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lbjessome's review
emotional
reflective
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? No
4.0
emilyisreading2024's review
4.0
Like all the Alice McDermott books I've read, this one is beautifully written. At first, I was entranced by the story. As it went on, I found it a bit slow and the parts about the men who come onto the main character disturbing, especially since I didn't really get a good sense for how she felt about it. I enjoyed the descriptions of people, particularly the aunt, and the interactions between the main character and her cousin, Daisy.
michelemmk's review
3.0
I enjoyed the author's writing style & really liked it til the end. Felt disappointed, like it was abruptly ended.
southernhon's review
5.0
Child of My Heart was an interesting book that captured my attention with its simplicity. The plot is direct. Teresa, a 15 year old girl, spends her summer babysitting several neighborhood children including her "poor" 8 year old cousin Daisy, who is the favorite child of Teresa's parents. Daisy is one of eight children and doesn't get much one on one attention and must compete for everything with her siblings. Her father is very rules-oriented and apparently, the home is run in a very strict, no-nonsense manner. As an aside, it took me awhile to get used to Alice McDermott's poetic writing style, but once I did, I let myself enjoy her metaphoric descriptions and light, flowing prose. I'm not usually a fan of this style, but the beach town setting in the 1960's lent itself well to the vivid, colorful images she created.
Teresa was an interesting character. Interestingly, the story wasn't about her as much as it was about the children in her care and the adults she encountered. My only complaint about the book is that Teresa appears very one-dimensional, almost too good to be true. She has devoted her life to the children she cares for. She never listens to music, watches television, talks about boys, or even speaks much about school. The most I could infer from the author's descriptions was that she is beautiful, somewhat lonely as an only child and slightly more street smart than she lets on. You might think that a teenage babysitter in a wealthy Long Island neighborhood in the 1960's would have no need for street smarts, but apparently she is so beautiful and sweet that every father of every child she cares for drools over her. These men are very lecherous and don't hide the fact that they lust for her. Teresa seems to like the attention showered upon her by these men, especially the 70 year old artist father of her youngest charge, baby Flora. Teresa finally gives in and loses her virginity to this man, something I had a very difficult time wrapping my head around. Why would she do this? I had nothing but contempt for the artist and Flora's mother, an uncaring figure who left her baby for the entire summer to be cared for by the 70 year old father, the cook, the maid (who was also having sex with the 70 year old) and Teresa. Poor Flora, who longed only for her mother, who discarded her.
The neighbor children, the Morans, were also apparently neglected by their mother, who had moved them into her father's home after a split from the kids' father. The boys, Petey and Tony often solved problems first with their fists and appeared unkempt. Petey was very needy and sensitive under his tough exterior, always needing affirmation of his worth and likeability. They had two sisters, Janey and Judy. Petey developed a crush on 8 year old Daisy, but never knew how to show it. He also sometimes slept in Teresa's yard under her window. I surmised that he did this either to be closer to Daisy and Teresa or to escape the chaos at home.
Dr. Kaufmann, another neighbor, also apparently thought Teresa was quite the looker and crossed some inappropriate boundaries with her as well. His two children were away at summer camp so we didn't get to know them well, but we did find out that Dr. Kaufmann was recently separated and lonely. He missed his children and desired the company of Teresa and Daisy. During the time he spent with them, he noticed that Daisy had bruises that did not heal and was prone to fevers. The author never specifically mentioned leukemia, but it was implied.
There were other minor neighborhood characters as well. There was an incident involving a young girl holding her precious cat who had recently been hit by a car. Teresa is summoned in the middle of the night to comfort the child. She offers the girl words of comfort, an understanding of her pain and a bath which she desperately needed after holding the bloodied cat. I found this scene quite tragic, as the girl's own mother could not bear her child's outward displays of sadness and suggested she needed a psychiatrist. Teresa, ever so wise and kind, told the mother that her daughter's heart was broken.
Teresa was quite a saint. She never lost her temper or expressed any negative emotions about her job or the difficult children she cared for. She seemed to know that these were needy children and felt it was her job to give them what they so desperately craved and that was stability and unconditional love.
