The Memory Keeper's Daughter

Mar 12, 2011

Tracy Rhodes rated it

Note: This review is chock full of spoilers! Read at your own risk.

Ugh. This book sucked. I was drawn in by the premise, my mother-in-law having borne twins where one was neurotypical and the other had cerebral palsy. However, as I got into the story, its shortcomings became painfully apparent.

The characters were shallow and unlikable. In particular I couldn't stand Norah, whose every hackneyed scene - from her flirtation with alcoholism to her tawdry affairs to ...moreNote: This review is chock full of spoilers! Read at your own risk.

Ugh. This book sucked. I was drawn in by the premise, my mother-in-law having borne twins where one was neurotypical and the other had cerebral palsy. However, as I got into the story, its shortcomings became painfully apparent.

The characters were shallow and unlikable. In particular I couldn't stand Norah, whose every hackneyed scene - from her flirtation with alcoholism to her tawdry affairs to her rebirth as a liberated entrepreneur - recalled the one Danielle Steele book I read out of desperation during a boring summer at my parents' house.

So many times, the plot seemed to be building up to a climax that inevitably fell flat - son Paul's drugged-out ransacking of his father's workroom, for example, could've led to his discovering the file on his sister, but instead was resolved with no revelations, just a lame father-son chat and an admonition to clean up the mess - buh? As for David and his photography, The title "Memory Keeper" would've been more poignant if David had kept his photography a private thing, albums filled with desperately orchestrated scenes of 'happy' family moments that never were; instead, the author chose another Steele-worthy plot of turning him into a detached, semi-pro photo artist with some high-concept obsession with linking anatomy with nature scenes. Whatever.

The question of how David pulled off his daughter's faked death is also nagging; even if he did sign the death certificate himself, how did he swing the service and burial? Did he just run down to "Caskets-R-Us" for a box, told everyone he stuck her in there and no one blinked an eye?

The closest thing to a sympathetic, realistic character was Caroline, the nurse who raised Phoebe. And speaking of Phoebe, the author seemed to care less about transcending Down Syndrome stereotypes and fleshing her out as a fully-realized character than for using her an abstraction, a screen against which the other characters project their neuroses and complicated life choices.

The author is certainly enamored of setting a scene, right down to the dust motes in the air and the color of people's shoes. She puts far too much effort into description and not enough on weaving a compelling plot. Redundancy and trite dialogue are a constant annoyance.

Oh, and the whole Rosemary plot at the end? What? David just happens to stumble upon some pregnant homeless chick in his abandoned childhood home who's about Phoebe's age, and after she takes him prisoner and he confesses his precious sins to her, he basically adopts her like a neurotypical stand-in for the broken daughter he gave away? Was that supposed to be some act of redemption - taking in a girl and her baby to atone for the baby he rejected? The whole thing reeks of symbolism, but did anyone else just find this twist not only implausible but creepy? Feh.

I struggled to finish this book, but I wouldn't recommend anyone doing the same to themselves. (less)

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Apr 24, 2007

Christian rated it

Recommends it for: People with secrets

Shelves: recently-read

This book was terrible, not because it was bad, but because it was so good: I couldn't put it down until I finished the final pages at 3 in the morning. Not a good thing, when your alarm goes off at 5:50 AM.

What fascinates me about this book is what it has to say about "secrets." The basic premise: a doctor is forced to deliver his wife's child in the middle of a raging snowstorm. The only complication is that she's actually carrying twins - the first, a healthy beautiful b...moreThis book was terrible, not because it was bad, but because it was so good: I couldn't put it down until I finished the final pages at 3 in the morning. Not a good thing, when your alarm goes off at 5:50 AM.

What fascinates me about this book is what it has to say about "secrets." The basic premise: a doctor is forced to deliver his wife's child in the middle of a raging snowstorm. The only complication is that she's actually carrying twins - the first, a healthy beautiful baby boy; the second, a Downs Syndrome baby girl. The year is 1964, when such children are regularly institutionalized - after all, babies like this rarely survive long anyway, and even if they do, their quality of life is marginal at best.

As a doctor, David Henry knows his daughters prognosis full well, and rather than force his young wife Norah to deal with such a tragedy, he makes a snap decision to try and protect her from a lifetime of unspeakable grief. His solution: hand the "defective" daughter to his nurse to deliver to an institution, while he informs his wife of the tragedy - she delivered twins, but her daughter did not survive childbirth. She is dead. Gone.

With that simple little secret, the future is inescapably changed, his doom is sealed - unbeknownst to anyone, the nurse flees into hiding to raise the child as her own.

The rest of the book is riveting, because we get to see firsthand the effects of his fall - on his relationship with his wife, his son, and eventually everyone else around him. It's a tragic book (I'm not sure I could read it again), because it's not Hollywood - it's brutally true to the lives that many of us have experienced ourselves.

The one ray of hope comes unexpectedly, as David Henry confesses everything - no more secrets - to a young woman with child.

In the silence David started talking again, trying to explain at first about the snow and the shock and the scalpel flashing in the harsh light. How he has stood outside himself and watched himself moving in the world. How he had woken up every morning of his life for eithteen years thinking maybe today, maybe this was the day he would put things right. But Phoebe was gone and he couldn't find her, so how could he possibly tell Norah?

The secret had worked its way through their marriage, an insidious vine, twisting; she drank too much, and then she began having affairs, that sleazy realtor at the beach, and then the others; he's tried not to notice, to forgive her, for he knew that in some real sense the fault was his. Photo after photo, as if he could stop time or make an image powerful enough to obscure the moment when he had turned and handed his daughter to Caroline Gill. ...

He had handed his daughter to Caroline Gill and that act had led him here, years later, to this girl in motion of her own, this girl who had decided yes, a brief moment of release in the back of a car or in the room of a silent house, this girl who had stood up later, adjusting her clothes, with no knowledge of how that moment was already shaping her life.

She cut [paper] and listened. Her silence made him free. He talked like a river, like a storm, words rushing through the old house with a force and life he could not stop. At some point he began to weep again, and he could not stop that either. Rosemary made no comment whatsoever. He talked until the words slowed, ebbed, finally ceased.

