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: A Novel
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From Publishers Weekly
Edwards's assured but schematic debut novel (after her collection, The Secrets of a Fire King) hinges on the birth of fraternal twins, a healthy boy and a girl with Down syndrome, resulting in the father's disavowal of his newborn daughter. A snowstorm immobilizes Lexington, Ky., in 1964, and when young Norah Henry goes into labor, her husband, orthopedic surgeon Dr. David Henry, must deliver their babies himself, aided only by a nurse. Seeing his daughter's handicap, he instructs the nurse, Caroline Gill, to take her to a home and later tells Norah, who was drugged during labor, that their son Paul's twin died at birth. Instead of institutionalizing Phoebe, Caroline absconds with her to Pittsburgh. David's deception becomes the defining moment of the main characters' lives, and Phoebe's absence corrodes her birth family's core over the course of the next 25 years. David's undetected lie warps his marriage; he grapples with guilt; Norah mourns her lost child; and Paul not only deals with his parents' icy relationship but with his own yearnings for his sister as well. Though the impact of Phoebe's loss makes sense, Edwards's redundant handling of the trope robs it of credibility. This neatly structured story is a little too moist with compassion.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.
From Booklist
David Henry's life was turning out as he hoped. He was a doctor, married to a beautiful woman, Nora, with a baby on the way. But everything changed overnight because of one fateful decision. On a winter evening in 1961, a blizzard brewing, Nora goes into labor. Due to the weather, they could only make it to the clinic, not the hospital, and only Caroline, the nurse, arrived to help deliver the baby. David delivers his own child, a perfectly healthy son. But when Nora continues her labor, David realizes she is carrying twins; and the second child, a girl, is born with Down syndrome. Wanting to protect his wife from the devastating news, David gives the child to Caroline to take to an institution, asking her never to reveal the secret. Caroline takes the baby and disappears. Unfolding the plot over the course of 25 years, Edwards tells a moving story of two families bound by a secret that both eats away at relationships and eventually helps to create new ones. Carolyn Kubisz
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.
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THE SNOW STARTED TO FALL SEVERAL HOURS BEFORE HER labor began. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
THE SNOW STARTED TO FALL SEVERAL HOURS BEFORE HER labor began. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By A. Houston
TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
After reading the first few chapters of this book, I was tempted to put it down and not finish it, as it was somewhat depressing for me and seemed without redeeming factors. In hindsight I was allowing the previous reviewers to influence my opinion;luckily I put that behind me and carried on reading allowing the book to carry me along on its own merits.
Now after several hours devoted to just finishing it, I am amazed at the sheer scope of this story, the volume of emotional content the author managed to convey, and the way her writing managed to draw me in; to understand her characters, their weaknesses, their sins and the healing power of forgiveness.
Did I like David or Norah, or even Caroline,Al,Paul and Phoebe? My affection, present or lacking,is irrelevant. What I liked about the book is that it strikes me as similar to my experience with people in my life, there are things about people(including myself) that I like, and things I don't like. Each one of us is human, every one of us has secrets, and we are all vulnerable, usually unbeknownst to those who know us best. What I love is this author's way of putting this story on paper, making these characters real in a way that I'll never forget them.
Now after several hours devoted to just finishing it, I am amazed at the sheer scope of this story, the volume of emotional content the author managed to convey, and the way her writing managed to draw me in; to understand her characters, their weaknesses, their sins and the healing power of forgiveness.
Did I like David or Norah, or even Caroline,Al,Paul and Phoebe? My affection, present or lacking,is irrelevant. What I liked about the book is that it strikes me as similar to my experience with people in my life, there are things about people(including myself) that I like, and things I don't like. Each one of us is human, every one of us has secrets, and we are all vulnerable, usually unbeknownst to those who know us best. What I love is this author's way of putting this story on paper, making these characters real in a way that I'll never forget them.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By J. Cameron-Smith
TOP 50 REVIEWER
Format:Hardcover
This is a book about the flaws of humanity: physical flaws, errors in judgement and the consequences of living with those flaws. It is also a book about some of the triumphs of humanity despite those flaws.
