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The Taxi Driver's Daughter (Hardcover)

by Julia Darling (Author) "Mac drives like a man in a pot of treacle ..." (more)
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 224 pages
  • Publisher: Viking (7 Aug 2003)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0670914193
  • ISBN-13: 978-0670914197
  • Product Dimensions: 21.6 x 13.8 x 2.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 791,214 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Product Description

The touching and wonderfully engaging second novel from the author of CROCODILE SOUP. It is late December and fifteen year old Caris is trying to hang an angel on a Christmas tree in a terraced street in Newcastle upon Tyne. She is interrupted by the arrival of the police who have come to the house to announce that her mother, Louise, has been caught stealing shoes in a department store in town. Caris's father Mac, a taxi driver, struggles to keep the family together as Christmas looks set for disaster, especially when Louise's drunken, dishevelled mother moves in.


About the Author

Julia Darling's first novel, Crocodile Soup, was published to great attention in 1998 and was on the longlist for the Orange Prize. It will be reissued by Penguin in 2004. Darling has written plays for radio and for the stage and is also a poet. She lives in Newcastle.
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Mac drives like a man in a pot of treacle. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews

3 Reviews
5 star:
 (1)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:    (0)
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Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars I couldn't put it down....., 20 Oct 2005
By Joanne Schofield (Newcastle upon Tyne, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Taxi Driver's Daughter (Paperback)
Fifteen year old Caris starts to go off the rails when her mother is sent to prison for stealing a stiletto shoe. Her father Mac works as a taxi driver and seems to be oblivious to the fact that his family is falling apart until it nearly becomes too late.

I can't emphasise how much I loved this book. I live in Newcastle so it was a treat to read about all of the local landmarks (including the Shoe Tree - it really does exist in Armstrong Park in Heaton!) but my main reason for enjoying this book was the author's wonderful style of writing. Her talent at making you care about the characters (even poor old Nana)coupled with a skillful use of imagery are what makes the book such a success. And I have to disagree with another reviewer about the ending of the book as I thought it was a superb, unpredictable ending.

A truly wonderful book - one I could read again and again. The late Julia Darling was clearly an immensely talented author and I will definitely be reading her other work.

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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Wotcher Geordie!, 30 Dec 2003
By richard irving (Castle Hedingham, England) - See all my reviews
This arrived as a pass on from my parents in Greece who recommended it, particularly as we are all Geordies by birth.
I enjoyed it ; clear prose and unaffected dialogue. I thought the character of Caris was very sharply drawn, as was George. A novel well packed with contradictions; as is life - particularly in families. I was a little disappointed in the rapid and redemptive ending. The book reminded me of Kate Atkinson's 'Behind the scenes at the museum'
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully crafted, 6 Jul 2007
This review is from: The Taxi Driver's Daughter (Paperback)
It's rare finding these feel-good books, but here it is! Even if the subject - a family that falls apart when the mother goes to prison for a minor crime - is heavy, it's been treated in a very interesting way.

All the characters are being heard and Darling switches been the different view points very easily. She lets all the voices be heard without being judgmental. Everyone from the grandmother Nana Price to Abdul in the corner shop has something important to teach the reader. It's just a lovely read all in all, where you get an insight into a bunch of people all linked together.

What's really holding the story together is the tree of shoes, which has an impact on the whole community. It's the heart of the story. It's where the youngest daughter meets her dangerous boyfriend and where people end up when they need to reflect on something. It shows on the importance of going your own way, on acting on what you believe in.

The language just flows, the chapters are short with exactly the right descriptions that make you feel you are really there. What a shame that Julia Darling has passed away and won't be able to write any more books! I loved her first one "Crocodile soup" as well.
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