The Dream Daughter |
By Diane Chaberlain |
PBR Book Review:Without a doubt, this story gives new meaning to the term "unconditional love" and what a mother is willing to do for her child. I don't want to give away too much, but I will say The Dream Daughter tells the story of Carly; who is recently widowed and pregnant. Sadly, her unborn child has a severe heart defect and needs fetal surgery to survive. But, it's 1970, and the options are limited and very risky. Carly needs a miracle. Her journey to try and save her child is captivating and unique. Recommend. Perfect for book clubs.
Book Club Talking Points: This is a story about what a mother will do to save her child and the struggles of knowing the child you are carrying has a severe birth defect. It's a story of faith and determination and the importance of family. It also shows the miraculous advances in medicine.
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*Discussion Questions
1. How does the prologue set the reader up for the rest of the novel? What did it leave you wondering about?
2. How does the dual perspective—Hunter’s narration
in 1970 and Carly’s narration throughout her experiences—affect your reading experience? What are the primary differences between their voices? What do you like about having both sides of the story?
3. Throughout the novel, Carly and Hunter share a very special bond of trust and understanding. Where do you think that bond comes from? Is it simply because they are family? Do you have a similar bond with your family, either the one you were born with or the one you chose for yourself?
4. In The Dream Daughter, Carly has to take the ultimate leap of faith, both literally and metaphorically. Have you ever had to take a similar leap? What about it scared you? Was it ultimately worth it?
5. When Carly rst travels to 2001, she is baf ed by all of the technology and the changing social norms. Which things that Carly didn’t understand do you nd most interesting? Were any of them funny? What do you think you would nd if you traveled thirty years into the future?
6. Throughout the novel, the presence of water plays
an important role in Carly’s life. She lives close to the ocean in North Carolina, she met her husband at the beach, and she feels much more comfortable stepping off over water whenever she can. What do you think water means to Carly? How does she nd comfort in it, even in New York City?
7. On page 178, Patti says to Hunter, “It would be like you killed her. Maybe you have.” Why do you think Patti feels this way about her husband, whom she loves very much? How is Patti processing her grief and fear differently from Hunter? How do you think you would react in a similar situation?
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Book Summary |
New York Times bestselling author Diane Chamberlain delivers a thrilling, mind-bending novel about one mother's journey to save her child.
When Carly Sears, a young woman widowed by the Vietnam war, receives the news that her unborn baby girl has a heart defect, she is devastated. It is 1970, and she is told that nothing can be done to help her child. But her brother-in-law, a physicist with a mysterious past, tells her that perhaps there is a way to save her baby. What he suggests is something that will shatter every preconceived notion that Carly has. Something that will require a kind of strength and courage she never knew existed. Something that will mean an unimaginable leap of faith on Carly's part.
And all for the love of her unborn child.
The Dream Daughter is a rich, genre-spanning, breathtaking novel about one mother's quest to save her child, unite her family, and believe in the unbelievable. Diane Chamberlain pushes the boundaries of faith and science to deliver a novel that you will never forget.
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