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50th out of 51 books
—
43 voters
The Diary
by
Eileen Goudge (Goodreads Author)
When the two grown daughters of Elizabeth Marshall discover an old diary of their mother’s in her attic, it comes as a shock to learn that the true love of Elizabeth’s life was not their father. This is the mystery the two daughters must unravel as they stay up late reading the words penned by Elizabeth so long ago. Their mother can’t give them the answers: After a massive...more
Hardcover, 224 pages
Published
April 7th 2009
by Vanguard Press
(first published January 1st 2009)
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I really enjoyed this book. It reminded me of 'The Wednesday Letters' and 'The Notebook.' When I finished it made me realize how important it is that we let our children know who we are, even if we can't face it when we are still walking on the earth.
This is PG-13 because there is a love scene smack in the middle of the book. It was written very technically, so I wasn't embarrased to read it. It wasn't trashy, just honest I think. However, if you were put off by 'Breaking Dawn' then I would skip...more
This is PG-13 because there is a love scene smack in the middle of the book. It was written very technically, so I wasn't embarrased to read it. It wasn't trashy, just honest I think. However, if you were put off by 'Breaking Dawn' then I would skip...more
Who doesn't love a love story, and Eileen Goudge's The Diary is just that, a story of love and all its wonderful complexities.
The story begins when two middle-aged sisters come across their dying mother's old diary while cleaning out the attic, and they are confronted with the realization that Dad was not the love of their mother's life, as she had always led them to believe.
Although it took a little while for me to warm up to this book, about a third of the way through I found myself thoroughl...more
The story begins when two middle-aged sisters come across their dying mother's old diary while cleaning out the attic, and they are confronted with the realization that Dad was not the love of their mother's life, as she had always led them to believe.
Although it took a little while for me to warm up to this book, about a third of the way through I found myself thoroughl...more
Well, I read this book, wasn't sure I liked it, decided I did when I loved the middle, kept reading, nailed the ending before it happened and was pleasantly happy about it. Then I thought about it more and realized how ridiculous it really was by the end. But I got suckered into it and realized that this would probably make a good film along the lines of any Nicholas Sparks book would. It is very clean and sweet - I kept thinking this is a book I could read to my grandmother and not be embarrass...more
Sep 29, 2011
Margarida Cruz
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
segredo-dos-livros
Delicioso!! Uma autêntica ternura para os nossos corações enregelados por este frio invernal.
A capa só por si remete-nos para a terna história que nos espera nas páginas de O Diário. A simplicidade de umas folhas enlaçadas e das cores que adornam o rosto deste lindo romance vão em tudo de encontram à simplicidade dos sentimentos e emoções que nos são descritos ao longo de todo este pequeno livrinho.
Confesso que ao início as expectativas não eram elevadas. Não só desconhecia o trabalho desta auto...more
A capa só por si remete-nos para a terna história que nos espera nas páginas de O Diário. A simplicidade de umas folhas enlaçadas e das cores que adornam o rosto deste lindo romance vão em tudo de encontram à simplicidade dos sentimentos e emoções que nos são descritos ao longo de todo este pequeno livrinho.
Confesso que ao início as expectativas não eram elevadas. Não só desconhecia o trabalho desta auto...more
4 likes · like · see review
This was one of the best books I have ever read.The Diary by Eileen Goudge had me sobbing at 4 a.m. this morning as I finished it. I don't think I have ever sobbed while reading a book! The ending took me completely by surprise and that never happens. It was a truly beautiful and heartbreaking story... Two daughters are packing up their mother's belongings as she lay dying in a nursing facility from a stroke and is unable to communicate. They come across a diary written by their mother the year...more
What a great book this was! It was a little slow for me to get into, but I think that was mainly because I had too much going on in my own life at the time. Once I gave it a chance and really got into it, it was really great. I kept wanting to find the time to sit down and read it and see how it turned out. The ending was phenominal. I kind of saw it coming a little bit, but it was just kind of a "wishful thinking" kind of thing and so when it actually happened, I was stunned. The only thing I w...more
INSIDE COVER BLURB: A bestselling author known for her storytelling prowess, "Goudge's characters leap from the page ready to engage readers" (The Denver Rocky Mountain News), and never more so than in The Diary, that begins when two sisters searching in their mother's attic are given the shock of their lives...