Silence welled. She did not speak. ...

"All right," she said [at last]. "You're free."

And this single act of honesty produces the deepest intimacy he has ever experienced - it's not sexual, but relational - with a human being who knows the very worst about him and yet who does not reject him for it.

You can read the whole review here [http://seelifedifferently.blogspot.com/2007/03/memory-keepers-daughter.html]...(less)

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Mary Ann Yes, the book was definitely about secrets, stifling oneself, and how that affects lives and relationships. I found myself zipping through the pages t...more
Apr 27, 2007 08:54pm

Elizabeth I am glad to see someone else that didn't get any sleep after getting into this book. The part that I found so interesting was the characters and how...more
Dec 30, 2007 08:33am

Rogayeh i haven't read this book,but i liked your comments on the book so much,it gave me a good brief glance at the whole story and i guess this book is goin...more
Jan 04, 2008 10:38am

Aug 25, 2007

Sarah rated it

Shelves: fiction

I wanted to like this book.

I plowed through the first fifty or so pages in an airport earlier this week and prematurely told several people that it is quite good.

It is not.

While the writing is okay and the main plot line is fairly interesting:

* The author indulges in far too many unreasonably trite, cringe-worthy subplots;

* It's positively brimming with baby boomer-centric sentimental claptrap; and

* At least a half dozen sce...more

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Apr 06, 2008

Lisa rated it

Recommends it for: Housewives and Oprah fans.

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Will someone please explain to me why, at my age, and I should know better, I'm stilled swayed by the words "No. 1 N.Y. Times Bestseller!"? I found this for fifty cents at my library's used book sale last week. A warning I clearly ignored. But it had a good title, a beautiful, mysterious cover, and lots of people are reading it. Lots of people watch "Oprah" and "The View", too. About halfway through the first paragraph I realized, too late to get my fifty cents back...moreWill someone please explain to me why, at my age, and I should know better, I'm stilled swayed by the words "No. 1 N.Y. Times Bestseller!"? I found this for fifty cents at my library's used book sale last week. A warning I clearly ignored. But it had a good title, a beautiful, mysterious cover, and lots of people are reading it. Lots of people watch "Oprah" and "The View", too. About halfway through the first paragraph I realized, too late to get my fifty cents back, that this is CHICK LIT. Not even goofy, over-the-top fun chick lit, but "takes itself waaay too serious" chick lit pretending to be literature. The subtitle of this preposterous premised-book, choked with a mountain of useless detail, should have been "My Hidden Breastfeeding Agenda, Brought to You By the La Leche League".

She goes on, on, on, and on about "the milk rising", and other numerous references to the Joy of Breastfeeding. At least in the first chapters. Then she drops it like a hot potato, busily filling the pages with endless detail about patterns on people's clothing and how the ground looks. Instead of working on character development.

Anyway, the plot is just too much: Husband Pretends Handicapped Baby is Born Dead Keeps Big Secret From Wife and Marriage is NEVER THE SAME. Well, duh.

The main characters, except Caroline, are wholly unlikeable.
The writing is beyond tolerable; my eyes rolled so often they hurt.
Edwards clearly has "The Writer's Guide to Trite" and "The Big Book of Cliches" on her reference shelf. Ugh. Why do rooms always have to be "small but immaculate"?

Also, while casuarina trees and bougainvillea exist on Aruba, the "trademark tree" is the Divi-divi, and cacti are more typical than flowers. Let me guess, Edwards has never been there, right?

And note to author: You don't know your ass from a hole in the ground about photography. "Photography is about secrets" she writes. Whaaaa???? I thought it was about revelation and discovery. Thanks, Kim, I'll bring my diploma from R.I.T to work tomorrow and shred it in the shredder. And my friends out there, if you ever hear me coin a phrase like "Memory Keeper" in reference to me being a photographer, please walk quietly up behind me and smash my skull in with a baseball bat. At least that will be more pleasurable than reading this book.
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Jul 19, 2007

Erin rated it

Recommends it for: no one

Man I hated this book- the plot had some great potential, but instead you got to witness one scene of frustrated people not knowing how to deal with their emotions after another. Seriously, imagine 60 someodd pages of: wife- "I'm sad, darling, talk to me" husband- "we can't have another baby" silence...followed by wife being angry and husband yet again being emotionally stunted...ok, fine, I see that it's a result of him giving away their daughter with downs syndrome, but I j...more

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Jul 26, 2007

Alycia rated it

Recommends it for: women obsessed with husbands and "normalcy"

Shelves: fiction

Books like this make me mad.
I thought this story was very upper-middle class white suburbia. I don't know how to explain it any better, but I thought that there were these tiny sorrows within the story that were turned into gigantic dramas (so I guess it reflects the overall narrative in that sense), but I just didn't give a damn. There were 2 characters I could relate to, and 3/4 of the book was spent on characters that I felt were wasting away in the "perfect" suburbia of the 6...more

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May 25, 2008

DeLaina rated it

Recommended to DeLaina by: book club

Shelves: adult

I read a bunch of reviews of this book prior to reading it myself, and wasn't sure whether or not I would enjoy it.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that I liked this book quite a bit, and here's why:

1. The story was fascinating! What would I have done in that situation? It was fun to imagine myself as Norah, Caroline, David or Paul and determine if my actions would mirror theirs, or if I would have done things differently.

2. The metaphors and imagery that E...moreI read a bunch of reviews of this book prior to reading it myself, and wasn't sure whether or not I would enjoy it.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that I liked this book quite a bit, and here's why:

1. The story was fascinating! What would I have done in that situation? It was fun to imagine myself as Norah, Caroline, David or Paul and determine if my actions would mirror theirs, or if I would have done things differently.

2. The metaphors and imagery that Edwards uses are captivating. For example, she describes "crocuses shouting" and "a wedge of air coming through an open door". The juxtaposition of physical characteristics ascribed to inanimate objects, and the fusion of opposites added texture to the story.

Going along with that, she used the wind as a metaphor-unrest, loneliness, loss, guilt, shame, it spoke a different language to each of the characters and manifested itself in interesting ways. The obsessive compulsive picture taking, the drive to make sense of the world, the bones, the running, the travel-all of these were terrific physical manifestations of inner turmoil, some blatant, others, subtle reminders of the loss.

