The Memory Book

This book takes you right into the middle of a family dealing with a tragic situation, and submerges you in their fears, pains, and intermittent periods of joy. It is a heartbreaking journey, but absolutely worth the trip.

Claire Armstrong is only in her early forties, but she has early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Greg, Claire's husband, hopes it will help her to put together a “memory book,” so that she can record what she can still remember. Soon the whole family is contributing, from 3-year-old Esther to 20-year-old Caitlin (Claire’s daughter by a college boyfriend), to Claire’s mom Ruth, who has come to live with them to help take care of Claire. The author cleverly alternates narrators in the form of memory book entries. show more She also gives a lot of narrative space to Caitlin, which helps provide a bit of emotional relief to Claire’s situation.

But for me, it is Greg’s story that pulls the most at your heartstrings.

I thought about this book a great deal after finishing it, and was so glad I read it.

Evaluation: Ordinarily I like to avoid books with unhappy subjects, because, well, who likes to plunge into depressing situations? But the author does a beautiful job, and makes this so much a love story rather than a story about a disease; that is, a story about all kinds of love, and about the importance of understanding you may not have “all the time in the world” to be who you want to be, love who you love, and say the things you want to say.

The ending is quite wonderful. show less

I read this book because it was chosen as one of the best novels of 2014 on a book blog I found (just can't remember which one). "The Memory Book" deals with a woman's early onset of Alzheimer's. Although told from various viewpoints, the story revolves around Claire, an intelligent, forty-ish woman who is battling to keep hold of her memories. It is heart-breaking seeing how she and her family are slowly being torn apart and the reader shares their pain, but it is also uplifting how they rally together to support each other. A sweet, gentle book that I thoroughly enjoyed

Received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't want to put this book down last night but my eyes refused to let me continue. The Day We Met tells the story of a family impacted by early-onset Alzheimer's Disease. I found the story compelling, hard to read at times and beautiful at other times. There was a bit of a twist I didn't see coming and I loved every minute of the reveal. This is one of those books that makes a person think about their relationships, themselves and mortality. Definitely want more from this author.

The Memory Book is the story of Claire Armstrong, a woman in her forties who is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's Disease. It turns out it runs in the family as her father had the same illness. It's also the story of Caitlin, Claire's 20 year old daughter who is watching her mother slowly deteriorate.

Greg, Claire's husband buys Claire a memory book, a lovely writing book in which Claire, and indeed all the family, can record special memories. These memories form part of the story too.

This is a fabulous read. It made me laugh in places and brought tears to my eyes in others. It's ultimately a moving story about making the most of your life because you never know what's around the corner, of remembering to tell people how you feel show more and of making sure you pass memories on so they're not lost.

I really enjoyed Rowan Coleman's writing. She managed to write the story in a light and easy style without dumbing down what is a very emotive storyline and I just loved reading it. There's also a really lovely twist to the tale that I never guessed at and which came together beautifully at the end. I'd highly recommend this book - brilliant! show less

‘The Day We Met’ is a poignant story about Claire Armstrong, a forty-something woman who is stricken with early onset Alzheimer’s disease. As Claire deals with the increasing cloudiness of her fading memory, the reader responds to this resilient, spirited woman and her enduring love for her family. Having born a child at nineteen as a single mother, Claire now urges her oldest daughter Caitlin to seek out her birth dad who has no idea about this unknown offspring. Claire’s intermittent memory causes her to reject her husband Greg, and she takes up with a strange, lonely man in a coffee shop. Claire’s mother, Ruth, her staunchest supporter and caregiver, becomes her adversary when Claire irrationally chooses to escape her show more domestic confines with her youngest daughter for a night at the park. And sweet, playful Esther, Claire’s youngest daughter, grapples with the notion, that her mother is losing her mental prowess and is becoming more like a peer. All of these characters come to life in this tender story about such a debilitating illness. My only negative comment is that I came upon two or three grammatical errors in the book, which should have been corrected before publishing. I rated the novel five stars because I felt that the author developed the characters throughout the story, so that my perception about them evolved through the text. show less

Having finished this book about five minutes ago, I feel that I have been on a roller-coaster ride, not for the thrills and spills but for the ups and downs. One moment I would be laughing, the next crying.

OK frist off I need to admire the cover of this book. The cover is perfect, fitting in with Greg giving in Claire a dairy to fill with her memories, in her favourite shade of red. This makes it feel like you are holding a Claire's memories rather than a story - tying you closer to the characters.

Perhaps the intriguing think about this book is that it is while the story is about Alzheimer's, it is written in a way that is both uplifting and optimistic. It is a journey through the affects of a terrible illness. Yet the reader is taken show more beyond this. We see not only Claire's hopes and dreams for the future but also her daughter's - Caitlin. Beautifully portraying the unbreakable bond of mother and daughter, and the love and strength in a family.

The present is intertwined with the past, truly making this the memory book - a book to treasure. The Memory Book is a moving and compassionate book that will tug on your heart strings.

For fans of Elizabeth Noble and Jojo Moyes. show less

While it's hard not to compare this book with Still Alice, it was still a good read. It takes you inside the head of Claire who is suffering from early onset Alzheimer's. This gives you an idea of what it might be like as your memories start to fray. It wasn't a depressing book, but the ending was a little too tidy. Still enjoyed this book.