In Daisy Chain, author Mary Demuth takes on some big topics: abuse, grief, alcoholism, cancer, abduction. She doesn't offer pat answers, but lets the readers consider what is presented and come to conclusions themselves. Nor are those words mentioned in the story; the issues are woven neatly through the fabric of the narrative, with the reader putting together the clues.

Jed Pepper's voice is real and heart wrenching as he deals not only with the pain of losing a best friend, but also with the trials of becoming a man. Through flashbacks, we get a picture of who Daisy was and why her friendship mattered so much to Jed. In some places, the flashbacks were jarring, as it was hard to sort out what was in the past and what was in the present; but as the novel progresses, these flashbacks form the clues in the story.

Several reviewers have compared Daisy Chain to Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird, for its coming-of-age themes, teenage narrator, and class/faith tension. It is definitely a novel that sticks with the reader and makes them think hard about the characters and their problems. Mary Demuth wove a realistic, wrenching story and I'm looking forward to seeing where the sequel goes.

Average Rating:

Rating: - Touching Coming-of-Age Novel
In Daisy Chain, author Mary Demuth takes on some big topics: abuse, grief, alcoholism, cancer, abduction. She doesn't offer pat answers, but lets the readers consider what is presented and come to conclusions themselves. Nor are those words mentioned in the story; the issues are woven neatly through the fabric of the narrative, with the reader putting together the clues.

Jed Pepper's voice is real and heart wrenching as he deals not only with the pain of losing a best friend, but also with the trials of becoming a man. Through flashbacks, we get a picture of who Daisy was and why her friendship mattered so much to Jed. In some places, the flashbacks were jarring, as it was hard to sort out what was in the past and what was in the present; but as the novel progresses, these flashbacks form the clues in the story.

Several reviewers have compared Daisy Chain to Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird, for its coming-of-age themes, teenage narrator, and class/faith tension. It is definitely a novel that sticks with the reader and makes them think hard about the characters and their problems. Mary Demuth wove a realistic, wrenching story and I'm looking forward to seeing where the sequel goes.

Rating: - Thought provoking
"Jed'd been one to see the world in comic book contrasts. Bad folks and good folks. Villians and innocents. Heroes and killers. But sitting under the shade of a wide-reaching tree, eating peanut butter cookies and drinking Hixon's ice-cold lemonade, he wondered if life was really like that." (Daisy Chain)
A thought-provoking and memorable novel filled with reality - the good and the bad. The characters are wonderfully real and complex. I normally read most Christian novel's in one day, devouring them quickly like my favourite chocolate; Daisy Chain was different. It took me days to read and left me thinking long after the book had been put down, If you're looking for a quick read with predictable, stereotypical, feel-good characters, this is not the book for you. If you want a book about real people and real life, the good and the bad irrevocably mixed together, if you want a fresh perspective on God's grace to all of us, I highly recommend Mary De Muth's Daisy Chain. I look forward to reading the remaining books of this trilogy!

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