3. Edwards descriptive abilities made it seem that I was in the room with the characters. She pointed out the pattern of sunlight cascading through the windows, or other mundane details that so many other authors gloss over or ignore because they are too busy telling about events that happen. I realize that in some cases this can be construed as "dragging, boring, or slow" but Edwards used such beautiful, interesting language to describe those things, that it made the story come alive for me, and I felt like I was a participant observer, rather than just an observer.

4. One of my personal fascinations is tracking and tracing the pivotal points in people's lives that determine who they really are. Naturally this book was all about how one seemingly right decision affected dozens of lives. How would they have been different if different decision were made?

The only really bothersome thing was that nobody triumphed over the loss...no matter how hard they tried...so, is this a cautionary tale to always tell the truth? To not make decisions based on how you think someone will react, but to give them the agency to decide that for themselves?

I understand how the outcomes of each of the characters happened, but also would have liked to have seen some triumph and salvation-and perhaps that's what Rosemary and Jack were supposed to be, at least for David. He couldn't fix his own family so he spent his time fixing others-literally and figuratively. And, I guess, ultimately Phoebe and Caroline triumphed...I just don't like to believe that suffering a loss reduces us to throwing our lives to the wind. I want to think that peace and hope can still be found.(less)

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Jun 03, 2008

Heather rated it

Shelves: fiction

At first I couldn’t pinpoint exactly why I was not enjoying a book that sounded as though it would be ‘my kind of book’ in every way, but the more I read and the more I thought about it, the more reasons emerged.

From the beginning of the novel there were little details that bothered me. The plot often felt contrived, as pieces fell together too nicely. Of course life is crazy and there is always the possibility of the little pieces falling in the most peculiar way, but when all of...moreAt first I couldn’t pinpoint exactly why I was not enjoying a book that sounded as though it would be ‘my kind of book’ in every way, but the more I read and the more I thought about it, the more reasons emerged.

From the beginning of the novel there were little details that bothered me. The plot often felt contrived, as pieces fell together too nicely. Of course life is crazy and there is always the possibility of the little pieces falling in the most peculiar way, but when all of your characters’ lives seem to follow that incredible pattern, it begins to feel ridiculous.

Some of the characters themselves also became clichés. Perhaps I reached a certain point in the story where I began to look for things that bothered me and therefore found them more readily than other readers. Yet, Norah, the mother of the twins, and her sister, Bree seem to never really develop. Bree is the young, free-loving free-spirit who is thus almost a danger to Norah’s thoughts on life – and that is what she remains, even when older and diagnosed with cancer (although Norah does come to appreciate her). Norah, whose life unravels for a bit after she thinks her daughter has died, drinks too much and then begins having affairs, and this is who she remains for most of the novel. The characters just seemed too much like a sappy Lifetime movie for me to really take them inside of me and keep with me.

I was also very disappointed in the character of Phoebe, the Down’s syndrome daughter given away by her father. She was the driving force of the novel and yet we really never know her other than glimpses through the eyes of Caroline. Paul, her twin brother, is given thoughts but Phoebe’s mind remains a mystery. I understand the difficulty in writing honestly for a character with Down’s but I kept thinking of the autistic narrator in Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time who was so rich and incredible and believable (if you haven’t read this one, please do!!). I just thought that Edwards had a mission in humanizing those who suffer Down’s syndrome; and that she herself undermines her purpose with the complete omission of Phoebe’s voice. I wanted to know this child as a child and not as a sad plot device. In all fairness, however, I have to say that I did love certain passages, as Edwards’ poetic language captured me wholly.

In the end, I think that my largest issue with this book was the absolute destruction of this family. I know that what happened at the birth of the babies was tragic and life changing but I felt as though it was a bit contrived that it drove every emotion and interaction afterwards for the remainder of the characters’ lives. Perhaps, for me, it just made their bonds from the beginning suspect as their destruction was made so inevitable by that one tragic mistake. I didn’t believe it and perhaps, because we read to understand others and to change ourselves, I do not want to believe it.
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Oct 19, 2007

Lola rated it

Shelves: fiction-literature

**SPOILER FREE REVIEW**

Reading this book was like an up-hill battle for me. I have looked forward to reading it for so long and was expecting great things based on all the praise-worthy reviews on the book jacket. Boy was i disappointed! The plot and synopsis of the story had such excellent promise but along the way the author dropped the ball. It was very difficult to relate or sympathize with Norah Henry, even though she is the one wronged by her husband's rash (but not unfounded)...more

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Apr 16, 2008

Michele rated it

Dark Trees in the Heart

The Memory Keeper's Daughter is a story about a secret--a terrible, life-altering secret running central to the story and in the lives of the characters. In spite of spanning only twenty-five years, it has an epic feel. A lot happens. We first meet Norah and David Henry on the stormy night she gives birth to twins. The boy, Paul, is born healthy. The second, an unexpected daughter, is born with Down's Syndrome. While his wife lay unconscious, David, a doctor w...moreDark Trees in the Heart

The Memory Keeper's Daughter is a story about a secret--a terrible, life-altering secret running central to the story and in the lives of the characters. In spite of spanning only twenty-five years, it has an epic feel. A lot happens. We first meet Norah and David Henry on the stormy night she gives birth to twins. The boy, Paul, is born healthy. The second, an unexpected daughter, is born with Down's Syndrome. While his wife lay unconscious, David, a doctor who presides over the deliveries because their doctor is unable to get to them due to the snowstorm, makes the decision to tell his wife the second child died. Trying to spare his wife the pain and suffering of having a child who, in his mind would surely die an early death, hands the baby to his nurse, Caroline Gill. He instructs her to take the child to an institution. Caroline finds she cannot leave the baby in this place, moves away and raises "Phoebe" on her own. This sets the stage for the terrible secret David must live with and the consequences it has on his family.

