Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 6-10 of 50
 Sweet, Predictable, Easy Read November 23, 2008
Rebecca K. Grider (Louisville, KY)
Normally I eschew the "IT" novels - usually they bore me with their lack of imagination and are two dimensional and written for the "beach book" type of readers. I had no intention of reading this book but it seemed to creep up everywhere - on the front tables at Barnes & Nobles and Borders, to every thrift store I found - so I finally gave in to read it.
It wasn't as horribly romance-novel like as I expected but it didn't turn me on my head with the wonders of its use of language. It was fine for what it was and somewhat sweet. It was, however, incredibly predictable. It was obvious that the wife would feel lost, the husband would grow distant and the son would feel the stress of that kind of home. Would anyone find out that the daughter was brought up by the nurse? Would everyone bond together in the end? Sure, we all knew it was coming.
For a first novel, it was adequate. Some of the phrases were well turned but it did feel a bit like mind candy - nothing to provoke a lot of thought, no characterizations that weren't twinged with stereotype. The depth I was hoping for never arrived.
Would I recommend it? Sure, if you just want something of fluff to keep you occupied for a while. But as great literature, no.
I liked it, but November 6, 2008
Krispie
some of the things I liked were also some of the things that bothered me. Edwards is a descriptive writer; if you like that kind of writing, you will like her style. However, you still may not like the book. I like her writing, but it works better in short stories or shorter novels.
I liked how Nora began to grow career-wise throughout the novel, but thought her character could have been fleshed out more. I did not find her a sympathetic character, particular as the novel wore on, and I think it would have been better if she had been.
Also, I thought the plot unfolded a little too neatly in some aspects. To be sure, the characters had difficult lives, but sometimes things did not ring true. For example, Caroline didn't struggle as I thought she would have: Doro, her gift, just not very realistic. Also Davis's photography career, as opposed to a hobby, was hard to swallow. It just took off a little too well.
Overall, I enjoyed reading the book and I'm glad I did. It just wasn't a great book.
Was Hoping for More Redemption November 3, 2008
stacey @ book:thirty (Houston Metro, TX)
The Memory Keeper's Daughter takes place during a snowstorm in 1964. An orthopedic doctor and his wife are surprised when she goes into labor three weeks early. Because of the snow, they cannot get to the hospital, but they can get as far as the doctor's clinic, then wait for the arrival of an OB in his practice to deliver the baby. The baby is coming quickly, though, and the OB has a car accident and can't make it on time. With the assistance of one of the clinic's nurses, the husband/doctor must deliver the baby himself. Only...it's not just one baby. After bringing a beautiful, healthy boy into the world, the husband realizes his wife is actually pregnant with twins. He stays to deliver the second child - a girl, with Down's syndrome. Fearing a terrible prognosis for the life she will lead, the husband gives the baby to the nurse to take away. His initial instructions are for the nurse to take the baby to an institution outside of town. Though he plans to tell his wife the truth, when she comes back to clarity after the births, he tells her the baby girl has died. When the wife asks to see the baby, he says she is already gone, to the cemetery.
The nurse follows the doctor's instructions, and takes the baby to the group home. Seeing the terrible conditions there, she cannot bring herself to leave the child. Instead, she moves to a different city and raises the girl as her own daughter.
The book follows the story of these two worlds - the grieving parents and their son, the nurse and her adopted daughter - as they orbit around the decisions made and lies told on this one night in 1964. It's true that there is a lot of sadness in this book, but strangely, there's a lot of honesty, too. Edwards makes a close examination into how it is to love others, or try to, despite the things we keep from each other and the walls we build to keep ourselves protected. I could never relate to the specific situation in this story, but I could relate to a lot of the intricacies of family relationships - as a child, as a parent, as a spouse. I also found it interesting how Edwards explored why each of the characters did what they did - are our motivations always so clear? Are they always as innocent as we want to believe they are?
There is so much meat to this book; I am eager to discuss it at my book club's meeting in October. As I said, though, this book may certainly not be for everyone. It is thought-provoking and well-written, but a pretty heavy piece of work.
 Painfully Slow October 27, 2008
Ms. Zia
This book had so much promise, but it seems the author got lost in the same blizzard the night that David Henry delievered his twins. Lack of character development, too many descriptions (every. single. detail. must. be. included.) and a disappointing ending contributed to a boring, misguided novel. One star for the cover and one star for the ability to fool so many people into buying this book.
 What a memory!!! October 26, 2008
Lillian (Puerto Rico)
I liked the book very much. We discussed this book in our reading group and there was a lot of polemics regarding to what David did with his daughter. The decision that he made that winter night had devastating consequences especially in the life of his wife and son. The author is very narrative, maybe that is why other people did not like the book, but it's nicely structured. Our discussion was converted into a courtroom because we did a lot of judging of the characters. I will highly recommend this book if you don't mind a lot of narrative in a good reading.
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