Her Daughter's Eyes

Rating:
Summary: Her Daughter's Eyes
Review: Only 17, Kate Phillips is pregnant with her 9-month-old baby. Tyler, her 15-year-old sister, is the only one who has found out so far. Kate's been hiding her baby from the start, wearing baggy jeans and oversized shirts and sweatshirts. Their mother, Deidre, died 2 years earlier from breast cancer. Their father, Davis, doesn't spend much time with his daughters; instead, he's with his girlfriend and her two sons 24/7, which made it easier for Kate and Tyler to hide the baby when born. Two weeks after Deidre's birth, the father, her next-door neighbor, Sanjay, and his wife, Meera, find out about the baby and take them (Kate, Tyler, and Deidre) to the hospital, where they later find social workers. Kate ends up giving up Deidre and being put in a foster home with her sister.

Kate was determined to have her baby and to keep her alive. She was scared to tell anyone about it, for if anyone knew, they might take her baby. Although she is only 17, she thought like an adult but made childish actions. She had an affair with her next-door neighbor, Sanjay, who was already married and had two young boys. In her eyes, nothing mattered except her baby. Nothing stopped her from having Deidre, although in the end, she had to give her up. She was strong and sad, but she knew it was the right thing to do.

Tyler wasn't sure what to do or say when her sister finally told her she was pregnant. She thought her sister was stupid and arrogant for not telling her before. Tyler, like her sister, was scared of hiding. Although their father never knew, they both didn't like the idea from hiding from Davis. Kate depended on Tyler; Tyler was the one who went out and bought Dr. Spock books, baby things, and birth pamphlets and videos. She was the only who Kate could count on. When she delivered Kate's baby, she was holding a new life in her hands. Tyler had brought life to the little child, the little miracle. Giving birth to Deidre is definitely my favorite part of this heart-warming novel...

Rating:
Summary: Her Daughter's Eyes
Review: Only 17, Kate Phillips is pregnant with her 9-month-old baby. Tyler, her 15-year-old sister, is the only one who has found out so far. Kate's been hiding her baby from the start, wearing baggy jeans and oversized shirts and sweatshirts. Their mother, Deidre, died 2 years earlier from breast cancer. Their father, Davis, doesn't spend much time with his daughters; instead, he's with his girlfriend and her two sons 24/7, which made it easier for Kate and Tyler to hide the baby when born. Two weeks after Deidre's birth, the father, her next-door neighbor, Sanjay, and his wife, Meera, find out about the baby and take them (Kate, Tyler, and Deidre) to the hospital, where they later find social workers. Kate ends up giving up Deidre and being put in a foster home with her sister.

Kate was determined to have her baby and to keep her alive. She was scared to tell anyone about it, for if anyone knew, they might take her baby. Although she is only 17, she thought like an adult but made childish actions. She had an affair with her next-door neighbor, Sanjay, who was already married and had two young boys. In her eyes, nothing mattered except her baby. Nothing stopped her from having Deidre, although in the end, she had to give her up. She was strong and sad, but she knew it was the right thing to do.

Tyler wasn't sure what to do or say when her sister finally told her she was pregnant. She thought her sister was stupid and arrogant for not telling her before. Tyler, like her sister, was scared of hiding. Although their father never knew, they both didn't like the idea from hiding from Davis. Kate depended on Tyler; Tyler was the one who went out and bought Dr. Spock books, baby things, and birth pamphlets and videos. She was the only who Kate could count on. When she delivered Kate's baby, she was holding a new life in her hands. Tyler had brought life to the little child, the little miracle. Giving birth to Deidre is definitely my favorite part of this heart-warming novel...

Rating:
Summary: A poignant tale
Review: 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

Rating:
Summary: Oh, I loved this book!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: 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 :-)

Rating:
Summary: Her Daughter's Eyes (Jessica Barksdale Inclan)
Review: This is a brilliantly written novel about a family's struggles. Seventeen year old Kate and her younger sister Tyler 15, tragically lost their Mom to cancer. Their father's inability to deal with his loss, emotionally and physically abandons his daughter's at a time when the girl's need a parent the most. He chooses to spend his time away from the family home, living with his new girlfriend, leaving Kate and Tyler to fend for themselves. Kate is pregnant and no one knows but her younger sister Tyler. These two sisters join together in a maternal bond to ready for the impending birth of the baby. They construct a crib for the baby to be out of cardboard! Together, on the floor of the bedroom, Kate and Tyler deliver her baby daughter by themselves. Such courage, strength and love these two young girls shared. The father's own struggles, the pain he was in and what he was going through prevented him from seeing that something was terribly wrong in his daughter's lives. I felt such compassion for Kate and Tyler's struggles and for the abandonment they felt. The 'I'm unloved' feeling they shared. This was a passionately and brilliantly written story. Jessica Barksdale Inclan gives so much insight and detail into how each of the character's pain makes them the way they are. That even if you can't always forgive them for their actions, you can come to understand them. The shelfishness of adults who put their needs ahead of those of their children, is a reminder to us all that WE ARE the adults and must deal accordingly with our emotions and not fade into the background leaving our children to deal with the harsh realities of life. A touching book that induced many emotions.
I have also read Ms. Inclan's other two novels "The Matter of Grace" and "When You Go Away" and would HIGHLY recommend that you read them as well. This author writes with such clarity, emotion and reality, that you, as the reader, feel a part of the lives of the characters in her stories.

