Reviews

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

thewrappedupreader13's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

jess_mango's review against another edition

4.0

Memory Keeper's Daughter tells the story of the effects of one man's decision to give away his newborn daughter without telling his wife. On a stormy winter night in 1964, Dr. David Henry's wife gives birth to twins, a healthy boy and a girl with Downs Syndrome. David makes the rash decision to tell his wife that they girl was born dead and he asks the nurse who was assisting in the delivery to take the girl to live in a home for people with special needs. The nurse opts to keep the baby girl and raise her. Throughout the book, the narrative switches back and forth between the doctor's family and the nurse's family over the course of 25 years.

Overall, I enjoyed this poignant book but I felt like the ending was sort of a cop out. There were several plot points that seemed to be a bit of a stretch and required some suspension of disbelief. It makes a great book club book since there are lots of topics to discuss.

dionne_j's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

abbyaj's review

challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

jencara3's review

dark emotional reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

chrissypink80's review

3.0

This was quite a depressing book. Not in a cry-your-way-through-it way, but in a darkish, depressing way. I kept waiting for the elusive uplifting part(s) but it never really came.

laudis98's review

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

sadtourist's review

4.0

I was very, very surprised when I got to this page to write a review that so many people didn't like this book.

I thought the writing was beautiful and graceful, the characters were authentic, and the plot was interesting.

edshara's review

2.0

I'm not really sure what I expected from this book. I read the synopsis, I understood that, in some ways this was going to be terrible. However, I went into it, hopeful. In the end this was a waste of the days it took me to read it.

This review is hard to put into words because this book was so unbelievably frustrating. We are asked to believe that all this things fall perfectly into place, for this major life altering event to occur. Even with the knowledge of the time period in which it took place, understanding these types of things possibly happened, all the time, David Henry's decision was made out of selfishness and not a true concern for his wife or the future of their child born with Down Syndrome.

So we have a man, who because he was never taught and because he never learned to grieve, made a selfish decision, that altered lives because he couldn't bare to face the differences and challenges his daughter would live with. In turn, everyone not only hurts anyway, they also grow into the worst versions of themselves. Their is some growth at the end but it comes after the author drowns us with so much unnecessary information.

All that unnecessary information made this exhausting to read because it felt like it would never end. So much was happening and yet, none of it really seemed to fit. I didn't particularly care for any of the characters and the ending, which was the only reason I kept reading, did nothing for me. Overall, this isn't one I'd recommend.

rdsinnen's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5