From the Publisher
A Palm Beach Post 2020 Recommendation
“Compelling...[A] good, captivating and ultimately satisfying story.”—Greensboro News & Record
“Chamberlain is more than a terrific writer. She’s incisive and understands people.”—The Star-Ledger
“Chamberlain’s depictions of creative beauty and perseverance across time and in the face of inevitable obstacles will keep readers turning the pages.”—Publishers Weekly
“Chamberlain’s writing is reminiscent of a quilt made up of pieces from different people, places, and times, stitched together into a single, emotional story.”—Booklist
“An engaging, well-researched, and sometimes thought-provoking art mystery.”—Kirkus Reviews
“[A] great escape.”—First for Women
“[A] heart-pounding whodunit.”—Women’s World
Praise for Diane Chamberlain’s The Dream Daughter
"With a little tension and a lot of heart, The Dream Daughter will delight Chamberlain’s fans and hook new readers.” —Booklist
“Chamberlain writes with supernatural gifts...fate, destiny, chance and hope combine for a heady and breathless wonder of a read.”—Pam Jenoff, author of The Orphan’s Tale
“Can a story be both mind-bending and heartfelt? In Diane Chamberlain’s hands, it can. The Dream Daughter will hold readers in anxious suspense until the last satisfying page." —Therese Fowler, author of Z
Library Journal - Audio
04/01/2020
Chapters alternate in time and viewpoint, exploring the lives of two 22-year-old women. In 1940, New Jersey native Anna Dale wins a WPA contest to paint a mural for the Edenton, NC, post office and moves there temporarily. Dale endures unspeakable retribution because she invites young, Black, artistic Jesse Jameson Williams to help her in exchange for giving him art lessons. She disappears along with her creation. In 2018, Morgan Christopher is jailed for injuring a young woman while driving drunk. Lisa Williams visits Christopher and offers a deal—if she'll repair a badly damaged mural to honor Williams's deceased father, she'll be released on parole and get $50,000. Christopher uncovers oddities as she works and becomes curious about the missing artist. As she listens and observes, she pieces together a tragic story. Susan Bennett's narration enhances the well-drawn characters. Her delivery is superb: accent and class differences are flawlessly portrayed, and listeners will be impatient to learn what happens next. The conclusion is satisfying—and hopeful. VERDICT Recommend this movingly beautiful, uncommon, yet entirely believable story to patrons who enjoy historical and contemporary fiction set in the South.—Susan G. Baird, formerly with Oak Lawn P.L., IL
DECEMBER 2019 - AudioFile
Narrator Susan Bennett offers a moving performance of this multilayered story of two women whose lives are affected by a New Deal art mural. In 1940, Anna, a young artist from New Jersey, faces hostility from the townspeople in Edenton, North Carolina, when she is hired to paint the post office mural. In 2018, Morgan, who is just out of prison, uncovers disturbing details and sinister events while restoring the long missing, now decaying mural. Portraying Morgan, Bennett’s voice has a tone of artistic sensitivity. When Anna’s life spirals out of control, she adds feverish intensity. For the locals, Bennett superbly delivers a languid Southern drawl. Overall, Bennett adds an exciting dimension to a gripping story of racism, madness, murder, and even romance. J.E.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2021 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
