The Godforsaken Daughter

By: Christina McKenna

Narrated by: Sue Pitkin

Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

When Ruby Clare's father was alive, they toiled together happily on their dairy farm in Northern Ireland. Since his death Ruby - thirty-three, plump but comely - has been forced indoors and made a domestic drudge for Martha, her endlessly critical mother, and her prettier younger sisters, May and June.

But everything changes when Ruby finds her late grandmother's old case in the attic. Among its strange contents: a curious, handmade volume called The Book of Light.

As Ruby delves into its mysterious pages, she's enticed into a most beguiling world whose allure and magnetic power she finds irresistible.

Martha, convinced that her newly empowered daughter is going crazy, enlists the help of the kindly parish priest and then psychiatrist Henry Shevlin. Henry appears imperturbable yet is inwardly reeling from his wife's unexplained disappearance the previous year.

As Ruby undergoes therapy, she meets local bachelor farmer Jamie McCloone. Through their shared loneliness and isolation the two find the courage to connect. But will Ruby's mother allow her daughter the happiness she so richly deserves?

The Godforsaken Daughter is an unforgettable peek into small-town life in Ireland's recent past. It's a glorious successor to McKenna's first two Tailorstown novels, The Misremembered Man and The Disenchanted Widow.

©2015 Christina McKenna (P)2014 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved

Loved it!

This might be my favorite one of Christina McKenna's books yet! Great story writer, she is.

Old Sins, Broken People, Coming Clean

The broken people in this world suffer untold pain . . . and Christina McKenna has a talent for telling their stories in a way that is fresh and different. The first two in this “series”, The Misremembered Man and The Disenchanted Widow, lays the foundation for this book. Ruby Clare, abused by her own mother and two sisters, lived a horrible existence after her father died . . . and her escape into the attic where she found her grandmother’s old case (her father’s mother) was her “out”. I didn’t agree with the theology she found there, but I cheered for Ruby as she finally broke out of her cocoon and began to spread her wings and fly. There was a very good reason her grandmother’s will specified that the case remain in the house, but that it never be opened. Her grandmother KNEW that her own pain was toxic, but that she’d written from her heart, poured it out onto paper . . . so that it left her body . . . she knew that it was important . . . and something told her that it may be important again. I never imagined the twists and turns that the story would take, but I’m glad to have taken the path with Ruby and Jamie . . . and the return of Paddy and Rose, well, that was icing on the cake.

THE IRISH VERSION OF THE CINDERELLA STORY

Where does The Godforsaken Daughter rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It's in the top 80%. It was enjoyable and entertaining with a little magic, psychiatry and suspense thrown in.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Godforsaken Daughter?

Ruby dancing naked near the lake was certainly memorable by her family.

Which scene was your favorite?

Ruby finally standing up to her sister and letting her know that she too was the keeper of some nasty secrets.

If you could take any character from The Godforsaken Daughter out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Ruby. First of all, she'd eat good with her healthy appetite - wouldn't pick at the dinner. Then I'd tell her to buck up and stand up for herself. She's only a doormat because she allows herself to be one.

McKenna serves up such juicy karmic justice.

“Life’s not always fair” our elders tell us when we grumble and whine. Sometimes, though, they truly aren’t as main character, Ruby discovers. But as this story unfolds, Karma intercedes in favor of our heroine. I have thoroughly enjoyed this trilogy, it’s unforgettable characters and a story line come full circle.

Performer is so bad I couldn't listen to this book

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I've never stopped a book purely because I couldn't stand listening to the performer before. The actress who reads this book sounds angry and barks out the words, no matter what she's conveying. I couldn't take the sound of her voice and stopped the book before even finishing Chapter 1.

Wonderful story

We need another sequel! I feel part of the character’s lives. Did not like the high pitched screeching reader though.

Lovely fairytale

This is a kind of enchanting , modern faiytale. I enjoyed it very much. It's entertaining, has suspense, two lovestories, unexpected twists and turns and very interestingly painted characters.

Very enjoyable read.

I enjoy stories that intertwine this way. It's three stories in one. I was routing Ruby on throughout the book.

Lilting Irish

To rate this first as an audio book, I have to say the lilting cadence of the Irish speakers that Sue Pitkin gave was wonderful to hear. It's something that, as an American, would have been lost to me had I simply read the book.

The book itself was altogether different than I expected. Even after the first eight or nine chapters, I thought this was going to be the story of a woman, Ruth, who gained self-confidence through identifying with the occult and the goddess Dana. I could not have been more wrong. Ruth did gain self-confidence, and she also gained two of the three wishes she made of the goddess, but in the most natural way. The ending was entirely satisfying, both for Ruth and for her doctor, who was having problems of his own.

For those to whom it matters, this is a clean read. Nothing worse than an occasional "bitch" is used that I can recall in the "swearing" category, and no sex or salacious language is used, though an adulterous affair is implied and a woman confesses to having been raped years before.

Great story and touchable characters

I loved this story of loss and love, and finding strength with the help of friends. change can be good.