A father makes the split second decision to relinquish his newborn daughter upon realising she has Down's Syndrome. Unbeknownst to him, the nurse he entrusts to take his baby away to an institution instead disappears to another city to raise the child as her own. Compulsively readable and deeply moving, this is a brilliantly crafted story of parallel lives, familial secrets, and the redemptive power of love.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
The Memory Keeper's Daughter
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Crafted with language so lovely you have to reread the passages just to be captivated all over again . . . this is simply a beautiful book (Jodi Picoult)
I loved this riveting story with its intricate characters and beautiful language (Sue Monk Kidd, author of the best-selling The Secret Life of Bees) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
I loved this riveting story with its intricate characters and beautiful language (Sue Monk Kidd, author of the best-selling The Secret Life of Bees) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
From the Publisher
Kim Edwards's stunning family drama articulates every parent's
silent fear: what would happen if you lost your child and she grew up
without you? Compulsively readable and deeply moving, 'The Memory Keeper's
Daughter' is an astonishing tale of redemptive love that will touch the
hearts of readers everywhere.
--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
silent fear: what would happen if you lost your child and she grew up
without you? Compulsively readable and deeply moving, 'The Memory Keeper's
Daughter' is an astonishing tale of redemptive love that will touch the
hearts of readers everywhere.
--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
THE SNOW STARTED TO FALL SEVERAL HOURS BEFORE HER labor began. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
THE SNOW STARTED TO FALL SEVERAL HOURS BEFORE HER labor began. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
40 of 41 people found the following review helpful
By Julia Flyte
TOP 100 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
The Memory Keeper's Daughter starts in the 1960s. It is a stormy night and the doctor's wife has gone into labor. David (the doctor) is forced to deliver his wife's (Norah's) twin babies with only his practice nurse (Caroline) for assistance. The first baby, a boy, is delivered without issues but the baby girl has Down's Syndrome. David's immediate reaction is to protect his wife from what he perceives to be a tragedy, so he gives the baby to Caroline and asks her to take her to a home for the mentally ill. He tells his wife that the baby girl died at birth and that the body has been disposed of.
Caroline goes to follow the doctor's instructions but is unable to get to the home. Instead she makes a spontaneous decision to look after the baby herself, and leaves town. Over the years she raises the girl on her own, keeping in occasional contact with David. Norah remains unaware that her daughter survived the birth and has to deal with her own grief for the baby she lost. David suffers guilt and confusion about whether he made the right decision and his need to keep the secret creates a rift in his marriage to Norah.
I enjoyed reading this book. The central premise is so intriguing that I wanted to see how the story would pan out. The book follows each character in turn over the years as the two children grow up. It's a well written book and the characters held my attention and sympathy throughout. I was very curious to see how the story would be resolved. My main gripe was with the ending, which I felt was a bit lame. I wanted a greater sense of resolution than was delivered. However overall I still liked the book. Other reviewers have complained that it was slow moving and I suppose it is, but I didn't find this a problem when I was reading it. I think the way that each chapter was focusing on a different person kept it fresh.
If the ending had been better I would have rated this book four stars. I found it interesting, thought provoking and easy to read. If you enjoy authors like Carol Shields, Anne Tyler and Elizabeth Berg you will probably like this book too.
Caroline goes to follow the doctor's instructions but is unable to get to the home. Instead she makes a spontaneous decision to look after the baby herself, and leaves town. Over the years she raises the girl on her own, keeping in occasional contact with David. Norah remains unaware that her daughter survived the birth and has to deal with her own grief for the baby she lost. David suffers guilt and confusion about whether he made the right decision and his need to keep the secret creates a rift in his marriage to Norah.
I enjoyed reading this book. The central premise is so intriguing that I wanted to see how the story would pan out. The book follows each character in turn over the years as the two children grow up. It's a well written book and the characters held my attention and sympathy throughout. I was very curious to see how the story would be resolved. My main gripe was with the ending, which I felt was a bit lame. I wanted a greater sense of resolution than was delivered. However overall I still liked the book. Other reviewers have complained that it was slow moving and I suppose it is, but I didn't find this a problem when I was reading it. I think the way that each chapter was focusing on a different person kept it fresh.
