This was a well-written story, true to the time period. The theme of “rich boy with overbearing family marries poor girl but it all ends happily ever after” is a little over-used, but I still enjoyed the read. Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Before Ginny Richardson could even lay eyes on her new daughter Lucy, her future was being decided – a future that involved life in an institution, raised away from her family. Born in 1969 with Down Syndrome, Lucy is considered to be a "Mongoloid," a child with no real hope of a life or future – in fact, the doctors, who say she will never be more intelligent than a dog, expect her to die before too long.

Without consulting Ginny, her husband and father-in-law place Lucy in the Willowridge School – it is for her own good, they say, as well as theirs. Ginny mourns Lucy for two long years, wondering daily what ever happened to her little girl, while trying to maintain a good and stable life for her son Peyton and husband Ab. That is, until the day her best friend Marsha shows her a newspaper expose accusing the Willowridge School of horrid acts of abuse and neglect against its disabled children.

Ginny has to see for herself that Lucy is okay and safe, so she pays a visit to Willowridge, only to discover that the news stories didn't even tell the half of it. Shocked and horrified by what she witnesses, Ginny checks Lucy out of school for the Labor Day weekend with no intentions of returning her. She is officially on the run with her own child. Running from the law, running from her husband, and running from a life that has been closing in on her from the day she got married.

T. Greenwood returns after her 2018 hit novel, Rust and Stardust, with a new, captivating story inspired by true events. If you have read Rust and Stardust and loved the way Greenwood pulls you in with engaging dialogue, a compelling storyline, and not a word wasted, then you will equally love Keeping Lucy. You may pick up this book for its intriguing storyline of a mother doing whatever it takes to protect her child, but you will remember it for what it teaches you about how far the rights and stereotypes of women and the disabled have come in our country in the past 50 years.

The America portrayed in Keeping Lucy is one where most women were relegated to a single role – being a wife and a mother. Her opinion is not important, her career – if she even has one – is not important, her needs and wants are not important. She is simply here to serve and support her family. Greenwood thoroughly explores this idea in her new novel, showing that while many women didn’t complain about their familial role, that doesn’t mean that they didn’t wish for more in their life.

The other issue that Keeping Lucy explores is how children with disabilities were viewed by society. Children with Down Syndrome were “sent away” as opposed to being raised by families who could love and nurture them through their disability. Terms such as “retarded,” handicapped,” and “Mongoloid,” were thrown around liberally to describe children with disabilities, often right to the face of the parents or the children themselves. It is not that they were being rude necessarily, it was just the norm.

Readers who love touching, yet impactful stories that stick with you long after you have finished reading them, should definitely pick up Keeping Lucy when it is published in August 2019. Fans of Jodi Picoult’s style of writing, in which the author builds a story around a social issue, will especially love Greenwood’s take … except they may just love Greenwood’s a little bit more. Greenwood takes a more literary approach in telling her story, making this novel feel both entertaining, yet enriching at the same time. If the novel has a fault, it comes in the second half of the book where Greenwood sometimes relies on dramatic twists of fate to keep the momentum of the story going. In all, however, Keeping Lucy is one of the standout literary reads of 2019 for its historical social merit and engrossing storyline.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a digital ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

A gorgeous little book on female friendships, family, and being true to yourself. I read this in a day, and was engrossed throughout.

An intense, road-trip-esque historical novel. When Ginny gives birth to a baby girl born with Down Syndrome, her father-in-law and her husband decide it's best if she's taken to Willowridge, a special school for such children. For two years Ginny longs for her baby, but some newspaper articles reveal that the school is not the best place people were led to think. With the help of her best friend, Marsha, and with her older boy in tow, Ginny embarks on a journey of saving and keeping her daughter Lucy, and of finding herself along the way.

It was highly interesting, I loved the road-trip feel it gave as the two women traveled the country, and it keep me interested to the end. I learned a lot about how the Down Syndrom children were regarded in the old days, namely the 1960s. The novel also dealt with the discrepancies between the middle class people like Ginny and her family and those in the upper classes like her husband and his family. I liked how the novel ended on a positive note for Ginny and Ab, her husband.