It's called The Memory Keeper's Daughter because David takes up photography and becomes obsessed with the process. Diving into his hobby, which ultimately brings notoriety to him, he is able to take his mind off his secret, and yet at the same time, focus on the life his lost daughter leads away from him. Photography/snapshots/captured moments are the metaphor for this family and this beautifully written story. There is tremendous detail and one can feel the author using a variety of lenses to provide both wide-angle and tight, intimate views of each scene. Although at times I felt it to be a bit repetitive and wished it were shorter by 50-100 pages, I enjoyed the writing so much, along with the emotion it drew from me, that it didn't matter. I kept turning pages waiting to see how it would all play out. I wasn't disappointed.

This book made me ask the question . . . "what if?" It also illustrated David's view of the world and Paul's discovery, that "each person was an isolated universe. Dark trees in the heart, a fistful of bones." Very well done. (less)

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Feb 07, 2009

Lisette Brodey rated it

Wow, I'm really torn as to what to say about this book. I will start by saying that Kim Edwards is a skilled writer and there's no taking that away from her. Her words flow beautifully and that was greatly appreciated by me.

I began reading this book and fell in love with it. From the beginning, I was very sure that I was going to rate it with five stars. I was intrigued by the premise: It's 1964 and a doctor's wife gives birth to twins. The twins were unexpected (no ultrasounds back ...moreWow, I'm really torn as to what to say about this book. I will start by saying that Kim Edwards is a skilled writer and there's no taking that away from her. Her words flow beautifully and that was greatly appreciated by me.

I began reading this book and fell in love with it. From the beginning, I was very sure that I was going to rate it with five stars. I was intrigued by the premise: It's 1964 and a doctor's wife gives birth to twins. The twins were unexpected (no ultrasounds back then) and so the second baby, a girl with Down's Syndrome, was a shock. In the panic of a moment, the doctor, who had lost his own sister when she was 12 (due to a heart problem), panics and gives his newborn daughter, Phoebe, to his nurse, Caroline. He wants to spare his wife (and himself) the pain of having a child with Down Syndrome who might not live long. Caroline takes the baby to the home, but when she gets there, she realizes she cannot leave the child in such a wretched place and makes a split-second decision to keep her as her own.

The author skillfully goes back and forth between the doctor's family, David and Norah Henry (and their son, Paul) and Caroline's life with the girl, Phoebe. I was intrigued.

Somewhere, around page 175, I started not liking the book so much. What had been a taut, interesting story, started taking little side trips that I felt tarnished the characters and didn't stay within what I thought the author had set up. But I didn't want to dislike the book for this reason, because I don't expect the author to go where I might go or where I might have liked to see her go. Still, the things that were going on kept nagging at me and making me uneasy in a way that I don't think were intended to make me uneasy.

I began to care less and less about the characters, but stayed with the book because it was interesting to see where it went and I had already invested so much time in reading it. There were too many long descriptions of things that didn't matter to me, and no matter how hard I tried, I didn't get to know the characters in the way I thought I should.

I am stuck in the middle. In the end, I didn't really care for it all too much, but cannot say that others would not. I give the writer kudos for being so skilled with the English language. I didn't really care about any of the characters very much in the end, if at all, and I think that's what really soured me on this book.

This is a hard one for me to judge. If you're at all interested, read it for yourself and see what you think.(less)

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Jan 23, 2008

Tung rated it

The book begins in 1964. A doctor delivers his own wife’s son, and to his own surprise, their son’s twin sister as well. From her physical features, the doctor recognizes the child has Down’s Syndrome and to protect his wife from the grief of having a child die early (common for Down’s children back then) since he and his own family had to deal with the death of his sister when she was young, the doctor hands the child over to his trusted nurse and instructs her to take the child to an instituti...moreThe book begins in 1964. A doctor delivers his own wife’s son, and to his own surprise, their son’s twin sister as well. From her physical features, the doctor recognizes the child has Down’s Syndrome and to protect his wife from the grief of having a child die early (common for Down’s children back then) since he and his own family had to deal with the death of his sister when she was young, the doctor hands the child over to his trusted nurse and instructs her to take the child to an institution nearby. The doctor then lies to his wife and tells her their daughter died at childbirth. Instead of delivering the child to the institution, however, the nurse instead runs off with the child to raise it as her own. The rest of the book’s plot hinges on these two fateful decisions: the doctor’s choice to give up his daughter and lie to his wife, and the nurse’s decision to raise the girl as normally as possible. Note to self: if a book’s author is a graduate of the Iowa Writer’s Workshop, put the book down and walk away. This book is as cliché as they come – not just in the plot and the characterizations, but also in the prose. The plot sets itself up for ongoing tension between the characters due to their past decisions, and then allows all of the characters to redeem themselves at the end. The characters are stereotypes: the noble doctor struggling with a past decision motivated by his past grief; the unsatisfied grieving mother who finds solace in other ways; the noble mother who raises a disabled child to prove that everyone deserves equality. It’s like the Iowa Writer’s Workshop deliberately teaches its students to dream up plots worthy of an Oprah’s Book Club Selection. My biggest grievance is that Edwards overwrites every scene. We understand that the characters all have made decisions they regret, and that their pasts inform their present and future actions. We actually don’t need the narrative to spell that out for us in EVERY SINGLE SCENE. We also understand symbolism: early on, there is a scene where the doctor’s wife destroys a wasp nest to prove to herself that she is capable and able to handle things herself without having the doctor protect her and control her – and yet the author has to point that out to the reader, that the wife felt capable and felt like she didn’t need to be protected any longer. Apparently, Iowa doesn’t teach Subtlety as a course offering. Pass on this, unless you have no sense of discernment and like trite stories.(less)

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May 15, 2007

Carol rated it

Although the premise was extremely interesting, and there were true moments of brilliance in her characterizations, descriptions, and interactions, this book, more than anything, left me incredibly angry at the author. [Contains spoilers!:] Her characters are very deep, but only in one dimension. Her two stories are so clearly divided between good and evil, it's unrealistic. The last 50 pages or so are so filled with action that it made me wonder if she got to a certain point and her editor told...more

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Jun 29, 2007

Sarah rated it

This is one of those books that I always see people reading in parks and on the subway, and I just want to shout at them, "Save yourself! There's still time to quit reading!"

