Customer Reviews

Daddy's Girl

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

IF YOU CAN GET TO THE 10TH PAGE OF THIS BOOK YOU WILL NEVER PUT IT DOWN. I COMPLETED THIS BOOK IN 2 DAYS! I PASSED IT ON TO SO MANY PEOPLE THAT SOMEONE STOLE IT!!!! THAT'S HOW GREAT THIS STORY IS. I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN AND STAYED UP UNTIL 7 A.M. READING IT. I AM NOT EVEN A BOOK READER.. BUT THIS BOOK... HAD ME MESMERIZED!!! I LOVE MS. WATTLEY!!

Wattley is a keen observer of the frustrations of blood ties. She peers through the enemies smokescreen and exposes him. Daddy's Girl is fascinating reading material and a wonderful contribution to the literacy. Read this book and set yourself free from the yokes of bondage.

Novelist/Playwright, Jewelene Banks

Platinum Reviewers 3.5

Linda Wattley a very intriguing story of a young girl who finds herself in a very interesting relationship with her father along with a lot of unanswered question when it comes to her mother and eldest brother.

Leona Tillman always knew that the man she called father had problems but she wasn't sure who she could tell or who needed to know all she knew was that she had to be there for him and her brothers because she was all that was left to care for him but when another group of people enter their lives things begin to change.

Leona is introduced to what relationships are all about never really knowing what a relationship is suppose to be but only knowing what she is shown but when she becomes a little to intrigued with what she is taught her life is turned around things begin to happen that she never thought would.

Linda Wattley writes a telling story about the life of a young girl who comes to understand who she is through some truly extreme matters while the biblical parts of the story left one to question it the book was a great read with a real situation behind it. Linda leaves you waiting for more to see what else Leona could go through to take her on the brink.

DADDY'S GIRL IS A GREAT BOOK ONCE YOU START READING IT YOU WON'T WANT TO STOP UNTIL YOUR DONE. ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I HAVE READ SO FAR.

DADDY'S GIRL is a chilling tale of love gone bad. As the story opens, readers are immediately touched by the poignant tale of love between Brenda and Bruce. Soon readers are slapped in the face by the chilling violence Brenda must endure at the hands of a once charming husband. A few children later, Brenda mysteriously leaves the family and this is when the true horror begins. Leona, the oldest daughter from this union, bears the brunt of her father's inappropriate attention, becoming a victim of sexual abuse. As the story unfolds, more and more horrors are revealed and the devastating impact of abuse is boldly demonstrated.

This is a hard-hitting, emotional tale about the far-reaching impact of all forms of abuse. Wattley did a decent job highlighting the emotional turmoil and confusion that result from victimization. However, I felt the author's characterizations were weak, there was not enough character development for me to really understand why the various characters behaved as they did, and too much was left unexplained. Further, most of the young characters seemed incongruent; their precocious speech patterns and philosophical ramblings seemed inconsistent with their naďveté. For example, it seemed unrealistic for a child who could fluently discuss something as complex as the nature of God to not understand something as basic as the meaning of virginity. My other issue with the book was that the ending was very abrupt, and while there were some issues that were wrapped up at the close, I just didn't walk away with the sense that the story was over. DADDY'S GIRL sheds light on a serious topic and despite its weaknesses, it is an average read.

Reviewed by Stacey Seay

of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers

"Daddy's Girl" has been revised under the name of "Something About an Angel". This book has a divine purpose and that purpose is to heal victims all over the world. I pray that someone is helped in their healing process by reading it. The author, Linda D. Wattley

Though Daddy's Girl by Linda D. Wattley is categorized as fiction, it vividly describes the realities of abuse that have been passed down from generation to generation. As a survivor (more than a survivor), of childhood sexual abuse, I find the author's portrayal of the two main characters of this story to be chillingly accurate. This book, more than any other that I have read on the subject, authentically portrays the unraveling timeline of the psychological damage--the brainwashing--that occurs to children who are sexually betrayed by trusting adults. In this particular book, I am referring to Leona and Sarah who become stepsisters and best friends when they are both ten years old.

Interestingly, the author successfully shifts the point of view after the beginning chapters of the book; from then on the story is told by Leona Tillard, a young girl who had miraculously survived her own birth when Brenda Tillard, her critically injured mother had an emergency C-section. It had been Brenda's husband Bruce who had physically abused his wife to the point of endangering her life and that of their unborn child. Both mother and baby were near death and yet both survived. The doctor expressed his belief that they must have had guardian angels watching over them.

