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The Things We Keep: A Novel
Écrit par Sally Hepworth
Raconté par Barrie Kreinik et Thérèse Plummer
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Anna Forster, in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease at only thirty-eight years old, knows that her family is doing what they believe to be best when they take her to Rosalind House, an assisted living facility. She also knows there's just one another resident her age, Luke. What she does not expect is the love that blossoms between her and Luke even as she resists her new life at Rosalind House. As her disease steals more and more of her memory, Anna fights to hold on to what she knows, including her relationship with Luke.
When Eve Bennett is suddenly thrust into the role of single mother she finds herself putting her culinary training to use at Rosalind house. When she meets Anna and Luke she is moved by the bond the pair has forged. But when a tragic incident leads Anna's and Luke's families to separate them, Eve finds herself questioning what she is willing to risk to help them.
When Eve Bennett is suddenly thrust into the role of single mother she finds herself putting her culinary training to use at Rosalind house. When she meets Anna and Luke she is moved by the bond the pair has forged. But when a tragic incident leads Anna's and Luke's families to separate them, Eve finds herself questioning what she is willing to risk to help them.
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Commencer à écouterInformations sur le livre
The Things We Keep: A Novel
Écrit par Sally Hepworth
Raconté par Barrie Kreinik et Thérèse Plummer
Description
Anna Forster, in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease at only thirty-eight years old, knows that her family is doing what they believe to be best when they take her to Rosalind House, an assisted living facility. She also knows there's just one another resident her age, Luke. What she does not expect is the love that blossoms between her and Luke even as she resists her new life at Rosalind House. As her disease steals more and more of her memory, Anna fights to hold on to what she knows, including her relationship with Luke.
When Eve Bennett is suddenly thrust into the role of single mother she finds herself putting her culinary training to use at Rosalind house. When she meets Anna and Luke she is moved by the bond the pair has forged. But when a tragic incident leads Anna's and Luke's families to separate them, Eve finds herself questioning what she is willing to risk to help them.
When Eve Bennett is suddenly thrust into the role of single mother she finds herself putting her culinary training to use at Rosalind house. When she meets Anna and Luke she is moved by the bond the pair has forged. But when a tragic incident leads Anna's and Luke's families to separate them, Eve finds herself questioning what she is willing to risk to help them.
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Avis
This book was wonderful. The story that it told is my worst nightmare in so many ways. Dementia and Alzheimer's disease can change so much about a person as the disease takes away memories. Early-onset Alzheimer's disease seems like an even crueler fate since the individuals being affected haven't had the chance to live a full life yet. I think that this book did a fantastic job of really making me think and more importantly making me feel.Anna is in her late thirties and has early onset Alzheimer's disease. She has reached the stage where she and her family realize that a care facility is the best place for her so they find a facility with another patient dealing with early onset dementia. The author did a fabulous job of really getting into Anna's head and she is dealing with her memory loss. Anna's decline over the course of the story was also handled very well. This book also tells a love story. Anna meets Luke at the care facility. Both are dealing with dementia at a very young age and they are drawn to each other. I really thought that they were so good for each other and it pained me that they didn't find each other until after they were experiencing memory loss. Anna never could seem to remember Luke's name but she always knew who he was and his presence seemed to bring her peace. This book also deals with people trying to make the best decisions for those that they love. Anna's brother was put in the position of having to make decisions for Anna. There is no doubt that he loved his sister and wanted to do what was best for her. Unfortunately, Anna couldn't always share what that was. We also get to learn Eve and her daughter Clem's story. Eve has just taken the position of cook at Anna and Luke's care facility. Eve hasn't worked for quite a while but is willing to do what it takes to care for her daughter. They have been through a lot after a scandal hit their family. I thought that their story was well done and interesting and I loved the way that Eve fought to help Anna get what she needed. The narrators did a wonderful job with this book. I have listened to Therese Plummer quite a few times in the past and love her work but this was the first time that I have had the chance to listen to Barrie Kreinik's narration. There were three distinct points of view in the book and I really liked the use of multiple narrators to perform the story. I thought that they both brought a lot of emotion into the story and were very pleasant to listen to for hours at a time. I am glad that I decided to listen to this book.I would highly recommend this book to others. I thought it was a really well-done story that I found very thought-provoking. I would not hesitate to read more of this author's work in the future.I received a digital review copy of this book from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley and borrowed a copy of the audiobook from my local library.
