Her Daughter's Eyes: 7

by Jessica Barksdale Inclán

Book Overview

The funny and touching story of two teenaged sisters with one life-changing secret, Her Daughter's Eyes is a thought-provoking debut filled with powerful drama and irresistible humor.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0451202821
• ISBN13: 9780451202826
• Release Date: May 2001
• Publisher: New American Library
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

In her daughter's eyes

This books was awesome.. it gave you a perspective of what her life was like and it showed the willigness of two young brave girls growing up very rapedly. The things that they did were veryt courageous somethings i would have never eve thought possible. Just the thought of my younger sister delivering my baby gives me the chills. i recommend this book to everyone.Every chapter has a suspence to it and its very clear with its words.

painfully perfect...

Now that's a story... Though there are many teenage stories lining bookstore and library shelves, this one is different, both in plot and in language. Inclan's metaphors open up the lives of sisters, daughters, neighbors, friends, husbands and wives. The story that unfolds is tragic but all too true, with blame to be had by someone or everyone, but you're not often sure for on every page there is a feeling you've had, a thought you've thought or a hurt you can identify with, even if you can't condone it. And there there is the biggest character in this book, the one who never says a line of dialogue or appears on the stage in real time. Deidrde, the mother, lover, gardener who took life and transplanted it wherever she went until cancer ravaged her once and then again, finally pulling her away from her workaholic husband and her two young daughters, one, the youngest, is taught to be strong and be a helper, another just hurts, watching as Deidre slips away. There are others who love her too, who stick their toes in her dirt, delight in her laugh. But when she's gone, the world seems all too silent and her house and her family fall apart, unraveling little by little until only one yank will destroy them. Sleeping in the closet in a onsie from Goodwill is that yank, a baby with her mother's eyes.

Wonderful, thought-provoking story

I hope Jessica Barksdale Inclan writes a lot of books, because I have a feeling she'll become one of my favorite authors. I absolutely devoured this book. As someone else said, the relationships were so well done and so real, you just felt as if you knew these people, and you CARED, tremendously, about them. The sisters were especially terrific. Their actions and their reactions were understandable. I never once found myself asking "why on earth would she DO that?" To me, that's the test of a great book. This is also a book that makes you think, and when you add that element to terrific story telling, you've got a real winner. Thank you, Ms. Barksdale Inclan for one of the best novels of women's fiction I've read this year.

Oh, I loved this book!!!!!!!!!!!

There is so much more to this book than I could possibly write in this review and oh, so very much to read in between the lines. This is such a "real and could be in your neighborhood" story. There is no exaggerated, descriptive writing and no unbelievable situations. Some of this story....actually a lot of this story is sad and will almost rip your heart out. Kate and Tyler's mother died of breast cancer at the beginning of the girls' teen years, a difficult time to start with. The loneliness this causes them is heartbreaking. They miss their "normal" life tremendously. Their father, Davis, doesn't handle the loss of his wife very well at all. He finds a woman to fill that void in his life and basicly moves in with her, letting Kate and Tyler live alone in the house on the cul-de-sac in a well-to-do neighborhood with it's upper class residents. Davis feels that his daughters are old enough to take care of themselves with him stopping in a few times a week. 17 year old Kate also fills her void and loneliness the wrong way and ends up pregnant and scared and not sure where to turn. 15 year old Tyler takes on a lot of responsibility and is mature beyond her years. She cares for her sister, delivers a baby at home, and much more.There is so much more to this story and this book would be one of the best discussion stories I've ever read.I highly recommend reading this book. It is hard to put down and has such a wonderful easy to read flow. Oh, and there is some suspense here! Who is the father? Watch how all of the lives twist and change. A person's death or a person's birth can change so many lives in some of the strangest ways. Some good and some not so good.I absolutrly LOVED this novel. Excellent writing. I like to read a book that I don't have to study to know who is who and what's going on. This one starts off great and keeps getting better. There are even little side twists that could turn out to be very good stories also. GREAT BOOK :-)

A poignant tale

Their mother Deidre recently died. Their father Davis ignores them as he spends his time working or at his girlfriend's house. Sixteen-year-old Kate is pregnant and only her younger sister Tyler helps her, just like the team they are when it comes to homework, cooking, and cleaning.The two teens work to set up a home for the newborn. They are prepared with a makeshift crib, Goodwill clothing and other items, and even a Dr. Spock book. The duo finds it relatively easy to hide Kate's pregnancy from their father and though it is a bit more difficult to conceal it from school officials and friends, no one seems interested in either Kate or Tyler. However, what will happen once the child is born frightens both siblings.HER DAUGHTER'S EYES is an incredible tale centering on a high school student having a child with no one but her younger sister to turn to for help. The story line is well written without accusations or preaching. The two intrepid, flawed, and apprehensive sisters are wonderful people who could be anyone's children or neighbors. This adds to the overall realism of a poignant look at a dysfunctional family and society. Jessica Barksdale Inclan has written a powerful tale that deserves wide reading.Harriet Klausner