What to Keep

by Rachel Cline

Book Overview

Denny Roman at twelve: a midwestern girl with a clueless family, a bit part in the school play, a crush on the drama teacher, and concerns about frontal development. Her mother and father, divorced... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1400061830
• ISBN13: 9781400061839
• Release Date: April 2004
• Publisher: Random House (NY)
• Length: 290 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.8" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

A great debut, a promising new author

WHAT TO KEEP by Rachel Cline May 15, 2005 WHAT TO KEEP by Rachel Cline was an interestingly written novel about Denny (Eden) Roman and her dysfunctional family, at different times of her life. The book is separated into three parts, and in each part the reader sees a glimpse of the main character at the age of 12, 26, and finally at age 36. The book right away depicts the family as a victim of divorce. Denny's parents are brain surgeons and do not have much time for family life, including their daughter Denny. Lily and Charles Roman are already divorced in the opening of the novel, but both parents do play a role in Denny's life. A third adult, Maureen, plays a much more important role than her own parents do. She runs an answering service, but her duties soon move into family territory by helping to run the household and be there for Denny when she needs her. The three parts of WHAT TO KEEP are comparable to snapshots taken at different times of their lives. With Denny at 12, she is struggling to find an identity, yearning for her parents' attention but knows always that she'll come up short. Maureen is what saves Denny during these growing up years. At age 26, Denny is now a struggling actress, and her mother is married to Phil, a man she once had a fling with back in part one, and the two of them are moving to New York. Denny again is struggling with her relationship with her mother, and seems more focused on her career and her memories in the house she grew up in, rather than being there emotionally for her mother. She doesn't feel she gets any support from Lily, and when Denny finds out she's up for a movie roll in a film by Robert Altman, she tries to find a way to go back to Los Angeles earlier than she had planned. A significant turning point does occur in this time of her life, something that happens between Phil and herself. It changes their relationship, oddly enough for the better. At age 36, Denny is now a playwright and is about to have her first play open. She is nervous but proud that she has reached this point in her life. It is yet another pivotal part of her life, and again her relationship with her mother comes into play. Throughout all three sections, Maureen seems to play a large part in Denny's life. While at first she seems to be in the background, it slowly becomes apparent how Maureen is really the surrogate parent that Denny needed, in childhood as well as an adult. It is Maureen that is there for Denny during key moments such as a school play. It is sad to know that Denny's own biological parents are not able to fulfill that role, but at the same time it is interesting to read about the dynamics that make this family work. What was most enjoyable about this book were scenes that the author chose to use to describe this family. Quirky scenes, such as Lily's adventures after being involved in a car accident, are part of the charm of WHAT TO KEEP. And the fact that each person in this novel is not

One of the Best of the Year

Rachel Cline has captured the love and connections and frustrations inherent in family relationships so well. I loved Denny, especially as a child, and the book had me chuckling throughout and a little misty-eyed at the end. And, as mentioned before, as an added bonus, the cover is terrific. Can't wait for Cline's next work.

A Woman's Search for Meaning

I really enjoyed this impressive first novel because it captured two of life's essential themes through a contemporary lens: struggling when life does not deal us all the cards that we would have liked, and our search for meaning in life when we are coming to terms with that reality. From the beginning of the story, the main character reflects a common experience of coping with parental imprefections, divorce, adolescent social tensions, and the like in a very human way. Like the other main characters, her thoughts are described in a way that makes her human and complicated. I don't want to give away the final scenes, but her attempt to find something in life that will give greater meaning to her existence is poignant and makes the reader ponder his own similiar quest.

Excellent story

This is a great first novel. Although the story spans 3 acts, over 25 years, I was instantly drawn into the characters and became a member of the extended, but surely disfunctional family. Rachel Cline has made her characters grow throughout the story; it was a pleasure to go with them. Brava.

Loved It!

I really enjoyed this book. I was looking for a new writer and a good story - and with this book I found both and more. I read the book in a couple of days - because I just enjoyed the story so much. The characters were interesting without being so self-absorbed that they became not fun to read. I was engaged and found myself rooting for all the characters in their own unique ways - I definitely recommend it.