Books: Her Father's House

Her Father's House
by Belva Plain
Read by Karen White
10 1 1/2 hour tapes
Copyright 2002

I enjoy Belva Plain's work and have for many years. This book holds up to her high standards, although it took it a very long time to get to the heart of the story. There was more back story than anything, I suppose, so much so that what happened before became the real story.

Donald Wolfe, a hotshot lawyer, meets Lillian, a beauty. She is also a philander and shallow. Eventually they divorce, but not before Lillian is pregnant. She remarries almost immediately (always moving up the financial and fame ladder). Their child, Bettina (aka Tina, Cookie, and later, Laura), is cared for by a nurse, Maria, who reports to Donald that his ex is having affairs and neglecting their daughter. When she decides to leave her husband and join another man in France, Donald decides he doesn't want his daughter to go that far from him.

So he kidnaps her and flees. He changes his name to Jim Fuller and Bettina becomes Laura. He meets a family in Georgia and becomes a farm overseer. The farmer dies and he marries the wife and takes over the farm. This is all done in love and compassion, etc., it's not for money. Laura is raised with love and care and it's a good life.

She grows up alongside her stepbrother, Rick. After she goes to college, she meets Gil, a law student who later becomes a lawyer. He is acquainted with the story of Donald Wolfe - apparently not many great lawyers just run off and leave a career. Eventually he figures out who Jim/Donald is and spills the secret.

Laura then must deal with the truth and the aftermath, which could have dire consequences for her father and their relationship.

4 stars