Elizabeth Marshall's grown daughters had no idea their mother's old diary would turn the image of their parent's happy marriage upside down. For upon reading the opening pages, they learn...more
Elizabeth Marshall's grown daughters had no idea their mother's old diary would turn the image of their parent's happy marriage upside down. For upon reading the opening pages, they learn...more
I read this in one day. It was a short and simple read but pleasurable. It is not a "buxom beauty ravished by Fabio" type love story either, but a clean, sweet telling of a romantic tale that takes place in the 1950s. The book opens with Emily and Sarah going thru their mother's things as their mother lies in the hospital suffering from stroke and old age. They find their mother's diary and upon reading a few pages, they cannot put it down. Thus, thru their mother's words, they enter the world o...more
Sisters, Emily and Sarah were sorting through old boxes. They were cleaning things up as their mother isn’t doing very well and doesn’t have much time to live. In one of the boxes, Emily comes upon an old diary. The diary belongs to their mother. Emily and Sarah start reading it; not knowing that hidden inside laid a secret that would shock them. They expected to read a love story about how their mother, Elizabeth met and fell in love with their father, Bob. What they discover instead is that th...more
Elizabeth Marshall is in a coma in extended care and her daughters, Emily and Sarah, are cleaning out her house. Up in the attic they find Betsy's old diary. As they read it, they begin to see their mother and father in a new light.
A couple of days ago I saw a blog post about short novels. I read a few comments and thought to myself, I don't think I would enjoy a short novel. No time to really get to know the characters or get involved in the plot. Well, I was wrong. I liked this short novel. It...more
A couple of days ago I saw a blog post about short novels. I read a few comments and thought to myself, I don't think I would enjoy a short novel. No time to really get to know the characters or get involved in the plot. Well, I was wrong. I liked this short novel. It...more
Eu, como romântica incurável, procuro sempre ler histórias comoventes e avassaladoras, com um amor mais forte que a própria vida – um amor que apesar de todos os obstáculos consiga sobreviver e romper com os estigmas impelidos pela sociedade. Ao descobrir este pequeno grande livro escondido na estante percebi que este era o seu momento de “brilhar”.
Num Mississípi dos anos 50, a hipocrisia e o preconceito reinavam. Esta discriminação não foi exclusiva dos negros, como o fenómeno literário “As ser...more
Num Mississípi dos anos 50, a hipocrisia e o preconceito reinavam. Esta discriminação não foi exclusiva dos negros, como o fenómeno literário “As ser...more
4 likes · like · see review
Feb 28, 2013
Vannessagrace Vannessagrace
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
eileen-goudge
With their father dead and their mother in the hospital dying, two daughters find their mother’s diary while cleaning out their parents’ home. The diary told the story of their mother’s love of two men. Their mother wrote of how her mother didn’t approve of the man she truly loved and how her mother convinced her to marry the man she saw as most suitable. The daughters were shocked to learn that their mother didn’t marry the man she loved but had settled on their father. The Diary ended when the...more
I picked up this book because I wrote a novel involving found journals and I wanted to see how other writers handled similar themes. I found this book to be lukewarm from beginning to end. The drama was diluted, the characters were flat; I couldn't warm up to them. I found myself growing annoyed at the writer's style of telling and not showing. By the end of the book I also grew annoyed by the narrator interupting the story to "fill in the blanks." Why not let the characters tell the story throu...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Two daughters, Sarah and Emily, are packing up their family home. Their father died the year before, and their mother, Elizabeth, is in an extended care facility following a stroke. Her death seems eminent.
