The Beautiful Daughters

Written by Nicole Baart

Narrated by Meredith Orlow

From the author of Sleeping in Eden, described as "intense and absorbing from the very first page" (Heather Gudenkauf, author of The Weight of Silence), comes a gripping new novel about two former best friends and the secrets they can't escape. Adrienne Vogt and Harper Penny were closer than sisters, until the day a tragedy blew their seemingly idyllic world apart. Afraid that they got away with murder and unable to accept who they had lost-and what they had done-Harper and Adri exiled themselves from small-town Blackhawk, Iowa, and from each other. Adri ran thousands of miles away to Africa while Harper ventured down a more destructive path closer to home. Now, five years later, both are convinced that nothing could ever coax them out of the worlds in which they've been living. But unexpected news from home soon pulls Adri and Harper back together, and the two cannot avoid facing their memories and guilt head-on. As they are pulled back into the tangle of their fractured relationships and the mystery of Piperhall, the sprawling estate where their lives first began to unravel, secrets and lies behind the tragic accident are laid bare. The former best friends are forced to come to terms with their shared past and search for the beauty in each other while mending the brokenness in themselves. Nicole Baart's lush and lyrical writing has been called "sparkling" (Publishers Weekly), "taut and engrossing" (Booklist), and "evocative and beautiful" (Romantic Times). The Beautiful Daughters is another exquisitely rendered, haunting story that will stay with readers long after the last page.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Aug 28, 2015
• ISBN: 9781501902130

Nicole Baart

Nicole Baart is the author of eleven novels, including Everything We Didn’t Say and The Long Way Back. The cofounder of a nonprofit and mother of five, she lives in Iowa with her family. Learn more at NicoleBaart.com.

Reviews for The Beautiful Daughters

[kbranfield-837433 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

4.5 stars.

The Beautiful Daughters by Nicole Baart is a complex and compelling novel about betrayal, friendship and redemption. This touching story is an incredible journey of healing and forgiveness that is poignant and ultimately, freeing, for the two main protagonists.

After the death of her fiancé, David, five years earlier, Adrienne "Adri" Vogt fled from her small hometown of Blackhawk, Iowa for a nursing job in West Africa. She has avoided thinking about the series of events that led to his untimely death but when David's mother passes away and appoints Adri as the executor of her estate, Adri is forced to return home where she not only confronts the ghosts of her pasts, but eventually reunites with her best friend, Harper Penny. Harper also left Blackhawk and found herself on an increasingly self-destructive path that culminates in an abusive relationship that she finally finds the strength and courage to leave after Adri impulsively reaches out to her. Adri and Harper's reunion is guarded as both avoid discussing their heartbreaking history until a near tragedy finally forces both women to confront the past that has defined and, nearly destroyed, them for so long.

Adri and Harper's unlikely friendship begins in college and for four years, they, along with David, Adri's twin brother Will and Will's friend, Jackson, were inseparable. The Five (as they called themselves) enjoyed lavish get togethers at David's family estate but their close bond begins to feel the strain after David and Adri's engagement. Both women find themselves keeping secrets that prominently center around David and when Harper convinces The Five to go on one last vacation together following graduation, the trip ends with David's death. The mystery surrounding the circumstances of his death is one of the driving forces of the novel while the impact of his death on Adri and Harper is just as riveting.

Neither women can forgive themselves for their perceived roles in David's death but they deal with their guilt in very different ways. Adri isolates herself from her friends and family by taking the job in West Africa while Harper falls into dead end jobs and living paycheck to paycheck. Adri's self-imposed exile also leaves her little opportunity to date, but just before returning home, her co-worker, Caleb, finally expresses his interest in her which she returns, but refuses to acknowledge. Harper, on the other hand, has been in a relationship for several years with a man whose manipulative behavior is taking an increasingly dark turn.

Flashbacks from both Adri and Harper's points of view reveal the circumstances leading up their rift. Adri provides the details of their friendship in addition to her romance and subsequent engagement to David. Most of Harper's recollections focus on David but both women recount the series of events leading up David's death. Once they finally discuss that fateful day, will Adri and Harper finally be free of the guilt that haunts them? Will they be able to forgive themselves and each other for the mistakes of the past? Will Adri and Harper repair their fractured friendship?

The Beautiful Daughters by Nicole Baart is a character driven novel that is quite captivating. The storyline is well-developed and touches on several relevant social issues in a thought-provoking and sensitive manner. The characters are multi-dimensional and although they are flawed, they are sympathetic and engaging. It is a truly unforgettable story of healing, forgiveness and friendship that I greatly enjoyed and highly recommend.

[alphawoman_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A trifle frustrating in areas but good over all. A story about wealth, ill spent youth, betrayal, friendship, unrealistic college experience, love and Africa. A sort of thriller.

[skstiles612 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I received a copy from netgalley for review.From the prologue you are sucked into this story. You know there has been a death. Adri lives in Africa as a nurse. She has run away there after her fiancé’s death. She and her best friend Harper blame themselves for David’s death. The story is told switching from present time to remembrances of her former life before David’s death. You learn she grew up on the farm next to his mansion and visited there every year, yet she never knew David well until college. Harper, her best friend in college introduced them to each other. Along with two brothers, they become an inseparable group of five. Harper has run away to a completely different life. She finds herself in an extremely abusive situation. I found it hard to understand how each of them felt like anything bad that happened to them was deserved. David’s death broke apart the friendship that Harper and Adri had. When David’s mother dies, Adri receives the call in Africa and learns she is the executor of the estate. Will going back be healing for Adri and Harper or will it serve to increase the gap that has grown between them? I love reading books like this. Where a lot of people will find the back and forth of the present tie and the memories of the past annoying, I find this kind of writing to be very intriguing. I enjoyed this book because it is about love, friendship and redemption. I recommend it to those who love reading realistic or contemporary fiction.

[katebaxter_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Author Nicole Baart spins a delicate and thought-provoking tale on the nature of friends, friendship and the profound loneliness which occurs when that friendship shatters. Experiences filtered through our own eyes, heart and soul are real enough to us but are they the truth? Everyone's personal experience is their personal truth. Ahh, but is it the shared and commonly accepted truth? How can one heal if the personal truth of an ugly situation remains a secret buried deeply in one's soul? Baart's writing is sweet and painterly. You are transported from the quiet and vast farmland of Iowa to the streets of Minneapolis and back again. The story deals with some difficult topics in a gentler but no less serious fashion. The tenderness with which Baart writes speaks to one's soul. I am grateful to Goodreads' First Reads, author Nicole Baart and publisher Simon and Schuster for having provided a free copy of this book. Their generosity did not, however, influence this review - the words of which are mine alone. Synopsis (from back of book)Adrienne Vogt and Harper Penny were closer than sisters, until the day a tragedy blew their seemingly idyllic world apart. Afraid that they got away with murder and unable to accept who they had lost—and what they had done—Harper and Adri exiled themselves from small-town Blackhawk, Iowa, and from each other. Adri ran thousands of miles away to Africa while Harper ventured down a more destructive path closer to home.Now, five years later, both are convinced that nothing could ever coax them out of the worlds in which they’ve been living. But unexpected news from home soon pulls Adri and Harper back together, and the two cannot avoid facing their memories and guilt head-on. As they are pulled back into the tangle of their fractured relationships and the mystery of Piperhall, the sprawling estate where their lives first began to unravel, secrets and lies behind the tragic accident are laid bare. The former best friends are forced to come to terms with their shared past and search for the beauty in each other while mending the brokenness in themselves.