This is a hard book to review because...DAMN.
I cried, I laughed, I needed someone to hold me in their arms and hug me, saying that everything will be okay.
The journey that Ginny takes is absolutely incredible, and proves the strength of true love.

After Ginny and Ab have a daughter, Lucy, born with Down Syndrome, Ab sends Lucy to a state facility for care. Ginny eventually hears of mistreatment at the state facility, Willowridge, and goes to see Lucy. What starts as a day together turns into a road trip when Ginny decides to not return Lucy to Willowridge.

Historical fiction set in the 1960s and early 1970s. Most of the story takes place in 1971, but flashbacks to Ginny and Ab's courtship and early marriage is included to flesh out the characters and their relationship. Ginny is hurt over having Lucy taken away, but feels powerless to do anything about it. Ab is bullied by his father, a powerful attorney, in all life decisions, and sending Lucy to Willowridge is his father's decision.

Times were different in the 1960s, and this novel examines some of the ways in which women were powerless... even when it concerned the care of their children. Ginny was forced to a breaking point, and had to act in a somewhat drastic way to have her voice heard. Ginny was not alone on her journey with Lucy though. She had her best friend Marsha along for the ride. Marsha clued Ginny in to what was happening at Willowridge, and stuck by Ginny throughout the story. Besides being an emotional story of a mother's fight for her daughter, this novel also displays a positive female friendship.

A heartwarming story of motherhood and friendship. Historical fiction that many fans of contemporary women's fiction will likely enjoy.

I received a free digital copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 3.5 stars rounded down to 3 stars

In 1969, Ginny Richardson gave birth to her second child, a daughter she named Lucy. Lucy was quickly diagnosed Down syndrome and whisked away from the hospital to be put in a ‘school’ for the ‘feeble-minded’ before Ginny was able to wage any resistance. Her powerful father-in-law convinced her husband, Ab to place the child in the Willowridge ‘school’, and not speak about her again.

Fast-forward two years to 1971. Ginny and Ab’s son, Peyton is six, and going into the first grade in just a few days. Ginny’s best friend Marsha calls and tells her a about newspaper exposing Willowridge horrors. Marsha drives down to Ginny’s house in Dover, MA. She shows the stories to Ginny and they decide to go see Lucy for themselves. They pile Peyton in Marsha’s car with them and head back to Amherst.

Once at Willowridge, Ginny gets permission to take Lucy home for the weekend. Given the conditions of the school, Lucy’s physical condition, and Ginny’s love for Lucy, she cannot bear the take her back to that place. So Marsha and Ginny embark on a road trip and try to come up with a strategy to convince Ab to let Lucy come back to live as part of the Richardson family.

The backstory as to how Ginny and Ab met and fell in love adds some context to the book. However, there is the seemingly obligatory cold mother-in-law; the unforgiving, domineering father-in-law; and the disconnected husband all of whom are written as almost one-dimensional characters. Ginny is no prize either. She is passive, and complacent. Though she loves her children, she hasn’t once tried to see her daughter in two years. But the road trip with Peyton and Marsha transforms her in just a few days. That rapid self-development was hard for me to buy. The further south they go, the better she seems to be able to cope. She becomes fiercely protective of Lucy, and finally grows a backbone.

I try to remember that this story is set in 1969. I understand that women did not have as much autonomy then as they do today. However, I really had to suspend belief for some of the decisions that Ginny made along the way. I just wanted to shake her and tell her to wake up. I finished this book a couple of weeks ago. At that point, I was intending to give the book four stars. Unfortunately, it hasn’t aged well in my memory since then. What stands out is more melodrama than I usually like in my books.

Did I root Lucy’s reunion with her whole family? Did I root for them to all live happily ever after? You bet I did. Unfortunately, the way everything wrapped up seemed far-fetched to me. I am giving it three stars. That is due to the engaging plotline based on true reporting of the Willow Brook State School. But I would have liked to read more about Willowridge (aka Willow Brook) and the fight that went on to uncover the truth of what happened to the babies and children sent there, than the drama of plucking one toddler from that muck.