Because Bruce is from a prominent family, no charges are filed, and he promises Brenda that he will never again abuse her. For a time, she, her son Mark from a previous relationship, and their new baby Leona seem to be happy. After a few years they have another baby--a son named Dennis. However, as the case with most abusive husbands, the old Bruce resurfaces, and fighting becomes part of their daily lives--that is until his wife leaves and doesn't return. The children really miss her, and though Bruce tells them that she is getting treatments to help her feel better, they don't hear from her. Mark, who is two years older than Leona, has a heart problem that frequently causes him to be hospitalized. Finally, he goes into the hospital for an extended stay and he, too, seems to disappear from their lives. There is no talk as to when he might come home.

Their family then consists of Bruce, Dennis and Leona--that is until Bruce meets and eventually marries Priscilla who brings three other children into the household: Sarah, Monique and Kenny. Only then does Bruce tell Leona and Dennis that their mother had divorced him a short time after she left. He explains that Brenda still visited Mark in the hospital every so often; however, because of her own health problems, she had insisted that the other family members would be better off without her. Dennis doesn't believe his father and calls him a liar, necessitating Leona to calm Bruce down in order to protect her brother from their father's rage.

As the story unfolds, readers can see how perverted Bruce is when he plays his "hide and go seek" game with Leona and then Sarah. At first when Leona learns he is doing this with Sarah, she is upset because she had always believed that this game was a special one that her daddy only played with her. Sarah seems to have no problem with the game, explaining to Leona that she had also played it with her own daddy. The two girls are very close, confiding in one another about their hopes, dreams, thoughts, and beliefs. They discuss their views on God as well as boys and sex. Leona believes that since sex is for grown-up people that she is a virgin--she might even become a nun one day. Although earlier on, readers learn of the baths her father used to give her and how he concentrated on washing her privates--also how he did other personal things to her when "playing a game," they will not doubt that Leona is being honest when she speaks of being a virgin. The innocence that she proclaims seems tied in with her very identity. Leona isn't sure that her stepsister and her daddy played the same games because Sarah made the games sound like "fun."

Daddy's Girl moves at an exceptionally fast pace and has many twists and turns that will keep the eyes of readers glued to the pages. As an abuse victim who has also counseled other victims, I am amazed how the author has managed to portray the contrasting side effects experienced by two different children--but make no mistake, there are always side effects. Children want and need love, and they deserve to have it from their caregivers without having to be sexual with them. But they, just like Leona and Sarah, are too young to understand--to comprehend what someone they trust is doing to them. They may love their abusers and fear them at the same time. They may even enjoy the sex, while their minds are being destroyed. Many blame themselves, even though it is never their fault--regardless of the circumstances.

I was hoping that this story would have a happily-ever-after ending but this does not happen. Some questions are answered such as what happened to Leona's mother and brother. Also we observe how Leona relates to young love with two different males--one a childhood friend and the other a new acquaintance. Both believe she is a virgin, not only because she is so innocent looking, but also for the simple reason that Leona tells them that she has never had sex. As a virgin, she feels that she is special. And since only a grown-up person can have sex, she could not have had it.

When Leona is forced to deal with reality, the truth is a shock that threatens her very sanity and drains her strength. The book has a dramatic ending and, once again, points out the psychological damage that both Leona and Sarah experienced. This is a MUST READ book for all individuals who care about the welfare of children. It is extremely well-written, and I congratulate the author for this important literary contribution that is so desperately needed in today's society.

"Daddy's Girl is an eye opening read. The author Linda D. Wattley portrays this heart-wrenching story so realistically that it will touch the deepest part of the reader's heart. This book discloses what really happens to a child when they have suffered abuse that causes trauma and changes their lives forever."

"This book is a candid look inside the life of Leona Tillard. A beautiful child that was prematurely born amidst an episode of domestic violence by her father Bruce against her mother Brenda. Although Brenda nearly looses her life because of this brutal beating, she decides to remain in the tumultuous relationship."

"Brenda mysteriously disappears from her family leaving three of her children behind. During this time, Bruce begins molesting his daughter. At the time, Leona is too young to truly understand that her father is violating her. In fact Leona tends to black out when the molestation occurs and remembers very little of the atrocious details."

"Eventually, Bruce marries again; the new wife Priscilla has three children of her own. Bruce begins to molest one of Priscilla's daughters, Sarah as well. Sarah has been abused before and misconstrues Bruce's attention as love. Leona and Sarah become very close. Sarah begins to reveal to Leona that they both have secrets about Bruce. When the truth is revealed lives are damaged."

"Daddy's Girl adequately depicts how molestation affects children, robbing them of their childhood. Forcing children to keep secrets and to develop coping skills in order to survive. Forever altering their lives causing them to question their identity."

Wattley's great novel is an easy read. It gives readers the potential to conciously and subconciously heal from the surpressed wounds of abuse and molestation. The majority of us have experienced an abusive 'Bruce', in one way or another. The story helps tap into our past negative situations and emotional resources that no one else knows about. I recommend Daddy's Girl as a tale of TRUTH and HEALING. What a fantastic author Wattley is!