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    The Memory Book
    The Memory Book
    The Memory Book
    Audiobook8 hours

    The Memory Book

    Written by Rowan Coleman

    Narrated by Anna Bentinck, Clare Corbett, Laura Kirman and

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    The name of your first-born. The face of your lover. Your age. Your address...
    What would happen if your memory of these began to fade? Is it possible to rebuild your life? Raise a family? Fall in love again? When Claire starts to write her Memory Book, she already knows that this scrapbook of mementoes will soon be all her daughters and husband have of her. But how can she hold onto the past when her future is slipping through her fingers...?
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherW. F. Howes Ltd
    Release dateFeb 6, 2014
    ISBN9781471256400
    The Memory Book
    Author

    Rowan Coleman

    Rowan Coleman, a self-proclaimed soap-opera addict, desperately wanted to attend stage school while growing up and to be-come an actress. Although she decided to pursue a glamorous career in writing instead, she did have the chance to visit the set of a soap opera when researching this book. While she has written five novels for adults, this is her first novel for teens. Rowan Coleman lives in Hert-fordshire, England, with her husband, Erol, and their daughter, Lily.

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    Reviews for The Memory Book

    4/5

    55 ratings12 reviews

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    • 5/5
      I LOVED this book!!! It is my favorite Rowan Coleman book so far. Claire diagnosed with Alzheimer's at a young age, is newly married with two children(one of them only three.) It broke my heart how she couldn't remember her husband and then when she met the mysterious man, I felt horrible for her husband. This book touched me and brought to light that this disease affects not only the person, but their loved ones. This book is happy and sad all at once. I can't stop thinking about the family and wondering what they are up to.
    • 5/5
      ‘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 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.
    • 5/5
      The Day We Met
      Rowan Coleman

      I received this ARC from Net Gallery in exchange for an honest review.

      This novel is a story of Claire who has been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s. With both a young adult daughter and a three year old, Claire has her hands full when her mother moves in to help car for Claire and her new condition. Recently married to the love of her life, she is slowly forgetting him and begins to write a memory book to help her hold on to the memories she can. It’s bittersweet as she moves further away from her husband and closer to a stranger. Her oldest daughter is also experiencing a life change and needs her mom, but her mom isn’t always aware of who she or Cailtin are.

      I enjoyed the read and recommend it for others. As I grow older and slowly forget why I walk into rooms, appointments, and other matters, I wonder if these are signs of memory problems later in life.
    • 4/5
      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
    • 5/5
      Claire has early onset Alzheimer's disease, gradually losing more memories, simple everyday abilities such as finding her way home and even reading. It is heartbreaking that she not only doesn't love her husband, but wants this strange man out of her house. Her mother, who already went through this with Claire's father, moves in with her, assuring her that she is still her little girl and she must be there for her. It is a great read, following her progressive confusion and her many scary accidents and wanderings. The book is quite believable and makes you think of how you might cope if you or a family member got this cruel disease.
    • 3/5
      The Day We Met by Rowan Coleman is a British novel. Claire Armstrong is an English teacher, has a husband, two daughters, and has been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s. Despite a new medication, Claire’s condition is rapidly deteriorating. Her mother, Ruth has moved into the house to help take care of Claire and her three year old daughter, Esther. Caitlin, Claire’s other daughter, is almost twenty-one, and is home from the university until the start of the new semester (or so everyone believes). Claire’s husband, Greg is younger than Claire (they never gave his exact age) and they have only been married a short time (over a year). Claire can no longer drive (since she forgot what a steering wheel was and plowed into a mailbox). Now she is having to give up teaching which she loved. Ruth tries to keep an eye on Claire, but sometimes Claire is just determined and escapes. The first time she disappears in the rain and no one can find her. Claire ends up at a coffee shop and meets a nice man named Ryan. Ryan gives Claire his phone number. Claire gets back home, but she will soon find a way to break free again. Claire knows what she is doing is wrong, but she does it anyway (then she gets lost, forgets where she lives, who she is, and cannot find her way home). Greg feels the loss of Claire the most. Claire is withdrawing from Greg and acts like he is a stranger. Greg gives Claire a journal to use. Recommended by her counselor, Diane to use a journal as a memory book. For Claire and the family to write down things to remember, events, etc.Caitlin is not sure how to tell her mother and the family her news. She knows she needs to tell them, but she keeps putting it off. Claire has finally told Caitlin about her biological father. Caitlin thought he didn’t want her, but it turns out he never knew about her. Little Esther is a drama queen (her way or temper tantrums) and does not quite understand what is happening to her mother. When Claire starts acting more childish, Esther is her co-conspirator (which leads to another escape to the park). Claire ends up meeting Ryan again. She really likes him and he cares for her. Will Caitlin meet her biological father? What is Caitlin hiding from everyone? Will Claire and Greg be okay? Who is Ryan?The Day We Met is also has chapters where it goes back into the childhood of Claire and Caitlin as well as insight into how Ruth turned out the way she did (how she changed from a carefree hippie). I have to admit it took me three tries to get through this book (I have been trying to read this book since March). It does have a nice ending, but it is a depressing book. I give The Day We Met 3 out of 5 stars. It is an interesting story (about early onset Alzheimer’s and how it can affect a woman and her family). I just think it is lacking. I do not know if we needed all the drama with Caitlin added into the story as well as Esther and her over-the-top behavior. I did like the twist with Ryan (though I did figure it out early on in the book). There is some mild foul language in the book (thankfully, just a little) and it is written in the first person (from different character’s perspective). I received a complimentary copy of The Day We Met from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The review and opinions expressed are my own.
    • 4/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      This book takes you right in 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. 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.
    • 4/5
      3.5 a little different take on a book about a woman with Alzheimer's and the struggle of her family. Of course the nature of the disease itself is sad this book is written in a way that leaves the reader feel a great deal of joy and understanding as well. The story is told partly by thereon with the illness as she realizes what, she is doing and what she will lose. The characters though are wonderful, little three year old, Esther provides a great deal of comic relief. Ultimately this is about the strong bond between mothers and daughters. How even though someone's path may be different the family toes will be remembered by someone. Lastly, the enduring quality of love for those lucky enough to find it. ARC from publisher.
    • 3/5
      I received an advanced reader copy of this book. It is the story of Claire, a 43 year old married mom and teacher who has early onset Alzheimer's disease. It was told from the point of view of Claire, her 20 year old daughter, Caitlin and Claire's mother, Ruth. There were various snippets from different parts of Claire's life - they were from a memory book they are putting together for Claire's 3 year old daughter, Esther. It could be a little confusing at times. I didn't think the side story with Caitlin was necessary and would have preferred more about Claire and her husband, Greg's relationship. Overall, I enjoyed the story and as a woman close in age to Claire, I could relate to her and it offered a different perspective on Alzheimer's.
    • 5/5
      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 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.
    • 5/5
      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 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!