REVIEW: THE DREAM DAUGHTER, BY DIANE CHAMBERLAIN

On By Laurel-Rain SnowIn BOOK REVIEW

 

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.

 

My Thoughts: While I have not read many books involving time travel, Diane Chamberlain’s books always capture me, so The Dream Daughter was definitely one for me.

Having lived in the 1970s, during and after the Vietnam War, I could relate to Carly and her issues, especially her concern about her brother-in-law Hunter’s idea to “send her” to 2001.

In 2001, the surgery for her child was a success, but several setbacks afterwards made it impossible for Carly to travel back to 1970 with her daughter. So she went alone.

From this point on, everything fell apart and turned out completely wrong for Carly. Searching for her daughter and trying to make up for the errors that followed kept me intrigued until the very end.

Some strange and unexpected events transpired, and for those who find the idea of time travel impossible to wrap their heads around, everything might seem unlikely. How did the September 11, 2001 date complicate events for Carly and her daughter? Would she find a way to fill in the years that eluded her?

By this point, I was held captive by each page, wondering how or if Carly and her dream daughter would connect again. An intense story that will keep me pondering the events. 5 stars.***My e-ARC came from the publisher via NetGalley.

12 thoughts on “REVIEW: THE DREAM DAUGHTER, BY DIANE CHAMBERLAIN”

  2. Yvonne

    I’ve always loved time travel, but I haven’t read any in awhile. This is also a favorite author of mine that I haven’t read in awhile. I definitely need to add this one to my list.

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  3. I think Outlander is the only other time travel novel I’ve read. I really liked this one (had to finish my review before I allowed myself to read your thoughts). Talk about an addictive read! I know I’ll be thinking about it for a while. My review will post on Oct. 1st.

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    1. Thanks, Stephanie, I had my doubts about how I would like the time travel, since I’d only ever read and liked one book with that feature: Stephen King’s 11/22/63.

      But I did love the story so much, and I was also frightened for the characters after the glitch when she went back again for her baby. So sad and so good…I loved the unexpected ending.

      I still have some difficulty wrapping my head around it, though. LOL

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      1. That’s another book I love, and I love the Outlander series, so I knew I would like the time travel element.

        I was terrified when she left and then went back, especially when it became apparent the date she went back on…so scary!! And then it was all messed up; heartbreaking! It was so sad but still good The ending had me in tears. LOL, it is a little out there! I loved that it was partially set in Raleigh, NC where I live and she was a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where I went to college, lol. I felt a connection to her with that!

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