However, Ginny is pretty weak. She listens to her husband's family in everything and doesn't dare do something to show some spine, until she decides to go find Lucy. Yes, it proves a mother's love for her child, but I can't help but judge the way she and Ab were so willing to give up on their child, not the mention Abbot senior and his cold hearted attitude towards his granddaughter and daughter-in-law. It read a bit fake, all this hatred towards Ginny, and still Ab's love for her, but at the same time his inability to leave his parents' comfy lifestyle. It was all a launching point to later show Ginny's newfound power and stubborness.

The writing is simple, keeps the story going, but not remarkable. I wish we knew more about how the institution's problems got solved. Also, some parts made me second guess Lucy's ability to speak and behave like a well developed child in a mere two weeks.

The novels reads rather quickly, so for those interested in historical fiction it's a nice immersion in the dealing with mental and physical disabilities in the late '60s, early '70s.

In "Keeping Lucy" T. Greenwood takes on the Thelma + Louise-ish journey of Ginny Richardson and her bestie, Marsha, after they discover the truth about the "school" (institution) her newborn daughter is sent offf to right after childbirth because she was born with Down's Syndrome (at the time referred to as being a "mongoloid.") Set in the late 60s, Ginny is a typical housewife, follows the lead of her husband in all things, except the shipping off of her newborn daughter while she is in a medically-induced haze after giving birth. The "death" of their daughter, Lucy, as it was explained to friends and most family (except the in-laws) is something Ginny, understandably, can't let go of. So when she learns the truth about the house of horrors her daughter is in (unsanitary, extreme abuse, neglect and general lack of care for the children there), she checks her daughter out for a weekend--and then splits with her bestie.

The book focuses primarily on the road trip from Massachusetts to Florida (their final destination)--where they seek shelter and reprise while Ginny figures out what to do. Along the way, Greenwood shows us their bumps, bruises and develops the characters of Ginny and Marsha--but oddly not too much about Lucy.

After about 50-60%, I felt the novel meandered and began wondering when we would learn more about Lucy and what happened to her at the institution. But we never really do (other than evidence of her severe neglect and abuse).

At the end of the day, the evil father-in-law is ditched by his brainwashed son (and somehow the mother-in-law is in cahoots, although she's awfully cold to her son and his family).

I didn't feel particularly invested in any of the characters, but continued along because it was just good enough to hold my interest. On balance, I'd give this novel 3 stars. The writing was fine (not spectacular, but not awful), but the development of the characters (with the exception of Lucy) was ok. I' have "Rust and Stardust" in my TBR pile, and if the other reviews are any indication, I'm in for something heartier there. But Greenwood is still an author to watch, for me, and I'd be open to reading her next endeavor.

Heartbreaking story and well written. I definitely felt with the characters.
The story was not quite what I was expecting when picking up this book, but I still enjoyed it even though it's not my typical genre.

Wife and mother, Ginny, just gave birth to her second child. She is thrilled to wrap her arms around her daughter until the doctor tells her something is wrong, whisks her daughter away, and put her into a drug induced sleep. When she awakes her daughter is gone and her husband breaks the news that she has down syndrome. He tells her that she has been sent away to a school where she will be cared for. Two years later, Ginny, finds that the highly recommended "school" where her daughter has been living is not what she thought it was. She sets out to get her daughter back and is willing to risk almost anything to protect her.

I really loved this book. From the first chapter I was drawn in and while parts were difficult to read because of the subject matter, I had to keep turning the pages to find out what would happen. The writing was strong, I loved the characters, and I could understand the situations they faced. I highly recommend to readers who enjoy a well written story about motherhood and relationships.

This is the second book I have read from T. Greenwood, first one was Rust and Stardust (which still sticks with me) and now Keeping Lucy which I feel as a woman and mother was written for me. T. Greenwood is seriously becoming one of my favorite writers.

The story in Finding Lucy was extremely relatable. I felt like this book could of mirrored events in my life or the lives of my friends. Finding Lucy is a book that will rip your heart out and then nicely stitch it back together with hope

Keeping Lucy by T. Greenwood. I remember what life was like in 1971. But this felt like the mind set of the 50's or even the 60's. First off the then and now style was not enjoyable. I ended skipping all the back story chapters.  I really didn't feel they added anything to the now chapters. Most important for me was the fact it took two years for the Mother to become concerned enough to check on her child.  Even then it probably would not have happened if not for her friend. I didn't feel any compassion for the character of the mother.