I loved Hepworth’s first book and was eager for this one. Anna was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at 38, and had to move in to assisted living care. She’s surrounded by senior citizens, except for one younger man… But that doesn’t mean this book is a fluffy romance. It tackles important, emotional life issues, and is beautifully written. I highly recommend this book, as well as Hepworth’s first, The Secrets of Midwives. Looking forward to many more from her.
Sally Hepworth has written a moving tale about love and caring for loved ones that was hard to put down. This is a story about adults in their mid-thirties, Anna and Luke who both develop early onset Alzheimer’s and dementia. Both are living in a residential care facility. They develop a relationship that family members have difficulty coping with due to the nature of their illnesses. While the story is both sad and thought provoking, it's filled with interesting characters. In addition to Anna and Luke there is Eve, adjusting to a new life after Richard, her husband defrauded his financial clients. And Clementine, Eve's daughter, has to cope with changes in her own way. The residential home which is the setting for much of the book has other well developed characters a well, who are grappling with their own problems. This story forces one to think about Alzheimer’s and dementia from the patients point of view. It exposes the dilemma a family member or caregiver has when they grapple with relationship issues. How much can a patient decide for themselves if they can't remember things. It's heartbreaking to think that the patient is “trapped” inside a body that can no longer clearly relate needs, wants and desires to a caregiver. Yet the patient may still feel the effects of actions taken by the caregiver.I liked the structure of this book because it allows the reader to find out things as the book progresses and it works well as there are really several stories woven through the text. I also like that each person is telling their side of the story, which makes the reader feel very involved. I only wish that Luke had been given more of a voice in the story, as we only hear his voice through Anna. Nevertheless, I liked the ending and although I have to admit that I cried a lot through the sad bits, it did convey what the characters and the author felt was important in life. Thanks to St. Martin's Press for providing the advanced reader's copy.
This was an OK read for me. I found it to be a little to much romance and not enough about Alzheimer's. I was expecting a Still Alice experience.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange of an honest review. Many thanks to St. Martin's Press for granting my request to read this!
Anna has found out that like her mother she has Alzheimer's. As her mind deteriorated, now she needs to adapt to life at Rosalind House, as assisted living facility, which might not be such a depressing idea as it seems at first. There she meets another young patient suffering from dementia, Luke. Even though her mind might forget his name or that they even met, her will always wander in his direction and she will hold strong to their promise never to give up.
Months later we are introduced to Eve's story. She has lost almost everything after her husband did "bad things" to people's savings, and now her daughter is all she's got. She starts working as a cook at Rosalind House, where she meets Anna and her story of the things we still keep after everything seems to be lost.
I read many reviews applauding how this is a beautiful story of how love conquers all, and I can't deny how important is love to this story. Not only what Luke and Anna share but also Eve's love to her daughter, the daughter's love to her father despite his doing "bad things". Thus, I have to add to those reviews this books runs even deeper, discussing human relations through the passing of time.
The author knew how to give a special touch to each of the relationships present, and I grew to love even Baldy, the grumpy Bert who can't let go of his wife, dead for 50 years. Her take on dementia I can't analyze for not having any closer experience but it felt not only credible but humane. Don't skip this reading for fear of tragedies. This is not a book made for you to cry but for you to think.
Style-wise, I found it was a nice effect the decision not only to have two narrators(actually three, counting Eve's daughter few chapters) but two times of narration as well. While Eve's would happen around the present, Anna's point of view was shown from around a year or more before it. The choice was successful in highlighting some of the mystery surrounding Anna's true feelings versus her current condition but perhaps it unnecessarily made the story drag on. Also, I noticed some readers say it was confusing, I concur that, in the beginning, it made me tilt my head a little but you do get used to it quickly. My real problem was that it slowed the rhythm.
