Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Daisy Chain by Mary DeMuth


This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Daisy Chain
Zondervan (March 1, 2009)
by
Mary DeMuth


The abrupt disappearance of young Daisy Chance from a small Texas town in 1973 spins three lives out of control—Jed, whose guilt over not protecting his friend Daisy strangles him; Emory Chance, who blames her own choices for her daughter’s demise; and Ouisie Pepper, who is plagued by headaches while pierced by the shattered pieces of a family in crisis.

In this first book in the Defiance, Texas Trilogy, fourteen-year-old Jed Pepper has a sickening secret: He’s convinced it’s his fault his best friend Daisy went missing. Jed’s pain sends him on a quest for answers to mysteries woven through the fabric of his own life and the lives of the families of Defiance, Texas. When he finally confronts the terrible truths he’s been denying all his life, Jed must choose between rebellion and love, anger and freedom.

Daisy Chain is an achingly beautiful southern coming-of-age story crafted by a bright new literary talent. It offers a haunting yet hopeful backdrop for human depravity and beauty, for terrible secrets and God’s surprising redemption.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Daisy Chain, go HERE.


Mary E. DeMuth is an expert in Pioneer Parenting. She enables Christian parents to navigate our changing culture when their families left no good faith examples to follow.

Her parenting books include Authentic Parenting in a Postmodern Culture (Harvest House, 2007), Building the Christian Family You Never Had (WaterBrook, 2006), and Ordinary Mom, Extraordinary God (Harvest House, 2005).

Mary also inspires people to face their trials through her real-to-life novels, Watching The Tree Limbs
(nominated for a Christy Award) and Wishing On Dandelions (NavPress, 2006).

Mary has spoken at Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference, the ACFW Conference, the Colorado Christian Writers Conference, and at various churches and church planting ministries. Mary and her husband, Patrick, reside in Texas with their three children. They recently returned from breaking new spiritual ground in Southern France, and planting a church.

I don't even know if I can put my feelings about this book into words, but I'll try.  Author Laura Jensen Walker compared this book to To Kill a Mockingbird, saying this: "Every now and then a book comes along that weaves its way into your soul and takes up residence.  Daisy Chain is such a book. Heartbreaking. Hopeful....this book will leave a lasting mark on your heart and soul."  I couldn't agree more!  It's one of those books that just needs to be read, even though it's not the easiest book to read. My heart was breaking for and with Jed throughout the 355 heartwrenching pages of this book.  Not only did he lose his very best friend in all the world, but his father is abusive and his mother is too busy dealing with her own personal issues to care much for her children.  The cast of characters in this  book is so well thought out, that you forget it's a work of fiction.
The end is just the beginning, as this book is the first in what is called the "Defiance Texas Trilogy". I'll be anxiously awaiting the following books, as this one left me with many unanswered questions.
I would definitely recommend this book. And I'll go so far as to venture that Daisy Chain may become a modern-day "classic" - and on recommended book lists everywhere!

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