Enticing and thought-provoking, «Keeping Lucy» is a true tribute to mother’s love, women’s rights and the freedom of choice.

Set in a world where women were seen primarily as housewives, putting their husbands’ needs above anything else, but also the world that has seen Eleanor Roosevelt appointed the chairwoman, fighting for human rights. The world where women finally received the first slim chances to flourish in the society ruled by men. «Keeping Lucy» focuses primarily on women, women’s right, the possibility of choice and freedom.

Written in “then and now” style (which I really love!), «Keeping Lucy» tells the story of Ginny and Richardson’s family after the birth of their second child, Lucy.

T. Greenwood craftily added subtle nuances in the story that helped us situate in time, focused on women and their position in the society. How people asked Ginny and Marsha “where is your husband?” or “should we call your husband?” as if they were incapable of making decisions.

Lack of financial independence resulted from everything in Ginny’s life. She didn’t have a job, she was a stay at home mom, she received a weekly allowance from her husband to run their household that felt to her more like the payment for her services as a maid. Ab gave her a credit card to use in emergency situations only! This sounds like a very small detail, but did you know that unmarried women in 60s weren’t allowed to have credit cards? And married women had to have their husband cosign it.

And of course, there was a big emphasis on fighting for your child.

When Ginny found out in what conditions her baby girl has been living, she had to see it for herself, she had to take her away from that place. With that, we began to see Ginny’s struggles but also her joy to finally be reunited with her daughter Lucy, who was born with Down’s Syndrome.

Will she fight for her daughter against all the odds? Or will she return to her comfortable life and forget about her like a bad dream?

Keeping Lucy is a book made for mothers. For women who've been overlooked. For the housewife that people see as "just a housewife". For women that feel and love in an instant and will fight for it, no matter the cost.

Boy, was I hit with emotions in this one. Miss Greenwood introduced the characters right out of the gate in 1969. They are at Ginny's baby shower when she goes into labor right after. But the baby Ginny gives birth to isn't "healthy" and her husband talks her into entering the baby into a home/school for the feeble minded. They are told she isn't right and they should not bring her home. They will tell people that her baby did not make it. Can you imagine today if doctors and your loved ones are sitting there telling you that you can't have your baby? That the baby is a lost cause? I cannot even imagine this. But during this time, I could see this happening. It was a different time back then and people weren't as educated on 'different' as we are now.

Then we fast forward to 1971 where most of the story takes place. Ginny and her husband Ab and her son Peyton are living a seemingly normal life. Everyone is healthy, successful and happy. But something is always missing from Ginny. When her best friend Marsha shows up with a newspaper about the place where Lucy, her "feeble minded" child is living, Ginny takes matters into her own hands.

This is where the story left me with feels and happiness and frustration combined. The happiness was seeing women come together for each other and fighting for one another, no matter what the outcome would be. I adored Marsha and her love for Ginny, Lucy and Peyton. She may have had other issues going on, but she was steadfast in her belief to get Ginny and Lucy away from anything that may have made them unsafe. It was fun to see these two women running away, yet discovering themselves at the same time. But Ginny was the character that had me all emotional. I couldn't even begin to imagine her life and living to please others. She grew so much throughout the story. From her past, which we got to see glimpses of, to her 'road trip' with Marsha and the kids. She learned so much about herself and what she was made of. And the kids? Peyton even came around and developed into such a great character. He learned about love and family. But you know it was going to be the adorably curly haired Lucy that stole the show. Even with minimal conversation, her just being in the scene made the plot more beautiful.

Miss T Greenwood took a period in the past and wrote a story from the heart. The characters and their journey could be 100% believable. She tells the truth and breaks my heart a bit while putting it back together in some sort of way. If you enjoy realistic fiction and seeing into the past a bit, you will enjoy the journey she took us on. I feel as if this book is more for women, but anyone with a heart and love for children will appreciate this book and the journey this family took to get to their "happily ever after." The ending was a bit rushed for my taste since we had such a build up, but it was a well written and engaging story with characters that were developed in a very believable way. I truly enjoyed this read.

