What do readers think of Bloom by Kelle Hampton? Write your own review.

I was so looking forward to reading this book but unfortunately I wasn't wowed by it. The author presents a heart-wrenching story about giving birth to a child with Down Syndrome. Her story kept me interested enough but there was something really missing that I can't put my finger on.

Bloom is a memoir about a very difficult time in a family's life. I was hoping to read about the day to day struggles of having a baby with Down's Syndrome, and there was some of that. However, the book was very sappy and melodramatic. I found myself rolling my eyes and wincing when the author used words with capital letters such as Pain, Change or Sadness. It was difficult to finish the book, but I'm glad I did because there was certainly a change in the author towards her daughter and it was very positive. Overall the book was average, but could have been great if it had not been overrun with so many exaggerated emotions instead of just telling the story of how a mother fell in love with her new daughter who was not quite what she had expected.

I found this a difficult book to read - didn't enjoy the style in which it was presented. Having worked in the field of special needs children, as well as having such a child in the family, I empathized with the author - I was disappointed in the presentation of her memoir.

I really wanted to like this book and I didn't hate it, but I really never got what she was writing about except to say what a fabulous support system she had in her family and friends. Ms. Hampton spent a lot of time explaining her reaction (which seemed perfectly natural to me) when her daughter was born with Down Syndrome and a lot of time musing about how bad she felt for her reaction. The book didn't tell me anything about the syndrome or even very much about how one would handle having a child with Down Syndrome. I think the book proved that blog writers don't always translate to authors. There were some lovely photos, mostly of the author, and her children or friends, but nothing outstanding. Although I have not seen the author's blog, probably everything written in the book has appeared there. I might have been somewhat annoyed if I had paid for this book which was really a huge thank you to everyone who helped during Nella's first year. Again, what is the point.