The Twin's Daughter [Hardcover]

Lauren Baratz-Logsted (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 31, 2010

Lucy Sexton is stunned when a disheveled woman appears at the door one day…a woman who bears an uncanny resemblance to Lucy's own beautiful mother. It turns out the two women are identical twins, separated at birth, and raised in dramatically different circumstances. Lucy's mother quickly resolves to give her less fortunate sister the kind of life she has never known. And the transformation in Aunt Helen is indeed remarkable. But when Helen begins to imitate her sister in every way, even Lucy isn't sure at times which twin is which. Can Helen really be trusted, or does her sweet face mask a chilling agenda?

Filled with shocking twists and turns, THE TWIN'S DAUGHTER is an engrossing gothic novel of betrayal, jealousy, and treacherous secrets that will keep you guessing to the very end.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up–Lucy Sexton lives a charmed, but relatively boring, life in Victorian London. Her writer father provides her with books to read and money to spend while her mother, a true lady, dotes on her only daughter with love and affection. Then a knock comes at the door that changes her life forever. Standing on the other side is a woman who is the spitting image of her mother. Helen Smythe is her name, and she is the long-lost twin of Lucy's mother, Aliese. After being separated at birth, the sisters grew up in totally different situations. Aliese was raised by a family with wealth and promise while Helen lived in an orphanage and was forced to work. After the initial shock wears off, Aliese welcomes Helen into her family. After months of coaching, training, eating, and tailoring, Helen truly becomes Aliese's double. All seems well until one cold winter day when Lucy comes home to find Helen and her mother in a bloody room–one dead and one alive. Lucy is sure it is her mother who has been spared, but as years pass, her certainty wanes. This suspense-filled story starts out as a basic mystery but quickly turns into a fast-paced thriller filled with murder and intrigue. Readers will also enjoy a love story as Lucy falls for Kit, her new neighbor. This riveting story will keep readers guessing until the very end.–Traci Glass, Eugene Public Library, OR. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

From Booklist

Thirteen-year-old Lucy Sexton is the beloved only child of a wealthy London family circa WWI. When her mother’s identical twin sister appears on their doorstep, the family is shocked but immediately accepts Aunt Helen as one of their own. Separated at birth from her more fortunate sister, Helen blossoms as she receives new clothes, tutelage, and etiquette lessons until it’s hard to tell her apart from Lucy’s mother. Tragedy strikes when Lucy comes home one day to find her mother and aunt tied to chairs and covered in blood, one dead and the other traumatized. Who’s behind the killing, and who is the survivor? Baratz-Logsted’s gothic murder mystery is rife with twists and moves swiftly and elegantly. Lucy is a spunky young woman who frequently challenges societal expectations yet remains in character as a member of upper-class English society. Despite a predictable romance with the boy next door, the many surprises that comprise the ending will intrigue and delight readers, as will the satisfying epilogue, which follows Lucy into adulthood as she raises her own daughter. Grades 7-11. --Debbie Carton

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 14 and up
  
• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens (August 31, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1599905132
• ISBN-13: 978-1599905136
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6.6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,027,667 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I was an independent bookseller and buyer for 11 years before deciding to take a chance on myself as a novelist. While trying to sell my books, I worked variously as a Publishers Weekly reviewer, a freelance editor, a sort-of librarian, and a window washer. My first novel, The Thin Pink Line, about a woman who fakes an entire pregnancy, was published by Red Dress Ink in 2003 as their own first-ever hardcover. They've since published two more of my books, Crossing The Line (a sequel) and A Little Change Of Face. In September they'll publish a fourth: How Nancy Drew Saved My Life, a comic gothic that's equal parts Nancy Drew, Jane Eyre and Chick-Lit. 2006 will also see the publication of two other of my novels: Vertigo, a literary novel set in the Victorian era with erotic and suspense undertones, from Bantam in October; and Angel's Choice, an earnest YA about teen pregnancy from Simon & Schuster in December. I'm also a contributor to the Jane Austen fiction/nonfiction anthology Flirting With Pride & Prejudice and editor/contributor of the anthology This IS Chick-Lit, due out from BenBella Books in the fall. I live in Danbury, CT, with my wonderful husband Greg and my equally wonderful daughter Jackie.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Menacing and mesmerizing, October 16, 2010

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small review - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Twin's Daughter (Hardcover)

This deliciously gothic tale opens in the early 1900s when narrator Lucy Sexton is thirteen years old. After answering the doorbell, Lucy is shocked to see her beloved mother Aliese standing before her gaunt and in rags. Only the woman isn't Lucy's mother. The woman quickly reveals herself to be Aliese's twin sister Helen, separated at birth on the recommendation of a psychic and sent to live in poverty while Aliese was raised with luxury. Claiming no resentments on either side, Helen is welcomed into the family and quickly given a wardrobe, lessons, and all of the accoutrements of a lady. Lucy is overjoyed by her aunt's presence, finally feeling like she has a friend and sister. However, nothing is as it seems, and as the differences between Aliese and Helen are smoothed away leading to confusion as to which twin is which, secrets, jealousy, and resentments simmer beneath the façade of civility.