Aside from that, what is to be expected from books with such a heartfelt proposal, I thought it was a beautiful book, and a theme very well explored. Now I mentioned Clementine, I have to note that I simply loved her chapters and her voice. The author managed to create such a nice and bright and strong child. I'm in love!
A final thought, I found the cover to be very pretty but after finishing it I was wondering a diary would represent even more this story instead of papers tied together. Again, just a thought.
Anna has found out that like her mother she has Alzheimer's. As her mind deteriorated, now she needs to adapt to life at Rosalind House, as assisted living facility, which might not be such a depressing idea as it seems at first. There she meets another young patient suffering from dementia, Luke. Even though her mind might forget his name or that they even met, her will always wander in his direction and she will hold strong to their promise never to give up.
Months later we are introduced to Eve's story. She has lost almost everything after her husband did "bad things" to people's savings, and now her daughter is all she's got. She starts working as a cook at Rosalind House, where she meets Anna and her story of the things we still keep after everything seems to be lost.
I read many reviews applauding how this is a beautiful story of how love conquers all, and I can't deny how important is love to this story. Not only what Luke and Anna share but also Eve's love to her daughter, the daughter's love to her father despite his doing "bad things". Thus, I have to add to those reviews this books runs even deeper, discussing human relations through the passing of time.
The author knew how to give a special touch to each of the relationships present, and I grew to love even Baldy, the grumpy Bert who can't let go of his wife, dead for 50 years. Her take on dementia I can't analyze for not having any closer experience but it felt not only credible but humane. Don't skip this reading for fear of tragedies. This is not a book made for you to cry but for you to think.
Style-wise, I found it was a nice effect the decision not only to have two narrators(actually three, counting Eve's daughter few chapters) but two times of narration as well. While Eve's would happen around the present, Anna's point of view was shown from around a year or more before it. The choice was successful in highlighting some of the mystery surrounding Anna's true feelings versus her current condition but perhaps it unnecessarily made the story drag on. Also, I noticed some readers say it was confusing, I concur that, in the beginning, it made me tilt my head a little but you do get used to it quickly. My real problem was that it slowed the rhythm.
Aside from that, what is to be expected from books with such a heartfelt proposal, I thought it was a beautiful book, and a theme very well explored. Now I mentioned Clementine, I have to note that I simply loved her chapters and her voice. The author managed to create such a nice and bright and strong child. I'm in love!
A final thought, I found the cover to be very pretty but after finishing it I was wondering a diary would represent even more this story instead of papers tied together. Again, just a thought.
St. Martin's Press, January 2016
This was a very thoughtful and engaging book. It also had a few surprises to offer, which I didn't expect!
Anna is a youngish woman, mid-thirties, with early onset Altzheimer's. Right from the beginning, her voice is witty and warm, yet doesn't shrink from showing the difficulties involved with losing her memories and ability to live.
She places herself in a home where she can be cared for as the disease advances. There she meets a man about her age who has a different form of the same disease. They discover that they have more in common than the illness, and find love even as their minds lose the ability to remember that love.
Or are those memories lost? The title of the story hints at what isn't lost even in the progress of such a debilitating ailment. And therein lies the plot.
Eve is a woman with her own troubles. When her husband causes the collapse of an investment account that impacts thousands of people, she leaves him...only to then be burdened with the guilt of his suicide.
Anna offers her something more. In getting to know Anna even after she is too far gone to form new friendships, Eve recognizes the tendrils of love that can be held onto no matter what. She becomes Anna and Luke's only champion, and eventually enables them to stay together until the end.
Really a lovely work that delivers far more than I had expected. Well worth the time, and it is also a fast read. Pick this up on Friday evening and you won't stop reading until you've turned the last page!
5 stars!
If you're interested in reading another thoughtful novel about love in the face of horrible odds, try Reparation: A Novel of Love, Danger and Devotion.
I received an ARC from the publisher in order to write this review.
This was a very thoughtful and engaging book. It also had a few surprises to offer, which I didn't expect!
Anna is a youngish woman, mid-thirties, with early onset Altzheimer's. Right from the beginning, her voice is witty and warm, yet doesn't shrink from showing the difficulties involved with losing her memories and ability to live.
