Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1026 in Books
• Published on: 2007-04-26
• Binding: Paperback
• 416 pages

Joanna Briscoe, Guardian
'The Memory Keeper's Daughter is gripping from its start. Highly
accomplished, well-written... It's a page-turner'

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

Secrets can't be kept forever.
I wasn't sure whether I would really like this book or not. I had a horrible feeling it was going to be sickly sweet and patronising. I read some of the reviews, and decided to leave it alone. However, after a time, I thought I'd try it, and surprisingly, I enjoyed it. I think it was a very brave thing to write about the dilemmas facing the families of Downs Syndrome children, as it is, obviously, an emotional and challenging situation. I think that we all assume that we will give birth to healthy children, and it must be absolutely devastating when that doesn't happen. However, your child is your child, and I am not sure what I would do if I found myself facing that dilemma. I do know, though, that I would not want to be told that my child had died - to spare me pain!!
I see why David told this terrible lie, and of course, I think that he was wrong to do so. Norah was a grown woman, and capable of making her own decisions, it was not just David's decision to make. The thought that Phoebe was sentenced to life in an institution, without ever having contact with her Mother, Father, and twin, just horrifies me! Had Caroline not decided to look after her, Phoebe would have been forgotten about. So David kept his secret, and much good did it do him. Far from protecting his wife and son, he made the situation much worse, as they could not deal with the grieving process, never having seen Phoebe, and so they could not let her go. The disintegration of the family is very sad to observe, and I couldn't help feeling sympathy with everyone involved, even when I didn't agree with their actions. There are some weighty issues raised in this book, such as marriage for Downs Syndrome people, and I was outraged when people insisted upon treating Phoebe as a child, though part of me could understand why.
There's a lot of food for thought in this book. It is very well written, but ultimately very sad. People have so many pre-conceived ideas and prejudices, and until we overcome these, nothing will change. As I say, lots to think about in this book, but well worth a read.

In the end, tiresome and a waste of time
There was another review that said it had a promising start, and I agree. However i think it got bogged down in its own preciousness. It seemed as if the author was writing to impress with her use of prose, not to move the story along. The book - 400 pages - could have been reduced by 100 pages and not lose a thing. It actually was a page turner but for the wrong reasons - you just thought it would get better but in the end you just wanted it to be over. It just became terribly tiresome. When i think about it, it's actually an entire book about selfishness because although the actions of most were on the surface altruistic, in reality they were just working to their own agenda. The ending was too pat and somewhat predictable and the book actually didnt contribute anything to my understanding of people or life. I'm actually sorry that i wasted my time with this when there are so many really good books out there to read.

not worth the effort
The start of this book was quite promising - I liked the use of language, the vivid sense of place and the themes being raised. However, as the novel progressed, it became increasingly mundane in both style and content. By the end, I wished I hadn't bothered to complete it. Rather a disappointment!