Customer Reviews

Father's Arcane Daughter

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Father's Arcane Daughter was one of my favorite books when I was little, and it still holds that spot now. The characters are realistic and interesting, the story moving and gripping, and the ending heart-warming and rewarding.
Winstong Carmichael is a seventh-grader with a priveleged upbringing and an impressive intelligence and maturity. Unfortunately, his undisciplined, overindulged, ten-year-old sister Heidi (short for Hilary) is a heavy weight on his shoulders. She requires constant entertainment from others, as she is not able to entertain herself, and has horrible manners and no consideration for others. Her hearing and coordination problems make her a bit dependant, but her behavior is what makes her a burden, one that Winston resents (he is actually unable to bring friends over because Heidi ruins the visits). Then,when he meets a woman claiming to be his long-lost half sister, Caroline, from his dad's previous marriage, Winston's life is turned around.
Caroline Carmichael was presumed dead years ago after a kidnapping, so many are suspicious of the new arrival's claims that she is Caroline, despite her physical resemblence to Caroline and extensive knowledge of Caroline's old friends and relatives. Is she really the person she claims to be, or is she trying to get her hands on the family fortune?
While the process of examination goes on, Winston gets to know a person who may or may not be his half sister, but is, without a doubt, a beacon of light in his life. The possible Caroline knows that Winston will be forever imprisoned by his sister's dependance if something is not done to help Heidi become as independant as she is able to be, so she starts down the road to teach Heidi proper, polite behavior, as well as teaching her how to best work with her hearing and coordination handicaps.
Through Winston's perspective, the reader will learn many hidden, sometimes ugly, truths about a seemingly normal rich family and about the woman who helps free the children from their gilded cage.

This was a truly wonderful book. The characters' actions conveyed their emotions accurately, and the story was suspenseful. I would recommend this to everyone looking for a good book.

It was a very quick read, but I was hooked from beginning to end. I couldn't put it down for two days. I just had to know how it ended! E.L. Konigsburg used the perfect language and descriptions to catch every mood of every character, the whole book through! I give it a ten, and highly recommend it to any book lover!

ISBN 0440424968 - For ages 10-14, Father's Arcane Daughter seems a little more adult than even that age group. It's a pity the book wasn't written as the full, grown-up novel that it should have been, but since it wasn't... read this one!

Twice upon a time, Winston got a new sister. The first time it happened, his parents brought home from the hospital a "creature". Heidi is handicapped and Winston, made to be responsible for her, builds a vocabulary just to describe her - none of the words are particularly nice. The second time, his half sister returned home sixteen years after she was kidnapped. At first unhappy at Caroline's arrival, Winston slowly comes to appreciate her presence in their lives, just as he really begins to question whether or not she is really Caroline.

An interesting story, told in Winston's words as he speaks to his sister (which sister is not identified for some time) about what happened twenty years ago, when Caroline came home. Well told, the reader gets the feeling, eventually, that either answer to the mystery of Caroline would be fine. It is far less important WHO she is than THAT she is.

- AnnaLovesBooks

This is a truly riveting book, told masterfully by one of my favorite childrens' authors. The characters are multi dimensional and well-developed and the plot is unusual and insightful. I found myself unable to put it down, and when I finished it left a hauntingly beautiful echo that lasted for days.

This is childrens' book of true quality.

I am delighted that this book is back in print, retitled My Father's Daughter.

E.L. Konigsburg is most well-known for her book From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, assigned to elementary school students nationwide, and generally enjoyed by all, despite being assigned reading. That's a good book, but this one is my favorite Konigsburg creation. (I am glad that the book has been reprinter, but you may notice that her publishers have chosen to bland down her weird titles, which is too bad.) If you once enjoyed her books, or have a kid who enjoyed her other books, it's worth reading. The wit, characterization and the keen social observations within are as fun (and relevant) now as they were when I was 12 years old.

The story concerns the members of a wealthy society family, the Carmichaels. The eldest daughter, Caroline, from the father's first marriage, was the victim of a kidnapping many years ago, and then disappeared. The mother died. After a time, the father remarried, and had two children (Winston and Heidi) by his second wife, Grace. Caroline was to have been a wealthy heiress, since her mother came from a rich family as well as her father. Mere months before the deadline to claim her inheritance, a woman shows up on the Carmichaels' front door and claims to be Caroline. Winston, the elder child, immediately decides that he will investigate her and discover the truth. He does, but not in a way that either he or the reader will be able to predict.

The central mystery of the story -- is Caroline an impostor? -- is compelling enough, but what makes this book outstanding is the voice of its narrator, 12-year old Winston. He is similar in character to Sport of Louise Fitzhugh's Harriet the Spy series, though Winston is less practical than Sport and more verbally clever.

The book covers serious themes such as social shame, disabilities, and the strength to face life's harsh truths. Yet the book is a funny, light confection of a read, and it is Winston's voice that is central to that effect.

Father's Arcane Daughter was a childhood favorite that retains its appeal though I'm now in my 30s. As with all of Konigsburg's works, this book is a masterful tale that keeps you guessing until the very end. The central question of the book (is she or isn't she Caroline) becomes increasingly less important as her role in the family becomes increasingly more so. The unexpected ending is nevertheless satisfying, though I agree it comes all to soon. This excellent children's book is definitely on my must read list!