On Writing Daddy's GirlAfter I had been through many versions of the manuscript (written over almost a decade) I decided that for this book to have validity it would be necessary not only to show the past but also to give a picture of the present-illustrating how the events of my childhood affected me at the time, as well as later in life as an adult and a parent.Given that I wrote the book in the first place as a document that I hoped would be useful to others who'd suffered abuse and also to professionals, I felt it was very important to present detailed portraits of the child I was and the woman I grew to be (in large measure as a result of trying to cope with the long-term effects of the abuse.) As well, I thought it was vital to illustrate how fallout from the abuse can be felt down through the generations, if one fails to exercise awareness and caution.So the book weaves back and forth between past and present (the present being 1979, when the final version was completed). I also had to decide at the very start whether I was going to dole out snippets of truth or be completely truthful and address the issue as fully as I was able. There seemed no point to writing an autobiographical account of incest if I was going to be anything less than completely truthful. It was not difficult to tell the truth, nor was the writing of the book a cathartic experience, as many have imagined it to be. The fact is that I had long-since confronted my personal demons and had managed to relegate the past to the past-something exceedingly difficult for many victims of any/all forms of abuse to do.A few years ago in correcting the page proofs of a new British edition of the book, I reread DADDY'S GIRL, and was gratified by what I'd written. (Often, with my novels, I am not at all happy when I reread them.) I think that as an author I have little, if any, objectivity about my work once it's completed and so am not necessarily a good judge of it. But I am proud of DADDY'S GIRL. Since its publication in 1980 it has been of help to a lot of people. And, ultimately, it's my way of returning some measure of the kindness and attention people showed me when I was working my way along the rough roadway toward my future.
The suicide of her husband upends TV producer Lynne Craig's world, as she tries to come to terms with his death and deal with the cutthroat world of 1960s television.
Sidonie Graham got married and allowed her husband Frank to be the center of her universe -- until the day she suddenly realized she was overweight, unhappy, and desperate to be free.At the urging of her bold, outspoken Aunt Claudia, Sidonie begins reclaiming her life. Unfortunately, the marriage and subsequent divorce have left Sidonie feeling misshapen and ugly, even when she no longer is.So when she meets Michael Quinn, producer of what he prefers to call "erotic films," she's primed to fall into something that can only end badly. And it does. Because Michael Quinn wants to make his dream of producing a "legitimate film" come true and Sidonie is perfect for the leading role.But is Michael Quinn's dream film art or pornography? And does it matter if the end result is the loss of a rather naive, lonely woman's innocence?It's a painful, humiliating learning experience for Sidonie, but she does learn. And, having discovered unsuspected strength within herself, she is at last prepared to stake a claim on her future and pursue her own dreams.
Sarah Breswick and Simon Fitzgerald are different.Unwanted, unloved, and suffering from a disfiguring birth defect, Sarah has led a quiet, very sheltered life. At the age of thirty-two, she lives alone in a rundown inherited house in the Midlands of England, and during the week tends to the elderly residents of Crossroads with love and kindness, caring deeply for the frail inhabitants of the place -- an unlikely group of surrogate relatives.Simon has come back to the Midlands after failing to succeed as an actor in London. He is working at the local garage, and trying to convince himself to accept that this is what his future is going to be. No glamour, none of the flash and excitement of London. Just day-in day-out boredom, fixing cars, and the ongoing uncertainty about his sexual identity.But then Sarah's car won't start. The wonderfully good-looking young man at the garage promises to come by the house to fix the car. Neither of them has ever met anyone remotely like the other.And so begins the awkward and touching tale of two unlikely people who manage, against the odds, to make a pair.
On the day of her late husband's funeral, widow Kyra Latimer is confronted by a young woman claiming to be her long-lost daughter, given up for adoption twenty years earlier, who leaves her toddler son with his "grandmother" to raise among the eccentric members of Kyra's famous British theatrical family
A stunning, sensitive young girl falls in love with an older man, a man so profoundly scarred, both physically and emotionally, that he turns her away. But through their shared love of music, he gradually permits her to enter his world, allowing himself to trust--and to love--once again.
