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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: 3.75 · 163,628 ratings · 12,324 reviews · 179 distinct works • Similar authors

	Not My Daughter 3.77 avg rating — 18,825 ratings — published 2009 — 22 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 3.84 avg rating — 14,413 ratings — published 2009 — 29 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 3.71 avg rating — 13,299 ratings — published 2008 — 33 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 really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 8,626 ratings — published 1998 — 28 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 3.81 avg rating — 9,512 ratings — published 2013 — 19 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 3.55 avg rating — 8,665 ratings — published 2007 — 36 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 3.57 avg rating — 8,580 ratings — published 2011 — 19 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 3.72 avg rating — 6,003 ratings — published 2015 — 18 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 3.86 avg rating — 4,634 ratings — published 2003 — 35 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
	Lake News 3.84 avg rating — 4,207 ratings — published 1999 — 34 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

How to Write Like Delinsky: My Five Rules Of Writing

Some things are ingrained from childhood. One of those, for me, is the start of the school year. New clothes, new books, new classes, new rules – I may have outgrown the first three, but the part about rules never leaves. So I start off the 2018-2019 learning year with FIVE Rules of Writing.

If you think they’re just for you, think again. I’m heavily into writing my next book, so they’re abs...

Series by Barbara Delinsky

Blake Sisters (2 books)
by

Barbara Delinsky (Goodreads Author)

3.82 avg rating — 7,217 ratings

Crosslyn Rise (3 books)
by

Barbara Delinsky (Goodreads Author)

3.77 avg rating — 2,080 ratings

Victoria Lesser (3 books)
by

Barbara Delinsky (Goodreads Author)

3.51 avg rating — 1,355 ratings

Matchmaker Trilogy (3 books)
by

Barbara Delinsky (Goodreads Author)

3.54 avg rating — 1,017 ratings

Matchmaker Trilogy (1 book)
by

Barbara Delinsky (Goodreads Author)

3.54 avg rating — 592 ratings

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Interviews

June 2013, 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 reunite to write a cookbook." ...More

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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 Delinsky wrote a new blog post How to Write Like Delinsky: My Five Rules Of Writing Some things are ingrained from childhood. One of those, for me, is the start of the school year. New clothes, new books, new classes, new rules –... Read more of this blog post »
Sep 15, 2018 02:24AM · 1 like · like
Barbara made a comment on This is The Behind-The-Scenes Story of ‘Flirting With Pete’ " Julie wrote: "While I love all your books, Flirting with Pete is still one of my favorites. And now that you brought it back to my attention, I think ...more "
Aug 08, 2018 06:22AM · see blog post
Barbara made a comment on I love Pub Day—I Hate Pub Day Photos " Kmweber wrote: "I love the one from 2000 on the steps and then the 3rd to last one of you in the sunlight! I know you may not enjoy being photographed ...more "
Jul 13, 2018 02:55PM · see blog post
Barbara made a comment on Top 5 Reasons to Love Breakfast " Haha. I was thinking exactly that myself when I posted this blog. The photos are too much. It's 5:51am here, and I'm getting hungry just thinking of t ...more "
May 31, 2018 02:53AM · see blog post
Barbara rated a book really liked it Judas by Amos Oz	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
Judas was one such for me. Before my group picked it last June, my impression One of the downsides of belonging to a book group is having to read books you wouldn’t choose yourself. was that the author was brilliant but intense, and dealt with subjec ...more
Mar 29, 2018 08:59AM · 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 Judas by Amos Oz. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Judas by Amos Oz <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Barbara rated a book it was amazing The Cuban Affair by Nelson DeMille (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
Look for one of my books in a store, and inevitably you see Nelson DeMille. Oh, once in a while Don DeLillo comes between us, but usually it’s Nelson and me, side by side on the “D” shelf, DeMille and Delinsky. I don’t know Mr. DeMille personally, th ...more
Mar 29, 2018 08:58AM · 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 Cuban Affair by Nelson DeMille. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Cuban Affair by Nelson DeMille <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Barbara rated a book really liked it The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg	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 me say, right off the bat, that I loved this book – but would only give it four stars out of five because of its length and price. It costs $26 and runs barely over 200 pages. OK. For the sake of transparency, let me say that having started my wr ...more
Mar 29, 2018 08:57AM · 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 Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Barbara rated a book liked it Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward (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’m a Tuesday person. Tuesdays are when new books hit the stands – did you know? A publisher once told me that the practice was rooted in giving a book a full seven days of sales before stores had to report sales figures on Wednesday mornings to the ...more
Mar 29, 2018 08:56AM · 6 likes · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Barbara rated a book it was amazing Far from the Tree by Robin Benway (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 good book is a good book regardless of genre, and, IMHO, Far From The Tree is an incredibly good book. Apparently, others shared that humble opinion, since the book was recently awarded the 2017 National Book Award for YA Fiction. I believe it deser ...more
Mar 29, 2018 08:56AM · 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 Far from the Tree by Robin Benway. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Far from the Tree by Robin Benway <iframe id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Barbara rated a book it was amazing Far from the Tree by Robin Benway (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 good book is a good book regardless of genre, and, IMHO, Far From The Tree is an incredibly good book. Apparently, others shared that humble opinion, since the book was recently awarded the 2017 National Book Award for YA Fiction. I believe it deser ...more
Mar 29, 2018 08:56AM · 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 Far from the Tree by Robin Benway. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Far from the Tree by Robin Benway <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

71 likes

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

tags: complications, life, rain

67 likes

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

tags: relationships, women

63 likes

See all Barbara Delinsky's quotes »

Polls

November Side Reads Poll

Landline

by Rainbow Rowell

18 votes, 30.0%

11/22/63

by Stephen King

17 votes, 28.3%

I Am Pilgrim

by Terry Hayes

12 votes, 20.0%

The Lifeboat

by Charlotte Rogan

7 votes, 11.7%

Sweet Salt Air

by Barbara Delinsky

6 votes, 10.0%

60 total votes

comments and details

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Topics Mentioning This Author

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Romance Readers R...: May Monthly Challenge: Participants' Lists thread	230	451	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

71 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

More of Barbara’s quotes…