I’ve just finished reading Tara Hyland’s debut novel Daughters of Fortune. I love first time writers. Unlike most readers I am attracted to debut writers. I want to give them a chance and even though I am sometimes disappointed, these chancers inspire me.
Especially those of Tara Hyland’s calibre. The book doesn’t try to sell itself as anything other than what it is. It is chick-lit. The bonkbuster. A new genre in literature that takes advantage of our society’s obsession with wealth, conspicuous spending and celebrity. It is what young women want to read on weekends at home and lazy days on the beach. She doesn’t try to over-intellectualise the book with a sad ending. She doesn’t try to tell the reader what to think at any point. It’s a book and it was absolutely fun to read.
Her book is well written, it flows and before you know it its two in the morning and you are still gripped! I loved her characters and their relationship dynamics. I loved that she had a happy ending. I loved how she included date rape in her story, it is a reality of our society. I loved the fact that Amber was a chronic attention seeker. I loved that Elizabeth was a strong minded career woman who suffered through the balance of family and ambition like many young women today. I loved that Caitlin had a truckload of trust and commitment issues.
My one major criticism of the book is that she could have done away with some of the back story. William’s yearning to be a bigger part of Caitlin’s life could have been motivated by guilt over rejecting her mother rather than his love for her. It was a bit Cinderella-esque but hell, isn’t that the whole reason why we keep buying bonkbusters?
Tara Hyland seems to understand what her reader expects when they buy a book titled Daughters of Fortune. The book sold itself for what it was, and unlike many debut authors it exceeded my expectations. Will I be looking for Tara Hyland’s next book at my bookstore? Hell yeah!
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