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The Woman Next Door
The lives of three couples are thrown into turmoil when their beautiful and much younger neighbor, who has been widowed for a year, announces that she is pregnant, forcing the wives to reevaluate their marriages and relationships.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2001
245 people are currently reading
2020 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Delinsky
307 books4,356 followersI 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
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
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 272 reviews
December 22, 2016
I plucked this audio out of the bag I keep in my car. It’s been in there a while but I figured now was as good a time as any to finally give it a listen. I’ve been on a horror binge lately and needed a bit of a breather from all of the bloodshed.
At the midway point, I have to admit, I was hoping for some bloodshed that would put an end to one, two or perhaps all, of these insufferably miserable people. It didn’t happen but I hung in there and things did improve a little. Not a lot but enough to keep me from DNFing the thing.
This is the story of what happens when three well-to-do married couples spend too much time navel gazing and poking into each other’s business but mostly it’s about what happens to a marriage when three unhappy wives fear their spouse has impregnated the pretty widow across the way. They’ve shunned the woman (even before the pregnancy) and she won’t reveal who the daddy is when they finally spare her a few moments of conversation only so they can get all nosey. Hahaha, serves you right you cliquey witches!
I have to admit that some dark part of me thoroughly enjoyed watching these women work themselves up into a jealous tizzy when Gretchen evades their questions. And it says much about this book that the most sympathetic character, for the majority of the story, turns out to be the young, widowed trophy wife. I felt terribly sorry for her and her loneliness and grief and feelings of exclusion were written very well. About a third of the way in, one of the wives, who is having a helluva time conceiving (and we get a first row seat to every tedious detail and moment of angst), turns a corner and I ended up enjoying her story but she took a little too long to get there.
The audio was capably read by Laura Hicks. She does a good job with the narrative and the voices (even the males) with the noted exception of one of the wives named Karen. She made her sound like a nasty, bitter hag but perhaps that was intentional?
If you like reading about marital woes and real life troubles, you may adore this book. I think I need to go back to fantasyland because this was too “real” for my liking.
Important Disclaimer:
I figured it was time to come clean. This is the guy who ghost writes my reviews. Don't let his goofy looks deceive you, he is slightly smarter than he appears but his taste in books is questionable and he DNF's all the time because he's kind of full of himself and thinks he has better things to do than read lousy books. If you don't like something he writes, I don't recommend sneaking up on him unawares to give him a talking-to because he may eat your face off. He's a little nutzo. You can, however, try bribing him with treats to put him in a better mood. It's likely he'll only eat the treats and leave you with a slobbery hand. In that case, be thankful you still have the hand and slowly back away.
At the midway point, I have to admit, I was hoping for some bloodshed that would put an end to one, two or perhaps all, of these insufferably miserable people. It didn’t happen but I hung in there and things did improve a little. Not a lot but enough to keep me from DNFing the thing.
This is the story of what happens when three well-to-do married couples spend too much time navel gazing and poking into each other’s business but mostly it’s about what happens to a marriage when three unhappy wives fear their spouse has impregnated the pretty widow across the way. They’ve shunned the woman (even before the pregnancy) and she won’t reveal who the daddy is when they finally spare her a few moments of conversation only so they can get all nosey. Hahaha, serves you right you cliquey witches!
I have to admit that some dark part of me thoroughly enjoyed watching these women work themselves up into a jealous tizzy when Gretchen evades their questions. And it says much about this book that the most sympathetic character, for the majority of the story, turns out to be the young, widowed trophy wife. I felt terribly sorry for her and her loneliness and grief and feelings of exclusion were written very well. About a third of the way in, one of the wives, who is having a helluva time conceiving (and we get a first row seat to every tedious detail and moment of angst), turns a corner and I ended up enjoying her story but she took a little too long to get there.
The audio was capably read by Laura Hicks. She does a good job with the narrative and the voices (even the males) with the noted exception of one of the wives named Karen. She made her sound like a nasty, bitter hag but perhaps that was intentional?
If you like reading about marital woes and real life troubles, you may adore this book. I think I need to go back to fantasyland because this was too “real” for my liking.