‘Thank-You’ to NetGalley; the publisher, St. Martin’s Press; and the author, T Greenwood, for providing a free e-ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Keeping Lucy is without a doubt a book that will tug at your heartstrings over and over again - starting with the minute young Lucy is born with Down syndrome and continuing with her mother, Virginia's fight to save her from horrid conditions at an institution in 1971.

There are moments where you will want to cry and moments where you will want to strangle some of the characters and ask why they would ever think this behavior is appropriate - 1971 or not. Of all the adversaries Virginia may prepare for, her husband is the last one she would expect. Greenwood definitely knows how to solicit emotion from her readers and does so with deft and ease, however, at times, it did feel like the characters were too much a cartoonish interpretation of how people would behave - which was the reason this ended up being more of a 4 than a 5 for me.

I highly recommend this one but be prepared to buckle in for a tough journey alongside Ginny & Lucy.

You want to chalk up the attitudes and actions to "the times." And "things are different these days." But that doesn't keep the reader from cringing when reading about the conditions of the home Lucy was kept in or how Ginny's own family fought against her desire to keep her child at home. I really enjoyed Ms. Greenwood's ability to sympathetically portray both Ginny and her husband, who is stuck between his parents' control, his love for his wife, and his need to find himself. Though it might have been distracting, I think it would have been nice to develop his character a bit more. I really enjoyed how Ms. Greenwood subtly weaved in a woman's inability to function in society without a man: Ginny got an allowance, didn't have a driver's license, etc. in to the story of saving Lucy. The only aspect of the story that feel realistic was the actual problems Ginny had with toddler Lucy. It all seemed a bit too easy and I would have expected a few more bumps as they got to know each other. And we know how I feel about nice, neat, pretty endings.

I really enjoyed this book. A great story of a mom in the late 60's whose baby is taken away from her at birth because the baby has Down's Syndrome. Ginny's husband and father in law feel that placing the baby in an institution would be in the best interest for everyone and so that before Ginny has a chance to disagree. Ginny accepts the decision until she finds out that the place that her daughter is at is being investigated for abuse and neglect.

At the bare bones, this is just about a woman who wants her daughter back and will do anything to get her. I did have a hard time with just how "spineless" Ginny was. I realize it was a different time period but sometimes I just wanted to shake her. I enjoyed the trip Ginny and Marsha went on and liked their relationship. I would definitely recommend this book for sure.

In Dover, Massachusetts, 1969. Ginny Richardson gave birth to a baby girl with Down's Syndrome. Her Husband signed away her rights to the baby while she was drugged and unable to make the decision for herself. He said he sent her to a "school" for mentally handicapped children, and that it was best that they not see her for the first few months to let her settle in and get adjusted there. Two years later, Ginny still has not seen her daughter, when her best friend Marsha calls with some devastating news....there has been a week-long expose' in the local paper there about the school and the conditions are deplorable. Ginny gets Marsha to take her there to see for herself and immediately signs Lucy out for a weekend pass. Once she does, she realizes there is no way she can send her daughter back to that place and live in those conditions, even at the cost of her marriage.

This book was heart-wrenching. I had to put it down a couple of times and just cry. But I don't regret reading it. The story was so good, so compelling. I have to say, if this book doesn't tug at your heart-strings, then you have no heart.

Just when you think this book can't break your heart more, it does. I am awestruck by this novel. Every plot twist, every revelation, every character is absolute perfection for such a deep, wonderful story. I loved Ginny immediately with her hard upbringing and her current privileged life that leaves her feeling as though there's more out there. I felt so proud of her throughout the story as she grows stronger and more confident because she always was strong, she'd just forgotten. I was rooting for her so much throughout the whole journey.

But I also loved Ab and the love between him and Ginny. Unlike so many stories I've read this year, they actually do love each other and it was painful to watch such a good man capitulate to his horrible father, Abbott Senior, out of grief and guilt. Truly, I could not have hated Abbott Senior more. I haven't disliked a fictional character so strongly in a very long time. And Marsha! What a best friend to have. She's a force of nature.