Really, it's one of those books that has an interesting premise/situation, but doesn't go anywhere. The interesting premise is this: a couple has twins and the father sneaks away with the one twin who has Downs Syndrome. The mother doesn't know about this baby and it's raised by the father's coworker. ...more

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Aug 12, 2007

Kristen rated it

Shelves: ehhhhh

I was highly disappointed in this book. When I picked it up, it had great potential. A doctor (David) delivers his own child in a snowstorm only to discover that his wife (Norah) had twins. Hooray, right? Nope...the boy was born as healthy as all new parents hope their children to be. The girl, however, was born with Down's Syndrome. Thinking he was making the best choice for his family, he asks his nurse to take the baby to an institution. The nurse agrees, but then keeps the child to ra...more

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Mar 04, 2007

Stacie rated it

Shelves: bookclubread

I didn't get into the book until around page 200 (but it's normal for me to take a while to get into a book). I did however notice that I didn't have the kind of connection I normally have with the characters and the book (does that make sense?)

(let's see if I can remember all I wrote).... When David gives Phoebe to Caroline, I felt bad for Caroline because it should not have been her place to give Phoebe away. I also felt bad for Norah, who didn't even know she was having twins. I...moreI didn't get into the book until around page 200 (but it's normal for me to take a while to get into a book). I did however notice that I didn't have the kind of connection I normally have with the characters and the book (does that make sense?)

(let's see if I can remember all I wrote).... When David gives Phoebe to Caroline, I felt bad for Caroline because it should not have been her place to give Phoebe away. I also felt bad for Norah, who didn't even know she was having twins. I think David should not have mentioned Phoebe to Norah at all, since he said he wanted to protect her (not that I condone that).
Later in the book, when we found out that David had a sister with Down's Syndrome, it made me question why he wanted to give Phoebe away in the first place; she was described in such high regard. One would think as a doctor he would have this secret desire to help Phoebe like he never could help June.

When they go on vacation, and we meet Howard, I got pissed at Norah. I know she had a secret desire to be like her rebellious sister, but to cheat on your husband so openly is not the way to go about filling the void she had (openly by leaving her clothes on the beach and having sex under an open widow). I have never lost a child, but I felt like once she found out Phoebe "had died" she shoud have gone to David for support, not pushed him away. I also didn't grow up during the 60s, so I cant say she should have seeked counseling, since it was described in a sort of negative connotation in the book. Don't get me wrong, I am not blaming her totally for the demise of her marriage, I just feel like she should have connected more with the man she chose to marry.

When she decided to get the job at the travel agency, I was happy for her. I think it did help her grow in to the woman she eventually became and made her a stronger, more independant woman.

The introduction of Rosemary was sort of odd; I feel like this part could have been deleted from the book all together. I do feel that she was the most stable character throughout the whole book, though. I also found it odd that David would confide in a 16 year old girl and share his secrets of the past, just because she was living in his parents' old house. I guess the author(Kim Edwards) was trying to find away for him to have a sort of meltdown and let it all out. I respect Rosemary in the sense that she listened to everything he had to say and she did not judge him, nor did she tell his secrets. (on a side note, I honestly thought her and Paul were gonna end up together).

I wonder if things would have ended differently if David had eventually told Norah about Phoebe instead of finding out from Caroline. I think it would have been too late in their relationship to change anything, but at least he would have that 1000 lb sand bag off his chest. I also feel like Norah would never be able to forgive David.

I sort of don't like the way the book ended abruptly, but I was happy to see that Paul was getting to know his sister. That made me happy that he got a sort of a closure from meeting the twin he never knew.

Overall, I rate this book as average. I might suggest this book to someone else.
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Aug 25, 2007

Meredith rated it

Shelves: book-club, death, read_2007, other_picks, adoption

This book would have been better if they would have cut out all of the descriptions that were used. Too much "The wind is blowing, it was cold, etc". I wanted the author to get to the point already. Other than that a very sad story about the love between a husband and wife and the secrets that are kept between them. Although I enjoyed the book it was just ok because of all the extra that was there.

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Mar 17, 2008

Katy rated it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I'm torn on this book. I gave it three stars because I couldn't give it 2 1/2. I loved the premise of the book. In the mid 1960's a doctor, David Henry, delivers his own baby on a very snowy night. He gets a surprise when one baby turns into twins, a boy and a girl. Except for the girl has Downs syndrome and in a swift decision, he hands the baby off to the nurse to take the baby to a home for "those types of babies."

David's sister died at a very young age and it tor...moreI'm torn on this book. I gave it three stars because I couldn't give it 2 1/2. I loved the premise of the book. In the mid 1960's a doctor, David Henry, delivers his own baby on a very snowy night. He gets a surprise when one baby turns into twins, a boy and a girl. Except for the girl has Downs syndrome and in a swift decision, he hands the baby off to the nurse to take the baby to a home for "those types of babies."

David's sister died at a very young age and it tore his mother apart. In 1960 the prognosis for a child with Downs was very grim and unknown so David thought he would spare his wife the pain he saw his mother go through and tell her the baby had died.

The thing is, the nurse brought the child to the home but after seeing the conditions decided she couldn't leave the baby there. The nurse fled the city, moved elsewhere and raised the child as her own.

The book shows each twin growing up and how that secret shapes everyone's lives.

The premise is great which is why I picked up the book and the writer really has a knack for human emotion. You can really feel what those people are feeling and it tugs are your heart. She has a way of exposing basic human needs and making the reader really feel them.

I was torn on my feelings for Norah. A part of me felt for her and you have to keep in mind, it was the 60's and 70's. The relationship between husband and wife was different and Norah had an obvious case of depression but I'm sure that subject and going to a shrink were a little taboo back then. But a part of me felt like she was blaming David for their problems in their marriage when she didn't shoulder any of the blame.

However, the writer of this book went into details that didn't REALLY need to be there. It was a long book that could've been much shorter due to omiting unnecesary details that were neither here nor there. I found myself skipping over much of those details because instead of getting me into the setting and story, it really just bored me and I wanted her to get back to the story and not how the butterflies danced in the golden wheat and blah blah blah. Some is nice but it seemed that the book was half plot, half unnecessary details.

