Father's Arcane Daughter

Summary: Winston Carmichael has not had a normal childhood - his father is one of the most wealthy men in Pittsburgh, he constantly has to take care of his developmentally delayed sister Heidi, and because since his half-sister Caroline was killed in a kidnapping before Winston was born, his overprotective parents keep him isolated from other children. All of that changes, however, when a young woman claiming to be Caroline shows up at their front door. Although she seems to be telling the truth, Winston's not sure if they're even actually related. But the truth is that it doesn't really matter - even if she's not their long-lost daughter, Caroline might just be what this family needs.

Review: Meh. While I loved From the Mixed-Up Files show more of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler as a kid, I never sought out any of her other books until recently. Father's Arcane Daughter marks the second of Konigsburg's novels that I've read as an adult, and while maybe I've just been picking the wrong books, I'm beginning to understand why Mixed-Up Files was the only one pushed on my by the librarians of my childhood.

Part of this book's problem was that it couldn't decide what it wanted to be. For such a short book, it's a jumble of a lot of ideas: it starts out like the brother-of-a-disabled-sibling book (a la Al Capone Does My Shirts), but then strangely morphs into family mystery conspiracy, and part of the way back again. As a result, it's not really effective at either of the genres it attempts. Kongisburg does capture Winston's voice - hyper-educated but under-socialized - really effectively, however, and there are some nice poignant moments tossed in the mix.

My biggest problem with the book, though, was its plot, especially its ending. The whole thing lacked believable motivations, and the ending was just so facile and disappointing that it lets the rest of the book down and really turned me off. I can't even recommend this to families of disabled children, since it sort of makes it seem like disabilities are just the result of not trying hard enough to believe the child is not disabled, and can be completely cured/reversed if you'd just bother to put the effort in. Ugh. 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: Pass. It's a short and fast read, but there are other books out there that are much better at accomplishing what this book was aiming for. show less

Intense. Merits an immediate reread, once the plot has been deciphered.

I bet a lot of readers, the first time through, miss bits like "Caroline was waiting for me in the breakfast room.... What right had she to deprive me of the only time... when I could be totally alone? ... nobody's brother and nobody's son and nobody's pupil. What an awful thing for her to do, to come between the Winston and the Carmichael."

Be good for discussion groups. Do schools ever have buddy reads, to enable mini book-clubs? Or maybe a family could read it together. For example, if (somehow) I'd read this as a child, I would have not understood the bit about Father's struggle with his love for adult Caroline, and so, without discussion, would have missed one show more of the themes of the book. Another example, what's up with the name choice for Grace?

I'm rounding up from 3.5 stars because, the more I think about it, and skim bits in lieu of a reread, the more I like it. Fans of Harriet the Spy and Catcher in the Rye would probably like it even more, as this has the vibe of angst and brooding (though, fortunately, there is a real plot, not just neurotic characters). show less

I can't quite describe this book. It's not a happy book,and yet, when it was over, I felt satisfied. It ended perfectly. The mystery, the characters, the plot - it was perfectly done. As with every Konigsburg book, at the end, I felt like a different person, and it took me some time to come back to the real world. I highly recommend.

This is one of those wonderful unexpected Konigsburgs that she wrote before she settled into one "kind" of book. Konigsburg is a unique YA author because she is able to speak convincingly in both a male and a female voice. All her characters are intelligent - but while the boys are bumbling and awkward about thier smarts, the girls always own their brains and their attitudes. No girls in Konigsburg books long to be princesses while accepting their brainy fate. This book especially illustrates Konigsburg's attitudes towards the education of girls and young women.

One of those books found in the children's section that says a lot to adults. A favorite book that had lots of surprises for me. It was made into a Hallmark Hall of Fame TV movie, called Caroline.

Caroline was kidnapped years ago and presumed dead in the attempt to rescue her. Her mother died of of grief, her father married the woman who had taken care of her and they had two children. One of them, Heidi, is somewhat deaf and awkward; the other, Winston, feels responsible for her. The mother seems very concerned with appearances; the father works almost all the time. They are very rich. A woman claiming to be Caroline appears and, after being checked out, is accepted by the family. She changes the dynamics of the family and gives the show more children the chances they would never have had without her; she does this at the cost of her own personal happiness. There is a tragic love story buried in all of this---kind of like Now, Voyager, only very different. show less

This book reminded me oddly of The Westing Game.

I enjoyed this book, but it felt rushed. The story would have been better served had it not been squished into a 115-page young adult novel. (On the other hand, I might not have read it had it not been squished into a 115-page young adult novel.)

E.L. Konigsburg Week 2012, Book 2. 3/5 stars.