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A review by desiree930
The Dream Daughter by Diane Chamberlain
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This is probably my favorite book so far by this author. I enjoyed the premise and the first half kept me thoroughly engaged.
That said, in the second part there were some issues with pacing and my interest began to wane. I also felt like the ending was really rushed, especially when some of the middle of the book dragged for me.
There is a moment about halfway through the book that isn't really a twist, just a turn in the story, that really bothered me in the moment. 9/11 is used as a plot device to separate Carly from Joanna, and I'm just not here for it. I had a feeling early on that 9/11 was going to factor into the story somehow, since she was sent to New York in 2001...I was worried at first that one or the other of them were going to die, luckily that wasn't the case. I still don't LOVE using 9/11 like that, but it was more delicately handled than I feared it would be.
I got over it as we moved on with the story, but that was the point where I started losing interest. I just didn't feel as connected the second half, and there were so many things I wondered about that weren't exactly plot holes, but it bothered me that they weren't even brought up.
For example:
1. Why was there never a discussion of Hunter, Patty, and John Paul ever jumping forward to be with Carly and Joanna in 2001?
2. Why would Hunter not tell Patty about all of this when he told Carly, if he knew he was going to have to tell her at some point anyway? At least that way she would know that he hadn't tried to hurt Carly or something.
3. Why couldn't Joe or Patty go forward in time after all of this to 2001 and get in touch with Carly with new dates to jump back so she would never leave without Joanna? They don't have to go back close to September. It could be in the summer just like Carly, so there's no issues with 'disturbances' or whatever excuse they gave for why Carly was thrown 12 years further into the future than intended.
4. How on Earth can Hunter say with a straight face, 'No meddling' when his ass stayed in the past and got married and had a baby with someone?! Also he sent Carly to the future for a procedure that she never would've been able to get without his help, which is also meddling.
5. Were the other people who jumped five times just unlucky? Or did they all magically decide to stay where they landed on their own? Or were they stranded where they jumped the fifth time? Why wouldn't Hunter's mom have sent another traveler to the last known jumping time/place to see what is going on? Or if they jumped into the past, why wouldn't they have had a message delivered to her in the future, a la Back to the Future? Just to let them know that they didn't just disappear from existence.
6. Why wouldn't Carly try to get in touch with her sister in 2001 when she was going through so much turmoil? Yeah, I know, no meddling, but that argument has already crumpled. She needed someone to be there for her and her daughter, and she knew that Hunter was going to tell Patty about the situation.
7. Branching off of #6, why in the heck wouldn't 2001 Patty (or 2001 Carly, for that matter) come to New York knowing everything that was going to transpire? Give young Carly a heads up? It just doesn't make sense. Even if you're trying to abide by the rules, this was her child, who she was desperate to be a mother to. But she'd just chill at home in North Carolina during the summer of 2001 knowing that her younger self is all on her own and about to lose her child???? I just don't buy it.
Those were just a few that popped into my head while I was reading, I'm sure there's more.
Also, I wish I'd gotten more of Hunter's story.I was sure his first wife was going to weave into the story somehow, but nope. And his mom needing to go into hiding because people were getting 'too close' was brought up very vaguely several times, but at the end of the day it felt to me like a cheap way to cut off Carly from her so she'd have to go back to 1970 without Joanna.
I know there's a lot of complaining in this review, but I did actually find it quite an emotional read as a mother myself. There were definitely moments that ripped at my heartstrings and I found myself feeling a lot of empathy for our protagonist. I just wish the speculative element of this had been better fleshed out.
That said, in the second part there were some issues with pacing and my interest began to wane. I also felt like the ending was really rushed, especially when some of the middle of the book dragged for me.
There is a moment about halfway through the book that isn't really a twist, just a turn in the story, that really bothered me in the moment.
I got over it as we moved on with the story, but that was the point where I started losing interest. I just didn't feel as connected the second half, and there were so many things I wondered about that weren't exactly plot holes, but it bothered me that they weren't even brought up.
For example:
2. Why would Hunter not tell Patty about all of this when he told Carly, if he knew he was going to have to tell her at some point anyway? At least that way she would know that he hadn't tried to hurt Carly or something.
3. Why couldn't Joe or Patty go forward in time after all of this to 2001 and get in touch with Carly with new dates to jump back so she would never leave without Joanna? They don't have to go back close to September. It could be in the summer just like Carly, so there's no issues with 'disturbances' or whatever excuse they gave for why Carly was thrown 12 years further into the future than intended.
4. How on Earth can Hunter say with a straight face, 'No meddling' when his ass stayed in the past and got married and had a baby with someone?! Also he sent Carly to the future for a procedure that she never would've been able to get without his help, which is also meddling.
5. Were the other people who jumped five times just unlucky? Or did they all magically decide to stay where they landed on their own? Or were they stranded where they jumped the fifth time? Why wouldn't Hunter's mom have sent another traveler to the last known jumping time/place to see what is going on? Or if they jumped into the past, why wouldn't they have had a message delivered to her in the future, a la Back to the Future? Just to let them know that they didn't just disappear from existence.
6. Why wouldn't Carly try to get in touch with her sister in 2001 when she was going through so much turmoil? Yeah, I know, no meddling, but that argument has already crumpled. She needed someone to be there for her and her daughter, and she knew that Hunter was going to tell Patty about the situation.
7. Branching off of #6, why in the heck wouldn't 2001 Patty (or 2001 Carly, for that matter) come to New York knowing everything that was going to transpire? Give young Carly a heads up? It just doesn't make sense. Even if you're trying to abide by the rules, this was her child, who she was desperate to be a mother to. But she'd just chill at home in North Carolina during the summer of 2001 knowing that her younger self is all on her own and about to lose her child???? I just don't buy it.
Those were just a few that popped into my head while I was reading, I'm sure there's more.
Also, I wish I'd gotten more of Hunter's story.
I know there's a lot of complaining in this review, but I did actually find it quite an emotional read as a mother myself. There were definitely moments that ripped at my heartstrings and I found myself feeling a lot of empathy for our protagonist. I just wish the speculative element of this had been better fleshed out.
Content Warnings
A good portion of the story deals with a sick newborn, so if that's something that upsets you, just be on alert. Also there are mentions of war and death in war, but it's not super graphic that I recall.