0 ratings | 0 reviews | avg rating:0.0

Barbara's Bookshelves

read (0)
currently-reading (0)
to-read (0)

Barbara’s Friends (367)

Brenda

817 books | 107 friends

Tanya

1,245 books | 39 friends

Colleen

602 books | 448 friends

Joan Wise

2,315 books | 112 friends

Laura

321 books | 299 friends

Robyn Gail

2,028 books | 587 friends

Glenda

1,117 books | 103 friends

Shawna

20,026 books | 1,174 friends

More friends…

Barbara is following 1 person

Barbara Delinsky

Goodreads author profile

url

http://www.goodreads.com/barbaradelinsky

born

The United States

gender

female

website

http://www.barbaradelinsky.com/

genre

Literature & Fiction

influences

Much of my inspiration comes from current events, and I include in tha...more

member since

October 2007

About this author

edit data

I was born and raised in suburban Boston. My mother’s death, when I was eight, was the defining event of a childhood that was otherwise ordinary. I took piano lessons and flute lessons. I took ballroom dancing lessons. I went to summer camp through my fifteenth year (in Maine, which explains the setting of so many of my stories), then spent my sixteenth summer learning to type and to drive (two skills that have served me better than all of my other high school courses combined). I earned a B.A. in Psychology at Tufts University and an M.A. in Sociology at Boston College. The motivation behind the M.A. was sheer greed. My husband was just starting law school. We needed the money.

Following graduate school, I worked as a researcher with the M...more I was born and raised in suburban Boston. My mother’s death, when I was eight, was the defining event of a childhood that was otherwise ordinary. I took piano lessons and flute lessons. I took ballroom dancing lessons. I went to summer camp through my fifteenth year (in Maine, which explains the setting of so many of my stories), then spent my sixteenth summer learning to type and to drive (two skills that have served me better than all of my other high school courses combined). I earned a B.A. in Psychology at Tufts University and an M.A. in Sociology at Boston College. The motivation behind the M.A. was sheer greed. My husband was just starting law school. We needed the money.

Following graduate school, I worked as a researcher with the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, and as a photographer and reporter for the Belmont Herald. I did the newspaper work after my first son was born. Since I was heavily into taking pictures of him, I worked for the paper to support that habit. Initially, I wrote only in a secondary capacity, to provide copy for the pictures I took. In time, I realized that I was better at writing than photography. I used both skills doing volunteer work for hospital groups, and have served on the Board of Directors of the Friends of the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center and on the MGH’s Women’s Cancer Advisory Board.

I became an actual writer by fluke. My twins were four when, by chance, I happened on a newspaper article profiling three female writers. Intrigued, I spent three months researching, plotting, and writing my own book - and it sold.

My niche? I write about the emotional crises that we face in our lives. Readers identify with my characters. They know them. They are them. I'm an everyday woman writing about everyday people facing not-so-everyday challenges.

My novels are character-driven studies of marriage, parenthood, sibling rivalry, and friendship, and I've been blessed in having readers who buy them eagerly enough to put them on the major bestseller lists. Family Tree was published in 2007, The Secret Between Us in 2008, While My Sister Sleeps in 2009, and Not My Daughter in 2010. My latest, Escape, is a 2011 publication.

2011? Yikes. I didn’t think I’d live that long. I thought I’d die of breast cancer back in the 1900's, like my mom. But I didn’t. I was diagnosed twelve years ago, had surgery and treatment, and here I am, stronger than ever and loving having authored yet another book, this one the non-fiction Uplift: Secrets From the Sisterhood of Breast Cancer Survivors. First published in 2001, Uplift is a handbook of practical tips and upbeat anecdotes that I compiled with the help of 350 breast cancer survivors, their families and friends. These survivors just ... blew me away! They gave me the book that I wish I’d had way back when I was diagnosed. There is no medical information here, nothing frightening, simply practical advice from friends who’ve had breast cancer. The 5th Anniversary Volume of Uplift is now in print, with a 10th Anniversary Volume due in September 2011. And the money I’ve made on the book? Every cent has gone to my charitable foundation, which funds an ongoing research fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Visit my Facebook Fan Page: www.facebook.com/bdelinsky
(less)

combine editions
Barbara Delinsky's Books

Average rating: 3.66 · 66,202 ratings · 5,754 reviews · 150 distinct works · Similar authors

	Not My Daughter 3.69 of 5 stars 3.69 avg rating — 9,240 ratings — published 2009 — 18 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	While My Sister Sleeps 3.74 of 5 stars 3.74 avg rating — 6,664 ratings — published 2009 — 19 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Secret Between Us 3.63 of 5 stars 3.63 avg rating — 6,790 ratings — published 2008 — 24 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Family Tree 3.47 of 5 stars 3.47 avg rating — 5,122 ratings — published 2007 — 27 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Coast Road 3.92 of 5 stars 3.92 avg rating — 3,756 ratings — published 1998 — 25 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Escape 3.48 of 5 stars 3.48 avg rating — 3,769 ratings — published 2011 — 15 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Flirting With Pete 3.79 of 5 stars 3.79 avg rating — 2,330 ratings — published 2003 — 25 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Lake News 3.76 of 5 stars 3.76 avg rating — 2,126 ratings — published 1999 — 31 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Woman Next Door 3.66 of 5 stars 3.66 avg rating — 2,017 ratings — published 2001 — 35 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Summer I Dared 3.74 of 5 stars 3.74 avg rating — 1,957 ratings — published 2004 — 22 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Barbara Delinsky…

