The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
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Book Reviews of The Memory Keeper's Daughter
Book Review: Good plot, too much detail
Summary: 3 Stars
The idea of this story grabbed me - the twin with Down's Syndrome being given away in secret - but the truth is one could have as much satisfaction reading the very beginning & the very end. The middle 80% is filled with details (Rosemary, all the camera details, affairs, Paul running away...) that are all just minor & boring details - yet they fill the book. Truthfully, I'm giving it 3 stars because I actually enjoyed reading it & could not wait to see what happens at the end & the writing is very good - but it's almost 2 1/2 stars because the only action in the book is in the beginning & the very end. Book Review: "Families have secrets they hide even from themselves..."
Summary: 4 Stars
How appropriate I found this phrase printed on the back cover. As soon as I started the first chapter, my attention was held as if of by a spell, enthralling. Page after page, the story transcendently drowns you into a captivating and emotional whirlwind and there is no going back.
1964. Doctor David Henry and his wife Norah are happily married and expecting their first child. At the clinic after the labour pains begin, it is only after their healthy boy is born that they realise that another baby is on the way. A little girl with Down's syndrome. Norah is drifting in and out of consciousness due to the fatigue of labour and the anaesthetic she has been given. In the split second that follows this second delivery, David decides to secretly give his daughter away, asking nurse Caroline, who assisted on both births, to place the baby in an institution. To Norah, he tells her that their daughter was born dead.
This secret, shattering decision by David, together with the grief brought along by this "death" and despite the joy that their newly born son represents, slowly but irrefutably has consequences that will forever be haunting. It lacerates the family.
Leaving aside the historically-speaking-moment (middle 1960's), when David's despicable decision was taken, somewhat aligned, shall we say, with the ignorance and lack of knowledge about certain issues back then -not a justification, certainly-, something else led him to act as he did, something with deeper roots than one can imagine, buried in his soul.
And what about the little girl? What happens to her? What will Caroline the nurse do?
This is the beginning of the story. Nothing more can be said without spoiling what follows. A gentle yet piercingly moving narrative, together with the need to know, to understand, and reach an epilogue, make this book a page-turner. Flaws and qualities of each character are accurately and distinguishingly described. Some physical, emotional and surroundings-related descriptions could have been shortened a bit, and it is the only reason for my 4 (and ?) stars rather than 5. I especially appreciated the way the author, Ms. Edwards, approaches the Down's syndrome subject, never too superficial, sentimental or patronizing and it is unavoidable not to compare this particular side of the book with nowadays, how things have changed for the better. People with disabilities are so much more understood and integrated, it is uplifting.
On the whole, a lovely, lovely book, highly recommendable.
Book Review: A haunting and memorable book
Summary: 4 Stars
David Henry is a man who grew up poor and who pulled himself up by his bootstraps through education. He tries to distance himself from his past when he becomes a doctor and marries the lovely Norah. When she is ready to deliver their child there is a terrible snowstorm and David is forced to deliver his own child. A son is born without incident, but surprisingly there is a second baby, a girl, whom David quickly realizes is born with Down's Sydrome. Having grown up with a sister with fragile health, David makes a quick decision to send the baby away to an institution. He trusts his nurse Caroline to deliver the child, but she cannot and she chooses to raise Phoebe instead. This single decision, made in a traumatic moment, causes emotional ripples which continue to flow through the lives of David and Norah, and their son Paul. Secrets are kept, walls are built, and lives are sent spinning in a negative direction. Author Kim Edwards describes the parallel lives of David, Norah, and Paul, and Caroline and Phoebe. The interactions and emotions all ring true and the author creates a moving and memorable book.
I gave the book a 4-star rating because it is not perfect. The introduction of the character Rosemary seems to me to be unnecessary and distracts from the story. The book is somewhat slow at times, but overall it is a wonderful novel which has a lot of lessons to teach about communication and the value of honesty in any relationship. This is a book I'll remember and recommend to others.
Book Review: r-e-a-d-i-n-g
Summary: 2 Stars
This book was like a marathon, it got off to a good start, but felt so slow and forced toward the end, almost bordering on corny. The type of book where you skim through pages just to get to the next big thing, which never actually happens. A so-so readBook Review: Don't waste your time!
Summary: 1 Stars
I was mad at the book from page two! I could not believe the inconsistencies. And who researched for this book? Norah went through the hormone changes where her hair falls out four DAYS after giving birth? Try four months! And she refers to Van Gogh's Starry Night at the Louvre. It's in the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Ugh!!
The idea for the book was a great one. The execution was horrible. It would have been a great if it were a short story and written by someone else.