounds really interesting. Too bad it disappoints on some fronts!

Meg @ write meg! said...

Oooh, definitely sounds spine-tingling! Anything dealing with creepy children makes me want to duck and hide under the covers. Good thing the cover isn't totally spooky, or it would probably seem like a horror novel to me!

Lenore Appelhans said...

Meg - It's creepy for sure, but NOTHING like horror. It's more like a psychological thriller.

Marie Cloutier said...

Thrilling and gothic sounds wonderful! :-)

Linda said...

this sounds like one I'd like to read...creepy 4 year old...hmmmm

Vanessa said...

Eep! Sounds creepy. Poor kid.

Anonymous said...

Despite the few flaws, it sounds like this is worth reading just for the creepy factor.

Darlene said...

This really sounds like one I'd like - creepy is always good. I love your new profile pic! I know, it's been a while since I've been around. I've gotten hopelessly bad in getting around to commenting.