I will admit that due to my own personal experiences with the special needs community, it was difficult to read this story at times. I just kept imagining them in place of sweet baby Lucy and the terrors she endured. What I kept having to remind myself while reading this book was that this was the early 1970s. Just four decades ago children like Lucy with Downs Syndrome were hauled away and left to rot in institutions framed as being for their own good. It makes you question the current world: what is happening now that four decades from now will look as barbaric and backward as this? I can't count how many times this story utterly broke my heart. I audibly sighed so many times because it hurt so much to imagine.

That's something I love about Greenwood's work. She tackles the moments in our history that hurt to read but does it with such grace and compassion. I really loved this book and the lessons it has for those of us alive today. It makes me so grateful for the steps we've taken in society to secure rights for those within the special needs community, even though there's still so much work to do. In my mind, Lucy went on to be that light for people. She touched hearts throughout the story and, in that fictional world, I bet she continued to do so.


Note: I received a free Kindle edition of this book via NetGalley in exchange for the honest review above. I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher St. Martin's Press, and the author Tammy Greenwood for the opportunity to do so.

Ginny gives birth to her second child, a little girl with down syndrome. Against her wishes, the family places the young baby at a place set up to take care of children with special needs, Willowridge. Though urged to go on and to “forget” their little girl exists, Ginny cannot manage to let it go (for obvious reasons!). Two years later, Ginny learns that Willowridge, where her daughter has been placed, is a real hell-on-earth, with squalid conditions and neglected children. Against her husband’s and his family’s wishes, Ginny goes to Willowridge to see first-hand just what is going on with the little girl she and her husband placed there. What Ginny finds is so appalling that it sets her on a course as a fugitive, racing across country against the wishes of her husband and his family, especially his powerful father. Just how far can a mother’s love take one? With no money and another young son in tow, the story follows Ginny as she proves just how strong a mother’s love really is and can be. I thoroughly enjoyed watching just how strong a mother’s love and need to help her child can be. I have never been in this particular situation nor do I know anyone who has, but, if things did turn out this way, I would hope to have the same mother’s love and need to protect as well as the strength and fortitude to do what Ginny did.

This is a very powerful story. I loved Ginny, especially as she stood on her own two feet, facing off against her overbearing husband and father-in-law. The characters are complex and well-developed. The story behind the book is one which I will not soon forget. I think anyone who enjoys a good, moving story or who has ever been a mother, or aspired to be one, will appreciate this one, as well as anyone who just loves a great story. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.

Ginny and Ab meet cute - she works in the library at Amhearst where he's a student- and she thinks they'll have a terrific life together. Well, they do but it's not what she expected, exactly, because he finds himself caught in the web of his father's expectations. Ab goes on to Harvard Law School and then to become a partner in his father's firm. Their first child Peyton (love how they picked the name) is a perfect little boy but their daughter Lucy is born with Down Syndrome at a time when some Downs kids were put into institutions, which is Ab's father forces him to do. Ginny's living with it but then her best friend Marsha- Marsha's a heroine in this tale- opens her eyes to what's happened to the kids and Ginny, well, Ginny takes Lucy for the weekend and never brings her back. Her escape with Marsha is a harrowing tale in some spots but what shines through is Ginny's commitment to Lucy (and to Peyton) and her desire to bring Lucy home. Remember as you read this that it's set in 1971 (especially true where Marsha is concerned). This is a well written, emotional novel where you will find yourself alternately disgusted (for Lucy) and buoyed by the goodness of people like Marsha and others they meet along the way. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. It's a great read and a sad reminder of how parents were duped and children failed.

Keeping Lucy is a beautiful story of a mother’s enduring love and the lengths she will go to protect her children! This novel touches on life in the 60’s-70’s and the challenges, especially in that time, of raising a child with Down’s syndrome.
Highly recommended for all to read! Wonderfully written and excellent character development.

