Daisy Chain (Defiance Texas Trilogy, Book 1) [Paperback]

Mary E. DeMuth (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 3, 2009

The abrupt disappearance of young Daisy Chance from a small Texas town in 1973 spins three lives out of control---Jed, whose guilt over not protecting his friend Daisy strangles him; Emory Chance, who blames her own choices for her daughter's demise; and Ouisie Pepper, who is plagued by headaches while pierced by the shattered pieces of a family in crisis. In this first book in the Defiance, Texas Trilogy, fourteen-year-old Jed Pepper has a sickening secret: He's convinced it's his fault his best friend Daisy went missing. Jed's pain sends him on a quest for answers to mysteries woven through the fabric of his own life and the lives of the families of Defiance, Texas. When he finally confronts the terrible truths he's been denying all his life, Jed must choose between rebellion and love, anger and freedom. Daisy Chain is an achingly beautiful southern coming-of-age story crafted by a bright new literary talent. It offers a haunting yet hopeful backdrop for human depravity and beauty, for terrible secrets and God's surprising redemption.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School—Fourteen-year-old Jed is the son of an admired and respected preacher in Defiance, TX. His younger sister, Sissy, soulfully longs for a dog and, with a timid lisp, references Anne of Green Gables and The Velveteen Rabbit. His artistic mother writes daily notes and affirmations on the petals of stolen flowers. What the congregation doesn't realize, however, is that Jed's father is a violent, abusive, and controlling force who permeates his family's sense of self and safety. To further complicate Jed's formidable hardships, his friend Daisy Marie Chance has just disappeared from their small town after he neglected to walk her home. What follows are Jed's Sisyphean struggles to set things straight: protect his mother and Sissy, stand up to his tyrannical father, and find Daisy. His only—and possibly dishonest—companions are Daisy's "loose" and hardened mother, a quirky prophet, and an ex-cult member dying of cancer. Slightly troublesome here is the use of colloquialisms that start to sound too quaint in their frequent overuse. Further, there are a plethora of loose ends and a few awkward time lapses—but this is the first book in a proposed trilogy. Despite these challenges, the intrigue of Daisy Chain will have definite appeal to teen readers of Christian fiction, especially to boys who will appreciate Jed's perspective and attempts to rectify his faith with real life.—Shannon Peterson, Kitsap Regional Library, WA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

Daisy Chain is a hauntingly beautiful novel in which innocence gives way to the unspeakable one awful summer in Defiance, Texas. Mary DeMuth's storytelling has never been stronger, nor the stakes more desperate. This is one story that will linger long, long after the last page is read. -- Sharon K. Souza, Author of Lying on Sunday and Every Good and Perfect Gift

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 361 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan (March 3, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310278368
• ISBN-13: 978-0310278368
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (135 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #790,782 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm a freelance writer and novelist living in Texas with my husband of nineteen years and my three wonderful children.

I have been writing since 1992, first as a newsletter editor, then as a freelance writer, followed by a fiction and nonfiction author. My articles have appeared in Marriage Partnership, In Touch, HomeLife, Discipleship Journal, Pray!, Bon Appetit, Kindred Spirit, The Writer, and Writer's Digest. For two years I penned a lifestyle column for Star Community Newspapers in Dallas (circulation 100,000). My books include Ordinary Mom, Extraordinary God (Harvest House, 2005), Building the Christian Family You Never Had (WaterBrook, 2006), Watching the Tree Limbs, Wishing on Dandelions (NavPress, both novels releasing in 2006), Authentic Parenting in a Postmodern Culture (Harvest House, 2006), Daisy Chain, A Slow Burn (Zondervan 2009), Life in Defiance (Zondervan 2010), Thin Places: A Memoir (Zondervan 2010), 150 Quick Questions to Get Your Kids Talking (Harvest House 2011), You Can Raise Confident and Courageous Kids (Harvest House, 2001) and The Muir House (Zondervan 2011).

I'm more than my books. I love to cook, try my hand (body!) at triathlons, have a nose ring, and am passionate about singing.

