Saul

by Rosemary Kay

Saul weighed only 1 lb., 4 oz. when he was born, and fitted into the palm of the midwife's hand. But he arrived kicking and screaming -- and clearly wanted to live. Saul is the powerful and thought-provoking story of the author's own son, who was born after 23 weeks in the womb. (There are a handful of 23 weekers who have survived intact. There are no surviving 22 weekers.) Told from the tiny baby's point of view, the resulting fictional memoir is...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312253338
• ISBN13: 9780312253332
• Release Date: February 2000
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 310 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.8" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Thought-provoking

I read this book shortly following the birth of my daughter. Although my baby was a healthy 8lbs at birth, this book made me so much more conscious of the fact that she is a living, breathing, thinking, little person. I find now that I interact with her differently; aware that even at 2 months of age she is capable of forming thoughts. Rosemary Kay did a great service to ALL mothers; reminding us through Saul's voice that babies are people too. These days I find myself wondering what exactly my 'little Ella' is thinking.

Good book but....

Let me start by saying I really did, for the most part, LOVE this book. I found, though, being an American, some of the "UK English" and terms left me puzzling out parts of the story. The NICU story itself impressed me greatly (being the mom of a 26 weeker myself) but most of the Scotland vignettes really seemed to detract from Saul's story. I even read the book a second and third time to see if I had missed something- for the most part, they just didn't seem to fit! On the whole, I really recommend this book for ANYONE that has been touched by the NICU- and if you figure out the Scotland thing, please e-mail me! :)

A stunning novel

I never knew it was possible for the written word to simultaneously break my heart and uplift my soul. "Saul" is completely compelling, gripping me from the first page and not letting go until the last. The story, told from the viewpoint of an extremely premature baby in the NICU, gives amazing insight into what the world of these tiny ones might be like. While I think it might be too emotionally fraught for someone who had recently experienced a miscarriage or lost a child, I will still recommmend it to all of my friends and colleagues.

Saul

Having lost twins born around the same gestation as Saul, I felt I could identify with Rosemary. I did'nt spend nearly as long getting to know my babies, but through Saul, I felt I had found a way of knowing them a little more. This book was written superbly and held my attention long after I had finished it and still does. Buy the hard back. A paperback would'nt stand the tears of despair and joy and the constant re-reading it would have to endure. Thank you Rosemary for giving me a little more understanding.

A beautifully written, powerful novel

One of the best books I've read for a very long time. Rosemary Kay has written a deeply moving and powerful novel - inspirational, humurous, spiritual, factual, imaginative....it makes a winning combination out of a tragic story. I loved this book so much it's on the top of my "recommends" list, and will be for a long while.