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canadianbookworm's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
https://cdnbookworm.blogspot.com/2022/09/the-vets-daughter.html
pricklypear's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
misslin's review against another edition
Comyns is an idiosyncratic genius of a writer. This is the second book of hers that I have read.
Similar to Our Spoons came from Woolworths, the story unfolds through the naive prattle of the main character. Though in this book, the prattle has a strong component of Learned Helplessness in it.
Alice lives her life at the mercy of her brutal father with no clear way of escape. Her father's kind colleague 'Blinkers' does offer her temporary respite, but she doesn't really want to marry him though she knows it is an option. The handsome sailor that she falls in love with ignores her and is horrified when she demonstrates her special ability to him. It is this ability, the one thing that makes Alice special which is ultimately her downfall.
This is a quirky tale and the end is a surprise. I kept expecting her to leave home and marry Blinkers and make the best of it because that is the sort of person Alice is. But of course, her father had to ruin even this slim chance of happiness because that's the sort of person that he is.
Similar to Our Spoons came from Woolworths, the story unfolds through the naive prattle of the main character. Though in this book, the prattle has a strong component of Learned Helplessness in it.
Alice lives her life at the mercy of her brutal father with no clear way of escape. Her father's kind colleague 'Blinkers' does offer her temporary respite, but she doesn't really want to marry him though she knows it is an option. The handsome sailor that she falls in love with ignores her and is horrified when she demonstrates her special ability to him. It is this ability, the one thing that makes Alice special which is ultimately her downfall.
This is a quirky tale and the end is a surprise. I kept expecting her to leave home and marry Blinkers and make the best of it because that is the sort of person Alice is. But of course, her father had to ruin even this slim chance of happiness because that's the sort of person that he is.
pgm's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
jgwc54e5's review against another edition
4.0
A dark bleak tale told by Alice, the vets daughter. Her father is horrible, her poor mother sick and abused. There’s violence, cruelty and lots of awful people but I couldn’t look away. A remarkable and ‘peculiar’ little book.
kansass's review against another edition
4.0
No había leido nada de Barbara Comyns, y no sé si sus demás obras son como ésta o no, pero confieso que me he quedado bastante impactada por cómo transcurre esta historia. Estaba yo algo equivocada, creía que La Hija del Veterinario, era una especie de novelita al estilo british, plácida y de humor agradable, no me pregunten porqué, prejuicios que se monta una ;-). Y me encuentro con una especie de cuento gótico, dónde la protagonista, Alice Rowlands es zarandeada una y otra vez por los embates de los personajes que se encuentra a su paso.
"-¿Usted ha flotado alguna vez, señora Peebles?
- No -dijo bastante molesta- Yo nunca haría una cosa así. Yo no soy peculiar".
Y lo veo como un cuento por lo caricaturesco de los personajes malvados y por lo ingenuos de los personajes bondadosos, y entre medias, una especie de violencia que está todo el tiempo presente, como un cuchillo amenazante, violencia que a veces se manifiesta, pero que en general está siempre en el ambiente y que se puede tocar, con lo cual el lector, espera que en cualquier momento se produzca un "zasss".
Es una historia extraña, me ha recordado también mucho a [b:Harriet|1669972|Harriet|Elizabeth Jenkins|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1379317737l/1669972._SY75_.jpg|1664925], de [a:Elizabeth Jenkins|161865|Elizabeth Jenkins|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1379146206p2/161865.jpg], que también era un libro gloriosamente extraño: ingenuo y bizarro al mismo tiempo. La verdad es que ha sido una sorpresa estupenda mi primera incursión en Barbara Comyns ;-)
"Yo no quiero ser peculiar y diferente. Quiero ser una persona normal".
"-¿Usted ha flotado alguna vez, señora Peebles?
- No -dijo bastante molesta- Yo nunca haría una cosa así. Yo no soy peculiar".
Y lo veo como un cuento por lo caricaturesco de los personajes malvados y por lo ingenuos de los personajes bondadosos, y entre medias, una especie de violencia que está todo el tiempo presente, como un cuchillo amenazante, violencia que a veces se manifiesta, pero que en general está siempre en el ambiente y que se puede tocar, con lo cual el lector, espera que en cualquier momento se produzca un "zasss".
Es una historia extraña, me ha recordado también mucho a [b:Harriet|1669972|Harriet|Elizabeth Jenkins|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1379317737l/1669972._SY75_.jpg|1664925], de [a:Elizabeth Jenkins|161865|Elizabeth Jenkins|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1379146206p2/161865.jpg], que también era un libro gloriosamente extraño: ingenuo y bizarro al mismo tiempo. La verdad es que ha sido una sorpresa estupenda mi primera incursión en Barbara Comyns ;-)
"Yo no quiero ser peculiar y diferente. Quiero ser una persona normal".
jnelsontwo's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
layton93's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Sexual assault
rpmirabella's review against another edition
5.0
I'm so glad I read this book and "discovered" Barbara Comyns. I can't wait to read more of her work. I love the quality of other-worldly "realism." The Vet's Daughter combines a dusty, brutal reality with a fairy tale atmosphere I quite liked. This is a strange and sad book, but there are moments of humor and absurdity, especially in some of the dialogue. A hidden gem.
rpmirabella's review against another edition
5.0
My second reading of this book confirms that it is brilliant and VERY sad.