I also HATED the way the book ended. Not just the very end but the last 50 pages or so weren't great either. I felt things were inconsistent with characters personalities. When Caroline shows up to tell Norah about Phoebe, why would she do that...out of the blue? And why a whole year after David died? We learn of the inheritance Phoebe receives but what happened to Paul's? We never hear of it.

I did like how Paul and Phoebe started to have a relationship which was nice but it felt like Norah and Phoebe's relationship was weird. Norah was trying to force a relationship and didn't acknowledge/care/understand that Phoebe just doesn't get that Norah is her biological mother and Caroline is the one who raised her. Norah seems to think they'll explain it and then everything will be okay. (less)

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Jan 10, 2008

Diane rated it

Shelves: fiction

Although I read this book avidly, I was mostly disappointed in it. It really needed a Good editor! THe author does not seem to know what the book is about. I could have enjoyed the books theme of how secrets destroy relationships and how everyone has secrets, but it had to branch out and become a women's lib story and a rights of the disabled story - I was waiting for the cancer victims story and surprised it didn't surface. This author does not have the experience or excellence to tackle al...more

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Apr 16, 2008

Jodie rated it

Shelves: fiction, did-not-like

I read this book when I was a member of a reading book group. I thought I was going to like it because of the "twins/children" theme. I really didn't enjoy it at all! I kept thinking something was going to happen & it never seemed to happen. Around the very end of the book, it finally began to pick up pace a little, but by then I was just ready for it to be over, that I really didn't care what the outcome was.

I felt bad for Norah because David kept such a HUGE secret from h...more

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Aug 20, 2007

Pinkbullets rated it

Recommends it for: women who love to literally sink into a wonderful story

Shelves: family-tragedies

It doesn't happen too often that I stick with a paperback book of more than 500 pages up to the very end. Now, having closed the final page I feel satisfied, calm and yes, a little bit proud of myself.

Still, especially compared to real masterpieces I have read, there were certain parts in this book described in great detail, while I would have preferred Kim Edwards to rather get into details at other, different parts.

* * * SPOILER * * * *
Take Phoebe's life, for ex...more

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Sep 20, 2010

Kei rated it

Shelves: books-i-despise

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Beautiful writing, horrible story telling - I bought this book based on the back cover snapshot. No one recommended it to me, so I have no one to blame. My problem with this book is, the author had SO MUCH in the palm of her hand that she could have done with this story. But she was more interested in being poetic and symbolic - which is only good if it contributes to great storytelling.

I was expecting to love the wife and feel emotionally connected to her throughout the book since...more

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Nov 12, 2008

Becca rated it

Shelves: book-club

Although I really liked this book, I'm not sure I would openly recommend it to people for fear of them coming back and saying, "You liked THAT?" So there, I warned you, and if you decide to read it, you can't blame me!

The story starts in 1964 with a husband, who is a doctor, delivering his own wife's baby late on a snowy night at his clinic, because they couldn't make it to the hospital in the snow storm. After their son is born, his wife gives birth to an unexpected twin...moreAlthough I really liked this book, I'm not sure I would openly recommend it to people for fear of them coming back and saying, "You liked THAT?" So there, I warned you, and if you decide to read it, you can't blame me!

The story starts in 1964 with a husband, who is a doctor, delivering his own wife's baby late on a snowy night at his clinic, because they couldn't make it to the hospital in the snow storm. After their son is born, his wife gives birth to an unexpected twin- a daughter with Down's syndrome. The husband, in an attempt to spare his wife grief, tells the nurse to take the baby away to an institution. He means to tell his wife what he has done, but instead tells her the second baby died. And it goes from there.

It is a very interesting and thought provoking book about the effects of a "big bad" secret in a family's life. Of not being allowed to grieve in an open and healthy manner, and this leading to grieving secretly and destructively. Of trying to escape grief leading to sorrow, while facing challenges leading to joy. And of how society's view of grief, of what is socially acceptable, and of Down's syndrome has shifted over the decades.

The author wove many levels of detail and imagery into the book, which was a joy to read. I felt she also had an incredible depth of understanding of the emotions people feel in different experiences and times of their life, and what those emotions can motivate them to do. In particular, I really enjoyed how right on her descriptions were of a young grieving mother in a society that does not allow her to fully grieve. Kim Edwards had such tremendous compassion for the characters, that even when I didn't like what they were doing, I felt I understood why they were doing it and what they were trying to accomplish, and so I had to feel some compassion for them as well. That was what I enjoyed about this book. That and the view of how much the culture shifted from 1964 to the late 80's.

I didn't enjoy that there is immorality in this book, although she stops short of descriptive sex, for which I am grateful. She does show that the immorality does not bring happiness. Most of all I didn't enjoy watching the family fall apart because they failed to communicate. I found parts of it rather depressing. At times I wanted to put down the book and run and hug my children and husband with tears of joy for the wonderful and happy family that I have. I was disappointed that the author seemed to portray life as having no real hope for a true, deep, meaningful, and loving relationship where communication and honesty exist. I would have given it 5 stars if it hadn't been so depressing. I am grateful that at least it ended with a sense of peace and hope for the future.

Although I have mixed feelings about the book, I fully admire the talent of the author. The story was depressing, but the author's depth and talent was a joy to read. That is why I gave it four stars, and that is why I am glad to have read this book.
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Jun 09, 2008

Kirsty (Blatant Biblioholic) rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

This was a fairly emotional read, and I found myself sympathising with the characters at some points, and hating them at others. I think the only character I actually liked the whole way through was Al. The other characters ranged from not liking them at all (Paul), to mostly sympathising, but not completely (Caroline).

I think the way that children with Down's Syndrome were treated in 1964 was scandalous. I was appalled at how they were automatically thought less of and sent to an in...moreThis was a fairly emotional read, and I found myself sympathising with the characters at some points, and hating them at others. I think the only character I actually liked the whole way through was Al. The other characters ranged from not liking them at all (Paul), to mostly sympathising, but not completely (Caroline).

