Customer Reviews

Isabel's Daughter: A Novel

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Judith Ryan Hendricks has scored high marks once again with ISABEL'S DAUGHTER. I loved BREAD ALONE and finished it, coincidentally, the day ISABEL'S DAUGHTER was released. While wandering through the bookstore with my son on his birthday I was delighted to find her second novel. Yes, it took me four months to get to it because of all the other unread books on my shelves, but it was worth the wait. The story is interesting and beautifully written. Ms. Hendricks' enchanting style pulls you into the story and, in this case, into New Mexico, a state that is already magical to me. Avery James, the discarded orphan, is far from perfect, but she has good reason to live a life that is disconcerting. There are many mysteries in her life which she works to unravel, leaving the orphanage and traveling south into the art world of New Mexico. For those of you who already love the Southwest, this will bring it home to you in a nostalgic and romantic way. For those of you who have never visited or lived there, you'll want to change that as soon as possible!

Judith Ryan Hendricks is on my list to watch out for all future novels. She has a gift and here's one reader who hopes she uses it often and well.

Avery James was raised in a foundling home in southeast Colorado where her only real friend was the school's cook, Esperanza. After a disastrous placement in foster care and the death of Esperanza, Avery runs away and ends up with Cassie, an old curandera (herb-woman, healer, witch) in New Mexico. Because of her lonely childhood, Avery has built a wall around her heart and pushes back anyone who tries to care about her. After Cassie's death, Avery is once again set adrift and runs away from Will Cameron, the young man who is in love with her.

Avery hitchhikes to Albuquerque, where she works in a diner and attends night classes at the university. On a whim, she and her roommate move to Santa Fe, where Avery finds work with a catering company. This is how she meets Paul deGraf, her mother's former lover, and begins to unravel the mystery of who her mother was, and who Avery is, was, and wants to be.

I used to live in Santa Fe and found the descriptions of the town and its inhabitants spot-on. Hendricks' fluid and detailed descriptions of the food often made my mouth water. (Yum, chile rellenos)

Not many writers can weave so much emotion into their passages. But Judith Hendricks does this very well. She has combined real, likeable characters, a story packed with emotion, complicated relationships, and incredibly strong, inspiring female characters. The thing that makes this book, and this author, stand out even more is that Judith Hendricks knows the power and magic of female relationships. And she is a genius at portraying these things in words. I really felt like I understood Avery James in ISABEL'S DAUGHTER, I cried for her. But even better, I loved this story of healing and perseverence and the strength that a woman gathers from within herself and from the women in her life.

Avery James is both cursed and charmed by the legacy of the woman who left her a foundling with only a thread (literally, you'll see) of a clue to her mother's identity. But Avery doesn't count on that (or much of anything or anyone else) as she grows herself up in the orphanage in Colorado, then on the road through New Mexico from Florales to Albuquerque and eventually to Sante Fe where her past and future converge.
Hendricks beautifully renders the vistas and cuisine, art and history of New Mexico while revealing layer after layer of Avery's perceptions and blind spots, her longings and her fierce attempt not to desire anything more than whatever she can claim as of her own making.
Avery blunders and blooms in fits and starts as she gradually comes to accept the mantle of her ancestors and allows herself to grow into their dreams for her.
Isabel's Daughter does for Sante Fe and visual arts what Hendrick's first novel Bread Alone did for Seattle and baking.
They transport the reader in the great tradition of storytelling so it's the next best thing to being there.

This book could have been so much better than it actually was. I kept waiting for it to take off, for dots to connect, for Avery to mature a little..none of that ever really happened. There were so many different turns that the story could have taken, so many elements that could have been expanded that would've improved the book. I just felt very disconnected from it. I had to force myself to finish it with false hopes that it would eventually pick a plot and stick to it, and also with the idea that there would be some sort of decent conclusion. Details seemed to be missing around the idea that Avery had "the sight" which sort of left me in the dark. It would have been great to get more information about that, or a few more examples. I guess she attempted to pull that together in the end, but it just wasn't enough for me. Nor was the "resolution" of she and Will Cameron. I also would like to know what happened to Paul. Even knowing more about Isabel would have been nice! I know the book was supposed to be about Avery and her personal growth and discovery, but come on. NOT ENOUGH! I wanted to like Avery, I really did, but it was dificult to feel that I knew her. The language was also a little on the..offensive side. I'm not one of those people who gets mad every time I hear a cuss word, but seriously. The use of GD every paragraph was a little bothersome. I don't think I would recommend this book to anyone I know, sadly.

I read previous Hendrick's titles and knew this one would be right up there with the best; I was not disappointed. I hope she never gives up writing, Judith has a way with words I seldom see. Her characters come alive for the reader and we can really relate to them. I look forward to future books by Judith Hendricks. The main character held her own while constantly meeting the shadow of the mother she never knew. I loved the path she followed right to the end.

Judith Hendricks really is an extraordinary story teller! This is a story you can jump into and feel as if you are really there...Even more exciting than her first novel, Isabel's Daughter keeps you turning pages in a race to see where she is taking you this time. Santa Fe, New Mexico, is where. You are drawn into Isabel's spell instantly, with her dry sense of humour and sly, quick wit. It is fabulously entertaining, with a little bit of history and culture thrown in for good measure. Her facination with food is something all will appreciate. This is one terrific book you'll be glad you read. Bring us some more like this, Judith Hendricks!!!

I was a little skeptical at first ... southwestern stories are usually not my chosen genre (I was thinking a little bit more "cowboys" for this one). This book is absolutely wonderful and I read it in one day ... I recommend it to anyone. I loved her work so much I ordered both her others today and can't wait for them to get here!

This is one of those books that stay on your mind, and one I will want to read again in the future. Avery James was raised in an orphanage, which colored her life-view all of her growing up years. She sees a portrait of her mother, and that sets the stage for her quest to find herself. Part of the book is told in flash-back form, which is one of the best parts. This is a long book, but I was so enthralled I finished it in two days. And was sorry when I got to the last page. I have read "Bread Alone" and "The Baker's Apprentice", and hope it's not too long before the next book-- and I hope there is one--- appears.

Avery James is left in the basement of foundling home by her young and frightened mother. Through many twists and turns of fate Avery slowly discovers who her mother is and more importantly, who Avery is herself. This novel is jam packed with a diverse assortment of vivid and fascinating characters. As an added bonus, you will be exposed to the culinary, cultural and artistic flavors of New Mexico, the "Land of Enchantment".

Anyone who has ever thirsted to learn more about themselves, what they wanted and where they were going, will find something to identify with in this book.