Important Disclaimer:
I figured it was time to come clean. This is the guy who ghost writes my reviews. Don't let his goofy looks deceive you, he is slightly smarter than he appears but his taste in books is questionable and he DNF's all the time because he's kind of full of himself and thinks he has better things to do than read lousy books. If you don't like something he writes, I don't recommend sneaking up on him unawares to give him a talking-to because he may eat your face off. He's a little nutzo. You can, however, try bribing him with treats to put him in a better mood. It's likely he'll only eat the treats and leave you with a slobbery hand. In that case, be thankful you still have the hand and slowly back away.
February 16, 2023
DNF at 20%.
This sluggishly paced novel about a cul-de-sac full of annoying people and their boring problems failed to engage me.
To be fair, it probably suffered in comparison to the true crime novel I just finished about a woman who chopped up her neighbor with an axe - now THAT's a story. It didn't seem like this one was heading in that direction, but it would have livened things up at least.
This sluggishly paced novel about a cul-de-sac full of annoying people and their boring problems failed to engage me.
To be fair, it probably suffered in comparison to the true crime novel I just finished about a woman who chopped up her neighbor with an axe - now THAT's a story. It didn't seem like this one was heading in that direction, but it would have livened things up at least.
February 2, 2017
This was really cute, but almost felt like a short story because it was such a quick read. The book is the story of 4 women living in a neighborhood. Amanda is a school counselor and she and her husband, Graham, are struggling with infertility and not letting it drive them apart. Karen is another one and her husband, Lee, is notorious for cheating. Georgia is the breadwinner for her family and her husband, Russ, is a house husband. Finally, there's Gretchen. She's a widow who keeps to herself and then the other women see she's pregnant. A lot of the book is trying to figure out who the father of the baby is. The women all suspect their own husbands at some point, but it turns out it was the lawyer that worked with Gretchen when her husband died. Also in the book was the suicide of Quinn, a teenage boy who comes to baseball practice drunk and then commits suicide. The even ties Amanda, Karen and Georgia together because Amanda is his counselor and Karen and Georgia have kids his age. Overall, this was a good book but could've used a little more development in character and plot. However, I was really in the mood for an easy breezy read, so I enjoyed it a lot.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 12, 2019
I loved this book!! There were 4 couples living in a cul de sac and were very close. The wife of one of the couples dies and in time here husband remarries a younger woman. There is no relationship between the new wife and the other 3 wives in the neighborhood. Then the widow becomes pregnant and the 3 wives wonder of the baby belongs to one of their husbands, who were all at the house at separate times during the right time. So, Who is the father? Great story with twists and turns!
November 28, 2007
The premise of "The Woman Next Door" is relatively simple. A lovely widow turns out to be pregnant. Only problem is, her husband has been dead at least a year. She lives in a cul de sac with three other couples. The three couples are all experiencing some manner of strain in their marriages. Once the pregnancy of the widow becomes apparent, each of the wives silently wonder if her husband is the father.
The main couple of the story, Amanda and Graham, is the most intriguing. They are struggling with infertility. Married for five years they both desperately want a child but are turned off and wearied by years of fertility procedures. The interesting issue that Delinsky explores with this couple how the idea of conception can begin to overpower everything else in a marriage. Even a very strong and healthy love.
The second couple, Karen and Lee Cotter are much more volatile. Lee has had infidelity issues in the past. They aren't as much a focus as Amanda and Graham but they do provide a stark contrast to Amanda and Graham. Karen and Lee have 4 children and many more problems.
The third couple Georgia and Russ seem almost an afterthought. Georgia is the driven executive who travels four days out of five. Russ is the stay at home husband who watches the kids and writes freelance articles. It is a reversal of traditional gender roles. Comparatively speaking, Georgia and Russ have few problems except her absence.
Delinsky gives each man a plausible motive for possibly having slept with the widow. And she even manages to throw suspicion on each one of them in various parts of the book. Although the identity of the father adds a nice little bit of suspense, the more engrossing part of the book is the makeup of each of the three marriages and the reasons why these women can find it so easy to suspect their husbands of infidelity.
