Customer Reviews

Daisychains of Silence

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I've only just got my Kindle so am trying books by writers new to me. This one really appealed from the book description and then when I read the opening pages in the look inside feature I was totally hooked. It's a very powerful opening. I've got all Joanne Harris's novels, and I also like Anne Tyler and if you can imagine a combination of those two writers I reckon Catherine McLeod's Daisychains of Silence is what you might come up with.

I've read a few of the other reviews and I'm surprised nobody mentioned the little snatches of humour. The opening chapter is slow, (but absolutely gripping) and there's no hint there that this will lighten up, but it does. In among some heart-stopping moments that challenged some of my preconceptions about girls, their cruelties and their friendships, I thought, this is funny in places! It's beautifully written. The way the characters interact is compelling and the dialogue is so convincing and realistic. I would have liked to hear a bit more about Saffron, but I loved Rita, and Roxy, and was glad to see Roxy still figures in the story at the end. There are some tragic things that happen in this book, but the writing doesn't dwell on them, more on Daisy's relationships with her mother and father, as well as her husband, and her efforts to come to terms with everything that's happened. This was a very moving and powerful story of love, secrets, trust and betrayal that came to a (mostly) satisfying conclusion. There were a couple of loose ends that made me wonder what she's going to do, but then I saw there's going to be a sequel, so hopefully those ends will be tied up in that. All in all it was a brilliant read. I wish it was in paperback because I'd pass it on to my friends if I could. I'll tell them about it though, and keep a look out for the sequel.

`Memory believes before knowing remembers.' William Faulkner's dicho is apposite to the interwoven family tapestry worked impressively by Catherine MacLeod in Daisychains of Silence. The novel echoes any number of North American authors who use the patchwork quilt as a metaphor for the collage of life's incidents and images. But here the metaphor of silken threads is subtler, more discerning, in the way the protagonist Deirdre/Daisy picks her way through the scenes of childhood bullying, adolescent abuse, and womanly betrayal. Eventually one comes to realise that Daisy, her adopted name, is indeed a whole, a complete person in her nature, whereas Deirdre, her given name, is forever a child nurtured to ill effect by her circumstances.

Set in the recent past and a generation earlier, the novel is at one and the same time a coming of age story, with unexpected surprises and a catalogue of unforeseen disasters that tempt the reader into visualising an inescapable descent into paranoia, and a redemptive coming to maturity saga, albeit with many questions still unanswered. There is an endearing, prophylactic innocence that shields the wilful Daisy from undue harm and yet, simultaneously, precipitates her into the arms of a parental struggle and sexual encounters, from the insidious and violent, to the needy and tender.

Initially the quiet retrospection of the adult Daisy attempts to come to terms with her mother's forgetfulness, seemingly as contrived as pathological. The discovery of a hoard of realia from their past opens portals of discovery and self-knowledge which twist and turn in their elusiveness. Her memory is stirred to provide the reader with exquisitely drawn picture postcards from her past: early life in an idyllic rural Scotland; the horror of dorm life in a girls' private school; the encounter with her father's other woman; her first heterosexual love. As this young life evolves, the damage done by psychologically powerful characters brings to Daisy the unwanted attribute of, literally, an accident waiting to happen. Several accidents, perchance.

Her adolescent response is to secure her mouth in a punk-like, threaded daisychain pattern, a self-silenced Papageno who has come up empty chasing the bright birds of her youth. Although the reader appreciates her more voluble later self, Daisy's silent quest for knowledge, sifting through the epistolary threads of her family life, leads her into a series of doubts that shakes her to the core of her being. Is her mother a murderer; is her partner a confirmed adulterer?

Characters in the novel are portrayed beautifully in depth by the writer. There is an emphasis on close-ups either through the eyes of the protagonist or from the viewpoint of her tormentors or supporters. This gives a sense of wonderment in the eye of the beholder. Daisy doesn't do much or react to much in medium or long shot. This element enhances the confusion her younger self falls foul of and her latter day self is prone to. Exquisitely managed shocks to the trajectory of her life and indeed to the assumptions of the reader lend an intriguing mystery to the story that unfolds. The result is an uneasy attachment to and admiration for Daisy that demands the outcome of her quest for the truth.

The way the emergent characters end the novel, aspiring daughter, faithful friend, forgiven partner, secret half-brother-in-law, suggests that Daisy has more than a few chapters more of self-discovery in what could be a very entertaining sequel. For now it is a pleasure to return to the family secrets in which as a child and youth she participates, and as an adult uncovers. Catherine MacLeod's achievement is a rich embroidery of interwoven threads that stimulates thought, provokes consternation, and delivers surprise, shock and enlightenment at what lies beneath a dystopian family breakdown mirrored one generation after another. The book is a triumph of literary crossover fiction inspiring both young women of today and their maturer counterparts.

This is a great book, beautifully written, and not the kind of novel you expect to find from a big box publisher. I think this is the kind of book that people cruising amazon are looking for when they check out indie writers. Brave, unique voice, that does not blink at looking at painful issues related to denial, trauma, and shared familial delusions.

