Secret Daughter - Rambling Readers

Hardcover, 352 pages

Published March 9, 2010 by William Morrow.

ISBN:: 978-0-06-192231-2
OCLC Number:: 419858751

(1 review)

On the eve of the monsoons, in a remote Indian village, Kavita gives birth to a baby girl. But in a culture that favors sons, the only way for Kavita to save her newborn daughter's life is to give her away. It is a decision that will haunt her and her husband for the rest of their lives, even after the arrival of their cherished son.Halfway around the globe, Somer, an American doctor, decides to adopt a child after making the wrenching discovery that she will never have one of her own. When she and her husband, Krishnan, see a photo of the baby with the gold-flecked eyes from a Mumbai orphanage, they are overwhelmed with emotion. Somer knows life will change with the adoption but is convinced that the love they already feel will overcome all obstacles.Interweaving the stories of Kavita, Somer, and the child that binds both of …

On the eve of the monsoons, in a remote Indian village, Kavita gives birth to a baby girl. But in a culture that favors sons, the only way for Kavita to save her newborn daughter's life is to give her away. It is a decision that will haunt her and her husband for the rest of their lives, even after the arrival of their cherished son.Halfway around the globe, Somer, an American doctor, decides to adopt a child after making the wrenching discovery that she will never have one of her own. When she and her husband, Krishnan, see a photo of the baby with the gold-flecked eyes from a Mumbai orphanage, they are overwhelmed with emotion. Somer knows life will change with the adoption but is convinced that the love they already feel will overcome all obstacles.Interweaving the stories of Kavita, Somer, and the child that binds both of their destinies, Secret Daughter poignantly explores the emotional terrain of motherhood, loss, identity, and love, as witnessed through the lives of two families—one Indian, one American—and the child that indelibly connects them.

2 editions

crabbygirl reviewed Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda

Review of 'Secret Daughter' on 'Goodreads'

1 star

i'd sum up this book as: jodi picoult does india. or maybe that's insulting jodi picoult b/c she usually she's got a one-two punch of plot twist at the end to go along with her mediocre writing. this book didn't finish with a bang like that.

my biggest complaint lies in the author's or editor's error of reporting that there are 950 girls born for every 1000 boys to back-up a character's comment that women are a minority in india. big deal. that rate is actually the natural birth rate as reported in a 2002 study, plus it's a much better rate than india's current rate (2011) of 914 girls per 1000 boys. i noticed other spots where the editor failed again

but you can still find a gem hidden in the muck. this line alone made the book worth it for me:

"sometimes one's actions must preceed the emotions …

i'd sum up this book as: jodi picoult does india. or maybe that's insulting jodi picoult b/c she usually she's got a one-two punch of plot twist at the end to go along with her mediocre writing. this book didn't finish with a bang like that.

my biggest complaint lies in the author's or editor's error of reporting that there are 950 girls born for every 1000 boys to back-up a character's comment that women are a minority in india. big deal. that rate is actually the natural birth rate as reported in a 2002 study, plus it's a much better rate than india's current rate (2011) of 914 girls per 1000 boys. i noticed other spots where the editor failed again

but you can still find a gem hidden in the muck. this line alone made the book worth it for me:

"sometimes one's actions must preceed the emotions one hopes to feel."

Subjects

Literature & Fiction