Reviews

Daughter's Keeper by Ayelet Waldman

marynolanpleckham's review against another edition

4.0

A little bit heavy handed in telling the story of a young woman who "helped" her boyfriend in a few drug deals and got caught up in a mandatory sentencing law. I read the book over a weekend and enjoyed it, but it fell into a few cliches - surprise pregnancy, grandmother's redemption, boyfriend's betrayal. But, a definite warning about a criminal justice system that seeks conviction over actual justice.

betsyellis's review

5.0

Ayelet Waldman (seeThe Mommy-Track Mysteries) has written a novel called Daughter’s Keeper that I think is excellent. It features a woman in her 50’s or 60’s who is finally settled into a good life with her live-in boyfriend after many years of raising a daughter on her own. Just as they are making plans for their retirement, the 22-year-old daughter, with whom she has had a very contentious relationship, gets caught up in a drug ring and ends up with a jail sentence according to the U.S.’s mandatory sentencing laws (which Waldman clearly feels is wrong, although the reader get a good education while she explains it all). The mother must decide just how much to step forward for her daughter, and at what cost. I thought this was a very intelligent and compelling read.