The Memory Keeper's Daughter

By: Kim Edwards

Narrated by: Ilyana Kadushin

Length: 15 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's Summary

A New York Times best seller by Kim Edwards, The Memory Keeper's Daughter is a brilliantly crafted novel of parallel lives, familial secrets, and the redemptive power of love.

Kim Edwards' stunning novel begins on a winter night in 1964 in Lexington, Kentucky, when a blizzard forces Dr. David Henry to deliver his own twins. His son, born first, is perfectly healthy, but the doctor immediately recognizes that his daughter has Down syndrome. Rationalizing it as a need to protect Norah, his wife, he makes a split-second decision that will alter all of their lives forever. He asks his nurse, Caroline, to take the baby away to an institution and never to reveal the secret. Instead she disappears into another city to raise the child herself. So begins this beautifully told story that unfolds over a quarter of a century - in which these two families, ignorant of each other, are yet bound by the fateful decision made that winter night long ago.

A family drama, The Memory Keeper's Daughter explores every mother's silent fear: What would happen if you lost your child and she grew up without you? It is also an astonishing tale of love and how the mysterious ties that hold a family together help us survive the heartache that occurs when long-buried secrets are finally uncovered.

©2016 Kim Edwards (P)2016 Penguin Audio

good book but

the story line is captivating and unique. i am glad i read it however, the story could have been told with less words. i found my mind wondering at times.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

wonderful

A wonderful, heartfelt story. I enjoyed watching the characters grow as the story twisted and turned

depressed but in a good way

the story left me distraught yet hopeful however I tried to experience this rollercoaster over 12 hours so

well written.

This book is extremely well written. The character development is strong. Personally, I just prefer a little more action.

Interesting read/ Predictable ending

I bought this because of my interest in literature that includes characters with disabilities as part of the story. While that was not the primary focus of the book, it did play a pivotal causal role. The disillusion of the fairy dust period in many relationships is interesting in a psychological way. I found myself almost liking, and certainly having some sympathy for our misguided male lead. I wanted to shake him by the shoulders and tell him to take responsibility for his behavior and the pain he had cause others. He never did. The last third was a little bit anticlimactic. I was sure that there was going to be a twist, or a turn in a direction beyond what would just be a natural conclusion...a chance meeting, a glimpse across a distant room. Nope, there was not. I was drawn into the story and looked forward to my next opportunity to listen, it just fell flat in the end.

Really enjoyed it! Highly engaging characters.

A well written story, engaging and well told. The characters, the struggles and the time come alive!

A favorite

This is one of my favorite books of all time. Read it several years ago and bought it on audible recently and it was even better this time around. A love/hate for the characters but you can't image leaving their lives. Such a unique storyline and very well written.
The reader of this Audible did a GREAT job!