*I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I was quickly drawn into the story and often could not put the book down. Greenwood gives us a realistic mixture of humor and sadness throughout the story. The characters were very realistic and well-developed. My heart broke right along with Ginny’s as she slowly gets to know her daughter and rejoiced as they began to make a connection. Marsha is the friend everyone should have – totally loyal, fun-loving and fearless. Peyton is your typical six-year-old. Not real happy with having to share the attention with this strange baby. I had to chuckle at him several times. And Lucy is absolutely adorable.

My heart seemed to swell as Ginny’s maternal instincts took over. While she may have questioned her instincts it was clear that she would do whatever it took to ensure her children were well cared for. The story evokes so many different emotions that I can’t imagine anyone not being touched by it. I have already been recommending this book to others.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an advance digital copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.

Based on this book's blurb, I went into this book a little hesitant because of the subject matter. I was expecting an emotional, eye-opening story surrounding a toddler with Down Syndrome and the atrocious treatment she endured at a 'school' for Special Needs kids. A plot that isn't for the faint of heart. Unfortunately, I got a very different read.

While readers get a glimpse into the horrific state institutions where some special needs children were sent, the story is surprisingly less emotional that expected with most of the focus on a melodramatic (and milder) Thelma and Louise-type story. Unfortunately, I found the adult main characters lackluster, the plot scattered and an ending that wrapped up too perfectly to be believable. In short, I wasn't a fan.

The premise was strong, but the execution lacked substance and emotion with a plot that focuses on Ginny and her best friend's road trip instead of little Lucy. This may have been okay if Ginny was a stronger main character but she's extremely passive and naïve (to the point of being juvenile). I also found the writing to be simplistic and included frustratingly silly plot points, many of which felt completely contrived and some left me wondering why they were included at all.

I am in the minority with this review. Many people enjoyed this read but I expected a lot more. Hopefully this story will propel readers to look more into the appalling conditions that special needs people were subjected to in the past but if they're looking for a deep, emotional read, I'd give this one a pass.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to St Martin's Press for providing me with a digital copy of this book, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

In 1969 we landed men on the moon and safely returned them to earth. The realm of science and knowledge was greatly enlarged. Unfortunately knowledge was not expanded in all areas of our lives.
In 1969, it was common practice for children born with Down’s syndrome to be placed from birth in an institution for the “feeble minded”.
Keeping Lucy by T. Greenwood is a story of one family who must face this issue when young mother, Ginny, gives birth to her second child, Lucy, a Down’s Syndrome child. Ginny’s wealthy, overbearing in-laws want the child sent to Willowridge, supposedly one of the best for children like Lucy. Ginny doesn’t want this but she is facing pressure from her in-laws and no support from her spineless husband Al. Ginny acquiesces but cannot get Lucy from her thoughts. Daily she longs to see her little girl and to know first hand that she is okay.
Years pass when Ginny’s best friend, Marsha, reads an expose about the horrific conditions at Willowridge. Children are neglected and living in squalor. She brings this to Ginny’s attention.
Ginny determines to fight for Lucy. Now she must face not only her in-laws and husband, but also the institution that had Lucy.
Keeping Lucy is not just the story of a determined young Mother’s fight for her child, it is also the reminder of norms and standards of the not so distant past. Fathers, men and wealth held the reigns of power. A woman may have given birth to a child, but she did not always have the final say in her child’s future.
T. Greenwood, who also authored Rust & Stardust, again delivers a gut wrenching, poignant, and heartfelt novel that will cause you to think and feel. You may get upset but you will not regret reading Keeping Lucy.
I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. #NetGalley #KeepingLucy

This is a very special work. It is hard, in our iPhone, WorldWideWeb world with every conceivable question answered at our fingertips, to imagine just how limited the knowledge that parents were exposed to in the 1960s when their child was born with complications. There was no foreknowledge - no prenatal testing, no ultrasounds, to time to get prepared, to research choices. Lucy is the second child of Ginny and Ab Richardson, a comfortably situated family with resources who are good, caring, loving parents to their 4-year-old son Peyton. Their home is in suburban Dover, Massachusetts, and Ad works in his father's law firm in Boston, a 45-minute train ride away.