My guess is that the sex with the 70 year old was the author's way of showing the reader that Teresa wasn't so perfect after all, but it was a strange way to show that, in my opinion.
Daisy goes back to her parents' home after she is hospitalized from a dog bite and it is at that hospital that her underlying illness is discovered. She eventually passes away. I knew that would happen, but I also believe that Daisy herself knew she was going to die. She spoke a lot about "knowing" people in heaven before she was born and Teresa commented that Daisy was indeed an old soul.
I enjoyed this book because it was an age of innocence in so many ways, yet it wasn't. Teresa gave of herself in just about every way, yet we know so little about her as a person. This story made me think about the nature of agape love, about a young girl's priorities 50 years ago vs. now, and how this story might have played out if it had taken place in another decade. There were so many dichotomies at work here. The free love of the 1960's (the 70 year old artist who had "kept abortionists in business") and a neglected, yet longed for child, the material wealth of the residents who had it all but gave so little time to their own children, the teenager who was told to save herself for marriage and then freely gave it away to someone old enough to be her grandfather. These are ideas that made this a great book. Highly recommended.
Teresa was an interesting character. Interestingly, the story wasn't about her as much as it was about the children in her care and the adults she encountered. My only complaint about the book is that Teresa appears very one-dimensional, almost too good to be true. She has devoted her life to the children she cares for. She never listens to music, watches television, talks about boys, or even speaks much about school. The most I could infer from the author's descriptions was that she is beautiful, somewhat lonely as an only child and slightly more street smart than she lets on. You might think that a teenage babysitter in a wealthy Long Island neighborhood in the 1960's would have no need for street smarts, but apparently she is so beautiful and sweet that every father of every child she cares for drools over her. These men are very lecherous and don't hide the fact that they lust for her. Teresa seems to like the attention showered upon her by these men, especially the 70 year old artist father of her youngest charge, baby Flora. Teresa finally gives in and loses her virginity to this man, something I had a very difficult time wrapping my head around. Why would she do this? I had nothing but contempt for the artist and Flora's mother, an uncaring figure who left her baby for the entire summer to be cared for by the 70 year old father, the cook, the maid (who was also having sex with the 70 year old) and Teresa. Poor Flora, who longed only for her mother, who discarded her.
The neighbor children, the Morans, were also apparently neglected by their mother, who had moved them into her father's home after a split from the kids' father. The boys, Petey and Tony often solved problems first with their fists and appeared unkempt. Petey was very needy and sensitive under his tough exterior, always needing affirmation of his worth and likeability. They had two sisters, Janey and Judy. Petey developed a crush on 8 year old Daisy, but never knew how to show it. He also sometimes slept in Teresa's yard under her window. I surmised that he did this either to be closer to Daisy and Teresa or to escape the chaos at home.
Dr. Kaufmann, another neighbor, also apparently thought Teresa was quite the looker and crossed some inappropriate boundaries with her as well. His two children were away at summer camp so we didn't get to know them well, but we did find out that Dr. Kaufmann was recently separated and lonely. He missed his children and desired the company of Teresa and Daisy. During the time he spent with them, he noticed that Daisy had bruises that did not heal and was prone to fevers. The author never specifically mentioned leukemia, but it was implied.
There were other minor neighborhood characters as well. There was an incident involving a young girl holding her precious cat who had recently been hit by a car. Teresa is summoned in the middle of the night to comfort the child. She offers the girl words of comfort, an understanding of her pain and a bath which she desperately needed after holding the bloodied cat. I found this scene quite tragic, as the girl's own mother could not bear her child's outward displays of sadness and suggested she needed a psychiatrist. Teresa, ever so wise and kind, told the mother that her daughter's heart was broken.
Teresa was quite a saint. She never lost her temper or expressed any negative emotions about her job or the difficult children she cared for. She seemed to know that these were needy children and felt it was her job to give them what they so desperately craved and that was stability and unconditional love.
My guess is that the sex with the 70 year old was the author's way of showing the reader that Teresa wasn't so perfect after all, but it was a strange way to show that, in my opinion.