Doug Bremner
The Goose That Laid The Golden Egg

I had the pleasure of reading this bitter-sweet tale when it was up for review on harpercollins. Amid the myriad praise from readers, I added my own, one-word review: "Captivating". Because it truly is; from the beautiful prose to the delicate and deep characterisation. I got excited about it and urged the author to not waste time on the snail-paced conventional route - why wait two years when we now have Kindle? I'm delighted that the author took my advice and has published this engaging novel. I'll be listing the author, Catherine, in my "author finds" feature, which is currently populated with one author only. You heard it here first: Daisychains is a must-read - captivating... Stef Mcdaid WriteIntoPrint @ukeditor

A stitch in time does not save nine in this complex novel by Catherine MacLeod.
I will not cover the detail of the plot because J.D. Revene has done a fine job. To his point about Daisy's needlework, which is the Gordian knot and namesake of the story,I think Daisy not only "stops herself from revealing her thoughts" but she also uses it as a means of control - the only control she has over her life. Everything and everyone she loves is fraying around her. Instead of cutting her wrists, she sews daisy chains across her smile, to hold her life together.

Daisy even severs herself from her birthname which is Deirdre. This kind of behavior is often exhibited by children abused, emotionally or physically, or raped. All of which makes this book sound sad and depressing. But it is not. The writing, as someone else has said, reveals the keen eye for detail of Catherine Macleod. Her writing is musical (another motif expressed through Jake's guitar), discordant at times, but always beautifully wrought.

Again, to J.D. Revene's point about Nottingham's being described in less detail: perhaps the detail is reserved for the episodes in Daisy's life most stressful to her-those she remembers in the most excruciating detail. And to the "missing years" while married to Jake, perhaps those years were relatively peaceful and less episodic, Daisy having temporarily found respite in the arms and normalcy of Jake and his family.

Daisy's relationship with her daughter is most likely intentionally distant - it is very difficult for children like Daisy to raise a child without reverting to his or her parents' patterns, and Daisy has life-altering secrets withheld from her on both sides of her family. "Ellen does not cut curves." Ellen is Daisy's mother - she is a woman of "sharp geometric shapes" and if a curve is required, she creates the illusion of a curve. This is the kind of writing I love. For me, this sums up Ellen quite well - gives me her essence.

"Why doesn't Robin consult a doctor? You are his family, you should see to it that he does." Robin is Daisy's physician father, a man who self-medicates with whiskey and cannot heal himself. These are only two of the many complex characters, skillfully drawn. We also have Tom, Daisy's brother; Pru, Robin's companion in his later years; Roxy, one of the most interesting women in the story and her brother Plug; Joanna, Daisy's school chum with whom she shares a deep friendship; Jake, her husband; Jake's mother Rita, who becomes Daisy's surrogate parent.

Friendship and love - both explored - not in the trite way we have come to expect, but intelligently and wisely. Last, the difference in cultural norms as they existed in the Scottish countryside versus those in urban England were of great interest to me. The more I write about this book, the more I realize I must read it again. And I hope you the peruser of Amazon reviews will read it many times too.

Daisychains of Silence - Highly recommended, elegantly written. Beneath her seemingly idyllic childhood in Scotland move dark mysteries of betrayal that haunt Daisy. With engaging characters, richly atmospheric, the story weaves a texture of complex relationships that thread back and forth in time to great effect. The writing trances the reader through the vulnerability of young woman. Psychologically apt, the theme is also universal - there will always be stitches that need undoing if we are to forgive ourselves and others.

What a fascinating, beautifully written story. This book takes you by surprise and is in no way preditctable. Very different from any other book I have read. I love the Character of Daisy, the way her past is revealed and all that she has encountered over the 3 days she spends with her mother is remarkable. I especially liked the part where Daisy meets Roxy at a most traumatic time in her life, when they first meet in the café you're really not sure which ways it's going to go, Daisy being so vulnerable. I'm looking forward to reading your next book. This is must read, don't delay, download NOW.

I've read earlier versions of this book in the past and it's such a pleasure to see the quality that shines through every line is now available for a wider readership to enjoy. Very professionally presented with sumptuous imagery and exquisite use of language, from that very powerful opening onwards I was drawn into the story. One of the best books I've read in many a long year, Daisychains of Silence is a true cross-over novel which is certainly not restricted to habitual readers of the Romance genre.
A remarkable writer. I urge you to read this. You'll not be disappointed.

This really is a gem of a book. Although the story is terrifically involving and packs a tremendous emotional punch, it's the sheer quality of the writing that stands out for me. There's a restrained, subtle, often quite quirky elegance to the phrasing which makes me linger over the writing, savouring its originality and beauty. There are some writers (Samantha Harvey, Suzanne Berne, Jon McGregor etc) who I can read and enjoy simply for the quality of their writing. I'd definitely put Catherine MacLeod in this category. This really is accomplished, ambitious, thoroughly bewitching writing. Very impressed.

What a FABULOUS book - truly beautiful writing! My wife and I are both huge fans. It's not just the crisp dialogue, the gently flowing prose, the tense psychological interplay, or even the touching, poignant insight into a broken child's mind, that commands attention, but - above all - it is the 'voice' of a master storyteller. With skill and imagination, you are like Ellen - working words, not threads and fabric, expertly by hand; weaving your story into a thing to be cherished.