During the Great Depression, Jessica Greaves promises her father she will look after her younger sister--a promise that has undreamed of repercussions.
Lucinda Hunter has been a virtual recluse in a Connecticut farmhouse for 27 years. Katanya Taylor is a nine-year-old from Harlem who is staying with a host family for two weeks and meets Lucinda while admiring her garden. Lucinda's acquaintance with Katanya prompts the older woman to reexamine her life.
Five years after a little girl lures a reclusive woman out of her isolation, forcing her to once again embrace love, the events of September 11 forever change both of their lives in unexpected and dramatic ways.
The neglected adopted child of an invalid mother and her devoted husband, Lisa Hamilton has grown up isolated, her one true love being her music.Most of the time, life is incomprehensible to Lisa. She is quietly alienated, becoming more and more lost to the only thing that makes sense to her: the music she hears in her head, and that she discovers she can perform to great public approval.Leaving home as a teenager to go on the road, Lisa becomes a vagabond troubador, singing in clubs, making love to lonely men; with no real life. Until the terrible assault by the man she'd elected to protect her results in a pregnancy. And suddenly there is within her grasp the possibility of the one thing she's never had: a family.Working at a luxury hotel in the Bahamas, Lisa begins, at last, to consider her life and her future, and decides she must now, finally, begin to take care of herself; to make plans. And then, Chas Clayton arrives to offer her the chance not only to have a recording career, but to complete the family portrait she has begun mentally to paint.
The attractive young businessman Stanleigh met on the plane seemed safe. He would help her--for a night--forget her stepson's death. But after one night, David Goddard loved Stanleigh compulsively. And he had to get her to love him. Even if it meant destroying them both.
The lives and destinies of three women--mothers and daughters--and their families, marriages, and loves are set against the background of war-torn London and the peaceful aftermath of World War II in Europe
Annabel Abbott's twin sister Julia has committed suicide. This act turns Annabel's life upside down. She simply cannot comprehend why Julia, who had everything, would call her life a senseless rip-off and put an end to it. While Annabel, the studious one, the boring insurance consultant, has doggedly kept moving forward year after year. The detectives who have responded to her call have no explanations to offer, but one of the pair, Harry Schoenman, is very taken with Annabel and offers unexpected comfort. Their brief affair results in Annabel's pregnancy and also inspires her decision to create a special pregnancy insurance company for women. Working with her feisty assistant Joan and her equally feister lawyer, Frieda, Annabel begins putting her company together -- along the way encountering nonstop negativism from the men with whom she has to deal. Surprisingly, the person who seems to understand best what it is she's attempting to do, and who takes a personal interest in Annabel is her doctor, Rhys Bowen. As Annabel's due date draws nearer, she is forced to turn everything over to Joan and, resigned, goes home to wait for the arrival of the baby. And, frighteningly, the birth of the child proves as daunting and dangerous -- but, finally, as deeply rewarding -- as everything else in her life.
Two sisters living in Toronto in the 1950s struggle to coexist with their angry, abusive mother. When one sister falls victim to a violent act, the other must go forward alone.
It was a plush assignment for photojournalist Joanna James: a London to Venice ride on the legendary Orient Express. But Joanna was tired; the trip was one more inconvenience she did not need. Then she boarded the luxurious train and stepped into a world of dream-like possiblities and intimacies.
It is winter 1934 when DeeDee dies after falling from her apartment balcony. Honoria plays gumshoe to detect the cause. "Mood Indigo"-it's Manhattan; it's a clever, unique woman working her way through a puzzle; and, ultimately, it's a matter of whether she will survive the experience. Allen gives us mystery at its best!
The suicide of her husband upends TV producer Lynne Craig's world, as she tries to come to terms with his death and deal with the cutthroat world of 1960s television.
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