The main couple of the story, Amanda and Graham, is the most intriguing. They are struggling with infertility. Married for five years they both desperately want a child but are turned off and wearied by years of fertility procedures. The interesting issue that Delinsky explores with this couple how the idea of conception can begin to overpower everything else in a marriage. Even a very strong and healthy love.
The second couple, Karen and Lee Cotter are much more volatile. Lee has had infidelity issues in the past. They aren't as much a focus as Amanda and Graham but they do provide a stark contrast to Amanda and Graham. Karen and Lee have 4 children and many more problems.
The third couple Georgia and Russ seem almost an afterthought. Georgia is the driven executive who travels four days out of five. Russ is the stay at home husband who watches the kids and writes freelance articles. It is a reversal of traditional gender roles. Comparatively speaking, Georgia and Russ have few problems except her absence.
Delinsky gives each man a plausible motive for possibly having slept with the widow. And she even manages to throw suspicion on each one of them in various parts of the book. Although the identity of the father adds a nice little bit of suspense, the more engrossing part of the book is the makeup of each of the three marriages and the reasons why these women can find it so easy to suspect their husbands of infidelity.
September 9, 2017
This was, in general, a good book. A story of mistrust, of the tests a marriage goes through, blended in issues like infertility, family, betrayal, suspicion...
That said, this was the seventh book I read by Barbara Delinsky, and although I like her work a lot, this book wasn´t great. I was "OK". The three women in this story are quite petty when it comes to the father of Gretchen´s baby, each accusing their husbands... Karen clearly had a reason, and she was the character I liked the least. Amanda was the one I liked best.
I would advise this book to someone who has read "Looking for Peyton Place",or "The Summer I Dared" or "Flirting with Pete". Personaly, I prefer her current books.
"The Woman Next Door" was a good story, and that said, I might read it again. The ending was good.
That said, this was the seventh book I read by Barbara Delinsky, and although I like her work a lot, this book wasn´t great. I was "OK". The three women in this story are quite petty when it comes to the father of Gretchen´s baby, each accusing their husbands... Karen clearly had a reason, and she was the character I liked the least. Amanda was the one I liked best.
I would advise this book to someone who has read "Looking for Peyton Place",or "The Summer I Dared" or "Flirting with Pete". Personaly, I prefer her current books.
"The Woman Next Door" was a good story, and that said, I might read it again. The ending was good.
May 9, 2019
Интересна книга, държи в напрежение и интригува.
December 27, 2018
Yep, that's right, I read this book. I finished my 'real' book and didn't have another so picked up this one from Grandma's shelf. It was fun. That's all I'll say. Missing my days of watching Guiding Light after school...
January 5, 2025
Léger, prévisible et mal traduit. Des erreurs de logistique et de noms ici et là dans l’histoire. Une petite lecture de vacances ou de distraction pour ceux et celles qui aiment les histoires un peu ‘roman-savon’ ou à l’eau de rose. On n’y apprend rien.
October 27, 2025
Entertaining
This was a great book I really enjoyed reading it and that a lot of just twists and turns. It gives you a lot to think about and different views. I enjoyed reading it.
This was a great book I really enjoyed reading it and that a lot of just twists and turns. It gives you a lot to think about and different views. I enjoyed reading it.
April 24, 2009
I really enjoyed this book - it was a refreshing read. The subject wasn't too hard-going, the characters were all "real people" but there were enough twists and sub-plots in the story to make me want to sit and read this all in one go!
I didn't enjoy this quite as much as I did 'The Family Tree,' and I think maybe this is because 'The Woman Next Door' was published at least five years prior to 'The Family Tree,' so Delinsky's writing had matured. I was completely gripped by this story, but I felt that a lot of the issues could have been resolved if the couples in the story just communicated with each other. Like Amanda feeling intimidated by Graham's family, particularly his mother. That's the kind of thing you discuss when you're planning to get married, not six years into your marriage. Amanda should have reminded Graham long ago that she was his new family, and although his mother is important to him, his wife comes first. This is just one example of something which I think shouldn't have been such a big issue as it was in this book.
I'll definitely be reading more of Delinsky's books, but I hope that not all of her characters have communication problems in their marriages.
