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Barbara Delinsky

Goodreads Author

Born

The United States

Website

http://barbaradelinsky.com/

Twitter

BarbaraDelinsky

Genre

Literature & Fiction

Influences

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

Member Since

October 2007

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/barbaradelinsky

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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 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. One of my latest, Sweet Salt Air, came out in 2013. Blueprints, my second novel with St. Martin’s Press, became my 22nd New York Times bestselling novel soon after its release in June 2015. Making Up, my work in progress, will be published in 2018.

2018? 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 nearly twenty 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 10th Anniversary Volume of Uplift is now in print. 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.

Connect with me on Facebook: facebook.com/bdelinsky
Look for my photos on Instagram: instagram.com/barbaradelinsky ...more

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Combine Editions
Barbara Delinsky’s books

Average rating: 3.76 · 182,845 ratings · 13,846 reviews · 182 distinct works • Similar authors

	Not My Daughter 3.78 avg rating — 19,669 ratings — published 2009 — 24 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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 3.85 avg rating — 15,179 ratings — published 2009 — 30 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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 3.72 avg rating — 14,048 ratings — published 2008 — 37 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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 4.02 avg rating — 9,202 ratings — published 1998 — 30 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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
	Sweet Salt Air 3.83 avg rating — 10,866 ratings — published 2013 — 21 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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 3.56 avg rating — 9,173 ratings — published 2007 — 37 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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 3.59 avg rating — 9,374 ratings — published 2011 — 20 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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
	Before and Again 3.79 avg rating — 6,902 ratings — published 2018 — 20 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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
	Blueprints 3.73 avg rating — 6,765 ratings — published 2015 — 23 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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 3.87 avg rating — 4,946 ratings — published 2003 — 42 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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

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Barbara Delinsky's Blog

Discovery in the Time of COVID-19

We live in an interesting time, such a different life now from before. But not all of the changes have been bad. Granted, my family is well, so I’ve been spared the worst. Likewise, employment. I write every morning, same as always.

Not everyone is as lucky. My heart aches for those whose losses have been so much greater. A life lost is gone, but I pray that lost livelihoods do eventual

Series by Barbara Delinsky

Blake Sisters (2 books)
by

Barbara Delinsky (Goodreads Author)

3.83 avg rating — 7,748 ratings

Crosslyn Rise (3 books)
by

Barbara Delinsky (Goodreads Author)

3.80 avg rating — 2,411 ratings

Victoria Lesser (3 books)
by

Barbara Delinsky (Goodreads Author)

3.57 avg rating — 1,584 ratings

Matchmaker Trilogy (3 books)
by

Barbara Delinsky (Goodreads Author)

3.59 avg rating — 1,190 ratings

Matchmaker Trilogy (1 book)
by

Barbara Delinsky (Goodreads Author)

3.58 avg rating — 685 ratings

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Interview with Barbara Delinsky

In Sweet Salt Air, the New England author's latest romantic outing set on the coast of Maine, old secrets keep friends divided, even as they reunit...

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Barbara’s Writing

Blueprints (Literature & Fiction)

1 chapters — updated Jul 01, 2015 09:54AM

Description: Life doesn't always go the way we want, and when things go awry, it isn't always a question of going to plan B or C. Sometimes there IS no plan, because what life throws at you is out of the blue.

Escape (Literature & Fiction)

