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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: 3.81 · 221,239 ratings · 15,850 reviews · 180 distinct works • Similar authors

	Not My Daughter 3.78 avg rating — 20,298 ratings — published 2010 — 25 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 3.86 avg rating — 16,103 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 — 14,546 ratings — published 2008 — 40 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 3.89 avg rating — 12,964 ratings — published 2013 — 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
	Coast Road 4.04 avg rating — 10,247 ratings — published 1998 — 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
	Escape 3.63 avg rating — 10,329 ratings — published 2011 — 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
	Before and Again 3.80 avg rating — 9,392 ratings — published 2018 — 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
	Family Tree 3.59 avg rating — 9,818 ratings — published 2007 — 39 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
	A Week at the Shore 3.93 avg rating — 8,650 ratings — published 2020 — 13 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 3.76 avg rating — 7,512 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

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Barbara Delinsky's Blog

What Zoom And Photography Have In Common

Have you ever looked at a family photo, really looked at it, and wondered why various members pose the way they do – where they stand vis à vis the group, whether their arms are around others’ shoulders or around themselves, whether their heads are inclined toward their kin or away?

How we choose to stand says a lot. This is the psychology of photography.

I’ve always been intrigued by it, and no won

Series by Barbara Delinsky

Blake Sisters (2 books)
by

Barbara Delinsky (Goodreads Author)

3.88 avg rating — 8,759 ratings

Crosslyn Rise (3 books)
by

Barbara Delinsky (Goodreads Author)

3.86 avg rating — 2,932 ratings

Victoria Lesser (3 books)
by

Barbara Delinsky (Goodreads Author)

3.64 avg rating — 1,878 ratings

Matchmaker Trilogy (3 books)
by

Barbara Delinsky (Goodreads Author)

3.66 avg rating — 1,421 ratings

Matchmaker Trilogy (1 book)
by

Barbara Delinsky (Goodreads Author)

3.59 avg rating — 483 ratings

More series by Barbara Delinsky…

Related News

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...

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 What Zoom And Photography Have In Common Have you ever looked at a family photo, really looked at it, and wondered why various members pose the way they do – where they stand vis à vis the gr Read more of this blog post »
Nov 06, 2020 02:20AM · 1 like · like

More of Barbara's books…

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

79 likes

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

tags: complications, life, rain

71 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

September 2018 Group Read
Vote For 1

The Death of Mrs. Westaway

by Ruth Ware
On a day that begins like any other, Hal receives a mysterious letter bequeathing her a substantial inheritance. She realizes very quickly that the letter was sent to the wrong person—but also that the cold-reading skills she’s honed as a tarot card reader might help her claim the money.

3 votes 37.5%

Us Against You

by Fredrik Backman
After everything that the citizens of Beartown have gone through, they are struck yet another blow when they hear that their beloved local hockey team will soon be disbanded. What makes it worse is the obvious satisfaction that all the former Beartown players, who now play for a rival team in Hed, take in that fact. Amidst the mounting tension between the two rivals, a surprising newcomer is handpicked to be Beartown’s new hockey coach.

3 votes 37.5%

Before and Again

by Barbara Delinsky
Mackenzie Cooper took her eyes off the road for just a moment but the resulting collision was enough to rob her not only of her beloved daughter but ultimately of her marriage, family, and friends―and thanks to the nonstop media coverage, even her privacy. Now she lives in Vermont under the name Maggie Reid, in a small house with her cats and dog.

1 vote 12.5%

The Shortest Distance Between Two Women

by Kris Radish
Bestselling author Kris Radish takes the emotional measure of mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends in her wise and wonderful new novel of a woman unsure if she’s on the verge of a breakdown—or a breakthrough

1 vote 12.5%

Virtually Perfect

by Paige Roberts
Sharply observed, witty, and thoughtful, Paige Roberts’ debut novel is a compelling look at one woman’s journey toward reinventing herself—and seeing through the façade of others—to discover the imperfect but sometimes wonderful truth.

0 votes 0.0%

8 total votes

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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

79 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

63 likes

More of Barbara’s quotes…