Book Club,  Fiction,  Women's Fiction

Book Review: The Dream Daughter | Diane Chamberlain

October 2, 2018 /

Uplifting, heartfelt, and addictive—Diane Chamberlain’s newest book The Dream Daughter is one that I won’t soon forget! This is truly the story of the immense amount of love that one woman has to give, and how that love can transform and transport through time and across boundaries to bring her together with those she loves most. I can’t wait for readers to experience the beauty of this story for themselves!

About the Book

In 1965 Hunter shows up in a physical therapy clinic with a broken ankle. Caroline Sears is in her first day working as a PT since graduating and Hunter is her first patient. Despite his mysterious past, he and Caroline (Carly) form a connection that day. Carly gets through to him in a way that the other workers could not. She reminds him of someone he once knew, he said.

Five years later, Hunter is married to Carly’s sister Patti and Carly finds herself widowed and pregnant. The news of her daughter’s heart defect crushes Carly. She just lost her husband, how will she survive losing their child as well? But Hunter may have a secret. He knows of a time in the future where the medical advancements are enough to help her unborn child. You see, Hunter isn’t from this time and he may have the key to helping Carly save her child.

But it will take incredible bravery for Carly to take the steps necessary to help her baby. Alone in a new world, Carly moves ahead with the courage that comes from the love of a mother for her unborn child. Carly will do whatever it takes to make her dream daughter a reality.

Reflection

Wow! What a stunningly beautiful story this is. Do not let the time travel put you off. This is very much not a book of science fiction, but rather, a book about the love of a mother for her child. The sort of love that can truly cross time, space, and our notion of reality in order to save a child that does not yet exist.

The premise of this book might make you think this is a sad story to read, but I found it to be anything but that. Carly has so much strength, despite her fears. She never falters when it comes to her daughter. She never questions what she would do to have even just a single moment with her. I found this to be entirely uplifting to read. I found this to be a book filled with joy, despite all of the challenges. The power of love sang through this novel.

There are a few mothers in this book that I enjoyed. I don’t want to spoil anything, so I won’t be too specific here. But I do think that this book explored the idea that there is no perfect way to be a mother. Mothers come from all different backgrounds and have different ways of showing love. But all of the mothers in this book love their children so deeply, even though they may not be traditional parent-child relationships.

Hunter himself is fascinating. We get to see a few sides of Hunter—as a husband, a son, a brother-in-law, a musician, a scientist, and a friend. Hunter is a truly fantastic character. He is so necessary to the story, though he appears in very few scenes. His love for Patti and their son is another uplifting note to this story. Even in the tough times, Hunter is a charming, loveable character.

I wish I could say more. I wish I could go in depth about what I felt at each moment in this book. But then, I’d be taking the discovery away from the next readers, and I’d never want to do that. There’s a theme in this book of allowing yourself the luxury of not knowing something in advance that through the nature of time travel could be known. It preserves the joy in life sometimes, the not knowing. It allows the characters to act with their hearts. To hope, even when things are tough. To go blindly into the unknown and gain all of the benefits of living instead of simply knowing. That is how I recommend you read this book, my fellow book lovers. I hope you go into it with an open heart and mind, and I hope you find your own connection to this beautiful story.

Book Besties Approved

One of the best parts of reading this with the other book besties was learning more about each of their perspectives. I already shared a review last week written by another blogger Stephanie. She opened up about her own experiences as a mother, and what it is like to not be able to hold your child when you want to. Stephanie is so incredibly strong, just as Carly is. The other Book Besties all had such wonderful perspectives as well, and I’m so excited to share their reviews. Some of us are mothers, and others (like me) aren’t. But that didn’t detract from anyone’s experience reading this book.

I thought frequently of my own mother, who has sacrificed so much to support me over the years. My mother would give up anything for me. Not because she has to, but because that is the purity of a mother’s love. I want to not delay anymore in sharing the reviews of the other book besties. I hope you enjoy them an their unique takes on this book!

Many thanks to the amazing team at St. Martins Press for providing us with copies of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

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