Tracy Rhodes

Tracy Rhodes liked Tung's review of The Memory Keeper's Daughter:

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

" 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 havi... " Read more of this review »

Tracy Rhodes liked Erin's review of The Memory Keeper's Daughter:

" 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, tal... " Read more of this review »

Tracy Rhodes rated a book 1 of 5 stars

The Memory Keeper's Daughter
by Kim Edwards

recommended to Tracy Rhodes by: online book club

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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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

Ugh. This book was a disappointment. I was drawn in by the premise, my mother-in-law having borne twins where one was neurotypical and the other was not (cerebral palsy in our case)....more Note: This review is chock full of spoilers! Read at your own risk.

Ugh. This book was a disappointment. I was drawn in by the premise, my mother-in-law having borne twins where one was neurotypical and the other was not (cerebral palsy in our case). As I got into the story, though, 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 which 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 - what was the point? As for David and his photography, the title "Memory Keeper" would've been more poignant if, say, 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? Should we assume that he simply nipped down to "Caskets-R-Us" for a wee box, informed everyone that he stuck her in there, and that 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 as a bland abstraction, a screen against which the other characters project their neuroses and complicated life choices.

The author is very enamored of setting a scene, right down to the dust motes in the air and the color of people's shoes. She puts 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)

Tracy Rhodes rated a book 5 of 5 stars

A Storm of Swords: Blood and Gold (A Song of Ice and Fire #3, Part 2 of 2)
by George R.R. Martin

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Tracy Rhodes rated a book 5 of 5 stars

A Dance With Dragons by George R.R. Martin

A Dance With Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire, #5)
by George R.R. Martin

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Tracy Rhodes rated a book 5 of 5 stars

A Feast for Crows (A Song of Ice and Fire, #4)
by George R.R. Martin

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Tracy Rhodes rated a book 5 of 5 stars

Second Nature: A Gardener's Education
by Michael Pollan

read in May, 2012

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Tracy Rhodes rated a book 2 of 5 stars

Eat, Pray, Love
by Elizabeth Gilbert

read in January, 2008

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Tracy Rhodes rated a book 4 of 5 stars

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
by Barbara Kingsolver

read in April, 2008

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Tracy Rhodes rated a book 5 of 5 stars

A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire, #3)
by George R.R. Martin

read in May, 2012

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Tracy Rhodes liked Tung's review of The Memory Keeper's Daughter: " 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 havi... " Read more of this review »
Mar 10, 2013 12:18pm · see review
Tracy Rhodes liked Erin's review of The Memory Keeper's Daughter: " 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, tal... " Read more of this review »
Mar 10, 2013 12:13pm · see review
Tracy Rhodes rated a book 1 of 5 stars The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards recommended to Tracy Rhodes by: online book club	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Mar 10, 2013 12:05pm · see review
Tracy Rhodes rated a book 5 of 5 stars A Storm of Swords: Blood and Gold (A Song of Ice and Fire #3, Part 2 of 2) by George R.R. Martin	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 18, 2012 05:13pm
Tracy Rhodes rated a book 5 of 5 stars A Dance With Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire, #5) by George R.R. Martin	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 18, 2012 05:13pm
Tracy Rhodes rated a book 5 of 5 stars A Feast for Crows (A Song of Ice and Fire, #4) by George R.R. Martin	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 18, 2012 05:13pm
Tracy Rhodes rated a book 5 of 5 stars Second Nature: A Gardener's Education by Michael Pollan read in May, 2012	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 18, 2012 05:13pm
Tracy Rhodes rated a book 2 of 5 stars Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert read in January, 2008	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 18, 2012 05:13pm
Tracy Rhodes rated a book 4 of 5 stars Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver read in April, 2008	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 18, 2012 05:13pm
Tracy Rhodes rated a book 5 of 5 stars A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire, #3) by George R.R. Martin read in May, 2012	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 18, 2012 05:13pm

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