Her Daughter's Eyes (Nal Accent Novels) [Paperback]

Jessica Barksdale Inclan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2003 | Series: Nal Accent Novels

Seventeen-year-old Kate Phillips is having a baby. She's done all to prepare for the new arrival but one thing: she's only told one person...her little sister.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Kate Phillips--17 years old, unmarried, and pregnant--and her younger sister Tyler have been abandoned by their parents. Cancer took their beloved mother two years before, and their father has emotionally left them, choosing to spend his time with his new girlfriend and her two young boys, returning to his home and daughters sporadically to leave money and assuage his guilty conscience.

Tyler and Kate deliver Kate's baby girl all alone, in their quiet suburban house, their BMW silently parked in the garage. Kate insists that her baby's existence must remain hidden, but inevitably, the sisters' secrets are discovered, involving the police and children's protective services. Whether their father will retain custody of his two underage daughters, whether Kate will retain custody of her new baby daughter, and whether the father of Kate's child will remain out of jail are all questionable.

Jessica Barksdale Inclán's novel has a plot, pulled from contemporary headlines, that gives readers a true and unsettling view of American society and the low value placed on its children. While all the characters in the tale attempt to justify their actions, the essential selfishness of the adults comes through with disturbing clarity. Everyone pays a high price, but none more so than Kate and Tyler, whose youth and innocence are lost through the actions of adults who should have protected them--who, instead, use and abandon them. Powerful and poignant, Her Daughter's Eyes is an impressive debut. --Lois Faye Dyer --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

A teenage pregnancy threatens to tear a troubled family apart in a debut novel as gutsy, appealing and confused as its heroines. Still mourning their mother's death from breast cancer, 17-year-old Kate Phillips, aided by her younger sister, Tyler, secretly collects baby paraphernalia from Goodwill, while hiding her pregnancy from everyone, even their father, Davis, who spends most of his time at his girlfriend's house. With a used copy of Dr. Spock and a little luck, the ingenious sisters deliver a healthy baby girl at home, naming her Deirdre, after their mother. Their secret is revealed when their neighbor, Sanjay Chaturvedi, the baby's father, hears the newborn at night. Once in love with Kate's mother, Sanjay had a short affair with Kate, his sons' babysitter. He confesses all to his wife, a physician, who brings the baby to the hospital and the situation to the attention of Social Services. As grueling as childbirth proves for Kate and Tyler, it is not nearly as painful as what follows, with Sanjay in jail, the baby in foster care, the girls in a residence and their father pondering how to show the court he can care for the family he has all but abandoned; only their own consciences and social worker Cynthia De Lucca can guide them. Fortunately, all participants in the domestic drama are well intentioned, and the authorities respect feelings and aims. But it is the plight of the teenage sisters, in all their clever foolishness, that strikes at the heart. While the denouement is improbably upbeat, the novel should be especially meaningful to young adult readers. (May)author interview in the form of a "Conversation Guide" this is the first in NAL's new line of women's fiction.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Signet (April 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451205642
• ISBN-13: 978-0451205643
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,479,463 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jessica Barksdale Inclan's debut novel Her Daughter's Eyes, published in 2001, was the premier novel published under New American Library's new imprint Accent. Her Daughter's Eyes was a final nominee for the YALSA Award for the best books of 2001 and best paperbacks for 2001 and has been published in Dutch and Spanish. Her next novel The Matter of Grace was published in May 2002 and was re-released in a mass market version in May 2004. Her third, When You Go Away, came out April 1, 2003. Her fourth, One Small Thing, was published April 2004, and has been published in Dutch and Spanish. Her fifth, Walking With Her Daughter, was published in April 2005. The Instant When Everything is Perfect was published in February 2006. In June 2006, she published the first in a trilogy from Kensington Books. When You Believe was followed by Reason to Believe and Believe in Me. Being with Him, Intimate Beings, and The Beautiful Being (October 2009) are the novels in her second trilogy. She is a 2002 recipient of the CAC Artist's Fellowship in Literature. Incl'n teaches composition, creative writing, mythology, and women's literature at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, California, and on-line creative writing courses for UCLA extension. She has studied with Sharon Olds, Anne Lamott, Kate Braverman, Grace Paley, Marjorie Sandor, and Cristina Garcia. Her short stories and poems have appeared in Rockhurst Review, Hotwired, The Salt Hill Journal, Free Lunch, The West Wind Review, The Prairie Star, Gargoyle and many other journals and newspapers. Her short story Open Eyes was given first prize by Sandra Cisneros for El Andar magazine's 2000 writing contest. She co-edited a women's literature/studies textbook Diverse Voices of Women (Mayfield Publishing, 1995). Ms. Inclan has degrees in sociology and English literature from CSU Stanislaus and a Master's degree in English literature from SFSU. Ms. Inclan lives in Oakland, California and is currently at work on her next novel. Find her Kindle books on Amazon, starting with The Wolf at the Window.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A poignant tale, May 8, 2001

