A review by nekreader
Barnet på Blessings by Anna Quindlen

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.