1 chapters — updated May 13, 2015 06:32PM

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

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Barbara’s Recent Updates

Barbara rated a book really liked it Redhead by the Side of the Road by Anne Tyler (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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
Do you love this title? Do you love witty prose and quirky characters and off-kilter love stories, not to mention family dilemmas that are unique in their very commonness? Do you love reading anything that has Anne Tyler’s name on it? If so, Redhead b ...more
May 19, 2020 06:49AM · 6 likes · like · see review
Barbara rated a book liked it Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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
I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating. The more glowing reviews a book gets pre-pub, the higher the expectation. Disappearing Earth is the latest. Though this book is billed as a novel, I found it to be more a collection of short stories, with e ...more
May 19, 2020 06:48AM · 2 likes · like · see review
Barbara has read Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips (Goodreads Author) Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee in Best Mystery & Thriller	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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
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Barbara rated a book it was amazing The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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
Let’s talk fantasy. I can’t read it all the time, but when an interesting one comes along, I’m game. The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow is such a book. In a nutshell: Told in the first person by a young girl who is raised in a Vermont ...more
May 19, 2020 06:48AM · 4 likes · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Barbara rated a book it was amazing The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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
Let’s talk fantasy. I can’t read it all the time, but when an interesting one comes along, I’m game. The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow is such a book. In a nutshell: Told in the first person by a young girl who is raised in a Vermont ...more
May 19, 2020 06:48AM · 4 likes · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Barbara rated a book it was amazing Afterlife by Julia Alvarez (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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
‘A sunburst of a novel’ is what one reviewer called Afterlife and the description is perfect. Julia Alvarez has outdone herself in this book. It’s a gem. In a nutshell: Antonia Vega, 66, is newly retired and newly widowed. Into the void of what-comes- ...more
May 19, 2020 06:47AM · 2 likes · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Afterlife by Julia Alvarez. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Afterlife by Julia Alvarez <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Barbara rated a book it was amazing The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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
Going way back to her 1984 debut novel, Love Medicine, I’ve been an admirer of Louise Erdrich’s work. She keeps getting better and better – her latest, The Night Watchman, being a case in point. It is loosely based on the life of her own grandfather, ...more
May 19, 2020 06:44AM · 1 like · like · see review
Barbara rated a book it was amazing The Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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
Starting this book, I had doubts. Finishing it, I had none. THE DEARLY BELOVED by Cara Wall is a brilliant character study of four people – two couples whose lives become entwined when the men, Presbyterian ministers, are hired to share a congregatio ...more
Oct 01, 2019 12:40PM · 10 likes · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Barbara rated a book really liked it The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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
This novel is a work of historical fiction that explores life in Appalachian Kentucky in the 1930s through the eyes of one woman. The author sheds light on the plight of impoverished Kentucky miners, the phenomenon of packhorse librarians who carried ...more
Oct 01, 2019 12:39PM · 5 likes · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Barbara rated a book really liked it The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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
Marie Benedict likens herself to an archaeologist digging up facts about women whose life achievements have been minimalized. Such is the case with THE ONLY WOMAN IN THE ROOM. Here, she tells the story of Hedy Lamarr, an actress born in Austria, comin ...more
Oct 01, 2019 12:38PM · 8 likes · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

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Quotes by Barbara Delinsky

“People don’t cry because they’re weak. They cry because they’ve been strong for too long.”
― Barbara Delinsky, Before and Again

tags: relationships, women

74 likes

“Rain didn't make things messy. People did that all on their own.”
― Barbara Delinsky, The Secret Between Us

tags: complications, life, rain

69 likes

“There are always hurdles in life. Getting over them is how we move forward.”
― Barbara Delinsky, Before and Again

tags: relationships, women

64 likes

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Polls

November Side Reads Poll

Landline

by Rainbow Rowell

18 votes, 30.5%

11/22/63

by Stephen King

17 votes, 28.8%

I Am Pilgrim

by Terry Hayes

12 votes, 20.3%

Sweet Salt Air

by Barbara Delinsky

6 votes, 10.2%

The Lifeboat

by Charlotte Rogan

6 votes, 10.2%

59 total votes

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Topics Mentioning This Author

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Romance Readers R...: May Monthly Challenge: Participants' Lists thread	230	462	Jun 02, 2009 02:24AM

Barbara’s Quotes

“The important part of growing older was the growing part. Resisting change meant forever standing still, which was a sad way to live.”
― Barbara Delinsky, Blueprints

tags: ageism, aging, blueprints, change, growing-older

9 likes

“So where does that leave me? I like hosting the show....It’s become my identity. If that’s gone, where am I?”
― Barbara Delinsky, Blueprints

tags: ageism, aging, discrimination, job, women, workplace

3 likes

“Every man wants love, if he can get past the fear of exposure.”
― Barbara Delinsky, Sweet Salt Air

tags: delinsky, love, love-quotes, love-story, romance

4 likes

“People don’t cry because they’re weak. They cry because they’ve been strong for too long.”
― Barbara Delinsky, Before and Again

tags: relationships, women

74 likes

“When we lose someone we love, we can either die with them or live on to celebrate their life. I’m tired of focusing on what we lost. I want to focus on what we had.”
― Barbara Delinsky, Before and Again

tags: relationships, women

61 likes

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