Customer Reviews

Blessings

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(42)
3 star:		(30)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

In this book Anna Quindlen delivers a lovely story of strength, support, and love.

Late one night, a teenaged couple abandons their newborn baby at the garage door of "Blessings", an estate inhabited by the elderly Lydia Blessing and her young handyman, Skip Cuddy.....and thus set off a chain of events that will propel both of these characters on a journey of discovery.

Skip, who lives over the garage and finds the foundling, will discover unexpected depths of feelings for this little one, whom he names Faith. He also discovers the nurture of which he is capable--and what the tribulations of fatherhood can be. This baby gives Skip's life a structure and purpose that it never had before. Lydia discovers that perhaps doing what is expected is not always the "good" thing to do....and questions what the "right" thing to do really is. She has lived in the past for so long, thinking about her family's many secrets, but this baby brings her into the present with a welcome jolt.

Despite trying to keep Faith's presence a secret, Lydia finds out that Skip has taken on the role of "father" to this baby, and the three of them become an unlikely sort of family. Quindlen shows us how a family is not necessarily comprised of those related by blood, but can be a unit made up of people who need, support, and care for each other. Together, Skip and Lydia find unexpected joy in Faith and find resources within themselves of which they were unaware. These two characters, of such different backgrounds and ages, also allow the author to tell the same story in two very different ways.

Quindlen has written a richly descriptive and moving novel, one of redemption and personal growth, and about doing the right thing. Her observational skills, so evident in the columns she has written over the years, make us understand and care about these characters, their pasts, and how their lives affect others.

I loved the double meaning of the title,"Blessings"...for not only was it the name of a house, but blessings were what these characters bestowed on each other.

A wonderful reading experience that this reader will remember with great pleasure.

This is such a beautiful story. I could not put this book down so I stayed up and read it from cover to cover.
The story begins with a baby being abandoned late one night by a teenage girl and the father of the baby. The baby is dressed in a flannel shirt with a hair clip on its umbilical cord and left by the garage in a cardboard box.

The box is then found by Skip, a house hand. Skip has never been around children much less a baby. He takes the newborn in as his own and the story begins. He becomes attached to the baby and raises it as his own... all the while keeping it a secret. We are then swept along as Skip learns to care for the baby and ends up dedicating his life to the baby. (I don't want to give up to much information on the baby.)

The name of the estate where the baby is left is called "Blessings" ... owned by an eighty-year-old wealthy woman named Lydia Blessings. As the story continues we learn the secrets of Lydia Blessings and her family ... AND, there are many secrets! The characters are richly written ... you will find yourself bonding with many of them as you learn their secrets. BUT, be prepared for some tears ... keep the Kleenex close at hand.

There are many "BLESSINGS" in this story. You will not be disappointed with this novel. It is a must read.

Don't expect page turning narrative or gut wrenching internal conflicts in this short novel. "Blessings" is a slowly paced sappy story of a man who finds an abandoned child while working on the wealthy estate of an elderly heiress. Secrets are the theme of the novel, and Quindlen doesn't come up with any fresh or unfamiliar ones. The main characters' lives are at first connected by circumstance of employment then by the love of the baby. The story unfolds pretty much the way you think it will. I experienced no surprises around the corner or startling revelations by the characters. It's certainly not a challenging or exciting read, but it's not among the worst reads of the year either. My experience with the novel may be more an indication of my expectations of the author than extremely average writing. After such stellar stories as "One True Thing" and "Black and Blue", I simply expected more from "Blessings. While let down, I'm not fed up. Hopefully Quindlen will return to her writing peak with the next novel.

A baby is abandonned by its teenage mother at the Blessings estate in a cardboard box. When found the next morning by Skip, the caretaker who has associated with the wrong crowd in the past, he decides to keep her.

Blessings is the story of how this child changes Skip's life, as well as that of old, bitter matriarch Mrs. Lydia Blessing, who surprises us by helping Skip keep the baby.

This slow-paced, descriptive novel uses flashbacks from Mrs. Blessing's life, allowing the reader to discover this woman little by little, from her childhood, to her brother Sunny, to her marriage and her relationship with her daughter.

This novel includes some unexpected twists that help to make this cast of wonderful characters oh so human.

I hope you enjoy this book as I did.

This is not the type of book to read through quickly. Though only 226 pages in length it tells a story of 80 years. Like Quindlen's "Black and Blue" it will make you cry, but crying seems to feel so good when reading a book this momentous.