I think the way that children with Down's Syndrome were treated in 1964 was scandalous. I was appalled at how they were automatically thought less of and sent to an institution. I grew up in the same class as a boy with Down's Syndrome, and although he was slower than the rest of us at learning (he'd been held back a year at school) he was one of the nicest people you could meet. I therefore found they way Phoebe was treated quite upsetting. I think that the writer did a very good job of putting across just how difficult it was to fight for the rights of a child with Down's Syndrome in those days.

I tried hard to like David, I really did, but after telling his wife initially that their daughter had died, he had lots of opportunities to come clean and redeem himself but he never did. I just couldn't forgive him for that.

I loved the descriptive style of the author's writing. I could imagine everything down to the smallest details and almost felt like I was there. Usually I'm not a fan of this much description, however I felt it worked really well in this book.

The characterisation in the book was wonderful. Whilst I may not have sympathised or liked all of the characters, they were all built up really well, so that you could at least understand them and their motives. They were by no means flat - in fact quite the opposite. David especially is a very complex character, who is constantly evolving throughout the book.

I liked how the story followed both sides separately... I felt that the interjection of Caroline and Phoebe's story gave a happier tone to an otherwise fairly depressing depiction of the Henry's journey. I felt that the story was a fair assessment of what the consequences of such a huge lie can mean to all of the people involved.

I enjoyed this book, and couldn't put it down, although I did feel that some of it was a little too coincidental and parts didn't make sense. Also Norah's story dragged on a bit too much for my liking. These are the reasons why it only has 4 stars.

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Mar 26, 2008

Nola rated it

Recommends it for: anyone who thinks lying is okay in marriage

Shelves: fiction-fantasy

Some moments in our lives are crossroads, moments where the course of our lives is shaped. Sometimes the deviation is minor, and sometimes it is life-altering. Such are the forces that form the first chapter of Kim Edwards’ novel, The Memory Keeper’s Daughter.

A dreadful snowstorm forces Dr. David Henry to deliver his first child, which to his surprise turns out to be twins. The first is a perfect son, ideal in all ways. But the second child has Down’s syndrome. In a moment that cha...more Some moments in our lives are crossroads, moments where the course of our lives is shaped. Sometimes the deviation is minor, and sometimes it is life-altering. Such are the forces that form the first chapter of Kim Edwards’ novel, The Memory Keeper’s Daughter.

A dreadful snowstorm forces Dr. David Henry to deliver his first child, which to his surprise turns out to be twins. The first is a perfect son, ideal in all ways. But the second child has Down’s syndrome. In a moment that changed and defined the life of all five people in the room – the twins, the parents, and the nurse – Dr. Henry requests that his nurse take the girl to a home for the mentally retarded. Instead, she takes the child away and raises her as her own. The mother is told only that her daughter was stillborn.

Edwards traces the lives of the two families over the next twenty-five years. Dr. Henry sought to shelter his wife and son from grief, but his deep, dark secret winds up alienating him from his family, and the pain he caused may well exceed what they would have otherwise have suffered. His monumentous deception creates a wall upon which other lies are built. As he draws away from his wife, she draws away from him. Their deceptions impact their son, who begins erecting his own walls.

Part of David’s withdrawl is accentuated by the gift of a camera that enables him to remove himself from his family’s life. Even when he is present for events and activities, he isolates himself behind the lens. Only years later does he come to realize that much of his life was spent in observation rather than active participation.

Meanwhile, as Caroline raises the unwanted child, her perspective completely changes. Instead of waiting to be loved, she learns to find fulfillment in loving. After several years, she recognizes that she was not a passive victim but an active accomplice in the deception.

The Memory Keeper’s Daughter is a tale of deception and treachery, but it is also a story of walls and barriers. Over and over again, David had the opportunity and even the desire to confess and come clean, and yet he never does. Instead, he remains silent, and his silence is frequently misinterpreted, driving another wedge between himself and those he loves. Although few of us deceive to such magnitude, the story manages to illustrate the price of deception of all sizes. Edwards has managed to weave a convincing story of tragedy, fully drawing the reader into her tale.
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Mar 26, 2008

Meagan rated it

he plot of this story is basic. A father and a doctor delivers his wife's twins. Being a doctor he recognizes that the twin girl has down syndrome right away. It is 1964 and the wife is passed out. He gives the girl to the nurse and tells her to take her to a home. Meaning to tell his wife the truth, tells her of the twin, but then tells her the girl died. The nurse takes the baby to the home and finds the place unpleasant and decides to keep the baby to raise as her own. She leaves town. The st...morehe plot of this story is basic. A father and a doctor delivers his wife's twins. Being a doctor he recognizes that the twin girl has down syndrome right away. It is 1964 and the wife is passed out. He gives the girl to the nurse and tells her to take her to a home. Meaning to tell his wife the truth, tells her of the twin, but then tells her the girl died. The nurse takes the baby to the home and finds the place unpleasant and decides to keep the baby to raise as her own. She leaves town. The stories follows the lives of these two "families" from there on out.

What may seem like a story that would be heavily concentrated on the differences between down syndrome children and "normal" children, it is surprisingly light on the subject. In fact in some ways I feel it is a little too light. But I'll touch on that later. The characters are beautifully flawed and the voice is equally enchanting.

Each chapter or section begins with a page that simply tells you what year it is. Then there are sections within that which are from different charecter's pov. (Close third person) The father's, the nurse's, the mother's, and when the boy twin, David is 13, his pov. However different events take place. This is not a "how each person saw the same thing" type of story. On Monday we have dad's pov, on Tuesday we have mom's. like that. (only not that contrived)

I think this way of telling the story works well. It really gets you to see the characters inside and out and I feel gives a deeper emotion to their troubles and situations. However Phoebe, the girl with down syndrome, doesn't ever get a p.o.v section. She has dialog and is a well developed character as the nurse sees her, but I think her lacking what everyone else has, essentially point of view, turns her into too much of a plot device for me. I think the story and the point of the piece still works, but this did concern me though I do understand that it may be difficult to write a down syndrome pov.

Having said that I really did enjoy the book. It is littered with descriptive details of scenery and nature that don't bog you down but really put you there. I think the symbolized in the piece is subtle and nice, though the author at times draws too much attention to it.