The novel contains some wonderful prose and describes some difficult choices but never really gives me one character whose role is sufficient to carry me through the challenges, triumphs and events. Perhaps there are too many secrets, too much drama and not enough trust? I'm not sure.
I am intrigued enough to want to read more by this author. Clearly, this novel has appealed to many.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
The novel contains some wonderful prose and describes some difficult choices but never really gives me one character whose role is sufficient to carry me through the challenges, triumphs and events. Perhaps there are too many secrets, too much drama and not enough trust? I'm not sure.
I am intrigued enough to want to read more by this author. Clearly, this novel has appealed to many.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
17 of 20 people found the following review helpful
By maya j
Format:Paperback
I have read many, many books this past year, and unfortunately, 'The Memory Keeper's Daughter' was at the very bottom of the list. It makes me realize that although a book can be at the top of the "best sellers" list for months, it doesn't necessarily mean it's a literary masterpiece, or frankly, even a good work of fiction. The book starts out in a way that you anticipate all good things, but from there it just fizzles. This book is WAY overwritten. There are too many words to tell this story, and all these words do nothing more than become redundant (how many times can you use the phrase "motes of light"?). Even with all these words, the characters are still underdeveloped. You find yourself wondering how nurse Caroline can be so in love with this truck driver she's barely known, and Norah is a bit of a whiner/primadonna but is somehow still so desirable. Dr. Henry seems like such a pathetic man, it amazes that he could even have been a surgeon. I kept wanting more from all these people, and all I got were "motes of light" and weird ramblings about driving along the bridge fast and a woman (Norah) who was technically an alcoholic but not really an alcoholic, because that part never fleshed out either. Basically, it was the same prose over and over, and night after night, I felt I had to force myself to read it, because I am loathe to not finish even the worst of books. I probably could have read the first few chapters and the last few chapters and called it a night. There are way better choices out there for your reading pleasure.
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3.2 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
had my doubts but...
I read this book for a school assignment. As usual, I had my doubts about school recommended material. Read more
Published on April 26 2010 by K. Kwok
3.0 out of 5 stars
Harsh Reality
I rate this book a 3* because I found it a bit difficult to read and sometimes quite slow. If you can take the time to read this novel I do recommend it. Read more
Published on Feb 2 2010 by Maria Mahnic
2.0 out of 5 stars
Best seller????? WHY????
I got this book since it was on a best seller's list, and if this type of book gets on a bets sellers list i no longer will trust best sellers list!!! Read more
Published on Jan 3 2010 by N.M.
3.0 out of 5 stars
PURE SCHMALTZ...
In 1964, due to severe weather conditions, a young orthopedic surgeon is forced to attend his wife Nora, when she suddenly goes into labor. Read more
Published on Oct 7 2009 by Lawyeraau
3.0 out of 5 stars
meh...
Although this was a good storyline the book, for me, took forever to read (i couldnt even finish it). Read more
Published on Oct 2 2009 by Jyoti
3.0 out of 5 stars
The Memory Keeper's Daughter
Wonder how it became a best seller? Found it to be quite ordinary. Nothing special. Writing ok...story - a yawn.
Published on Sep 1 2009 by M. Ann Ferguson
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not one I would recommend
I have wanted to write a review for this book for a number of months but just kept forgetting to do so. Read more
Published on Jun 14 2009 by JDub
1.0 out of 5 stars
waste of time
I am not sure how this book became so popular as it was a complete waste of time. I finally quit reading a few chapters from the end because i couldn't take it anymore! Read more
Published on Dec 31 2008 by loves to read
2.0 out of 5 stars
I couldn't possibly express my anger strongly enough
I can't recall being as disappointed in a novel, especially by someone with obvious talent, as I was with this one. Read more
Published on Dec 13 2008 by Schmadrian
2.0 out of 5 stars
NOT a well written book
I have read a great many glowing reviews for this book. Well written, it is not, and it was very obvious to me that it was a first novel. Read more
Published on Sep 6 2008 by V. F. Ellinor-Shiers
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