Reviewed by Anne Boiling for Readers' Favorite

"One of those Russians fell ill and remained for a time. Without ever knowing it, he caused a death and a birth and altered three women’s lives forever." Daughters is the story of three generations of women in Palestine from 1883 to 1957. The author begins this book with a bit of history concerning the area; this is an important aspect of the book. The plot clearly demonstrates the culture and politics of the area. Marriages between cousins were frequent and were arranged by the families. There was a strong loyalty to family, and the women knew their duty. In Daughters we meet Jamilla, Miriam, Nadia, and Nijmeh. The focus is on the later three.

The plot is brilliant, exquisite, and fascinating. The lives of the women are all connected for they are mother and daughter. The life and decisions of the mother to some degree determines the life of the daughter. We follow the lives of these remarkable women from the time of their birth; each smoothly flows to the next. I truly cared about the women. They were strong and independent; yet, they knew their duty.

Daughters cleverly demonstrates the life of a female in that culture. They were Christians living in a Muslim world. The author describes their dress and their way of life. I felt as though I had been transported back in time and walked the dusty road with them. I cared about each of the women. While I questioned some of the decisions they made, the author built a strong background that lead me to understand why they made the decisions they did. I do have two criticisms: this book needs editing; and the last part of the book reads so differently from the first I thought it might have been written by someone else.

I am honored to review this book and to highly recommend it.