Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9407 in Books
• Published on: 2006-06-19
• Released on: 2006-06-19
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

In Style magazine
'You'll be hooked from start to finish.'

Daily Express
"A compelling novel of dark passion and family secrets"

Time Out
"...an ideal summer read... As tense as it is perceptive, The Abortionist's Daughter is a first-rate novel..."

Customer Reviews

great tale of obsession
I seem to be one of few who actually enjoyed this book!

I was gripped from the start and found the book an easy read. I liked the reflections back and forth, especially the recounting of Diana's disasterous day (which ultimately led to her being murdered).

Megan was an interesting character - studious and bright yet a bit of a heartbreaker. Some commented that the relationship between Megan and Huck was uncalled for - I didn't find it too distracting although I did wonder the extent to which you can turn up on a local detective's doorstep and seduce him (perhaps you can in small town America?!).

I did guess who the murderer was but I didn't find that it ruined my read of the novel - just made me more intrigued how it occured and how it was explained.

I would recommend this novel - perhaps a poolside read or a quick read on the journey to work (although one of my fellow train travellers did give me an odd look - guess it was the title)? I have just bought "Crazy like Chocolate" by Elisabeth Hyde on the back of reading this.

The Abortionist's Daughter- not for everyone.
At first I thought I wasn't going to enjoy THE ABORTIONIST'S DAUGHTER. It seemed to be more about family relationships than murder. However it didn't take long to discover that the family dynamics help inform the murder investigation.

THE ABORTIONIST'S DAUGHTER is written on a number of levels. First and foremost is the murder of Diana and the investigation. We learn the family's back-story and what happened to bring them to this point in time. It is also an exploration of an extremely emotive issue from both sides of the argument into which is cleverly woven a theme of the nature of obsession and what it can do to people.

THE ABORTIONIST'S DAUGHTER is not going to be everyone's cup of tea. There are many who may find parts of the book offensive and many more who will be upset by it.

Hyde has written three other novels; each examining different aspects of family relationships. Her website is http://www.elisabethhyde.com/

Quite interesting quick read
Being aware of some of the hype around this book, I did expect a good read. I found it fairly quick and easy to read, and it is quite short at under 300 pages. Because it is short and easy to read though, I felt that the issues - abortion, and families, were not dealt with in as much depth as they could have been, and which might have deepened and furthered the story, and meant it was more of an intriguing and complex thriller. But perhaps the author was not aiming for that much complexity. It was quite interesting to briefly observe the life of an abortionist and the challenges they face.

The portrayal of the central family in the novel, their difficulties and losses, and coming to terms with the realities of their relationships with each other as they now stand, is dealt with well but again, I felt there could have been more depth to it all, and I wasn't drawn in to care for any of them that much.
Am glad to have read it, but don't feel it is terribly memorable and it wasn't the most pleasing written style I have come across.