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Her Daughter's Eyes (Paperback)

Their mother Deidre recently died. Their father Davis ignores them as he spends his time working or at his girlfriend's house. Sixteen-year-old Kate is pregnant and only her younger sister Tyler helps her, just like the team they are when it comes to homework, cooking, and cleaning.

The two teens work to set up a home for the newborn. They are prepared with a makeshift crib, Goodwill clothing and other items, and even a Dr. Spock book. The duo finds it relatively easy to hide Kate's pregnancy from their father and though it is a bit more difficult to conceal it from school officials and friends, no one seems interested in either Kate or Tyler. However, what will happen once the child is born frightens both siblings.

HER DAUGHTER'S EYES is an incredible tale centering on a high school student having a child with no one but her younger sister to turn to for help. The story line is well written without accusations or preaching. The two intrepid, flawed, and apprehensive sisters are wonderful people who could be anyone's children or neighbors. This adds to the overall realism of a poignant look at a dysfunctional family and society. Jessica Barksdale Inclan has written a powerful tale that deserves wide reading.

Harriet Klausner

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Oh, I loved this book!!!!!!!!!!!, October 30, 2001

By 

Barbara "Queen of her castle AND her home lib... (beautiful Charleston, SC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Her Daughter's Eyes (Paperback)

There is so much more to this book than I could possibly write in this review and oh, so very much to read in between the lines. This is such a "real and could be in your neighborhood" story. There is no exaggerated, descriptive writing and no unbelievable situations.
Some of this story....actually a lot of this story is sad and will almost rip your heart out. Kate and Tyler's mother died of breast cancer at the beginning of the girls' teen years, a difficult time to start with. The loneliness this causes them is heartbreaking. They miss their "normal" life tremendously. Their father, Davis, doesn't handle the loss of his wife very well at all. He finds a woman to fill that void in his life and basicly moves in with her, letting Kate and Tyler live alone in the house on the cul-de-sac in a well-to-do neighborhood with it's upper class residents. Davis feels that his daughters are old enough to take care of themselves with him stopping in a few times a week. 17 year old Kate also fills her void and loneliness the wrong way and ends up pregnant and scared and not sure where to turn. 15 year old Tyler takes on a lot of responsibility and is mature beyond her years. She cares for her sister, delivers a baby at home, and much more.
There is so much more to this story and this book would be one of the best discussion stories I've ever read.
I highly recommend reading this book. It is hard to put down and has such a wonderful easy to read flow. Oh, and there is some suspense here! Who is the father? Watch how all of the lives twist and change. A person's death or a person's birth can change so many lives in some of the strangest ways. Some good and some not so good.
I absolutrly LOVED this novel. Excellent writing. I like to read a book that I don't have to study to know who is who and what's going on. This one starts off great and keeps getting better. There are even little side twists that could turn out to be very good stories also. GREAT BOOK :-)

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In her daughter's eyes, January 4, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Her Daughter's Eyes (Nal Accent Novels) (Paperback)

This books was awesome.. it gave you a perspective of what her life was like and it showed the willigness of two young brave girls growing up very rapedly. The things that they did were veryt courageous somethings i would have never eve thought possible. Just the thought of my younger sister delivering my baby gives me the chills. i recommend this book to everyone.Every chapter has a suspence to it and its very clear with its words.