Daisy goes back to her parents' home after she is hospitalized from a dog bite and it is at that hospital that her underlying illness is discovered. She eventually passes away. I knew that would happen, but I also believe that Daisy herself knew she was going to die. She spoke a lot about "knowing" people in heaven before she was born and Teresa commented that Daisy was indeed an old soul.
I enjoyed this book because it was an age of innocence in so many ways, yet it wasn't. Teresa gave of herself in just about every way, yet we know so little about her as a person. This story made me think about the nature of agape love, about a young girl's priorities 50 years ago vs. now, and how this story might have played out if it had taken place in another decade. There were so many dichotomies at work here. The free love of the 1960's (the 70 year old artist who had "kept abortionists in business") and a neglected, yet longed for child, the material wealth of the residents who had it all but gave so little time to their own children, the teenager who was told to save herself for marriage and then freely gave it away to someone old enough to be her grandfather. These are ideas that made this a great book. Highly recommended.
nancidrum's review against another edition
3.0
I thought I would end the year by reading 4 of Alice McDermott's books, but my heart just isn't in it. I loved Charming Billy, but this book and the one I read a few days ago, That Night, just aren't riveting enough for me.
McDermott writes about everyday things, but with beautiful prose and such descriptive writing you feel as if you're present in the story.
Child of My Heart is about a very mature 15 year old girl, Theresa, who has a remarkable talent for understanding children and animals. The adults heading up the families of the children, for which she babysits, are for the most part either overwhelmed or neglectful, so lovely Theresa provides care and unlimited love for their children.
The story for the most part is "wash, rinse, repeat". It was just too repetitive for me. There are two major events in the story, near the end, but I didn't find either one would likely have taken place in real life. I'm bumping the rating from 2 stars to 3 stars, due to the quality of writing, but overall the book just left me feeling dry.
McDermott writes about everyday things, but with beautiful prose and such descriptive writing you feel as if you're present in the story.
Child of My Heart is about a very mature 15 year old girl, Theresa, who has a remarkable talent for understanding children and animals. The adults heading up the families of the children, for which she babysits, are for the most part either overwhelmed or neglectful, so lovely Theresa provides care and unlimited love for their children.
The story for the most part is "wash, rinse, repeat". It was just too repetitive for me. There are two major events in the story, near the end, but I didn't find either one would likely have taken place in real life. I'm bumping the rating from 2 stars to 3 stars, due to the quality of writing, but overall the book just left me feeling dry.
hellkitty915's review against another edition
2.0
This is the type of book I would (and did) read on a boring, lazy Sunday afternoon. It's short, lyrical in places and somewhat intriguing. I only gave it two stars because it has obvious flaws.
Some reviewers have said that Theresa, the protagonist, comes across as much too wise and smart for 15. I was like that myself, so I couldn't see it as much. What I could see was Flora, the baby, being extremely articulate and acting like an adult herself. The author puts Theresa's voice into all of the characters and doesn't really distinguish them well after that.
The ending was the other major flaw of this book. It was contrived and rushed at best. I realise the author is trying for that simple, innocent, dream-like quality, but instead the ending is vague and pointless. (Yes, I did catch the extremely obvious part with the baby rabbits. I thought it was overdone.)
I didn't care for this author at all. From this book, I can't see how she won any awards.
Some reviewers have said that Theresa, the protagonist, comes across as much too wise and smart for 15. I was like that myself, so I couldn't see it as much. What I could see was Flora, the baby, being extremely articulate and acting like an adult herself. The author puts Theresa's voice into all of the characters and doesn't really distinguish them well after that.
The ending was the other major flaw of this book. It was contrived and rushed at best. I realise the author is trying for that simple, innocent, dream-like quality, but instead the ending is vague and pointless. (Yes, I did catch the extremely obvious part with the baby rabbits. I thought it was overdone.)
I didn't care for this author at all. From this book, I can't see how she won any awards.
cateleigh76's review
2.0
I feel angry and jipped after reading this book. It began beautifully and was well written. I fell in love with each turning page. But it's as though the author grew tired of writing the book in the last chapter, threw a bunch of ridiculousness in, and called it good. So awful!