This book is perfect for those days when you want to curl up in a comfortable chair with a warm drink while the weather rages outside. Perfectly atmospheric, The Twin's Daughter wraps you up in layer upon layer of mystery as it steadily builds to a shocking climax--only the story doesn't end there. Baratz-Logsted treats us to not one, not two, but three jaw-dropping climaxes with each revelation providing more clues that both answer questions and send the reader down garden paths. At one point I was absolutely convinced I had it all figured out (I was even slightly annoyed with the main character for not having realized the answer sooner) only to discover that I was completely wrong! You're kept guessing up until the very end, but even if a reader were more accurate in their conclusion than I was, the story is still entirely absorbing.

Lucy is an excellent narrator whose voice is both appealing and evocative. Her manner of speech and observations all help build the setting, effectively transporting the reader into Lucy's world. Her innocence and naïve descriptions of things she does not understand juxtaposed with the sinister occurrences and dark foreshadowing we the reader accurately recognize is especially effective in building tension and fear for Lucy.

Though Lucy's story begins when she is only thirteen and ends when she is in her late teens, her role and narration style help The Twin's Daughter transcend the YA genre. Lucy's recounting of the mysteries surrounding the adults in her life leaves her in the position of almost an omniscient narrator, and though the main character is a young adult, the story is primarily about the adults she observes. Adults who shun this book on the grounds that it is a YA title are doing themselves a disservice.

That isn't to say the book is entirely observational. Lucy endearingly relates her changing feelings for her neighbor, a wry boy named Kit who first teases her and later falls in love with her. Kit and Lucy's relationship is tender and perfectly paced (a stark contrast to the love at first sight romances that seem to make up a large bulk of YA lately). Baratz-Logsted sensitively recounts Lucy's development from a young girl to a woman, realistically portraying her thoughts and feelings to the events she experiences and their effect on her personality.

Fans of gothic novels like Diane Setterfield's The Thirteenth Tale: A Novel, John Harwood's The Seance, and Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights(all books I adore) will delight in The Twin's Daughter. The Twin's Daughter is a perfect example of classic storytelling. Highly recommended.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Gothic Mystery!, August 30, 2011

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The Allure of Books - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Twin's Daughter (Hardcover)

You guys, when the summary says that this book will keep you guessing to the very end - it ain't kidding. This plot will have you so twisted up into knots that you will be devouring it to get to the end. It is really rare to find a mystery where you aren't mostly certain what the outcome will be, and The Twin's Daughter is the answer to that problem.

When I was a kid, I read Victoria Holt novels obsessively. I loved them. They are gothic mystery/romance novels written back in the 1950s-60s. As I got into high school, they stopped feeding my gothic addiction. The fact that they have little to no character substance or development became a glaring problem that I couldn't ignore. This book reminds me of those books, because it is exactly what I wish a Victoria Holt novel could be.

Basically, I have nothing negative to say about the story. As I've already said, the plot is brilliant and one of the best written mysteries I've ever read. The fact that it is a stand-alone is another huge plus. It seems like everything is a series lately. And the characters? Yeah. They're amazing too. Lucy Sexton is the perfect heroine. She gets caught up in the mystery between her mother and newly discovered aunt - and we have to try puzzling things together along with her. All the things she considers and discovers are completely believable and perfect to fit the story.

Suspense, mystery, love, family dynamics and a rather large creep factor all come together in a perfect balance to make one fantastic story. I highly recommend picking this up.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Can't Put Down, February 5, 2011

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booklover - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Twin's Daughter (Hardcover)

I'm going to keep this short: I LOVED this book! I am not generally enamored of gothic books. I can't compare this book to anything and I don't want to--I just want to spread the word that it's a SUPER read: I literally couldn't put it down! This book kept me up all night. It is a page-turner in the most classic--and best--sense of the word. Beautifully written, engaging, teasing, in turns lighthearted and dark, this book leaps genres and holds your attention relentlessly and seductively. Do you enjoy the thrill of a good read? The fun of a glorious trilogy of romance, murder and gaslight? Pick up "The Twin's Daughter," find a comfortable place to sit, and prepare yourself for being there until the last page is turned. Congratulations to Baratz-Logsted: I am a fan for life!