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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
Keeping Lucy by T. Greenwood is a precious and engaging book that will tug at your heartstrings! When Ginny gives birth to a baby with Downs Syndrome in 1969, her baby is whisked away from her soon after childbirth, because it would be 'best for the baby to be in a hospital where her special needs will be met.' Ginny tried to stand up and insist that her baby would best be cared for at home, but affluent and powerful family members intervened and Ginny relented.
Years pass and when Ginny learns that her baby's medical facility might be less than ideal, she gathers up the courage and unleashes her maternal instinct (previously suppressed) to investigate and to see what she could do to protect her child. What happens next takes us on a wild and compelling ride, as Ginny tries to navigate a now uncertain future for herself and for her children.
I have been in a bit of reading slump and have not been thoroughly engaged by so many books I have read, the this book has ended the cycle! Keeping Lucy was engaging, its characters were well written, the time and setting of the book was described thoughtfully without cliché, and I really enjoyed this book!
Keeping Lucy will be released on August 6!
My sincere thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Years pass and when Ginny learns that her baby's medical facility might be less than ideal, she gathers up the courage and unleashes her maternal instinct (previously suppressed) to investigate and to see what she could do to protect her child. What happens next takes us on a wild and compelling ride, as Ginny tries to navigate a now uncertain future for herself and for her children.
I have been in a bit of reading slump and have not been thoroughly engaged by so many books I have read, the this book has ended the cycle! Keeping Lucy was engaging, its characters were well written, the time and setting of the book was described thoughtfully without cliché, and I really enjoyed this book!
Keeping Lucy will be released on August 6!
My sincere thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
The premise of this novel sounded right up my alley. Unfortunately it just wasn't the kind of book that sucks you in until you're lost in the story and can't wait to find out what happens next. So, I was able to do other things while reading it. It's easily interrupted. I found the characters frustrating and predictable. The dowdy mom, the sexy single friend, the greedy horrible father-in-law. All in all it's fine if you need something to read in a waiting room, or between books.
This was an impulse audiobook from the library and what a treat! It covers feminism, power differentials, ambition, parenting, and ableism. This book is about what happens in the 1970s when a couple has a child with Down syndrome and the father makes the choice to institutionalize the child while the mother is sedated. A compelling read based on true events.
Keeping Lucy was a beautiful story about a mother (Ginny) and her journey of getting back her daughter with Down Syndrome (Lucy). Lucy was ripped away from her family and taken to an institution in the 1960s against Ginny's wishes by her controlling father-in-law, and by her husband Ab, who is spineless in the face of his father's wishes. After two years of no contact, Ginny finds out that the institution Lucy is at has been grossly abusive and neglectful of the children staying there. Thus begins Ginny's journey to get custody of Lucy. Along the way, Lucy realizes that she (and other characters in the story) do have choices and the ability to escape from the rigidities that society and other people create for us.
Beyond the authenticity of emotions in the book and their ability to hit home with the reader, what I enjoyed most were the themes that Keeping Lucy revolves around. More specifically, these themes include the nature of the parent-child relationship, the male-female relationship, and how these either free us or constrain us (the novel also includes friendship, but this is dealt with in a largely positive manner and has less nuance). These two types of relationships have the potential to turn ugly when there is abuse or an overabundance of control (as can be seen with the father-in-law and the husband, as one example), but they can also be powerful, freeing, and beautiful (as the relationship between Ginny and her two children). Implicit in these dynamics is the idea of freedom or lack thereof; for instance, women in the story are constantly fighting against the constraints of sexism and are given little choice. Instead, agency and decision-making are left up to the men due to societal norms and expectations. This focus gives the novel a feminist bent in what I thought was an organic and relatable way. For much of the book, the characters are trapped or constrained and have little control over their lives, though Ginny gradually sees that her love for her child is more powerful than these cages. Other characters in this book are similarly transformed by love, empathy, and the realization that they do have choices - once we understand the lives of others and our impact on others, we give ourselves more freedom.
