Tammy's comments (member since Oct 29, 2007)

Tammy's comments from the Barbara Delinsky Reading Group and Q&A group.

I also wanted to add a "thank you" to GoodReads and Barbara Delinsky -- this was a much appreciated opportunity!

I would like to know more about Corinne starts her life over. Or maybe how Jennifer (and/or the other half-siblings) accept the that their mother wasn't "the love of [Father Jack]'s life".

I don't think so. He accepts and helps others readily, it seems.

I think it's hard to predict how you will react to an unexpected event. I also think it's hard to change your perception of something you've been taught or lived with for your whole life -- and he was raised with a certain perception of his family.

(I think this is what you're asking about Eaton, but it's been a while since I finished the book, so if I misunderstood, please correct me.) I'm not sure I see that Eaton has much choice. Can he really live with his decision if he lets the book go to market with such a glaring error? Wouldn't it ruin his reputation or at least call into question the research he has done on past books.

I briefly entertained the idea that he went ahead with publishing under the current form, but in a year when the paperback comes out they use the "new and updated! shocking new chapter!" type of sales pitch.

I don't know what's really plausible for the publishing industry (can you yank a book off the press at such a late stage? cancel all the signings? can you knowing publish something as "non-fiction" with errors? -- here I am reminded of "A Million Little Pieces").

I have read a couple of interviews where the author says the characters often surprise the author with what they do. This is amazing to me! For some reason I think that since a fiction author can control all aspects (ie; the book isn't based on historical events) that they will control all aspects.

I will say that I was surprised a bit by Hugh - in the first chapter he seems to be comfortable asserting his independence over his family, but in the middle of the book seems confused by where his loyalties lie. It seemed easier for him to view the world objectively than it was for him to examine his own life. I like that he had to go through the re-examination process though.

I was surprised by some of Dana's resistance to her biological father's overtures (or general interaction with his family). The possible kinship seems like such a long shot...although the knitting circle sounds like good company even if that doesn't turn out to be true.

I was surprised by the woman at the knitting store that seemed to be there on a hunch that she was related to Hugh (is this Saundra?).

I like it when characters surprise me or when they do something "unexpected" but which makes sense within their character/thought process.

You have a wide variety of topics and inspirations. I think the reason my book club was drawn to this book was the unusual topic.

I am curious about the time frame to writing a book. How much time does it take to do all the pieces (research/outline, the writing and editing you mention)?

I am also curious if other factors enter into the writing of a book. My book club chooses to meet once a month and to read books in the 200-300 page range (which narrows the choices in many cases). At the end of Family Tree, we all wanted more detail -- but if there was much more it wouldn't have made it on our list because it would've been deemed "too long". Do you have way you want to tell a story? Do you try to keep it in a certain number of chapters/length? How do you balance description versus action/dialog?

Thanks for including me in the discussion!