Daddy

by Janet Inglis

Book Overview

Shuttled between her divorced parents' North London homes, Olivia Beckett longs for unconditional love and acceptance, but only her mother's lover seems to have time for her, and his extra attentions... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0671887475
• ISBN13: 9780671887476
• Release Date: January 1994
• Publisher: Pocket Books
• Length: 469 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

The Hidden Truth About Fathers And Daughters

I discovered this book by accident in a second hand store, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. The messages this book contains within it are very real and presented in a brutally honest fashion. It is also news that many people don't want to face for a variety of reasons. Olivia is fourteen, living in north London with her mother Emma, still struggling to get used to the idea of her parents divorce. Her father Ross, meanwhile, is living with one of his former students Althea and they are about to be married. Olivia's relationship with her father can only be described as emotionally distant. He forgets her birthday and tries to make up for it by buying her expensive presents. A college professor, he will take her on walks and talk to her about sixteenth century wars, but he is utterly incapable of talking to his only daughter about herself, and he pays little attention to her feelings, her likes, her interests. Not only that, he is very undemonstrative when it comes to physical affection. Then Emma's new lover Nick moves into their home. Nick is nothing like Olivia's father. Physically they look nothing alike, he smokes and drinks, but to Olivia the most noticeable difference is the amount of attention he pays to her. He remembers the name of her best friend Meg, he asks her about her music lessons, the things she does at school, and although Olivia at first wants to hate him, she finds herself turning to him for the emotional attention she isn't receiving from her father. Then Nick seduces her and, although she is somewhat ambivalent about their first encounter, you could technically consider it rape "she whispered no, but softly", she doesn't tell her mother about it. Nor does she confide in her after her second encounter with Nick, or the third, or the fourth.... Like all adolescent girls Olivia is curious, and like any human being, she is more than capable of experiencing arousal, pleasure. Although she feels a bit ashamed about what she is doing, including allowing Nick to take pornographic pictures of her, the fact that Nick is satisfying her physical desires and emotional needs is more than enough to combat any sort of guilt or shame that she might be experiencing. Then to, she also discovers, as most people do at some point, that sometimes the guilt or shame only creates an even bigger thrill. The thrills temporarily end when Olivia discovers that she is pregnant. Nick convinces her to get an abortion and, although she is uncertain, she goes through with it anyway. By this time Olivia is genuinely falling in love with Nick and she feels guilty about the abortion, the baby was part of him, and she decides she wants that part back. Thus, Olivia starts scheming. Instead of getting her prescription for birth control pills filled, she throws it out and sets out to seduce Charlie, a boy roughly her own age, who is clearly taken with her. He has no idea that she is sleeping with Nick who, by now, has married her mother Emma and is n

Many Uncomfortable Subjects, But Beautifully Written

Few books contain such a myriad of gut-wrenching, difficult subjects. Divorce,incest, betrayal and the end of innocence. Yet it is beautifully written and extremely moving. Instead of coming across as dramatic and whiny, Olivia is a sympathetic and strong central character. The sex scenes are explicit and sometimes demeaning to women in general, but powerful and erotic. The feelings of abandonment experienced by Olivia are true to life, as are the effects of divorce. Out of the hundreds of books I've read there is none I loved more.

Wonderful

This is one of the most gripping books I have ever read. It is deceptively easy to read but behind it's simplicity lies a fascinating insight into the characters psychology. It makes you challenge your predisposed ideas about abuse. An intelligent, well crafted and interesting book. Well worth a read.

Daddys Girl

I picked this book up in a secondhand shop and never put it down until the last page. It is a frighteningly believable story of obsession and manipulation. Anyone who has ever loved someone that really shouldnt have, should read this. My only problem now is getting the sequel!