Rating:
Summary: Her Daughter's Eyes (Jessica Barksdale Inclan)
Review: This is a brilliantly written novel about a family's struggles. Seventeen year old Kate and her younger sister Tyler 15, tragically lost their Mom to cancer. Their father's inability to deal with his loss, emotionally and physically abandons his daughter's at a time when the girl's need a parent the most. He chooses to spend his time away from the family home, living with his new girlfriend, leaving Kate and Tyler to fend for themselves. Kate is pregnant and no one knows but her younger sister Tyler. These two sisters join together in a maternal bond to ready for the impending birth of the baby. They construct a crib for the baby to be out of cardboard! Together, on the floor of the bedroom, Kate and Tyler deliver her baby daughter by themselves. Such courage, strength and love these two young girls shared. The father's own struggles, the pain he was in and what he was going through prevented him from seeing that something was terribly wrong in his daughter's lives. I felt such compassion for Kate and Tyler's struggles and for the abandonment they felt. The 'I'm unloved' feeling they shared. This was a passionately and brilliantly written story. Jessica Barksdale Inclan gives so much insight and detail into how each of the character's pain makes them the way they are. That even if you can't always forgive them for their actions, you can come to understand them. The shelfishness of adults who put their needs ahead of those of their children, is a reminder to us all that WE ARE the adults and must deal accordingly with our emotions and not fade into the background leaving our children to deal with the harsh realities of life. A touching book that induced many emotions.
I have also read Ms. Inclan's other two novels "The Matter of Grace" and "When You Go Away" and would HIGHLY recommend that you read them as well. This author writes with such clarity, emotion and reality, that you, as the reader, feel a part of the lives of the characters in her stories.

Rating:
Summary: Hard to put down...
Review: This was an excellent book. I didn't want to put the book down. I am anxious to read more by this author. There was nothing predictable about this book. Excellent read!!!!

Rating:
Summary: look deep into her daughter's eyes
Review: Unwanted teenage pregnancy has become a problem in the states. Teenage pregnancy can have serious affects on the life of everyone involves in the parents' family. What is unusual about the similar situation in "Her Daughter's Eyes" written by Jessica Inclan, that the 17-year-old Kate keeps her pregnancy as a secret and decides to deliver the baby by the help of her 15-year-old sister. Rather than focus on the pregnancy itself, this book is so much more. This book is deeply involved with complicated love affairs, adults' selfishness, every character's spiritual emotions, relationships, and actions justification. What is strange is that all the characters and events are centered on a person who never shows up in the whole story.
Deirdre has died 1 year before the beginning of the book because of breast cancer. Her husband, Davis, has been trying to escape from the extreme grief by getting alone with a girlfriend, who has just divorced and got two little boys. He usually goes home once several weeks, leaving his two young daughters living alone. Kate is pregnant after several sexual contacts with one man in a summer, but she keeps this away from everyone except her younger sister Tyler. They have been collecting a crib and all kinds of baby all by their own. However Kate never tells her closest sister who the father is. Readers will not find out along the story, too. The answer comes out as one of the biggest shocks in the whole book. The other shock is the name Kate gave to the newborn baby, and the revelation of the father's secret lover.
In the story there are many decisions and reactions that may seem incredible and a bit of crazy. But the actions of every character are reasonable, and the consequences cause by are quite firm. Consider the secret pregnancy, what makes Kate sternly decide to deliver the baby at home and despite the problem that both she and the baby could die? After the child is born, the father of the baby finds this out. How can his wife act so calmly after throwing a glass on the wall? And why on earth does Davis emotionally abandon his two daughters? What will happen to the two fathers after the social service takes its action on this case? Does Kate deserve blame on risking her baby's life? And what does Tyler feel about the things happen in her family? What effects does Deirdre have on everyone in this book even after she died? All of these are bound with moral, profession, love, selfishness, sorrow, responsibility and even laws. This book spends quite a lot pages exploring everyone's psyche and memories in order to justify their actions. In fact, I think this is the book all about. Beyond the teenage pregnancy issue exists in the states by now, this book does make readers ponder. All the questions come into minds usually have an answer, but why do things need to go this way? Why can a home be so torn up and so not home, while most parts of the book are taking place at an upper-middle-class "home"? This story is certainly a bit of sad and it seems so real that can actually happen to your next-door-neighbor.
I'm sixteen, and one year younger I'll be helping my sister laboring. One year older then I'll be giving birth to a child. This kind of things is so unbelievable and so far away from my usual life, but still I enjoy reading this novel. At first I thought people in the story are sort of nutty with what they are doing, but after I found out the reasoning, I started to accept and think that if I was Kate, Tyler, the baby's father, his wife or anyone in the story, I might have done the same thing. There is no insanity in this book. There are surprises and motivated actions. This is a book full of meanings, feelings and dedicated writings.