Lucy is born with Down Syndrome. Within twenty-four hours, Ginny still groggy from the anesthesia, Lucy has been removed from the hospital of her birth after her parents were counseled by both their doctor and Ab's family to place Lucy in Willowridge Children's Home in Amherst. They were told repeatedly that they would not be able to care for Lucy themselves, that her needs were more than could be handled at home, that she would never speak, never walk, never learn even basic life skills and the stress of caring for her would destroy their family, would rob Peyton of his youth. This was a safe children's home, they were told, well run by social friends of Abbott Sr. But visiting was not encouraged - not recommended at all as Lucy's probable health problems would more than likely take her within a couple of years and further contact would only break their hearts. Especially Peyton's heart.

Ginny is never content with this plan but other than mentioning occasionally that she really wants to visit Lucy, see the world she inhabits, she allows herself to be distracted. Ab is frantically busy working in the city for his father's law firm and life is set in a pattern that doesn't allow time for a trip to Amherst. Genny doesn't drive, doesn't have a sitter for Peyton, is afraid to expose Peyton to a sister he will have to face losing to death before she has a chance to live. Until Ginny's old friend Marsha, a nurse in Amherst, calls with the breaking news about the atrocious conditions, neglect, and abuse, at the Willowridge Children's Home where Lucy, now almost two years old, lives.

Martha drives over to Dover and picks up Ginny and Peyton, and they make the trip to find that the newspaper articles are more than true. There is a class action suit being prepared by many of the parents which Ginny could join - until she finds out that her father-in-law is representing the Home in said suit. And that her husband gave up their parental rights to Lucy at her birth. The only thing she can think to do is grab her children, and run...

I received a free electronic copy of this historical novel from Netgalley, T. Greenwood, and St. Martin's Press. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work.

Dare I say, this was my most anticipated read for 2019? After reading Greenwood’s RUST AND STARDUST last year, I could not wait to see what she had in store for us next.

“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.
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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.”
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This serious subject, inspired from true events ultimately left me disappointed. I will start off by saying that I’m going to be a harsh critic on this story for personal reasons. Swipe left to see a photo of Bennett and I. Bennett is my beautiful, funny, curious and lovable nephew. He also happens to have Down Syndrome. He makes us all better humans, just like Lucy. The world can be so cruel and it infuriates me to no end when people choose to close their eyes and heart to a child like Bennett. If you take away anything from reading this story, I beg you to see how wonderful and valuable each and every child is.

Unfortunately, the story lost me in the middle. It felt like a wild goose chase with random tangents into Ginny’s past. I didn’t quite get the role of the friend and what the author was trying to convey with her choices. I think Greenwood wanted to show hope but I was hoping for miracles and more of a louder statement. I guess we are all still waiting for this even today.

As I said, I really have a lot of mixed feelings. While it’s a sad and probably pretty realistic representation of what took place in the early 70s, I need more of a focus on Lucy and institutions like Willowridge. This book leaves me scared for all those that still don’t understand and for all the children left behind.

This story was interesting due its sensitive subject matter. It definitely is a story that will pull at your heart strings. The execution was not a 100 percent, which is why I did not rate it above a three. What I loved about this story was the setting. It is during the late 1960’s and into the early 1970’s, I enjoyed many of the references to that time period, and often felt myself transported to that time. I also enjoyed the subject of having a child with special needs and how difficult that is, and the learning/growth process that the main character went through as she traveled with her child and etc. What I did not love was the pacing during the middle. It felt as if the characters were just doing and saying the same things over and over again. I kept waiting for some real confrontation between the Ginny and her husband to occur, but unfortunately it came right at the end. Once the main conflict was revealed the story just fell flat. Everything suddenly ended in a nice little bow (which I felt was almost too perfect of an ending). Despite the lull at the middle and end, this was an easy book to read, and I enjoyed the themes it presented overall. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for the honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Keep Lucy by T. Greenwood that I read and reviewed.
This book is one of those that you need to have a box of tissues by you while you read because it takes you on an emotional roller coaster from start to finish and it is on heck of a ride. With this book being based on true events it was even more gripping and more heart wrenching in parts.
I loved the story and the characters and I loved how Ginny was willing to fight for Lucy at any cost. Even though I am not a mother I loved her fierce spirit and her fight for her daughter. I can honestly say I thought her husband was a loser but she was a true fighter.
The only thing I would change with this book is I wish there would have been something at the end that told us what happened after the story ended. That would have given me the closer I was longing for when I read the last words on the pages.
Keeping Lucy was an excellent read and deserves five out of five stars.

