The Good Daughters

Starred review from July 26, 2010
Two families, the Planks and the Dickersons, are mysteriously entwined in this exquisite novel that centers on decades of life at a New Hampshire farm. Youngest daughters Ruth Plank and Dana Dickerson, born on the same day in the same hospital, take turns narrating the struggles they face as children. Ruth feels a coldness from her mother; Dana is unsettled by her kooky parents constantly uprooting her and her brother Ray. Regardless, the Planks pay a yearly visit to the Dickersons no matter where they've ended up living. As the girls come of age, Ruth takes an interest in art, sex, and Dana's brother, Ray, with whom she later reunites, at Woodstock, in a swirl of drugs and mud. Meanwhile, Dana realizes that her desires are directed toward women and sets off to pursue agricultural studies at a university, where she meets Clarice, an assistant professor. As time goes by, the floundering Plank Farm is in danger of being seized by Ruth's former boyfriend, a man who has had his eye on the land for years. As Ruth and Dana pursue love, contemplate children, and search for home, the truth of what unites their families is finally—at long last—revealed, in this beautifully written book.

March 31, 2021
Skye runs Imagine That, a book and toy store and creative center in the small beach town where her aunt lives. She decides to create a weekend retreat filled with family adventure, and as the stress of the event mounts, the last thing she needs is her estranged half-sister, Amy, showing up with Skye's first love, Conner. Amy's motives are unclear, though she claims that she wants to make amends with Skye. Fifteen years prior, Amy's lies drove Skye away, and now Skye's perfectly ordered life is in danger. Alongside all the trouble with Amy, Conner brings up old feelings that Skye thought were long gone, putting her relationship with her steady boyfriend on the rocks. A campground fire seems like the final straw that ruins Skye's plans and her business, until help comes from an unexpected source. This heartwarming novel about love, friendship, and family will have Noble's (Tell Me No Lies, 2019) readers looking for more. Share this with fans of Hannah McKinnon and Nancy Thayer.

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