She places herself in a home where she can be cared for as the disease advances. There she meets a man about her age who has a different form of the same disease. They discover that they have more in common than the illness, and find love even as their minds lose the ability to remember that love.
Or are those memories lost? The title of the story hints at what isn't lost even in the progress of such a debilitating ailment. And therein lies the plot.
Eve is a woman with her own troubles. When her husband causes the collapse of an investment account that impacts thousands of people, she leaves him...only to then be burdened with the guilt of his suicide.
Anna offers her something more. In getting to know Anna even after she is too far gone to form new friendships, Eve recognizes the tendrils of love that can be held onto no matter what. She becomes Anna and Luke's only champion, and eventually enables them to stay together until the end.
Really a lovely work that delivers far more than I had expected. Well worth the time, and it is also a fast read. Pick this up on Friday evening and you won't stop reading until you've turned the last page!
5 stars!
If you're interested in reading another thoughtful novel about love in the face of horrible odds, try Reparation: A Novel of Love, Danger and Devotion.
I received an ARC from the publisher in order to write this review.
I have mixed feelings about this book. It is a bit "light" for my tastes, with people who are either friendly or mean and a plot that wraps up very neatly. However, I can't dismiss it as "chick lit" because the main character, Anna, is so well portrayed. Also because this is one of the best descriptions of a person living with Alzheimer's that I've read...and I've read a lot of novels with such characters. A very moving and thought-provoking examination of how to support and love someone with this awful disease.
If one could be in love with a book and its characters, this would be the one that stole my heart. Early onset dementia and two people who meet and fall in love. So simple, and SO heart-touching. All the characters go from words on a page to funny, impatient, loveable and loving people you want to meet.Sally Hepworth has the incredible ability to insert herself into the skin of her creations. HOW, is beyond me. This book is different, but as good or better than STILL ALICE by Genova.
One of the things I most enjoyed about The Things We Keep by Sally Hepworth was reading from the perspective of Anna, a woman with (very) early-onset Alzheimer's disease. The novel begins with Anna's arrival to Rosalind House, an assisted living facility. Other chapters are voiced by Eve, a new employee of Rosalind House, who is trying to manage the struggles of being a newly single mother. Many issues are touched upon: living with Alzheimer's, elder/end-of-life care, love and mourning, yet the book still has many touching, sweet, and even funny moments. A wonderful read.
This is the heart wrenching story of Anna Foster, a woman with early onset Alzheimer's. Only 38 years old, she moves into Rosalind house, an assisted living facility. There she meets a young man, Luke, also a resident, and the two begin to fall in love. This book offers so much for discussion. As a society, we often don't think that people who have impaired memory or a low IQ are capable of falling in love. In Anna's case, even if she doesn't remember people or events, do the feelings and emotions she had stay with her. Such a great story to start the new year!
Absolutely beautiful and heartbreaking and one I highly recommend reading.
I won an advanced reader copy of The Things We Keep from Goodreads. I really enjoyed this book, although as a woman around the same age as Anna, it was difficult to read at times. The author told the story from the point of view of Anna, a 39 year old woman with early onset Alzheimer's, Eve, the cook at the residential care home where Anna is living and Clemetine, Eve's 7 year old daughter. It was sweet and sad but also uplifting. There are bound to be comparisons to Still Alice and fans of that book will enjoy this as well.
This novel has two intersecting stories - the first is about Anna - a 38 year old paramedic with early onset Alzheimer's disease,. At the beginning of the novel she is going to live at Rosalind House, an assisted living center where all of the residents except for her and one man her age (who also has a brain injury) are elderly. The novel traces the disease as she loses her words and the knowledge of who her family is. She and the young man at Rosalind House develop a relationship, much to the dismay of their families. The other story is about Eve and her daughter Clemantine. Eve is a young widow whose husband committed suicide after being caught as the leader of a Ponzi scheme. She goes to work at Rosalind House as a cook/cleaner and tries to help Anna. The novel is very intense and very sad, especially in the sections about Anna and makes the reader question how they would react to Anna if they were in Eve's place. I thought that the novel was very well done and I enjoyed reading it and would highly recommend it.