There are so many decisions being made by two adult women in this book that are putting two small children in danger. It was a good decision to check Lucy out of the "school" where she was being abused. After that, there was total chaos for about 2/3 of the book. I don't want to add any spoilers, but my favorite character was at about 85% and without that person's contributions to the plot I think this would have been a two-star review. Definitely chock full of good intentions -- the execution leaves much to be desired.

Thank you to St. Martins and NetGally for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If someone asked me how to describe this book by comparing it to two other things, I’d probably say it was “The Memory Keeper’s Daughter” meets “Thelma and Louise”. Thankfully, it is far better written and with a much more cohesive story than that novel, but I won’t say how much it differs from that movie, since I’m thinking that might include some spoilers. Mind you, the suspense in this book does compare with that film, although I’d hardly call it a thriller. No, this is solidly literary, women’s fiction with some coming-of-age moments along the way, particularly for Ginny, but also for her husband Ab, if not practically all of the characters here. What this means is that Greenwood’s character development is absolutely top notch in this novel, and we grow to care for each one, even for their faults. Plus, that Ginny has a bit of a weight problem (as I have always had myself) made her even more identifiable for me.

I should point out that there was one thing about this book that really annoyed me. This novel switches between the 60s, and the main action that takes place in 1971. I grew up during this time period, so I can remember lots about what happened back then; the politics, the things we had in our homes, the songs we heard on the radio, and more. Now this might just be me, but my impression was that throughout most of this book, Greenwood seemed to heavily pepper the text with lots of reference to this era that felt overly deliberate. I get that Greenwood wanted to make sure we knew that this wasn’t set at any other time in history, but for me it felt forced and somewhat excessive. Sure, mentioning things like JFK, Vietnam, or the opening of Disney World in Orlando, make sense when it applies to the story. However, throwing in popular brand names, and specifics about the period furniture, or tossing in various newsworthy events that didn’t relate to the story or the characters, just felt like too much. I’m glad Greenwood did such excellent research, and I’m guessing that not everyone will have a problem with this (particularly those younger readers who didn’t live through those times). I’m sure many will feel this set the atmosphere well, but I think lots of it could have been edited out without harming the novel in the least.

That said, this was the only thing that didn’t sit right for me, because everything else was engrossing, to say the very least. Greenwood used the elements of this road trip and combined them with ultimately sympathetic characters and a righteous cause that becomes something gripping from start to finish. To further add to this, Greenwood adds both humor (like one hotel that has beds with “magic fingers” much to the delight of both Lucy and Ginny’s son Peyton, despite everyone’s horror, knowing full well what that was really for) and a well-crafted cast of minor characters that add both mystery and suspense to the scenery along the route. Furthermore, there is even one antagonist that surprises us all in the end. You could almost say that it is a psychological road-trip, filled with self-discovery, and complex, realistic characters, which is an intriguing combination, if you ask me.

Although the above noted niggle prevents me from giving this book a full five stars, I’m thrilled that I discovered Greenwood’s writing through this book. I think that readers who like solid, women’s fiction that is without swaths of romance, set on the cusp of contemporary and historical eras, that includes a quest for justice, will fall in love with this novel. This is why I can warmly recommend this book and give it a very healthy four out of five stars.