About the Book
Title: Child of Privilege
Author: Ross Ponderson
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Number of Pages: 316
Synopsis: Dana Van Werner is riding a bus bound for nowhere.
In her pockets, she carries a bus ticket, $260, hope, her own wits, and an unbreakable will. In her memories, she carries the nightmares of frequent beatings, growing up in constant fear, physical and verbal abuse, and her father's unfathomable hatred. Dana, a 19-year-old debutante born into wealth, privilege, culture, and social standing, ponders her new world--the "real" world--for which she is laughably ill-prepared.
She doesn't know where she's going, where her next meal is coming from, or where she'll sleep tonight. She does, however, take comfort in two certainties: that the brutal beatings at the hands of her father--a psychotic, powerful attorney--are finally over; and that her decision to run away from the palatial mansion she once called home has probably saved her life.
This lovable, down-to-earth teenager (more "girl next door" than debutante) grows up quickly as she confronts intercity buses, seedy motels, wet t-shirt contests, jail cells, honky-tonks, and predatory night people. All the while, she is relentlessly pursued by private investigators hired by her revenge-obsessed father to bring her back under his control.
You'll find yourself cheering the courage, strength, and determination of this endearing heroine as she searches for a new home and a new life, and finds a gentle, caring man--a bachelor deputy sheriff--who truly loves her.
But she has no inkling of the nightmare awaiting her at the end of the road.
A dizzying chain of events is triggered by an accident that claims the life of someone Dana loves. Suspicions surrounding the tragedy--and her own anger--force the teenager to return home. Upon her arrival, a humiliating family secret kept carefully hidden for years is callously revealed. This sets the stage for the inevitable final showdown between father and daughter as long-simmering anger, resentment, and hunger for revenge finally erupt into a terrifying flashpoint.
This emotional rollercoaster will lift you to heartwarming heights, plunge you into tearful depths, and amuse you with moments of wry humor.
Join Dana Van Werner on her desperate journey. Let this Child of Privilege inspire you, uplift you, and touch you in her uniquely personal way. You just may discover a part of yourself in her.
Author: Ross Ponderson
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Number of Pages: 316
Synopsis: Dana Van Werner is riding a bus bound for nowhere.
In her pockets, she carries a bus ticket, $260, hope, her own wits, and an unbreakable will. In her memories, she carries the nightmares of frequent beatings, growing up in constant fear, physical and verbal abuse, and her father's unfathomable hatred. Dana, a 19-year-old debutante born into wealth, privilege, culture, and social standing, ponders her new world--the "real" world--for which she is laughably ill-prepared.
She doesn't know where she's going, where her next meal is coming from, or where she'll sleep tonight. She does, however, take comfort in two certainties: that the brutal beatings at the hands of her father--a psychotic, powerful attorney--are finally over; and that her decision to run away from the palatial mansion she once called home has probably saved her life.
This lovable, down-to-earth teenager (more "girl next door" than debutante) grows up quickly as she confronts intercity buses, seedy motels, wet t-shirt contests, jail cells, honky-tonks, and predatory night people. All the while, she is relentlessly pursued by private investigators hired by her revenge-obsessed father to bring her back under his control.
You'll find yourself cheering the courage, strength, and determination of this endearing heroine as she searches for a new home and a new life, and finds a gentle, caring man--a bachelor deputy sheriff--who truly loves her.
But she has no inkling of the nightmare awaiting her at the end of the road.
A dizzying chain of events is triggered by an accident that claims the life of someone Dana loves. Suspicions surrounding the tragedy--and her own anger--force the teenager to return home. Upon her arrival, a humiliating family secret kept carefully hidden for years is callously revealed. This sets the stage for the inevitable final showdown between father and daughter as long-simmering anger, resentment, and hunger for revenge finally erupt into a terrifying flashpoint.
This emotional rollercoaster will lift you to heartwarming heights, plunge you into tearful depths, and amuse you with moments of wry humor.
Join Dana Van Werner on her desperate journey. Let this Child of Privilege inspire you, uplift you, and touch you in her uniquely personal way. You just may discover a part of yourself in her.
My Review
Child of Privilege is a compelling novel that takes readers on an emotional journey through the troublesome, yet sometimes inspiring life of Dana Van Werner.
In the opening pages readers are thrown into the traumatic life of young Dana who cowers in a closet as her abusive father assaults her mother. The innocent little girl has learned to live with these situations and remains silent as not to become her father's next victim. Dana tries her entire childhood and adolescent years to be the "perfect" person her father expects her to be, but in his eyes she will never be good enough. As tragic events unfold, Dana finds herself faced with the unthinkable at the hands of her father and now knows she must escape if she is to survive. Dana vows to never return. Living in fear of the long arm of her father Dana faces many demons and soon realizes she's stronger than she thought. She also discovers the love of a kind deputy sheriff and her life seems to moving in the right direction, but all that changes when Dana suddenly finds herself heading home to face her father. Will she be able to escape this time for good?
Child of Privilege is absolutely gripping. Readers are pulled into an unimaginable world of hatred and abuse only to come out inspired. The story is well written and filled with gut-wrenching emotion. I often felt as though I was experiencing the pain right along with Dana. The author also does a wonderful job of developing the characters, making them credible and easy to love and hate.
I highly recommend picking up a copy.
In the opening pages readers are thrown into the traumatic life of young Dana who cowers in a closet as her abusive father assaults her mother. The innocent little girl has learned to live with these situations and remains silent as not to become her father's next victim. Dana tries her entire childhood and adolescent years to be the "perfect" person her father expects her to be, but in his eyes she will never be good enough. As tragic events unfold, Dana finds herself faced with the unthinkable at the hands of her father and now knows she must escape if she is to survive. Dana vows to never return. Living in fear of the long arm of her father Dana faces many demons and soon realizes she's stronger than she thought. She also discovers the love of a kind deputy sheriff and her life seems to moving in the right direction, but all that changes when Dana suddenly finds herself heading home to face her father. Will she be able to escape this time for good?
Child of Privilege is absolutely gripping. Readers are pulled into an unimaginable world of hatred and abuse only to come out inspired. The story is well written and filled with gut-wrenching emotion. I often felt as though I was experiencing the pain right along with Dana. The author also does a wonderful job of developing the characters, making them credible and easy to love and hate.
I highly recommend picking up a copy.