This is a book that you will want to read in one or two days because it is such a compelling story. Ginny and Ab are married and have one son when Ginny gives birth to Lucy, a daughter with Down’s Symdrome. Because of the stigma attached, Ab;s father insists that Lucy needs to go into an institution. Lucy stays there until Willowridge comes under investigation and it is discovered that the conditions there and their treatment of the children is deplorable. At this point in the story, Ginny is determined to take charge of her child herself, so she and her best friend Marsha set out on a road trip to escape Ab and his father. If it had not been for flashbacks, I would have never guessed that Ab actually loved Ginny and his children because he just seems to follow whatever his father tells him to do. His weak character made him very unpopular with me. I liked the strength that Ginny showed and Marsha’s initiative to jump in and help Ginny out. The themes of friendship and hope are demonstrated in this novel. Fans of contemporary women’s fiction will fall in love with the character of Ginny and her courage in the face of so many obstacles.

Keeping Lucy far surpassed my expectations and left me speechless, in tears and full of joy multiple times throughout this read. As a professional that works closely with children with Down Syndrome, I was concerned how Lucy would be portrayed by Greenwood and was more than pleasantly surprised by the wisdom and truth she was able to convey. Keeping Lucy follows the story of Ginny, married into a wealthy family to Ab in the early 1970s, she lives a pleasant life caring for her four year-old son Peyton. When Ginny gives birth to Lucy, Lucy is diagnosed with Down Syndrome and whisked away to a state-run facility. For two years, Lucy is raised in the group home without any contact from her blood relatives. When an expose is published detailing the inhumane conditions of Lucy’s home, Ginny independently sets off to rescue Lucy. Within days, she finds herself illegally crossing state lines with her ride-or-die best friend Marsha, her son and her wonderfully sweet Lucy. As a reader I found myself angry at the broken system, the unjustified treatment of children and a family more willing to bury the truth than help those in need. Frequently I was filled with joy at Lucy’s beautiful soul, Ginny’s true motherly love and hope for a world that has dramatically changed since the 1970s. I genuinely loved Keeping Lucy and look forward to friends enjoying it and many discussions to follow.

A sincere thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm very curious to know just how much of "Keeping Lucy" stems from true events, as this book will rip your heart out. Without letting my politics get involved, this is an objectively good book and eye opening at the least.

I adored this book. Not only did i really care for the characters, as well as being gripped throughout, I also felt I learnt a lot. It has to be every mothers worst nightmare to have to give up a child, but to find out it as under false pretences... well I don't blame her for her actions if I'm honest she was quite restrained! Lucy as a character really embodies a minor role, although the plot revolves solely around her and her freedom. However, this does not detract from the brilliance of this book and I would recommend it to anyone.

“Keeping Lucy” is based on true events, making the novel even more intense and heart-wrenching. When Ginny’s and Ab’s daughter Lucy is born with Down Syndrome, Ginny’s husband Ab and his father decide that the best thing to do is to send her away to a special “school”. Two years later, news stories emerge exposing the atrocious conditions of the so-called “school”, and Ginny knows she must go to her daughter. This novel depicts a woman finding her voice and strength after years of being on the sideline. I also appreciate the strong theme of female friendship between Ginny and her best friend Marsha, whom goes above and beyond to help her throughout this journey. I liked the structure of the novel, with chapters from Ginny’s and Ab’s developing relationship in the 1960’s, and from 1971 when Ginny starts her relationship with her daughter Lucy; I think it helped to have that background information dispersed throughout the novel. This is a moving book that is difficult to put down; 4.5 Stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Keeping Lucy is a compelling story that pulls at the heartstrings. Chapters in the present (1971) alternate with chapters describing Ab and Ginny’s early relationship from 1963 through the birth of Lucy in 1969. This affords the reader with the opportunity to see how their relationship changed over those years and allows for a better understanding of why each of them took/takes the actions that they did/do.

Keeping Lucy draws you in from the very beginning and has you rooting for Ginny and Lucy throughout. It’s a fast read that is both heartbreaking and uplifting as you follow Ginny’s fight for her daughter. I was unable to put it down, anxiously waiting to find out whether Ginny will be successful in her determination to “keep” Lucy.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Compelling novel set in the 60s and 70s about a family and their daughter who is born with down's syndrome.

