3 Reasons Why “Isabel’s Daughter” is the Most Outstanding Book I’ve Read in 2020

Elements that resonated the most with me and kept me hooked

Have you ever had someone recommend a book you wouldn’t think you’d enjoy? You take it with a smile, and it sits in your room for months. It’s not that you don’t want to read it. You’re not sure you’d enjoy the book. It doesn’t look like your kind of novel.

Then one day, you find yourself with extra free time, and you start reading. There’s something about the book. You can’t figure out what it is, but you find yourself unable to turn it down. Nothing much is happening, but you can’t bring yourself to stop.

And when you finish the book, you sit back and process everything you read. Damn, that was a good story! you think to yourself.

Would you call it the best story you ever read? No, but something about it sticks with you. Months after you finish reading the story, you’re still thinking about the characters and everything that happened.

That Was My Reaction to Isabel’s Daughter by Judith Ryan Hendricks

My grandma gave me the book last year, saying she thought I’d like it. At first, I didn’t touch it. The cover made it look like a romance novel. But I know better than to judge a book by its cover.

The synopsis didn’t sound like anything interesting. An adult woman living in New Mexico finds a painting of her deceased mother, so she decides to find out what she can about her. When I read the first two lines, I got hooked instantly.

The first time I saw my mother was the night she died. The second time was at a party in Santa Fe. (Isabel’s Daughter pg. 3)

I thought I knew what kind of story the book would be. The more I read it, the more wrong I was. It intrigued me, made me hungry, and made me want to travel to New Mexico as soon as possible.

Here’s a More Detailed Description of What the Book’s About

As I said earlier, the synopsis at the back of the story didn’t do the book justice. A woman finding out about her mother doesn’t always sound like the most exciting story on the bookshelf. Let’s get into more detail.

The year is 2000. Avery James is living and working as a caterer in Santa Fe, New Mexico. A famous art agent named Paul DeGraff has a party, and he wants Avery’s company to cater it. At DeGraff’s house, while catering a party, she comes across a painting. The woman in the painting is her deceased mother. DeGraff, himself, recognizes Avery as her mother’s daughter and gives her his number if she ever wants to find out about her.

Avery never knew her mother in life. She was found in a basement in Colorado and lived through the foster care system through most of her childhood. She slowly connects with DeGraff and other artists who knew her mother.

Learning about her mother doesn’t stop life from happening. It also gives her time to make peace with the past and come into her own as a woman.

Why Does This Book Stand Out So Much

The story itself is simple. I could keep up with what happened, no matter what. The simplicity made it easier for each of the characters to stand out in their own way.

There were three parts of the book that stood out to me the most.

• The characters.
• The food.
• The beautiful descriptions of New Mexico and the American Southwest.

As an American, I never traveled farther West than South Dakota. The farthest South I ever traveled was New Orleans. Each place had something unique about it. I always wanted to explore more of my own country, preferably when there wasn’t a global pandemic raging across the country.

The way Hendricks writes about the Southwest made me crave traveling there more. I didn’t know until I read Isabel’s Daughter that New Mexico had snow at all. I thought it was like Arizona or Texas and never saw a flake of snow.

I also didn’t know Santa Fe was a popular art destination in the early 2000s. The way Hendricks writes, Santa Fe is nothing but art. And the artists get treated like celebrities. Avery finds out quickly her mother’s life had the same treatment as that of a soap opera.

The Food Made My Mouth Water

Hendricks’s descriptions of the different food were so vivid I could smell each dish as she described them.

Food is a significant part of Avery’s childhood and adulthood. We can see the passion she has for cooking. She didn’t become an artist like her mother, but we can see how cooking and food became her art form.

It didn’t matter if Hendricks described Mexican food, steak, or burgers. When food entered the scene, the scent filled my nostrils, and I felt my mouth water. I ended a few chapters hungry.

Hendricks Shows the Power of a Strong Female Network

The story itself was simple enough to make it easier for the characters to stand out. Every character in the story felt so real; I could picture someone from my life who could be like these people.

One part of the book I noticed was building of a strong female network in Avery’s life. One showed her the power of food. Another showed her what it means to heal and accept her gifts. One taught her the importance of opening up to others. And another showed her how to use her gifts.

Even her mother helped shape her, despite not being in her life. Through the stories other artists told about her mother, Avery’s mother joined the other women who helped shape Avery.

The book showed the benefits of having a strong female network in a woman’s life. Avery had the support she needed without realizing it. A lot of these women didn’t meet each other throughout the story. However, they provided what Avery needed at the time.

Conclusion

The story isn’t like anything I read before. I came into the book expecting one thing and got pleasantly surprised with another.

I never had a story make me feel hooked while feeling like nothing’s happening before I read Isabel’s Daughter. It’s a fascinating book that makes you want to travel, eat new foods, and appreciate the women in your life.