I found this novel to be touching, uplifting, and of course sad given the subject matter. I was pleased to find such a balance of emotion in the story. The characters were well developed and relatable. I felt they acted in believable ways given their situations. Alzheimer's can be a tricky subject but it was handled perfectly here. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for an inspiring story.Note: I was provided a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
The main character, Anna, suffers from very early onset Alzheimer's. She checks herself into an assisted living facility after a fire that puts her young nephew in danger. Most of the other patients are elderly except for a young man who has a different type of dementia which consists of losing words until he will be unable to articulate any of his thoughts. Of course, being the only two young people in a home of elderly people, they gravitate to each other. While I enjoyed reading this book, it's hard not to compare to Still Alice which is one of the very best of the early onset Alzheimer's books.
A novel with dual stories. The first involves a man and a woman with early onset Alzheimer's who fall in love (mental and physical) at a nursing home. The other story is about a young lady with a daughter whose husband commits suicide after he gets caught swindling dozens of people out of their money. She gets a job as a cook at a nursing care center and becomes an enabler for the couples' relationship. I really believe that you have to buy the premise of the story but this one just did not ring true to me.
The things we keep by Sally HepworthStory interests me as it's about a 39 year old woman and she's got Alzheimer disease. Remember going through some things with my mother in law and now we have a male friend our age who is going through it. They've moved her to assisted living facility.Hope it will shed more light on the disease and how to care for him as friends.Anna a paramedic is now in a living assisted facility with a lot of older people who also have memory loss/Alzheimer. Her twin Jack visit and his son, Ethan comes with him-Anna was the one who forgot the stove was on and he ran in to put the fire out-he has scars now.Things move slowly and she leaves her room to sit in the parlor and nobody talks...Story also follows Eve who's just been hired as the new chef and a cleaning lady. She will have her young daughter there when she's not in school. She seems to fit in with the older residents. Her story is her husband had a ponzi fund and he got caught stealing money from others...The residents are also discussed as they come into Anna's space. Some really good stories there. Difficult at times to hear how she struggles and how others are coping with her being there.... Shocking events occur and others are stealing...I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
Hepworth knows how to write a very readable story and just like her first book, The Secrets of Midwives, this one was very appealing. I immediately liked the characters. Early onset Alzheimer's would seem to be a very tough problem to write about but somehow Hepworth was able to produce a picture from both inside and outside of the afflicted person. It was somewhat distressing to see that the actual situations that were presented, eg., the fall, were not thoroughly investigated by the characters because there seemed to be possible witnesses available, at least as Hepworth presented them.I, too, really liked Still Alice but I wouldn't try and compare these two books.
As I loved Still Alice I really wanted to like this book, and the part of it that is about the woman, Anna, who is a victim of early onset Alzheimer's disease is quite good. However, I'm completely mystified why the author the author then inserted another character, Eve, (a woman who was married to a Bernie Madoff-like stock swindler who comes to work as a cook/cleaner at the assisted living facility where Anna is living) into the story who ads nothing, except, perhaps, appeal to book groups that are more into socializing and wine than reading quality fiction.The author has Eve inserting herself into the lives of the patients, especially Anna, in extremely unprofessional ways, and also wastes time with Eve's romance with the hunky gardener of the facility. There are also pages & pages about Eve's young daughter and the mean girls in her grade school. In short, the author has thrown every book group cliche against the wall in hopes that something will stick. And judging by the positive reviews on this site & Goodreads, she was successful.This book was a total waste of a weekend.
Excellent book. It is always wonderful when a writer attempts to give insight into what a demented person experiences. Having worked in the field for a million years it seemed pretty real. The assisted living was unfortunately not following any of the "state" rules The fresh food seems a treat - does not happen and the garden was a nice touch. But locked doors and the staffing ratios were not great. Also most workers in facilities are ethnic.
What a beautifully written story about finding love in unexpected places, in unexpected ways. Anna is diagnosed with Alzheimer's at the age of 38! This story follows her and her move to an assisted-living home filled with elderly residents and cared for by people with their own stories to tell. Heartbreaking, yet not totally depressing. Life happens.
