Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards (2006, Paperback, Reprint)

Imagine a father who is willing to lie and tell his wife that one twin has "died" when, in reality, he has let that twin (who has Down's syndrome) go live with another family. What happens next will have you riveted to the pages from beginning to end. More than a "twins separated by birth" story, this is really about how one person's decision affects two families deeply and irrevocably. Heartfelt, honest and perceptive!

I was so lost in this book- it felt so real, like I was a part of it. Amazing story. I dare you to put it down after just a few paragraphs!

Dr. Henry is forced to deliver his own twins; a perfectly healthy boy and a daughter with Down's Syndrome. He makes a split-second decision to have his nurse bring his daughter to an institution. This decision changes the lives of his entire family forever. The Memory Keeper's Daughter was a very good novel but at times the book lagged. It centered too much on the rocky marriage of Dr. Henry and Norah when I really wanted to learn more about Phoebe.

I loved this book, first to last page. Edwards writes in an artful way. The way she describes little details in the most expressive, imaginative ways really makes you feel like you're part of the story. It reads like watching a movie...you feel as though you are there, experiencing the story along with the characters.

The story line is an intriguing, heartwrenching premise. Giving away ones daughter because of a perceived flaw seems unimaginable. As you read, you get to discover whether the decision to give her away resulted in a happier life, as the good doctor hoped, or if it will eventually result in heartache.

This is a definite page-turner. I couldn't put it down until it was finished. A beautiful story, artfully told, without a cookie-cutter ending. Excellent.

This book had me at the first chapter. I absolutely loved it! It was full of suspense, and I just couldn't put it down once I started reading. I couldn't imagine giving away a baby just because of Down's Syndrome. This is a heartwarming tale that I think just about anyone could enjoy.

I bought this because it was on promotion at Barnes and Noble. I was captivated after the first chapter!! There is no putting this one down!! I think I read it in three days! Excellent! What an emotionally gripping story!!

It was an interesting story, but definitely not one of my favorites. Characters should have been more developed, seemed a bit soap opera-ish.

I bought this book because I saw it in a bookstore and thought the storyline was fascinating - twins at birth separated because the girl had Down's Syndrome - without the mother's knowledge or consent. The rest of the book describes what takes place after the nurse who is given the task of putting this baby in an institution raises her as her own. It reads quickly, especially towards the end, when you know that somehow the biological mother of this child is going to learn the truth. You want her to know to find out how she will react and what will happen from there.

This book is amazingly different from any other I have read. Kim Edwards takes you in a place, time & situation that other writer's wouldn't dare! This book is captivating, I couldn't put it down. She captures each character's thoughts and feelings to where you actually feel as though they are real and you start being able to relate to them and their feelings.

I usually do not purchase books because I figure I may only read them once, however, this time I did purchase it because it is definatly a book I will read again and again.

Best book I have read in many, many books. It broke my heart at the turning point near the end---when David lost a chance to clear his heart and soul....but Paul's attitude was absolutely the best...great book

I bought this book for my book club's monthly selected reading. It tells a morally challenging story, quite heartbreaking really. A doctor is forced to deliver his children when a snowstorm prevents him and his wife from making it to the hospital. The first child is born and is "perfect son", but the second child, a little girl, has Down's Syndrome, which shocks and saddens the doctor. His wife had passed out from the labor and he gives the baby to his nurse to take to a nearby institution. He then tells his wife their daughter died. The nurse decides she can't leave the baby at the institution and raises the baby as her own. The book chronicles the next 25 years of each family dealing with that fateful night's events. Throughout the book, one begins to wonder if the mother will ever find out the truth and if so, will it be through the eventual honesty of her husband or the nurse?

The book started out interesting, but lost me about mid way. Not enough written about the life of the daughter that was raised by the nurse.
Too much emphasis about the doctor and his fascination with taking pictures, with no real concern about the daughter he gave away and the lack of compassion for his wife and the secret he held for so long.

I wanted to read this book because I was tired of the murder, mayhem, and money talk from Patterson & Grisham. So, I looked on the NYT Bestseller list and asked for 2 book for mothers day.

