...but a beautiful story. Another one that I couldn't put down.

I liked this book. The lesson of the story was that when we deceive others, we really deceive ourselves. David Henry deceives his wife, believing he was protecting her. In trying to preserve the perfect life he had crafted for himself, he ends up destroying it. It is heartbreaking.

The Memory Keeper's Daughter is a story of love, deception, tragedy and possible redemption. When orthopedic surgeon Dr. David Henry is forced to deliver his own twin babies during a freak snowstorm in Kentucky, he is faced with a dilemma. His son is born healthy, while his daughter is born with Down Syndrome.

Recognizing the battle that lays ahead for a handicapped child and for his family, he makes a life-changing decision--one that will affect many lives in the end. He tells his nurse, Caroline Gill, to take his daughter to a home for disabled children and the deception begins. He explains to his wife that their daughter died at birth and one lie leads to another. Then Caroline disappears with the baby and David is haunted by guilt and fear.

The story reveals each character's reaction to the baby girl's "death". The son Paul would give anything to have his twin back; Norah, David's wife, mourns the loss of a baby and this affects their marriage. There is a strong message in this powerful and compelling story, a message of faith, trust and hope...but most of all love.

After losing my son 4 hours after his birth, this novel brought back poignant memories and tugged at the pit of my stomach. The Memory Keeper's Daughter is a novel worth reading and crying over. And it is one that stays with you long after you've put it down.

As an author myself I appreciate a book that makes me 'feel' things, as that is my goal with my own novels. Kim Edwards has certainly accomplished that goal. This is a 2-Kleenex box book! Kudos, Kim!

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif, author of Whale Song

I was very emotional and frustrated at the beginning....How could he???One quick decision impacted many lives. The story is heartrenching showing the capacity of human forgiveness. It reads like you are watching a movie.

interesting story but dragged on too much.

I read this book because I'm the mother of a young boy with Down Syndrome. I thought it read like a mediocre after school special on TV. The author has to really stretch in the beginning to ensure the father's actions are somehow believable and sincere, but quite honestly it comes across as melodramatic and contrived. I know from experience that the initial shock of having a child with Down Syndrome may be challenging, but the father just didn't seem believable. This book is simply not very good and then to annoy me further, the ending was a cop-out. I think the author tried to really develop the character with Down Syndrome, but none of the characters in this book resonated with me, the child included. They were all not quite 3 dimensional. If you are interested in the lives of families with children who have Down Syndrome I recommend an excellent well-written memoir called She's All Eyes by Maura Conlon-McIver.

I am glad that I read this book. It was very emotional for me, as I had a daughter 4 months before I began reading it. The characters were exceptionally developed and I kept wanting to pick it up when I got a few minutes. I was able to empathize with everybody's situation as all of the stories unfolded. I agree with another reviewer that it was "depressing". But how could a book about a father who gives his less-than-perfect daughter away and leads his wife to believe that she died at birth be anything but depressing? I would have liked a little more at the ending, but I like how the author kept it realistic and true to the story. Life isn't perfect or fair, so why should all books end like it is?

I enjoyed this book from the very beginning. I wished I could have had more time to finish it the first day. The characters are all equally important to the story...all share the spotlight. The writing style is very creative and I would recommend it to anyone and everyone. Great subject for discussion...how would you feel if....for every single character in the book. So many perspectives, so many circumstances, so many possibilities...LOVED IT!

Thoroughly depressing. I should have expected it when I read the back - not sure what I was thinking. It was exceptionally well written and had quite an effect on me because it took several weeks to shake it. I made the mistake of bringing this book with me on a beach vacation.... I know, I know... I shouldn't have expected "uplifting" but in a way I did. That was naive of me. Writing this review is sinking me back in to a fit of depression again.

The book was good I was a little disappointed with the ending. I think it could have ended better. I enjoyed reading it

If you buy only one book this year, make it this one... then lock your doors, unplug your phone and get ready to stay up real late!

The characters were well developed and interesting however in my opinion, the author failed to create any real sort of empathy for any of the Henrys. I don't think that this novel lived up to all of the hype.