Another reviewer spoke of unanswered questions. I would implore anyone who reads this book to do so slowly over a week or two in order to process the huge amount of information that is given in each paragraph. All the answers are there.

Like most of my favorite books this one can best be summed up in one word, bittersweet.

A newborn baby is abandoned at an estate called Blessings and is discovered by the young caretaker. The story that follows is a heart warming tale with wonderfully rich characters. There are many tender and sweet moments that made my eyes fill. Descriptions of an old, closed-off woman gradually opening up to the marvels of a small infant. A young man discovering he is an important part of someone's life. And the simple discoveries a baby makes every day. Quindlen has an interesting writing style. She doesn't describe her characters in full at the beginning, but reveals them layer by layer as the story evolves, like making a new friend in real life. The two main characters, Charles "Skip" Cuddy and Mrs. Lydia Blessing are absolute jewels and well worth getting to know. If you need a lift, this is the perfect book to read. And if you know a friend who needs to feel good about something, give them this book to read. It is a story for sharing.

This is my first book by Anna Quindlen and I'm not sure I will be thrilled to read anymore of her books. This book took me a long time to read (which means I wasn't on the edge of my seat!) The book started off great but then just seemed to keep me barely interested. Then the ending...I can't believe I read this to have it end so poorly. I hope other people don't waste there time as I did.

I have read the previous works of Anna Quindlen and have enjoyed them quite a bit. I wish I could say the same thing for "Blessings", I just could not get past the incrediably unlikely premise that this story is based on. We have Skip, a twentysomething single guy, down on his luck, and needing a break after taking the fall for a robbery attempt and spending some time in jail. He goes to work for Lydia Blessing an elderly, wealthy, widow with more than her share of personal and family secrets. Now enter baby "Faith". Skip finds a newborn foundling left on his doorstep (he lives over the garage at Lydia's estate), and what does our petty criminal with a heart of gold decide; I'll keep this baby as my own, yes, that won't cause any concerns with my parole officer. Honestly what do you think the chances of a 20 year old guy with a whole heap of issues, taking on the dauting responsibilities of caring for a newborn not his own are? After I suspended all disbelief, I began to think, well it is possible. Then I remembered what a newborn is all about and thought no way, no how. In any event, the story moves on with Lydia finding out about the baby and the two forming an odd friendship based on their growing and mutual adoration of the infant. There was likely no way to end this story "happily", but this ending felt rushed and forced to me, not at all satisfying. I actually found the side story about Lydia Blessings early life, her secrets and family far more interesting than the Skip and the baby route. The author could easily have written a far more compelling novel, by focusing just on this storyline. As it stands this one comes off about as bland as baby formula.

This is a lovely, lyrical book about family, change, and our need for one another. It's the first book by Anna Quindlen I've read, and she is definitely added to my "Favorite Authors List."
I appreciate her insight and wisdom into the complex family bonds that sometimes extend to those outside our family circle. Thoroughly enjoyable and worth your time.

This is the first book I've read by Anna Quinlen. It's an imaginative story with characters who seem like people you might run into at church, at the country club or at the grocery store...folks you've seen here and there and maybe wondered about the lives they're living.

When Skip Cuddy, handyman/gardener on the Blessings estate, decides to keep a foundling he finds quite literally on his doorstep, he discovers more about life and about himself than he could ever have imagined.

As the story develops, Quinlen deftly interweaves past and present, all the while painting memorable word pictures of settings and individuals. The reader must pay close attention as memories flow -- Lydia Blessing, who is 80+, shares the protagonist role with Skip. Through her the reader participates in the natural flow of an aging mind. These parts of the story are quite skillfully done; and are clearly recognizable to someone who is familiar with the elderly.

The writer's use of language is delightful. I get so tired of choppy, incomplete sentences in modern novels. Quinlen's writing is not only intelligent, but gloriously descriptive. The story becomes a delightful dream that unfolds in the imagination.

The ending is not one I would have chosen, but I did have the impression that there's more to be written about these characters, especially little Faith and Jenny and Skip. Whatever happens to Skip in the rest of his life, the lessons he has learned during the course of the events in the book have changed him and he will create a future for himself that is far better than he would have had if little Faith had not come into his life.

Anna Quinlen is an immensely talented writer. I'm looking forward to reading her other books and I'll certainly eagerly await the next one.