This is an interesting book and hard to read at times because of the reality of the history involved. Ginny gives birth to her second child, but when Lucy is found to have Down Syndrome, the doctor whisks the baby away. While Ginny is under anesthetic, her husband, father, and doctor place the baby in an institution, telling Ginny it is all for the best.
Two years later, Ginny learns about the deplorable conditions at the institution and ends up stealing her child away and going on a long road trip with her six year old son and her best friend in order to get away from the law and her husband’s family, all of whom will force to to return Lucy.
It is hard in this modern day to see how children with Down Syndrome were treated and how little say Ginny had over her child, or even herself. She submitted to her husband’s will without much protest. However, she does a one eighty when she sees the conditions at the institution two years later, which didn’t feel completely authentic to her character up to that point.
Then there was the long, crazy road trip. It felt strange because there is no way 2 young children would have stayed in the car for days on end that way! However, it did allow for may issues to be brought up, such as women’s choices, friendship, obligations, and social changes that were happening at the time (and are still happening!).
I did like this book — it was interesting and there was lots of research that felt authentic and I wanted to see how it would all end — but I didn’t love it. It is definitely a book, however, that shows us how far we’ve come in many respects, but also how far we still need to go in terms of special needs and women’s rights.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a review copy of this book.

Dover, Massachusetts
October 1969

”Later she would blame the moon. That full, blood moon that pierced the night sky like a bleeding bullet hole.”

”Fall arrived early that year she was pregnant with Lucy, the heat of summer gone overnight, frost lacing the windows like Mother Nature’s curtains.”

It was a few weeks before Halloween, the air had that chill to it, and the leaves were changing, falling to the ground in some places when there was a baby shower given for this new child that would soon come into the world. Ginny was hoping for a girl, but mostly for everything to be okay. Ab hoped for another boy, their Peyton needed a brother. She’d heard all of the wives tales of full moons bringing on labor, but didn’t give it much thought until she began feeling twinges during the baby shower, and even then she didn’t worry about rushing off, at least until her water broke just as most of the guests were leaving.

On the drive to the hospital with Ab, she glances up at the moon, and makes a wish on it that everything will be okay.

When she wakes up from the ether, she senses that the room is too quiet, too many hushed voices. Eventually, her child, a girl, is handed to her and the doctor tries to tell her in her stupor his opinions of the many reasons this child is less than perfect, that she will never be normal. And then she’s back under the effects of ether.

”Ether dreams. Like Alice falling down that rabbit hole, tumbling, end over end.”

By the time she woke, Lucy was gone. When she asks where her baby is, wants to see her, she receives another injection that knocks her out. Again.

Two years pass, and the “school” where Lucy was sent makes the headlines. While, in real life, Jane Kurtin was one of the first to cover the disgusting conditions these people lived in, it was an expose by Geraldo Rivera who brought the news of the scandalous conditions at Willowbrook to the attention of the nation, showing footage of the filth and describing the smell for the readers / viewers: “It smelled of filth, it smelled of disease, and it smelled of death.” Ginny’s oldest friend gives her the news to read, and they decide they must rescue Lucy from this hellhole.

This was a difficult story to read, and not only because of the horrible conditions at Willowbrook. The first half seemed to not really go much of anywhere for me, but the second half picked up a bit – for me, and eventually I found myself engaged in the story with minor exceptions. Little jaunts out of the main story that seemed to serve no purpose other than perhaps to add more drama, but it wasn’t drama really related to the actual story. They sign Lucy out for a holiday weekend, and never return, actions made at her friend’s urging to protect Lucy. And yet, once on the road, the friend makes choices that put them at risk – which seemed inconsistent to me.

I’ve loved every book by this author that I’ve read prior to this, but while there was some occasionally lovely writing, it wasn’t enough for me to love this. Did I enjoy this overall? If I were to rate the first half separately from the last half, I would give the first half 2 stars, and the second half 4 stars.



Pub Date: 6 Aug 2019


Many thanks for the ARC provided by St. Martin’s Press