I thought The Memory Keeper’s Daughter would be a beautifully written story of decisions, doubts, regrets and secrets. It was, in some ways, but I found it disappointing. I would have preferred Norah, Paul and Phoebe to have met earlier on, as the storyline afterwards seemed rather rushed.

All in all I felt the concept was good but it could have been more engaging.

M Lockyer, Salisbury,

To me the book was a fascinating study of different kinds of loss.

The loss of an unexpected but missing child; the lost dream of a “perfect” child; the perceived death of a child; the inability to relate to the surviving/existing child and to each other.

From the sibling’s point of view, the awareness of the missing sister exacerbated by the inability to comprehend the complex emotions shared but not shared by the parents.

These are real experiences. Yes, the setting is contrived and the ending overtidy. But the strands of the story and the consequences of that initial decision are sufficient to open up genuine issues. It’s easy to stand back and pretend we’d have behaved differently, but would we? Paul, David and Norah – Caroline too - all have black holes within them that their early lives haven’t equipped them to deal with. Are we so very different? Life is messy, but in the mess there is hope, sheer hard work and, above all, love. I found the book mesmerising.

Rachel White, Nottingham,

I agree that Memory is not a great work of literature but it is very readable. Great storyline and could have been made into something extraordinary. If you can believe that any father, and a doctor too, would give away his newborn daughter even in the 1960s then you'd believe anything. I do not think this part was realistic.
Dr Henry is a man that needed psychotherapy early on so that he could come to terms with the losses in his early life. How did the fact that he left his surname off add to the story?
Norah came across as a weak self-centred individual so perhaps she deserved to have her daughter given away!
Caroline was a saint! She did however spend too much time worrying about Phoebe and "the secret" and not enough on building her relationship with Al or discussing the situation with him. He seemed a thoroughly decent bloke.
Down's syndrome cases are people too and have emotions which was dealt with sympathetically if superficially.
A good summer read.

Hilary Watkinson, Edinburgh, Scotland

I found the book gripping,a most interesting story that I could,'t put down. I agree there is a certain Mills and Boon aspect of the way it is written. As for the questions you set, yes, Norah's grief does seem to define her life - how dreadful that, having been told her daughter is dead, she can't see her. Caroline's motivation is ppartly because she is in love with David, and also she has seen the home her wishes to pit Phoebe in. I couldn't see her as the villain of the piece. Whether people with Down's are romanticised is a difficult question; in thise days, far less wasknown about the condition and there is a wide range of abilities which I would be reccognised today.The one caveat I have is the last three or four pages - It should end sooner, without the tying up of the loose ends.

Rita Keyes, Harrow, Middlesex

I was wondering how the author was going to resolve the dilemma set up and thought the sudden death of David Henry after the act of kindnesss to his ex-wife Norah was both a surprise and a brilliant way to end his tortured life. It enabled the truth to be told to Norah and her to react entirely as she felt about the 'lost' child withour having the complication of her relationship with David.
Norah's continued mourning of the 'lost' child seemed to me to be what has sometimes been described as feminine intuition - it was as if she never really accepted that the child had died but didn't know how to say so.

Aileen Ashby, London, England

Predictable but better than I expected. The novel was carried by the strength of the storyline, not the author's craft, however I felt that the final few chapters, which should have been the most gripping, were rushed and superficial. In finding her 'lost' daughter, Norah's reaction and emotions could have been used to give the novel more depth, exploring the complexities of trying to bond with Phoebe as an adult, a stranger, as well as an adult with Downs. This is where the novel should have come alive, instead, it died with David.

Sally Moore, Birmingham, UK

I don't think this book is about Down's Syndrome per se, but more about choice and deceit. Pheobe is just the vehicle for this message.

Lies or deceit of any nature will always come back and haunt, and in this case destroy the families.

Some may believe the reasons were justifiable, but there is never justification for creating a communication barrier in a loving relationship by lying.

I think the book is well written and interesting enough, though not best seller material, but then Dan Brown isn't a literary master either and he often tops the best sellers lists :).

Andrew, South Harrow, Middlesex

I enjoyed this story immensely, although I found the acceptance of Phoebe by her natural mother and brother a little rushed and convenient, almost as if the author had tired of the story.
The slow unravelling of the marriage was very poignant, and I could hear myself wishing that David had found himself able to confess, although understanding why he found it impossible.
A tale with hope at its centre, but surrounded by despair and desperation, with characters who were all trying to do the 'right thing', and having to live with dreadful consequences.

Vikki, Derby, uk

Dear me. I found the whole thing distasteful and improbable, but worse than that, it was a dull read. Yawn

Bess, Brisbane, Australia

It was certainly a page turner but not literature. I thought the book was about the failure of communication between David and his wife though this meant that we didn't really get to know them either.

LH, Henley,

I read The Memory Keeper's Daughter when we moved in the new house and we didn't have a telly for a while, so what was better if not reading??...you know what they say " don't judge a book from its cover" but I'm happy I did this time because I finished to love the content of the book too!!! When I started to read it I immediately found it interesting, sometimes I found the story a bit slow but at the same time I couldn't stop to read it as I wanted to see what happened, I read it all in a week!!

Isabella Rossi, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, its a great summer read. I don't think its the last word in literature but its clearly well researched, not 'over-wordy' and engages the reader from the beginning.
I did find the ending just too ironic and tidy and on occasions I felt the descriptive elements of the book just plain silly.

Joan Lowe, Broadway , Worcs

We meet at south Oxhey public library once a month. And our current book is The Memory Keepers Daughter. I look forward to hearing what everyone says about it next week. I found it hard to put down. It is very interesting how attitudes to Downs syndrome children has changed and of course their survival has improved over the years, still they are a lifetime commitment to a family. The book leaves one wondering what will happen to Phoebe in the future.

Elizabeth Tothill, South Oxhey, Herts,

I read The Memory Keeper's Daughter just before it appeared as the latest book choice. It was a birthday present from a friend who has a knack for giving me thought provoking novels. To my surprise I found Phoebe's story not depressing but uplifting; her name, which means radiant, is appropriate. She is a delightful child with remarkable determination; grabbing Al's medallion and rescuing a kitten are just two examples. I agree Phoebe's story is not a misery memoir. However, for me the major impact of the novel was the disintegration of Phoebe's natural family, David, Norah and Paul. I found great poignancy in the author's account of the breakdown of a marriage and the tension in a relationship between a son and his parents. All three characters suffer and David is the cause. Yes, he is guilty of deceit but the real tragedy is that he did what he thought was right at the time, guided by past experience and concern for his wife. Kim Edwards creates a powerful storyline and writes about the strength and fragility of the human condition with great skill and sensitivity.

Jean Marshall, Bushey, Hertfordshire

Unfortunately, as far as I am concerned despite coming up with a genuinely original premise for her debut novel Kim Edwards fails to deliver. The idea that a man would try to live with so terrible a secret that it would have the opposite effect to that intended and would tear his family apart rather than save them is one full of promise. The problems arose when I was confronted with a cast of largely undistinguished characters with whom I found it difficult to empathize. The book just seems too formulaic, writing-by-numbers designed to engage the sympathies, and the key events were a little too contrived to be believable. Also, its just a bit too saccharine for my palate.

Eleanor Fitzsimons, Dublin, Ireland

Whitehall Medical Practice book club. A group of women working as nurses and receptionists who enjoy sharing a book and meet to discuss this book.

Marianne Lancaster, Rugby, Warwickshire

I look forward to reading this book as a member of Whitehall Medical Practice book club.

Marianne Lancaster, Rugby, Warwickshire