Imagine their surprise, then, to find an old diary. They are somewhat reluctant to read it, to violate their parents’ privacy, but then delve into it. They find the story of their mother’s love for two men – one named A.J. and the other Bob – and how she was torn between them. As the story unf...more
Imagine their surprise, then, to find an old diary. They are somewhat reluctant to read it, to violate their parents’ privacy, but then delve into it. They find the story of their mother’s love for two men – one named A.J. and the other Bob – and how she was torn between them. As the story unf...more
Took a little bit to get into it but I'm so glad I stuck with it! The 2nd half was great and it even made me cry a little. The story line is similar to "The Notebook" as others have also mentioned.
I loved how the author described details like:
"The storm had passed, the only evidence of it now the wet pavement, slick in the glare of his headlights, to which the yellow leaves stuck, like so many telegrams announcing the imminent arrival of autumn."
"...cowboy boots that had stamped a path in th...more
I loved how the author described details like:
"The storm had passed, the only evidence of it now the wet pavement, slick in the glare of his headlights, to which the yellow leaves stuck, like so many telegrams announcing the imminent arrival of autumn."
"...cowboy boots that had stamped a path in th...more
So, at first, I didn't have high expectations for this book. It just seemed like a normal book. Nothing exdrordinary, but nothing bad, either. Neutral. Boy, was I wrong.
Two sisters find their comatose mother's diary in the attic, in The Diary. As they continue to read through their mother's past via diary entries, they come to discover that her mother in her past had two lovers: Bob, the man who's stable and very loyal. Who's safe, in a way. Then there's AJ, the man who's unpredictable, but who...more
Two sisters find their comatose mother's diary in the attic, in The Diary. As they continue to read through their mother's past via diary entries, they come to discover that her mother in her past had two lovers: Bob, the man who's stable and very loyal. Who's safe, in a way. Then there's AJ, the man who's unpredictable, but who...more
I enjoyed reading this novel about a young woman torn to choose between two wonderful but different men. It reminded me of "The Notebook", but with not as compelling of a story. The guy from the wrong side of the tracks, AJ, didn't have any "danger" to him other than he lit his uncle's car on fire and served time. But mostly he was a good, nice, decent fellow. And Bob, the handsome quarterback was just too nice as well. There was no jealousy at all. They practically fell over each other to be ni...more
The Diary is a lovely story about two middle-aged sisters, Sarah and Emily, who find their mother's old diary while they're packing up her possessions after the sale of her home. Their mother, Elizabeth or Bets, is in a nursing home after suffering a serious stroke that left her unable to talk or move. In the diary, the two sisters find out some deeply buried secrets about their mother's and father's lives back in 1951. The chapters alternate between the story of Elizabeth's life in 1951 and Sar...more
Ok, so, people who love this genre are going to enjoy this book. I would hand this over to anyone who loves backward-told romances, fans of Nicholas Sparks, or readers who enjoyed Water for Elephants.
However, to me, this read like a novel created by the Lifetime Movie people. I couldn't get into the characters and was surprised by their overreactions throughout the book. I couldn't tell the two sisters apart. I think one is supposed to be in her 50's which then made me wonder even harder why she...more
However, to me, this read like a novel created by the Lifetime Movie people. I couldn't get into the characters and was surprised by their overreactions throughout the book. I couldn't tell the two sisters apart. I think one is supposed to be in her 50's which then made me wonder even harder why she...more
What a surprisingly good romance story! I had put it back on the shelf about half way through, unsure if I liked where the book was taking me. Which is a shame because if I had continued on a few more pages I would have seen that this book was going to turn out to be something amazing! I don't want to go into too much detail as it will spoil it, and had I read a review that had given me a full description I would have been very disappointed reading it. The most you need is to read the jacket, an...more
A friend brought me this book and said that I had to read it. She loved it, I didn't. Two sisters find a diary in their mother's attic written before their mother's marriage which indicated that her mother was in love with another man. They couldn't ask their mother about this information because she was in the hospital after suffering a life-threatening stroke which rendered her unable to communicate. So they are left reading the diary and trying to unravel the secrets it contained. The story j...more
When the two grown daughters of Elizabeth Marshall discover an old diary of their mother’s in her attic, it comes as a shock to learn that the true love of Elizabeth’s life was not their father. This is the mystery the two daughters must unravel as they stay up late reading the words penned by Elizabeth so long ago. Their mother can’t give them the answers: After a massive stroke, she lies mute and near death in a nursing home. Only the pages of her diary can provide clues to what really happene...more
sweet enough story. Could kind of guess who the father was, but not how the story would get there.