I love to help people overcome a difficult past and blog about it five times a week at http://www.marydemuth.com. My facebook page is http://www.facebook.com/authormarydemuth and you can follow me on twitter at http://www.twitter.com/marydemuth

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect marriage of sorrow and the healing power of faith, September 5, 2009

By 

The Pampered Lamb "Jennifer" (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Daisy Chain (Defiance Texas Trilogy, Book 1) (Paperback)

I was beyond pleasantly surprised by this book.

I had never heard of this author, and was a little worried about reading a book under the category of "Religion"

This book is amazing! It marries discovering faith with a real-world painful accident. From the very start you feel the characters and go through the emotions as they are going through them. You want to reach through the pages and hug, cry, laugh, surrender and believe right along with them. All the while bringing to light the power of faith and religion.

Not one sentence in this book feels like a lecture. Instead, it uses an incident which happens in each American community at one point or another, and shows how by letting go of pre-judgements and conceptions, everything can be overcome and healed.

One note I must add is that once you read this book, you have no choice but to continue with the series. Not because of obligation, but because you get so attached to the characters, that you want to be there for them when they continue their journey. Not one character you meet in this book is a throwaway. They are all written for a reason and are integral to making the story what it is. To do that is a rare gift this author has mastered.

This first book in the Trilogy is a sure smash! The second book, "A Slow Burn" is sure to be just as enticing and well written. Please be sure to look out for it as it comes out October 1, 2009.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dancing with Daisy, April 14, 2009

By 

R. Wegner "M.Wegner" (Indiana, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Daisy Chain (Defiance Texas Trilogy, Book 1) (Paperback)

By Michelle Wegner

I just finished reading Daisy Chain by Mary Demuth last night. I love a good story, one that grips me and keeps my attention the entire time. This story did that for me and more. It touched parts of me in a very deep way that I hadn't thought about for a long time, causing me to think and reflect deeply on where I am and how I got here.

The way Mary tells this story set in Defiance, Texas in the 70's made me feel like I was there with each and every character she described. I could feel the Texas heat, smell the air, touch Daisy's matted hair, and see her dance and twirl in the wind. Her telling also made me feel Hap's rage and anger in a very real way. Something about the duplicity of his character, a small town preacher by day, and a wife demeaning, child abusing husband/father by night, made my skin crawl.

For real!

I loved this story.

I can't wait for the 2nd and 3rd books come out so I can put my mind to rest and find out what happens in the end...

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In A League of Its Own!, October 23, 2009

By 

Cherie Hill - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Daisy Chain (Defiance Texas Trilogy, Book 1) (Paperback)

Through the riveting novel "Daisy Chain," Mary E. Demuth has set a new standard for Christian fiction and few writers will ever come close to reaching it. Demuth doesn't want you to walk away from her books simply "reading a good story"... she wants you to "live" them and be transformed by their message.

You may find your heart pounding as Jed Pepper runs to check on Daisy. You will find yourself filled with anger at Jed's father who portrays a heart for God as a preacher, yet is abusive behind closed doors. You'll want to sit down with Jed's mother and let her cry on your shoulder. You might wish you could go to Defiance and rescue Jed and his sister, help look for Daisy, and pray in hope for the brokenness that has consumed the town, but there's no need to. The author introduces you to God's grace in the form of Hixon and Muriel. Demuth leaves no stitch of the story loose or undone. She has weaved a perfect tapestry of the truth of tragedy, yet the assured triumph through God's mercy and grace. Each character is as mysterious and intriguing as our Creator who has made each of us. The author brilliantly keeps you on the edge of your seat while taking you through the realities of a fallen world. She doesn't beat around the bush; she doesn't try to sugar coat pain. "Daisy Chain" will open your heart and your eyes so that you will get a glimpse of what it's like to look at others as God does.

Mary E. Demuth has a God-given talent to write that most could work towards their whole life and never even come close. Each word is carefully chosen and artfully written. You'll be up all night reading "Daisy Chain" and find yourself hoping there is no end to Mary's incredible story telling of Defiance, TX. Lucky for you, the second book in the Texas Trilogy is released and you don't have to wait to read it ("A Slow Burn"). My advice...buy them both together...you won't want to wait to go down to the book store or the time it will take for shipping!