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Kim Edwards’ stunning family drama evokes the spirit of Sue Miller and Alice Sebold, articulating every mother’s silent fear: what would happen if you lost your child and she grew up without you? In 1964, when a blizzard forces Dr. David Henry to deliver his own twins, he immediately... read more

Summary edit see section history

It is 1964 in Lexington, Kentucky and twins are born on the night of a rare snowstorm. One is a perfectly healthy boy, and the other a girl born with Down syndrome. A tale of regret and redemption, this is a beautifully written story of twins separated at birth because of a decision made by... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

It is 1964 in Lexington, Kentucky and twins are born on the night of a rare snowstorm. One is a perfectly healthy boy, and the other a girl born with Down syndrome. A tale of regret and redemption, this is a beautifully written story of twins separated at birth because of a decision made by their father. This novel shows the lifelong effects that his decision, and the secrets he kept, made on his family.

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Quotes edit see section history

  • “He found himself wanting to protect her instead, to carry her up flights of stairs, to wrap her in blankets, to bring her cups of custard. 'I'm not an invalid,' she protested each time, laughing. 'I'm not some fledgling you discovered on the lawn.'”
  • “He'd had tears in his eyes when he opened them, raising his head from the desk. The nurse was standing in the doorway, her face gentled by emotion. She was beautiful in that moment, half smiling, not at all the efficient woman who worked beside him so quietly and competently each day. Their eyes met, and it seemed to the doctor that he knew her - that they knew each other - in some profound and uncertain way.”
  • “"That was never my intention.""You didn't intend any of this, but it happened anyway."”
    David and Caroline
  • Popular Highlights from Kindle Customers
  • The love was within her all the time, and its only renewal came from giving it away.
    Highlighted by 40 Kindle customers
  • He’d kept this silence because his own secrets were darker, more hidden, and because he believed that his secrets had created hers.
    Highlighted by 38 Kindle customers
  • His love for her was so deeply woven with resentment that he could not untangle the two.
    Highlighted by 34 Kindle customers
  • “You’re right, Norah, anything can happen, any time. But what goes wrong is not your fault. You can’t spend the rest of your life tiptoeing around to try and avert disaster. It won’t work. You’ll just end up missing the life you have.”
    Highlighted by 33 Kindle customers
  • The Memory Keeper, it said on the box, in white italic letters; this, she realized, was why she’d bought it—so he’d capture every moment, so he’d never forget.
    Highlighted by 32 Kindle customers
  • “Photography is all about secrets,” David said, after a few minutes, lifting the photo with a pair of tongs and slipping it into the fixer. “The secrets we all have and will never tell.”
    Highlighted by 25 Kindle customers
  • This was the grief he had tried to spare Norah and Paul, only to create so many others.
    Highlighted by 24 Kindle customers
  • “Music is like you touch the pulse of the world. Music is always happening, and sometimes you get to touch it for a while, and when you do you know that everything’s connected to everything else.”
    Highlighted by 22 Kindle customers
  • It was as if he’d taken pictures all these years since to try and give another moment similar substance, equal weight. He’d wanted to try and still the rushing world, the flow of events, but of course that had been impossible.
    Highlighted by 18 Kindle customers
  • Paul would not grow up, as David had, suffering the loss of his sister. He would not be forced to fend for himself because his sister couldn’t. This thought, and the force of its bitterness, shocked David. He wanted to believe he’d done the right thing when he handed his daughter to Caroline Gill. Or at least that he’d had the right reasons. But perhaps he had not. Perhaps it was not so much Paul he’d been protecting on that snowy night as some lost version of himself.
    Highlighted by 13 Kindle customers
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First Sentence edit see section history

The snow started to fall several hours before her labor began.

Table of Contents edit see section history

1964
I. March 1964
II.
III.
IV.

1965
February 1965
March 1965
May 1965

1970
I. May 1970
II.
June 1970

1977
July 1977
I. August 1977
II.
September 1977

1982
I. April 1982
II.
III.
IV.

1988
I. July 1988
II.
November 1988

1989
July 1, 1989
July 2-4, 1989
September 1, 1989

Themes & Symbolism edit see section history

Series & Lists edit see section history

This is book 73 of 194 in Shelfari Most Popular (December 2010). (authoritative list)
This is book 36 of 1 in Whitcoulls Top 100 (2008). (authoritative list)
This is book 61 of 195 in Shelfari Most Popular (June 2010). (authoritative list)
This book is in KCPL Discussion Kit (Aug2010). (community list)
This is book 85 of 195 in Shelfari Most Popular (December 2011). (authoritative list)
This is book 45 of 145 in Whitcoulls Top 100 (2011). (authoritative list)
This is book 63 of 121 in Whitcoulls Top 100 (2012). (authoritative list)
This is book 81 of 195 in Shelfari Most Popular (June 2011). (authoritative list)

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. Kim Edwards (Author)

Other Contributors:

  1. Sandra Nikoletić (Translator) - Croatian

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: Viking
Country: USA
Publication Date: 2005
ISBN: 0670034169
Page Count: 401

Awards edit see section history

Classification edit see section history

  • Library of Congress: PS3555.D942M46 2005
  • Dewey: 813.54

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Reading Level: Adults

Due to the subject nature of this book, I would not recommend anyone other than an adult read it.

Movie Connections edit see section history

More Books Like This edit see section history

   
  • Water for Elephants
  • The Glass Castle
  • My Sister's Keeper
  • The Mermaid Chair
  • The Thirteenth Tale
  • The Lovely Bones

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