Review: Keeping Lucy

Keeping Lucy by T. Greenwood
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Set in the 1960s and early 1970s, Keeping Lucy is the story of a young mother’s fierce love for her children. Ab and Ginny have a son named Peyton, whose birth had redirected and speeded up all their plans for their futures. Then, in 1969, Ginny gives birth to their second child, Lucy. The doctors tell Ginny that Lucy has heart defects, hearing and vision problems, and would never speak. Lucy was placed in a state mental health hospital. Ginny never had the chance to see her or hold her, and is never allowed to visit Lucy.
In 1971, Ginny’s best friend Marsha sends her a newspaper article about the horrible conditions of the hospital where Lucy lives. With Marsha’s help, Ginny gets a weekend pass to meet Lucy, who is now two years old. While attempting to get her out of the hospital, Ginny discovers that Lucy is a ward of the state, thanks to Ab’s father Abbott, Sr. Ginny and Marsha decide to take off with the children on a long road trip. Along the way, Ginny begins to see that Lucy’s only problem is that she has Down syndrome. This is a heartbreaking yet delightful story of a mother’s unconditional love and her fight to regain custodial rights to a child that was essentially stolen from her.


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