What on earth did you like about 'Memory Keeper's Daughter'?

[CoteDAzur]

I'm wondering, because some people must have liked something about it, otherwise it wouldn't have stayed in bestsellers lists for so long.

I just enjoyed the way it unfolded- I really wanted to know what happened even though it was never going to end nicely.

Did you not like it?

My memory of it is rather shaky as I read it so long ago but I thought it was moving.

The way the father completely screwed up everyone's life just because he was so scared of DS.

I think I liked the way it portrayed DS as something misunderstood.

But as I said my memory of it is pretty shaky.

It's 'moving' me to new depths of boredom.

If a book doesn't have a good story to tell, it should at least be written well.

The starting premise is good but the story just doesn't develop into anything. And you have to admit Kim Edwards really isn't a very good author.

The whole thing reads like a children's book - simple story, simple characters, 'snow outside', 'listened to flowers grow', everything either 'glimmering' or 'shimmering'

It's 'moving' me to new depths of boredom.

If a book doesn't have a good story to tell, it should at least be written well.

The starting premise is good but the story just doesn't develop into anything. And you have to admit Kim Edwards really isn't a very good author.

The whole thing reads like a children's book - simple story, simple characters, 'snow outside', 'listened to flowers grow', everything either 'glimmering' or 'shimmering'

Why on earth did he have to tell her there was another baby anyway?

She didn't know she was carrying twins. Wouldn't the normal lie be "Here's our lovely boy, honey" rather than "We also had a girl but she was born dead, oh and you can't even see the body because I had it buried in the middle of the night"?

It's not like he didn't have time to think about what he was going to say to her.

Hmm I just started it the other night, have read about 5 pages and it seems ok so far... is it worth carrying on?

There were two really good words in that book....................

The End.

Pile of steaming poo.

Just my opinion you understand.

I'm at page 165.

If I didn't have to read it for our book club, it would have flown out the window about 100 pages ago.

"Caroline was troubled by the feeling that the world was shimmering, that things would not be still."

oh gawd. hated this turgid book.couldn't care less about the outcome.dull dull dull

Bree - I thought you would say 'glimmering' and 'shimmering'

Dammit.
I'll just take it back to the charity shop tomorrow then.

yes it was rubbish

It wasn't exactly rubbish.

It was slow and not very well written that has to be said,

but it made me think of how one persons actions have massive consequences.

Its worth giving it a go Flib

I enjoyed it on the whole.

It has the potential to challenge misconceptions about disabililty.

I loved it (and am surprised to see it described as rubbish or boring - I'm quite a picky reader usually).

It challenged people's preconceptions about Down's syndrome. He had pretty much ruined his life by being such an arse and wanting to put his baby in a institution, and the family who emerged as being the truly happy ('blessed' even, although that is a bit of an icky word) one was the nurse's.

I enjoyed reading how the girl grows up and generally how people's lives develop over the years.

I hated the stupid woman who knew all the secrets but never shared them with anyone.The young girl? Or am I on the wrong book? I did read a v brilliant one about the house at riverton - twins, bit scary?

this book looked at an issue of yesteryear with contemporary eyes. In those days it was nothing short of shameful to have a Down's baby. Of course today we tut tut over the father's action - quite rightly - but then it would have been considered normal to hush up the birth of a 'handicapped' child and hide it in an institution. It is lazy and displays some ignorance of social history to construct a sentimental criticism of behaviour that was accepted in another time.

I had read good reviews of this book, but I think it is simplistic, sentimenal, and the birth mother is a complete pain in the backside.

Message withdrawn

Interesting that the 2 people on this thread who have a child with learning difficulties liked it.

I think it's because it is the one book that I can think of (there must be others) that put a personality on Down's Syndrome.

Yes it was sentimental and it didn't take account of society at the time. But contemporary society is really no less prejudiced towards DS - or LD's in general- today in my experience. OK we don't forcibly remove children from their mothers to place in institutions but we terminate more babies with DS than are born. I think it's a book that could be said to challenge contemporary ideas of DS- and I think that's what I liked about it. Hey here's a main character with DS, and she's not a disaster.

It was well written.

I semi-enjoyed it. It took me a long time to decide to read it because I hated the whole storyline (from reading the back).

I think I kept reading it expecting something more, but never got it.

i found it hard going at times

the beginning was reasonably well paced and interesting

the mum was such a brittle, unlikeable character

it was about 100 pages too long

It is possible to write a good book that talks about disability. Think 'Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time'. This book is just weak on so many levels - story, character development, writing style.

MarsLady - Honestly and without judgement, I am wondering what kind of books you normally enjoy if you felt 'Memory Keeper's Daughter' was "well-written".

Well curious incident wasn't about learning disabilities. I can't think of another book that portrays a learning disability as something that doesn't need to be rejected or beaten to achieve happiness.

Take 'Daniel isn't talking'. A book I wanted to throw out of the window. It made my teeth itch. Daniel remaining non-verbal and learning disabled was portrayed as the worst possible thing that could have happened. He only started to be portrayed in human terms as he developed speech and became pretty high functioning. Whilst he was severely disabled the mother was allowed no happiness.

At least the character in the memory keeper's daughter was allowed to be a positive character whilst keeping her disability.

I was going to say exactly what jimjams wrote. Things aren't different nowadays, babies with DS are just 'caught' and disposed of earlier.

I feel very lucky to have dd2 in my life, and felt that this book really put across that feeling - of being the truly fortunate family despite society's prevailing attitude that it must be a disaster to have a child with SN.

Ok, it wasn't the most well-written book I've ever read, but the message was loud and clear, and the storyline was interesting and believable.