Today I have a review of Keeping Lucy by T. Greenwood and publishing on August 6, 2019 via St. Martin’s Press.
I’m a huge fan of this author. HUGE. She writes emotionally powerful stories, and I can’t get enough of them!
My Thoughts:
It’s the late 1960s in Dover, Massachusetts, when Ginny Richardson’s beloved daughter, Lucy, who has Down Syndrome, is taken away from her. Her husband does the taking, sending little Lucy to Willowridge, a school for those with disabilities (though it wasn’t worded quite this way back then).
Ab, Ginny’s husband, tells her to grieve for Lucy as if she has died, and they need to move on. That completely broke my heart.
Two years go by, and some articles are written exposing Willowridge as an unsafe place for children to live. Marsha, Ginny’s best friend, shares the articles with her. Ginny is convinced she has to pick up Lucy along with Marsha. Ginny is then on the lam and fighting with Ab and his family for the right to keep her daughter.
As ever, T. Greenwood has penned an emotional and thought-stirring read where her characters have big hearts, and you fall in love with them. I understood Ginny’s pain and despair, and everyone needs a best friend like Marsha. Lucy was drawn with so much love and care. I’ll never forget her depiction.
Overall, Keeping Lucy is a sensitively told story about the power of a mother’s love for her daughter.
I received a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
About the Book:
From the author of Rust & Stardust comes this heartbreaking story, inspired by true events, of how far one mother must go to protect her daughter.
Dover, Massachusetts, 1969. Ginny Richardson’s heart was torn open when her baby girl, Lucy, born with Down Syndrome, was taken from her. Under pressure from his powerful family, her husband, Ab, sent Lucy away to Willowridge, a special school for the “feeble-minded.” Ab tried to convince Ginny it was for the best. That they should grieve for their daughter as though she were dead. That they should try to move on.
But two years later, when Ginny’s best friend, Marsha, shows her a series of articles exposing Willowridge as a hell-on-earth–its squalid hallways filled with neglected children–she knows she can’t leave her daughter there. With Ginny’s six-year-old son in tow, Ginny and Marsha drive to the school to see Lucy for themselves. What they find sets their course on a heart-racing journey across state lines—turning Ginny into a fugitive.
For the first time, Ginny must test her own strength and face the world head-on as she fights Ab and his domineering father for the right to keep Lucy. Racing from Massachusetts to the beaches of Atlantic City, through the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia to a roadside mermaid show in Florida, Keeping Lucy is a searing portrait of just how far a mother’s love can take her.
Have you read Keeping Lucy, or is it on your TBR? Happy Reading! ~ Jennifer THR
Wonderful review! This sounds like a really emotional read!
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Thanks, Nicki! It definitely was!
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Oh my goodness – this one sounds like it will really tug at the heartstrings!
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It really does, Sarah! I love emotional reads!
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Lovely review and photo, Jennifer! Plus cupcakes and a kitten! What a better way to celebrate Friday! Have a wonderful day.
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I absolutely loved this book! I had such a hard time with her father-in-law and husband though. Definitely difficult to read at times for me. Excellent review, Jen! 💜
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Wonderful review and sweet kitty picture, Jennifer! I added this historical fiction of family struggles to my tbr list. Happy Friday and enjoy your weekend! 🌹🌹🐾🐾🐈❤️📚💐😊😘
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This sounds so emotional! I can’t imagine a mother going along with such a horrific idea today, but maybe back then it happened more than we realize.
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I think I need to read this book. I have two autistic children and I often think about how back in the day, children like them were institutionalized and treated as less then just because they were different. It’s heartbreaking, but a story like this is what is right with the world.
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Oh I think I have this one Jen! Wonderful review my friend! Have a great weekend and why am I craving cupcakes all of a sudden??😂☔💙
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Another lovely review.
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This book broke my heart then put it back together again. I just couldn’t believe some of the things…It was so emotional! Wonderful review! I’ll have mine Monday 😊 I hope you have a great weekend, Jennifer! ❤
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I’ve got this on my August plan! Excellent review, Jennifer💜
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This sounds heartbreaking!
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Shocking that it’s so recent that women still had so few rights over what happened to their children. I’ve just been reading a book written in the ’50s and honestly, the world is almost unrecognisable. We’ve come a long way, even if there’s still a ways to go…
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Wonderful review Jennifer. This is one I will certainly read. I also enjoy this author, she does a great job with stories based on real events.
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It took a bit of effort to drag my attention from the lovely photo down to the review. But it certainly does sound like a very emotional read, I can’t begin to think how Ginny must have felt!
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Ah love that this takes place in MA. I definitely need to check this out as it sounds like a truly emotional read – I cannot imagine what parents and disabled children must have had to go through at this time.
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