Review By Veronica
The Other Daughter is filled with emotion and heart and will remind you why you read.
Favourite Quote:
‘But isn’t this all a bit… political for the women’s pages?’ Clive wave his hand in the air as if brushing it all away. Sylvia saw, with some satisfaction, that his jowls wobbled as he did so. ‘I mean, sex tips and clothes and … menstruation,’ he almost whispered the word, ‘that’s what our female readers want to hear about, not all this vulgar bra-waving. We’re not the bloody Guardian.’
Goodreads Synopsis:
A timely novel about an ambitious London journalist who reports on the fight for women’s rights in 1970s Switzerland, and the daughter who uncovers the long-buried truth about the assignment years later—for fans of Genevieve Graham and Heather Marshall.
2016
Jess is at a crossroads in life. In her late thirties, all she has to show for it is a broken marriage and a job teaching a bunch of uninterested kids. But when she discovers a shocking secret about her late mother, Sylvia, Jess begins to question all she’s ever known. Her search for answers leads to a 1970s article about women’s rights in Switzerland that Sylvia wrote when she was a young journalist. But to uncover the real story of what happened all those years ago, Jess will have to go to Switzerland and find someone who knew her mother…
1976
Sylvia’s life is on track. She has a loving fiancé and her dream job as a features writer in a busy London newsroom—if only her editor would give her the chance to write about something important instead of relegating her to fashion, flowers, and celebrities. When Sylvia learns about the growing women’s liberation movement in Switzerland, where women only recently got the right to vote, she knows the story could be her big break. There’s just one wrinkle: she’s pregnant.
Determined to put her career first, Sylvia travels to Switzerland, and as she meets the courageous band of women fighting for their rights, she stumbles across an even bigger scoop, one that would make her male colleagues take her seriously. But telling the story will change her—and her baby’s—life forever.
This book is breathtaking and just so elegantly written. It ended up being one of those books that I got so absorbed in reading that I lost track of time and ended up reading most of it in one sitting. I had a book hangover afterwards, but it was so worth it. I’m sure by now you all know that I adore historical fiction books. I love finishing a book feeling like I’ve learned something new, and I also love those big emotions historical fiction books bring out in me. The Other Daughter was such a fascinating read. It was fascinating to learn about women’s rights in Switzerland during the 1970s. I couldn’t believe that in the 1970s, women still had little to no basic human rights in Switzerland. In my mind, I always thought they were a more progressive country. I guess I was wrong. One of the many amazing things about this book was that I felt like I was transported back into the 1970s and that I was there with these women as they fought for their rights. It tugs at those heartstrings listening to their stories and why they fight. I also learned about forced adoptions in Switzerland, which completely blew my mind. There were many eye-opening moments in this book for me. Caroline masterfully and compassionately sheds light on these challenging issues, many of which are still relevant today. Even though the topic matter in this book is difficult, the story is still incredibly beautiful and moving.
The Other Daughter is told from two POVs, Sylvia and Jess, who have a mother-daughter relationship. We meet both of these women at defining moments in their lives. Sylvia is trying to get her career as a news reporter off the ground, which is no easy feat in a dominantly male profession. She also just found out she is pregnant, which creates even more challenges in life, both professionally and personally. Jess, whose marriage has ended and has also received some shocking news, decides to work in Switzerland for the summer to learn more about her mom’s time in Switzerland in the 70s. I loved shifting back and forth between these two women’s stories. Both women face these difficult challenges in their lives, and it was interesting and heartbreaking watching them navigate through their situations. Their characters felt real and raw and just so relatable. Their stories went in a direction that I was not expecting. I was so engaged with their stories that I couldn’t put this book down.
The Other Daughter is a must-have for any historical fiction fan.
Thank you, Simon and Schuster Canada for the copy in exchange for an honest review.
