"I read this book because it was one of those books you see on all those bookshelves in every bookstore, and there was quite a bit of buzz about it. So I was interested in it, plus the author shares the name of a childhood friend of mine.
Anyone who's picked up the book is going to know that the book is about the fact that the father has given away the newborn daughter who has Down Syndrome and he wants to save his wife the horrible burden that his own mother went through of having a disabled child who is likely to die.
The concept of the book is pretty interesting, but the way it's executed, I had some problems with. I felt this book was overly sentimental and a little sticky-sweet so that instead of just telling the story, the author got just overdone to the point where the whole book was driven by this one major lie; and she created sort of a hurricane or tornado around it so that this one lie became this incredibly devastating force to the point where you just wanted to go to the father, shake him around the shoulders, and say, "For God's sake, tell your wife Nora, and let's move this story along!"
What I liked about the book is the concept, the idea that somebody would make a terrible, terrible choice is a very interesting one that somebody would make this choice; but I'm just not crazy about where the author took it. 'Cause clearly I was intrigued by that choice in the first place, but I just wasn't thrilled by -- with what she did with it. I did finish the book, I fought to the end; but part of me just kind of wanted to give it up. I have a hard time not finishing a book when I start it 'cause I think there might be something good, there might be something good. But I just wasn't thrilled by any of the characters; they seemed selfish or overdone or the conversation sometimes seemed forced. I would rate this book three stars. The idea behind it is great, but it's so heavy-handed that I couldn't rate it any higher."
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