If the ending had been better I would have rated this book four stars. I found it interesting, thought provoking and easy to read. If you enjoy authors like Carol Shields, Anne Tyler and Elizabeth Berg you will probably like this book too.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
It touches upon controversial issues and challenges certain conceptions. The development of some characters is quite interesting (the unknowing wife for example) however not all characters are engaging or credible. I grew tired of the somewhat naive and one sided statement of the book. It was quite predictable and it fails to really connect the reader to all of the individuals in the plot.
58 of 62 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I am surprised that this book has received such mixed reviews.
Personally I really enjoyed it, but then it is a subject close to my heart, as my niece has Downs Syndrome.
Set in the 1960's it is quite an eye-opener how views have changed towards such disabilities since then. The fights of those parents for their children's rights are largely responsible for the opportunities available to such children today.
On a snowy winter's evening Nora Henry goes into labour. With the help of a nurse her doctor husband delivers her a healthy son, but there follows an unexpected twin sister who has Downs Syndrome. As was frequently the case at that time, the Downs child, Phoebe, is sent to a home to be cared for. The job of taking her there is entrusted to the nurse, Caroline, who takes one look at the place and decides to care for Phoebe herself.
Meanwhile David Henry makes his big mistake and informs his wife that their daughter was stillborn, setting in motion a chain of events that has repercussions for years to come.
Even though there are reasons in David's past that might explain his response to the birth, it is hard to feel great empathy for him after this event. However, his fascination for photography has interesting symbolism which is explained towards the end of the book.
Caroline and Phoebe made the more enjoyable reading for me, as they struggled to make a life away from Phoebe's home town.
Nora, the bereaved wife, was the least interesting and a rather frustrating character.
The other person in this situation was the brother, Paul, who always felt distant from his distracted parents and who compensated by putting his whole being into his music.
A fascinating book, with plenty of food for thought, though it could have done with being 100 pages shorter.
Personally I really enjoyed it, but then it is a subject close to my heart, as my niece has Downs Syndrome.
Set in the 1960's it is quite an eye-opener how views have changed towards such disabilities since then. The fights of those parents for their children's rights are largely responsible for the opportunities available to such children today.
On a snowy winter's evening Nora Henry goes into labour. With the help of a nurse her doctor husband delivers her a healthy son, but there follows an unexpected twin sister who has Downs Syndrome. As was frequently the case at that time, the Downs child, Phoebe, is sent to a home to be cared for. The job of taking her there is entrusted to the nurse, Caroline, who takes one look at the place and decides to care for Phoebe herself.
Meanwhile David Henry makes his big mistake and informs his wife that their daughter was stillborn, setting in motion a chain of events that has repercussions for years to come.
Even though there are reasons in David's past that might explain his response to the birth, it is hard to feel great empathy for him after this event. However, his fascination for photography has interesting symbolism which is explained towards the end of the book.
Caroline and Phoebe made the more enjoyable reading for me, as they struggled to make a life away from Phoebe's home town.
Nora, the bereaved wife, was the least interesting and a rather frustrating character.
The other person in this situation was the brother, Paul, who always felt distant from his distracted parents and who compensated by putting his whole being into his music.
A fascinating book, with plenty of food for thought, though it could have done with being 100 pages shorter.
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The story was quite different and very well written. The characters were very real and I didn't want it ti end
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Great story
Had this book recommended to me by three friends and thoroughly enjoyed the read. The story took its time to unfold and didn't rush through at the end.
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This was one of those books where you read it over and over. I first read it 4 years ago, and have read it about 10 times since. Read more
Published 6 months ago by callmedannii
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The Memory Keeper's Daughter.
I read this on my Kindle at every opportunity. I bought the DVD but I thought I would read it first.The story is very moving and shows the different characters point of view. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Chris B
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Memory Keeper's Daughter
I really enjoyed this book, from it's atmospheric start in a snow storm to is bittersweet ending!
How a moment of misjudgment taken in the blink of an eye could change the... Read more
How a moment of misjudgment taken in the blink of an eye could change the... Read more
Published 6 months ago by P. A. Cunningham
4.0 out of 5 stars
Memory Keepers Daughter
A very good read, thoroughly enjoyable all the way through. I kept wondering how things could possibly be resolved if this were a true story. Read more
Published 6 months ago by JEV
5.0 out of 5 stars
The memory keepers daughter
I have just finished the memory keepers daughter and, having never come across the authors work before, have immediately ordered her following book. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Caroline
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