Category Archives: Sofia Grant

Title: The Daisy Children by Sofia Grant
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Genre: Contemporary, Historical, Women’s Fiction
Length: 432 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

Inspired by true events, in Sofia Grant’s powerfully moving new novel a young woman peels back the layers of her family’s history, discovering a tragedy in the past that explains so much of the present. This unforgettable story is one of hope, healing, and the discovery of truth.

Sometimes the untold stories of the past are the ones we need to hear…

When Katie Garrett gets the unexpected news that she’s received an inheritance from the grandmother she hardly knew, it couldn’t have come at a better time. She flees Boston—and her increasingly estranged husband—and travels to rural Texas.

There, she’s greeted by her distant cousin Scarlett. Friendly, flamboyant, eternally optimistic, Scarlett couldn’t be more different from sensible Katie. And as they begin the task of sorting through their grandmother’s possessions, they discover letters and photographs that uncover the hidden truths about their shared history, and the long-forgotten tragedy of the New London school explosion of 1937 that binds them.

Review:

Weaving seamlessly back and forth in time, The Daisy Children by Sofia Grant is a multi-generational novel that is based on a real life tragedy.

In 1937, several young lives are tragically taken when a gas leak causes an explosion at their school. Several families immediately have “replacement” children which are referred to as the “Daisy Children”. Caroline and Hugh Pierson are one of the families whose “replacement” daughter Margaret is quite willful and stubborn which often puts her at odds with her mother. As an adult, Georgina’s memories of her childhood are dramatically different from Margaret’s and her mother is somewhat flabbergasted at some of Georgina’s accusations.  

Margaret ends up making an impetuous decision to marry a man who cannot forget his family’s loss in the explosion and their union is passionate yet volatile. Margaret’s relationship with her daughter, Georgina, is deeply troubled which results in a lifelong estrangement after Georgina leaves home. Georgina’s relationship with her daughter, Katie, is also dysfunctional, but Katie is willing to overlook her mother’s more annoying traits. After Margaret passes away, will her surprise bequests to Katie and Katie’s cousin Scarlett repair the long running rift in their family?

The inheritance comes at a good time for Katie since she at loose ends and could use some time away from home. Her trip hits quite a few snags and once she arrives in Texas, this hiatus from Boston proves to be quite the catalyst for future changes. Her marriage to her husband, Liam, is not in a good place but it takes distance from her regular life to gain much needed perspective to view her marriage (and her husband) more clearly.

Katie is surprised by how much she enjoys spending time with Scarlett as they work together to fulfill the stipulations of Margaret’s will. As she and Scarlett clean out Margaret’s home, there are a few surprises awaiting them. Letters hint at family secrets and Katie hopes to glean some background information on her mother’s relationship with Margaret. Katie clearly sees her mother’s flaws and their relationship works best with Katie spending minimal time with Georgina.

With real life events serving as the story’s backdrop, The Daisy Children is an engaging and interesting novel. The women in the Pierson family are not exactly the warm and cuddly types but some of their standoffishness is understandable given their family history. With some unexpected twists and turns, Sofia Grant brings this multi-layered novel to an uplifting conclusion that will delight readers.