Review: Keeping Lucy by T. Greenwood

Title: Keeping Lucy

Author: T. Greenwood

Published: August 2019, St. Martin’s Press

Format: ARC E-copy, 320 pages

Source: Netgalley

Summary: 

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.

My thoughts: A few years ago, I read Rust & Stardust by T. Greenwood and as heartbreaking as that book was, I knew I would be reading more from this author. When I saw she had another book coming out, I immediately requested it. Of course, life got busy and the book got pushed to the side, but I finally got to it and I loved it, as I knew I probably would.

T. Greenwood is an amazing storyteller. As heartbreaking as this latest story is, I still found myself completely captivated and unable to put this book down. I felt so many emotions reading this book, and there were characters I wanted to shake, but at the end of the day, I had to remember that this book took place in 1969 and things were different then. 

This story is based on true events and I am glad that T. Greenwood wrote this story. I definitely think this would make an excellent book club selection as there is so much to unpack here and discuss. This book truly showcases just how far a mother will go to protect her child, especially when no one else will, in a time when women’s voices were seldom heard.

I cannot recommend this book enough. It’s an emotional roller coaster for sure, but it’s so much more than that. It’s thought-provoking and one that will stay with you long after you read that last page.