A review by arnoles
The Foundling by Ann Leary

dark informative sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • 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

I thought that the historical context of this book, though sad and disturbing, was fascinating and compelling to read about. I enjoyed the plot of this book, but the characters mostly fell a bit flat for me with confusing or absent character development.
By the end of the book, I felt Dr. Vogel had fully left the grey area of if she is good or evil and went fully over into evil. As a modern reader, obviously we know that the institution is a heinous place. But, in the time the book takes place, eugenics was a pet project of many social progressives and they genuinely believed - though wrongly- that they were doing the right thing. By the end of this book, I felt that Dr. Vogel knew that she was actively harming the women in her care and it was all a sham, she just didn't care because she was profiting. Similarly, I felt that Mary's problems were all resolved just a little too neatly -- were there really so many people in the institution's orbit just waiting to take Dr. Vogel down? And her character development was a bit confusing. She seemed to spend the whole book flip-flopping about her feelings toward the institution rather than actually changing. Not to mention, Mary's prejudices against Jewish and Black people seem to have totally evaporated by the end of the book with no scenes that give us insight into her changing perspective.
Nonetheless, I really liked this book and found it extremely moving.
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