The ending is what it is. I don't want to give too much away, the story really is touching and interesting, and in many ways unique. I think it is a good summer read novel (though I certainly didn't wait)

Also if this mini review seems more work-shopy than normal, I guess that's what happens when I do recreational reading while in school.

anyway, good gentle read. The ending fell off for me, but really there was no where else for it to go from there. Once the secret was out the story lost momentum, and that is kind of an issue with the book(less)

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Apr 07, 2008

Susie rated it

Shelves: just-for-fun

So...starting the book I didn't really know what to think as I'd heard mixed reviews. One of my best friends, whom I trust immensely when it comes to books felt apprehensive about the novel, not liking it and not knowing why. My fellow teachers, who can be quite unpredictable when it comes to loving and hating novels, raved about it.

And now I, too, feel ambivalent, much like I felt when reading THE KITE RUNNER, much like I felt with ATONEMENT. So now I question myself--wonder, "...moreSo...starting the book I didn't really know what to think as I'd heard mixed reviews. One of my best friends, whom I trust immensely when it comes to books felt apprehensive about the novel, not liking it and not knowing why. My fellow teachers, who can be quite unpredictable when it comes to loving and hating novels, raved about it.

And now I, too, feel ambivalent, much like I felt when reading THE KITE RUNNER, much like I felt with ATONEMENT. So now I question myself--wonder, "am I just getting old and desirous of some cheesy artificial happiness in my novels?" And I know, and you do too if you know me, that that's certainly not the case. I will say I believe that the WRITING in this novel in no way rivals that of the other two works I mentioned. Though it has its moments of beauty, describing the detail with which a man looks through the lens of his camera and sees beauty in the completely unexpected, describing the longing in the human heart upon seeing another for who she is but still being completely unable to reach her in that place, the writing was also (and quite often) forced and fake and redundant.

I also wanted a moment of redemption for the characters that seemingly never came, and the book's ultimate theme seemed to be that life is difficult, true communion with another impossible, and that maturity means finally accepting the truth of those ideas. That, I didn't like. I'm tired of reading novels of hopelessness whose lingering hope at the end isn't exactly hope at all. I'm tired of being asked to accept that the only hope in life is a smile on the face of a silent, broken child, the creation of a fantastical perfect life for two lovers severed by a tragic and selfish mistake never truly atoned for, and now the possibility of relationship with a lost sibling without ever knowing what real relationship actually is. Ah...isn't this the human life, though? Maybe I am too hard on these novels. Maybe I am just asking from them what I always grow weary of asking from my students: a simple grasp of reality, of responsibility, when confronting life's suffering and failures. Maybe I'm still hoping that the world we live in will once again embrace the true possibilities of redemption rather than finding it in moments of quasi-truth.

And once again, I confront the paradox of my life--I am both idealist and realist, trapped and always conflicting, and never really certain which way to lean.(less)

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May 29, 2008

Lori added it

Shelves: abandoned, fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Disclaimer: Fiction and I do not get along.

Spoilers for the first two chapters follow:

Synopsis: 1964. Doctor has to deliver his own child during a snow storm. Only his nurse is there to assist. After safely delivering a boy, he realizes his wife is about to deliver a twin. She is gassed for the delivery. Girl with Downs is safely delivered. Doctor tells nurse to take the child to a home. Nurse drives baby to the location specified by doctor, and can't bring hersel...moreDisclaimer: Fiction and I do not get along.

Spoilers for the first two chapters follow:

Synopsis: 1964. Doctor has to deliver his own child during a snow storm. Only his nurse is there to assist. After safely delivering a boy, he realizes his wife is about to deliver a twin. She is gassed for the delivery. Girl with Downs is safely delivered. Doctor tells nurse to take the child to a home. Nurse drives baby to the location specified by doctor, and can't bring herself (not sure why) to leave the baby. Chapter two ends with a second snow storm on the way, and the nurse stuck with the baby and a car with a dead battery. In the empty parking lot of a grocery store. That has just closed. And she's miles away from home.

Siiigh...

I read chapter one and, despite a few spots where I was thinking "cut the verbiage and get to the point," I was pleasantly surprised to find that the story had drawn me in. But before the end of chapter two, the doctor tells his wife that the second baby died.

And that's where I started thinking "get through this chapter so you can say you gave it a fair shot, and take the book back to the library the first chance you get." So, I finished chapter two.

I don't want to read any more of this story because: 1) Reading about people making stupid decisions doesn't interest me in the least. 2) I can't imagine how it's going to be entertaining to read about all the pain these characters will inevitably experience throughout the rest of the book. And, 3) despite the fact that I've only read two chapters, the plot twists strike me as, frankly, silly.

Yeah, I hear all you fiction lovers out there with with your retorts about 'exploring the human condition,' or some such business, but the fact remains, I am not interested. Why do I want to read a MADE UP story about people making unwise decisions? Is this where you tell me that it helps me learn to flesh out all of my own unwise decisions? Or helps me examine culture or prejudice? Because then I'll tell you that it is possible to do all of those without reading one iota of fiction.

Or I might even tell you to hand me the next piece of nonfiction that addresses those things. I'll happily read it. And I might even learn from the lessons that those (real) characters learned in (real) life, as I read about how they (really) reacted.

But from fiction? I just just can't do it.(less)

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Sep 26, 2007

Emily rated it

First of all, what's with all the books named after relatives of [insert profession or title here]. The Time Traveler's Wife, the Memory Keeper's Daughter...isn't there an astronaut's wife too? (maybe a movie). And an Abortionist's Daughter?
Like most reviewers have said, the premise of this book is quite interesting. But the characters often fall flat, and the dialogue bugged the hell out of me. No character seemed to have an individual voice. Especially not Phoebe. And isn't she the tit...more

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Jan 06, 2009

Melody rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: wow-bookgroup

A doctor (David Henry) who feels like he has a past to hide marries "the girl of his dreams"; someone who he thinks is beautiful and needs taking care of. After being married for a very short time she is pregnant and when she goes into labor there is ice and snow on the road and the obstetrician can't get to the hospital. David has to deliver his own child. The baby turns out to be twins. One "perfect" boy and one girl with Down's syndrome. While his wife is sedated from...more

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