This was the first book I read and while I thought it was a change of pace it wasn't a real page turner. maybe because I'm used to so much action from the other authors I mentioned.

I did find it enjoyable and some parts I couldn't put down but it's not something I would run out and recommend.

This book was hard to put down. It was thought provoking and a great read overall. This is recommended reading!

I purchased this book because it was selected as January's choice read for our neighborhood book club. I found it to be very well written and thought-provoking. It would be of particular interest to anyone who has a Downs Syndrome child or family member. The author has written a page-turner featuring a doctor and his wife who have a set of twins in the 1960s time frame. The baby boy is healthy but when the second child emerges, the trained eye of his father detects the presence of Downs' characteristics. He immediately makes a decision that affects the remaining years of each member of the family. This book covers 20+ years of their lives without one moment of boring reading! This book actually helped me understand a lot better what it takes to raise a handicapped child and the sacrifices that are necessary as a parent.

I felt that the best thing about this book was that even though you should believe that David (the father who gives his mentally handicapped daughter away) is an awful man, I found him a very sympathetic character. I agree that the story lags in a few places, but overall I found it a good read. Having lost a child myself, I found my heart breaking over Nora and her attempt to cope with losing a child. Be prepared with a few tissues at hand.

condition exactly as described. book was a great read it sucked you into the story and made you see and sympathize with all the characters and why they made the choices that they did.

The story is very interesting, and this is definitely a book worth reading. The book creates a dialogue about personal ethics, and is great for a book club-or just to discuss with others. I did feel that the author tries a little too hard with her writing, and often writes out exactly how she feels metaphor works with the characters…which takes away some of joy in contemplating it yourself.

Thank you for making this available and shipping so quickly. This book was a selection from my book club. Loved the novel.

The book kept you on suspense about things happening in it. It is amazing what you would think people would do in situations they are not familiar with or dont want to change their lifes. This book shows you how people will do anything to protect the one they love even hurt them without realizing it. If this doctor only would of realized his wife could of loved the baby no matter what was wrong their lifes would of been different by making the rash choice he made it changed their whole life and love they had for each other and destroyed them. I think it was an awesome book would tell people to read it.

Possibly one of the best books I have read this year! Read it in one day, almost one sitting. Especially liked it because I was adopted and that brought a whole other layer into the book from my personal experience. You get very caught up with the characters, and to me, that is a sign of a good book. You truly care and are concerned about what will happen next and how it will all end. Enjoy it for yourself! It's worth it!

I personally LOVED this book as I was reading it. It was one of those books that you just can't put down as once you got started, you really get into the characters. The one thing I didn't like about the book as I was going along is that many of the chapters are dated. If you weren't reading it all in one sitting, I found that I would have to flip back and see what year was the last chapter vs. the new chapter so that was a little frustrating. What I didn't understand and/or like was the ending. To me, it was predictable in a sense and just didn't seem as connected or as passionate as the rest of the book. I would definitely suggest reading this book but in my opinion, the ending didn't live up the potential that this book had.

Some friends in my book group didn't like the characters, but I connected with them well. Give me a weekend at home, with the family away, and I devoured the book with Kleenex in hand! It dealt with distance in relationships, that is not always understood, and the ripple effect of that distance.

In this case, the distance was due to a lie set up in the very beginning of the book--a twin born with Down's Syndrome that is given away (setting--early 1960s). In an effort to "protect" his wife, the father/doctor decides to give the baby to his nurse to take to an institution and tells his wife the baby died. The nurse ends up keeping the baby and leaves town for another life. Meanwhile, before the father gets to explaining the truth to the mother, she sets up a memorial/funeral service for the baby and the lie is set in motion.

This book follows the lives of all characters throughout multiple decades. You see the positives and negatives that unfold--what starts as "protection," ends up destroying; lives that were on hold, are set free; lives that were moving, get mired in unresolved grief; distance begets distance; lives that are challenging, develop and blossom; losing one's self in work or hobby can be a wedge and freeing all at the same time.

Whether the premise is believable from the start might be in question, but the 60s were also a funny time. The relationships ring true...at least for me.

Enjoy and pull out the tissues if you're a tissue-type-reader. : )