What an amazing book. Not often that one can find a book about Alzheimer disease that can be found at all uplifting, but this one was. Of course there is much sadness as well, a young women of thirty eight with the disease can't be anything else, but the other people in the home she is in and she herself are wonderful characters full of heart and love.Another part of the story is about Eve and her young daughter Clementine, seven. Eve becomes the cook at the home after a horrible string of events cause her and her daughter to lose everything. All characters affected by things in their lives that they have no control over but making the best of what they have left. The real people left after they lose what they had, from disease, aging, financial misdealings or whatever, they are still valuable, still capable of maybe more than we think. To take each day as it comes and to appreciate what is left, not dwell on what is lost. I will admit this is a sentimental read, often going over the line on clichés but this book just shows the reader so much, the underlying messages valuable. The characters are almost all great and young Clementine is a joy, so many are unforgettable. Felt sad at the end of this but also joyful, I felt that I had experienced so much. Very touching read.ARC from Netgalley.
A thirty-eight year old with early stages of Alzheimer's disease and in an assisted living facility...very difficult for Anna as well as her family.Anna lived with her brother and his family once they found out she couldn't live alone, but then it got to the point where she needed constant supervision, and the assisted living facility was the only safe place for Anna.Anna had enough wits about her to know she needed to be at Rosalind House, but also was sad she was there.While she was there, she met another young patient, Luke, as well as Eve who was a single mother that had lost everything when her husband was involved in a Ponzi Scheme.Eve became very protective of Anna and Luke, the two young residents of Rosalind House, and secretly allowed them to meet against the family’s wishes.Eve had trouble and worries of her own, though, but made the best of her current situation until her daughter started having trouble at school because of the situation they were in.As you read, you become attached to all the characters and sympathize with their situations. You will learn about Alzheimer's disease and how it affects the patient as well as the family.THE THINGS WE KEEP is a book that makes you begin to think about all the times you have forgotten things and about how love can be the best medicine. :)THE THINGS WE KEEP is different from THE SECRETS OF MIDWIVES, addresses a well-known problem, and is well researched by Ms. Hepworth. The ending was heartbreaking but redeeming. Break out the tissues from the warmth you will feel and from the sad but wonderful ending. THE THINGS WE KEEP is a reminder that memories are "the things we should keep." 4/5This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation in return for an honest review.
The Things We Keep by Sally Hepworth is one of the most boring books I have read this year (and I have read some sleepers recently). The Things We Keep tells the story of Anna Forster whose mind has early onset Alzheimer’s at the age of 38. After an incident at her brother’s home (fire and her nephew), she has decided that it is best for everyone if she goes into a home. Rosalind House is an assisted-living facility for seniors and they specialize in Alzheimer’s patients. Anna, though, does not plan on being at Rosalind House for long.Eve Bennett is now a single mother (daughter, Clementine is 7) and has to go back to work (her husband, Richard did a Ponzi scheme and then killed himself). Eve graduated from the institute of Culinary Education in New York. She finds a job as chef at Rosalind House and it comes with perks (she gets to clean and help with residents in spare time with no extra pay). Eve is touched by Anna and her closeness to the other young resident, Luke (he has a different form of dementia that involves words). Anna and Luke have formed an attachment, but their families do not approve. Eve does not agree with the family’s decision to keep these two apart and tries to rectify it (Eve likes to stick her nose in everyone’s business). Is Eve willing to risk her job to help Anna and Luke? Will Anna succeed in her goal to end her life?The Things We Keep is told from three different point of views (Anna’s, Eve, and Clementine’s). I found the writing to be very disjointed. The book also jumps around too much (different times, different people). There is too much going on in this book. The writer seemed determined to introduce the reader to every resident of Rosalind House (there are too many of them). I was also shocked at the treatment of the residents at Rosalind House. I would not let this place look after my pets, much less a relative (horrible care). I hope real assisted living facilities are not like Rosalind House. The story, I believe, is about how love endures no matter what (but it did not really come across in the book). I did not enjoy reading The Things We Keep (it reminded me of a very bad soap opera). The novel moved at a snail’s pace (maybe even slower) and it was not enjoyable to read. I give The Things We Keep 1 out of 5 stars (which means I really, really did not like the book). I received a complimentary copy of The Things We Keep from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.