Series by Barbara Delinsky

Blake Sisters (2 books)
by Barbara Delinsky (Goodreads Author)
3.7361073825503355 of 5 stars 3.74 avg rating — 3,725 ratings

Victoria Lesser (3 books)
by Barbara Delinsky (Goodreads Author)
3.293150684931507 of 5 stars 3.29 avg rating — 365 ratings

Crosslyn Rise's Dreams (3 books)
by Barbara Delinsky (Goodreads Author)
3.442815249266862 of 5 stars 3.44 avg rating — 341 ratings

Something Forever (2 books)
by Barbara Delinsky (Goodreads Author)
3.227272727272727 of 5 stars 3.23 avg rating — 66 ratings

Upcoming Events

No scheduled events. Add an event.

Barbara’s Writing

Escape (Literature & Fiction)

1 chapters — updated Jul 25, 2011 09:15am

Description: Emily Aulenbach is 32, a lawyer married to a lawyer, living and working in Manhattan. An idealist, she had once dreamed of representing victims of corporate abuse, and signed on with a firm that promised this, but it hasn't worked out. She spends her days in a cubicle, surrounded by lawyers in other cubicles, talking on the phone with people sickened by tainted bottled water. Her firm is being paid by the bottler to minimize claims. Convinced that she is betraying her dreams, she has looked into changing firms, but no one is hiring. She wakes up each morning dreading her work. And it isn't only work. It's her sister, her friends, even her husband James, with whom she doesn't connect the way she used to. Her relationships are superficial and rushed. She connects to three things - her computer, her BlackBerry, and her watch. One particularly difficult Friday, she realizes that her life is all wrong. Uncharacteristically acting on impulse, she leaves work early, goes home, packs her bag, and takes off. As she gropes toward the future, though, she finds herself going back - back to the small New Hampshire town where she had last been unequivocably happy and carefree. If she were to map out her life, this was the spot where she had made her first wrong turn. Escape is the story of the dreams we have and the heart-breaking task of giving up the parts that don't work, salvaging those that do, and creating new dreams for what lies ahead.

THE SECRET BETWEEN US (Literature & Fiction)

1 chapters — updated Mar 29, 2010 04:32pm

Description: Chapter 1

Family Tree, by Barbara Delinsky (Literature & Fiction)

1 chapters — updated Mar 29, 2010 04:32pm

Description: Chapter 1

rss
Barbara's Recent Updates

Barbara is now following Bradley's reviews
Sep 30, 2011 12:10am · like
Barbara wrote Escape: Chapter 1 "Chapter 1 Have you ever woken up in a cold sweat, thinking that you've taken a wrong turn and are stuck in a life you don't want? Did you ever consider hitting the brakes, backing up, and heading elsewhere? How about disappearing - leaving family,..." Read more of this chapter »
Jul 25, 2011 09:15am · like
Barbara said "yes" to attending Author Chat with Barbara Delinsky date: July 25, 2011 12:00PM location: Here on Goodreads.com, The United States description: Join author Barbara Delinsky for a chat to discuss her brand new New York Times bestselling novel, ESCAPE. Barbara will check in several times a day the week of July 25-29, so be sure to join the group and post your questions!
Jul 25, 2011 08:32am · like
Barbara wrote THE SECRET BETWEEN US: Chapter 1 "They were arguing in the seconds before impact. Later, Deborah Monroe would agonize about that, wondering whether, had she been focused solely on the road, she might have seen something sooner and been able to prevent what occurred - because the a..." Read more of this chapter »
Nov 28, 2007 01:43pm · like
Barbara made a comment in the group Barbara Delinsky Reading Group and Q&A — Do you have hidden biases? topic "Well spoken, Gretchen. You're an amazing mom!"
Nov 14, 2007 07:44am
Barbara made a comment in the group Barbara Delinsky Reading Group and Q&A — Can we talk about Dorothy? topic "I talked with a reading group last week that asked whether Dorothy wouldn't feel something different about her husband, after learning of Lizzie's tru...more "
Nov 14, 2007 07:43am
Barbara made a comment in the group Barbara Delinsky Reading Group and Q&A — Yes or no -- is Hugh a bigot? topic "Thanks to both of you for understanding Hugh. Some readers are just furious with him. But he is who he is because he is who he is! How about Eaton? Do...more "
Nov 14, 2007 06:03am
Barbara made a comment in the group Barbara Delinsky Reading Group and Q&A — Genetic tests -- good or bad? topic "I agree with both of you about testing for a disease. My mother died of breast cancer. My sisters and I were watched closely and have all now actually...more "
Nov 14, 2007 05:59am
Barbara made a comment in the group Barbara Delinsky Reading Group and Q&A — Gemstone by Barbara Delinsky topic "Great, Hannah! That's always my goal -- making characters so real that readers can't let go. I'm always glad to know when it works. "
Nov 14, 2007 05:55am