Oh, and one last thing - this book wasn't as much about Gretchen, the woman next door, as it was about Amanda, who was trying to conceive a child with her husband. Gretchen was more of a catalyst for issues between Amanda and Graham. So the title is a little misleading! 8/10
I didn't enjoy this quite as much as I did 'The Family Tree,' and I think maybe this is because 'The Woman Next Door' was published at least five years prior to 'The Family Tree,' so Delinsky's writing had matured. I was completely gripped by this story, but I felt that a lot of the issues could have been resolved if the couples in the story just communicated with each other. Like Amanda feeling intimidated by Graham's family, particularly his mother. That's the kind of thing you discuss when you're planning to get married, not six years into your marriage. Amanda should have reminded Graham long ago that she was his new family, and although his mother is important to him, his wife comes first. This is just one example of something which I think shouldn't have been such a big issue as it was in this book.
I'll definitely be reading more of Delinsky's books, but I hope that not all of her characters have communication problems in their marriages.
Oh, and one last thing - this book wasn't as much about Gretchen, the woman next door, as it was about Amanda, who was trying to conceive a child with her husband. Gretchen was more of a catalyst for issues between Amanda and Graham. So the title is a little misleading! 8/10
February 6, 2012
Another excellent book by Barbara Delinsky. She told the story of a very close group of neighbors - three married couples. They suddenly notice a young, very attractive widow is pregnant and since her late husband has been gone for a year - he cannot be the father. The other women then begin to take a closer look at their marriages, while each wondering if their husband is the father of the baby. Of course each couple has their own problems. Amanda and Graham have been married about 5 years and are struggling with trying to get pregnant. Karen and Lee have 4 children, she's a stay at home mom, and he works to support the family - and has been cheating on her for years. Georgia and Russ have 3 kids, and he works from home, while she travels for her own, very successful business. At points I was torn between wanting to know what happened next, and not wanting to know. Great book.
April 10, 2009
I've come to really enjoy Delinsky as an author and I'm purchasing more and more of her books.
"Along with their husbands, Amanda, Karen, and Georgia are a close-knit circle of friends enjoying seemingly ideal lives in an upscale neighborhood. But when they learn that their lovely younger neighbor, widowed for a year and presumably still unattached, is pregnant, the strains and imperfections of their lives come into full focus. As they ponder who the father might be, each of the women harbors suspicions about her own husband-and each is forced to a crisis point that will strengthen or shatter their marriage."
"Along with their husbands, Amanda, Karen, and Georgia are a close-knit circle of friends enjoying seemingly ideal lives in an upscale neighborhood. But when they learn that their lovely younger neighbor, widowed for a year and presumably still unattached, is pregnant, the strains and imperfections of their lives come into full focus. As they ponder who the father might be, each of the women harbors suspicions about her own husband-and each is forced to a crisis point that will strengthen or shatter their marriage."
March 27, 2017
I really enjoyed this 2001 book by Barbara Delinsky. Somehow I missed this book by an author I like. The book was a quick read and had an ending that I never expected. The character development was wonderful.
August 3, 2017
This book reminds me of the tv show "desperate housewives".
Its packed with gossip, infidelity and lies. Its a good summer read,
I like the portrayal of the women's different problems and how they
look so perfect from the outside, but their lives are such mess behind
closed doors.
Its packed with gossip, infidelity and lies. Its a good summer read,
I like the portrayal of the women's different problems and how they
look so perfect from the outside, but their lives are such mess behind
closed doors.
October 20, 2014
This book is terrible.
September 16, 2014
Engaging read--infertility, woman on culdesac becomes pregnant and everyone suspects their husband.
June 6, 2017
Didn't even finish it.... The storyline took forever to get started and was confusing. Just not interesting to me.
April 13, 2018
rdc iT WAS A GOOD READ. iT ALL ABOUT COMMUNICATION AND TRUST IN A MARRIAGE
August 13, 2018
Good character building. Widow next door is pregnant. Three lady neighbors are wondering if their husband's could be the father. Widow refuses to tell who father is. Causes a lot of mistrust!
Displaying 1 - 20 of 272 reviews