A $5.00 caricature in 1951 would cost $41.50 in 2010. Seems like a high price for something from the fair.
Unfortunately, there were period problems and the life span timing doesn't work out correctly. This should have taken place during the Vietnam war. You would have had the same social issues and war story. But the girls would have been the right age for parents who were in their 20's in 1951. The...more
A $5.00 caricature in 1951 would cost $41.50 in 2010. Seems like a high price for something from the fair.
Unfortunately, there were period problems and the life span timing doesn't work out correctly. This should have taken place during the Vietnam war. You would have had the same social issues and war story. But the girls would have been the right age for parents who were in their 20's in 1951. The...more
When the two grown daughters of Elizabeth Marshall discover an old diary of their mother’s in her attic, it comes as a shock to learn that the true love of Elizabeth’s life was not their father. This is the mystery the two daughters must unravel as they stay up late reading the words penned by Elizabeth so long ago. Their mother can’t give them the answers: After a massive stroke, she lies mute and near death in a nursing home. Only the pages of her diary can provide clues to what really happene...more
Elizabeth’s story was a good one, even if there wasn’t anything terrible original. The only thing that set it apart is how it was told and while I disliked the jumping between viewpoints it did allow for some much needed suspense at the end. The end was not a complete surprise to me (as it was to those silly daughters) but there were enough questions to want me to keep listening. Why did Elizabeth end up with stable Bob and not passionate AJ? Inquiring minds want to know.
I thought it was a solid...more
I thought it was a solid...more
Two sisters find their mother's diary as they are cleaning out the attic. Their mother is in a coma, and they aren't sure whether she will recover. The entries reveal a passionate woman that they have a hard time seeing as their mother. This woman is torn between two men who lay claim to her heart, and the daughters cannot imagine her loving another man who is not their father. They are torn between intruding on her privacy and finding out who she chose.
Initially this read a bit slowly and painf...more
Initially this read a bit slowly and painf...more
1 like · like · see review
3.5 stars would be a better rating. This is a quick read, and I did enjoy it. The format the author chose requires suspending disbelief a bit as the daughters get an incredible amount of detail from their mother's diary. It would be more believable if the book were written from the mother's memory, perhaps by telling the story to her daughters instead of a written diary. I was disappointed that the daughters do not have a chance to discuss the content of the diary with their mother. The "surpris...more
As Elizabeth’s two grown daughters are clearing out her house they come upon a diary their mother kept as a young woman. Knowing they probably should not read it, curiosity gets the better of them and they delve into their mother’s past. Soon enough the work around them is forgotten as their mother’s words transport them (and the reader) back to 1951. Discovering that their mother had a “love of her life” that apparently was not their father comes as a shock. Who was this mystery man their mothe...more
Their mother is in a nursing home, dying. The daughters are at her house, trying to sort through and accept her imminent death. Emily finds an old diary in the attic, one her mother kept before marrying their father. As she reads the first few pages, she learns her mother's true love was not her father, but some mysterious man they've never heard of, an A. J. Just who is this man, and why did they not know about him?
This book stood out to me because it proved, no matter who you know--for how lon...more
This book stood out to me because it proved, no matter who you know--for how lon...more
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I was born on the Fourth of July, and it's been fireworks ever since. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay area as one of six kids, I was never without a cast with which to stage my early theatrical productions, which included a musical rendition of "The Christmas Carol," in which I was Ebenezer Scrooge. I began writing at age eight, with short stories and poems, and I haven’t looked back since. Fr...more
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Nov 11, 2012 10:05pm