In addition, I found the characters and the plot relatable as a parent. However, I could see some people being less able to empathize with the motivations behind the characters if they don't have this life experience. More significantly, I didn't give this book the full five stars because I thought the pacing was a bit off. Although I thought this book was very compelling and a good read, I wish the author would have spent less time on the journey and more time in the part that comes after; the ending made me happy but also left me unsatisfied because there were other pieces of the story that I would have liked to hear more about.
Finally, thank you to St. Martin's Press and Goodreads for giving me an ARC of this book!
Beyond the authenticity of emotions in the book and their ability to hit home with the reader, what I enjoyed most were the themes that Keeping Lucy revolves around. More specifically, these themes include the nature of the parent-child relationship, the male-female relationship, and how these either free us or constrain us (the novel also includes friendship, but this is dealt with in a largely positive manner and has less nuance). These two types of relationships have the potential to turn ugly when there is abuse or an overabundance of control (as can be seen with the father-in-law and the husband, as one example), but they can also be powerful, freeing, and beautiful (as the relationship between Ginny and her two children). Implicit in these dynamics is the idea of freedom or lack thereof; for instance, women in the story are constantly fighting against the constraints of sexism and are given little choice. Instead, agency and decision-making are left up to the men due to societal norms and expectations. This focus gives the novel a feminist bent in what I thought was an organic and relatable way. For much of the book, the characters are trapped or constrained and have little control over their lives, though Ginny gradually sees that her love for her child is more powerful than these cages. Other characters in this book are similarly transformed by love, empathy, and the realization that they do have choices - once we understand the lives of others and our impact on others, we give ourselves more freedom.
In addition, I found the characters and the plot relatable as a parent. However, I could see some people being less able to empathize with the motivations behind the characters if they don't have this life experience. More significantly, I didn't give this book the full five stars because I thought the pacing was a bit off. Although I thought this book was very compelling and a good read, I wish the author would have spent less time on the journey and more time in the part that comes after; the ending made me happy but also left me unsatisfied because there were other pieces of the story that I would have liked to hear more about.
Finally, thank you to St. Martin's Press and Goodreads for giving me an ARC of this book!
I've read a couple of T. Greenwood's other books and mostly liked them, this was just not for me. And sure, it's heart is in the right place and was loosely based on fact, but as a reading experience, well...first off the heroic heroine who we are supposed to be rooting for as she saves her daughter from this horrible place is actually a spineless wimp who kowtows to her husband and never once visits her baby in two years, and then only because she reads an article saying the place where she is is snake pit, she never bothered to check it out herself? So I had no patience with any of this from the start, and then, well, if you ENJOY reading about a two year old puking in the car and leaving worm laden turds floating in the bathtub, well by golly, have fun with this. I ended up skimming through it after a time and reading the oh so predictable end.
I listened to this book on a long drive this weekend. I have no idea why, but I loved this book. It seems strange because I don’t really care for family dramas or motherhood stories. But I was invested in this story after 4.5 hours of driving and couldn’t wait to get back into the car the next day. I want to say it was the suspense but I think it also was the main character’s perseverance that kept me hooked.
I found this books storyline absolutely heartbreaking. However, I know that at the time of when this book is set - this happened all too often. People didn’t understand Down Syndrome. I loved how Ginny fought for Lucy after she found out about the school. The only part that held me back on rating it higher was the ending. I don’t want to spoil it, but it is not the ending I would have chosen. Otherwise it was a great book.
I could not put this one down. Easy to read in several sittings, but difficult to read emotionally, this book sheds some light on the treatment of children with disabilities in so-called “schools” (institutions, truly) in the early 1970s. Reading this makes me want to know more.
3.5 stars. Ginny gives birth to her second child and only gets a quick glimpse before she is taken away and sent to a “school” for disabled children. Her best friend Marsha alerts her to an expose about the horrendous conditions at the school, and thus begins a fast paced, thrilling cross state adventure to get and then keep Lucy from being returned to the school. Shined a spotlight on a really terrible part of our history in caring for disabled children and also a quick, exciting read, albeit just a little bit melodramatic and cliche at times.