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drbatfcc's review against another edition
5.0
Abandoned infant raised by estate caretaker and elderly woman. Extremely descriptive. Beautifully worded. Written by the national columnist.
pilesoflaundry113's review against another edition
3.0
This isn't exactly a book I would recommend to others but I didn't mind finishing it.
wrentheblurry's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars. This is a completely predictable story about the old, stern rich lady in town, her employees, and a baby that is left on her property. Her caretaker finds the baby and decides to raise the girl, while hiding this from his boss and everyone else. I noticed the author used "that that" and "had had" too many times, and used them unnecessarily. Still, it is a fast, light read, no matter how predictable.
craftygoat's review against another edition
4.5
4.5. I enjoyed my visit to the world Quindlen created here. Interesting characters, good plot. This was my first read from this author -- will look for more.
Spoiler
, and not too tidy of an endingnekreader's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this small but poignant story of an elderly WASP woman, her blue collar, troubled caretaker, and the baby who forges a bond between them. I appreciated the glimpses into the WWII era of upper crust NYC life. The characters are well-drawn, believable and, with the exception of the obvious bad guy, pretty sympathetic. Many have commented on the use of flashbacks as a literary device. I think they work here, particularly for the character of Lydia because she is old and not particularly active. Her life consists largely of conversation and reminiscing, and flashback is a useful device for letting us see how the character's present is informed by her past and how her present lets her reflect back on her personal history. Quindlen establishes the country house location, the Blessings of the title, as a character in its own right without hitting the reader over the head with the significance of it all. As I tiptoe into my second half century, I found this book touching.
patriciamccoy621's review against another edition
1.0
I was worried about coming here and giving this book only one star but I felt validated after seeing so many other people also having similar opinions. I simply could not get into these characters and found the book to be slow.
susanbrooks's review against another edition
3.0
I love the way Quindlen writes - nice turn of phrase, excellent characters.
I'm not sure this story of an old woman on her estate, and the young man who finds an abandoned baby will be memorable to me in a few months though.
I'm not sure this story of an old woman on her estate, and the young man who finds an abandoned baby will be memorable to me in a few months though.