Book Review: The Good Daughter, By Jane Porter

A few months ago, I published a review of The Good Woman, also by Jane Porter. The Good Daughter picks up where The Good Woman left off.

Since I really enjoyed reading Jane Porter's The Good Woman,  I was looking forward to delving deeper into the Brennan family's affairs. To offer a brief re-cap, the Brennans are a large Irish Catholic family living in the San Fransisco area. The close knit clan consists of four sisters and a brother, along with their parents, spouses, and children. While The Good Woman was written from the perspective of the oldest sibling, Meg, The Good Daughter is the story of Kit.

Kit Brennan is a born people pleaser and peace maker. Likeable and smart, she sees the best in others, even if that means that she doesn't take her own needs into account as often as she should. The expectations of others, including her parents and siblings, somehow end up taking precedence over what Kit wants out of life. She is so busy trying to make everyone else happy, that she hesitates to do what could give her life the fulfillment she desperately craves. Kit is the dependable one, the giver of sound advice, the reliable set of listening ears, and the one to always step up and offer help where it's needed. While her family loves her and wants the best for her, they also tend to take her for granted.

Everyone has a breaking point. Kit finds hers and begins to admit to herself  that some of her choices in life are in direct conflict with her deepest desires. Little by little, she gains courage and begins making choices that facilitate, rather than hinder, the fulfillment of her life goals. Kit's set backs and conflicts are sure to resonate with many readers who work hard making life great for everyone else, while consistently putting themselves at the bottom of their own priority lists. Every time Kit made a choice for her own personal happiness, without taking into consideration how it would affect everyone else and their opinion of her, I silently cheered her on. I saw some of my own struggles in Kit's story, because I, too, tend to grapple with becoming my own person while worrying what my loved ones will think or how they'll react.

Although I fully recommend reading The Good Woman before beginning The Good Daughter, the second book in the Brennan family saga works as a stand alone as well. My fingers are crossed that Porter will continue with more books about this delightful family.

 Are you reading anything good right now? Tell  me about it in the comments!

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I received a complimentary copy of The Good Daughter for review purposes. All opinions are my own.