Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3554 in Books
• Published on: 2007-04-26
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 416 pages

Review
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 (The Secret Life of Bees )

Easy Living
"The Memory Keeper's Daughter is an enthralling novel about the
deepest secrets that can never stay hidden."

Daily Mail
"A strong and moving story. It's easy to see how it gained its
place on the U.S. besteller lists."

Customer Reviews

Telling portrait of family dysfunction and sadness
Having just come off reading "The House at Riverton" and "Bark of the Dogwood" and loving both those books, I was prepared for a letdown with "The Memory Keeper's Daughter." Not so. I was anything but let down. I wasn't in love with the style of writing, but the story itself is fascinating and haunting. And it's virtually impossible to tell you what happens and why this is so great without giving away the plot. Also, so many have gone over the main points, that it seems silly to do so here. My two cents worth is that this is one book you should not ignore. Get it. Read it. Never forget it.

Food for thought
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.

OK beach read
Thought the book was ok. It kept me interested long enough to finish it but definitely not a page turner.agree with some of the other reviews that the plot and some of the characters had real potential and there were some lovely/sad moments but overall not a book I would pick up again. OK for a beach read or if you fancy something gentle.