Keeping Lucy – Review – Ashes Books & Bobs

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press & Netgalley for the chance to read this novel!

I really, really enjoyed my first book by T. Greenwood! Admittedly, I was nervous about reading this one. My feelings were mixed on the blurb and I didn’t know if it would be a hit for me. Luckily, as I started reading, I found I flew through several chapters in a flash. When I picked it up again, I read the final three-fourths in one day! I simply couldn’t put the book down and was surprised by just how much I loved it!

I loved that this story didn’t neatly fit into any one genre. When I began, it almost had an eerie, Thriller vibe. That continued in small doses throughout the story, but as I dug in further it gave off more of a Kristin Hannah/Women’s Fiction feel. I enjoy both, so I call that a win-win.

My favorite thing about this book was just how uniquely Lucy’s story was shared with readers. I can’t say I’ve ever read a book with a character having Down’s Syndrome and it shed plenty of light on the disorder. I hadn’t given much thought to women being encouraged to place their disabled children into permanent care facilities. I wish the book could have elaborated a bit more on this topic because I still have some questions I will have to research later on. Nonetheless, it was an eye-opening and well-crafted story. It evoked empathy and the fierce mama-bear inside of me, allowing me to relate to Ginny on a deep level.

I was torn between 4 and 5 stars, but decided to knock one star off of my overall rating due to the subtle slant of the tone of the writing that I didn’t completely care for. I felt like this was a modern view of women’s lives in the ’60s and ’70s, rather than a realistic representation of how women felt about their roles in the world. Society’s modern views often muddy the waters between factual history and fiction. I think this is a challenge for all writers of Historical Fiction because we live in this world, not the past, but it’s still something I struggle with as a reader. Despite my minor hang-ups, this was a page-turner I would eagerly recommend. I loved reading Keeping Lucy and want to keep her myself.

Rating: 4 stars

Purchase on Amazon.