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The Truth About Delilah Blue
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Delilah Blue Lovett has always been a bit of an outsider, ever since her father moved her from Toronto to L.A. when she was eight, claiming Delilah's mother no longer wanted to be part of their family. Twenty now and broke, but determined to be an artist like her errant mom, Delilah attends art class for free by modeling nude at the front of the room, a decision that lifts
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Paperback, 409 pages
Published
June 8th 2010
by Harper Perennial
(first published May 21st 2010)
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Somewhere early on, I could figure out what the Truth was. But, the why behind it is what kept me reading. Why did that happen? That's what kept me going. It's not that the book was dull or hard to read. It wasn't. I actually really enjoyed Cohen's writing style. Some comments she wrote made me chuckle. And some of her descriptions were amazing. So awesomely descriptive in a manner that made it something I was easily able to relate to. Of course, nothing specific comes to mind now that I'm writi
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Beautiful, beautiful book. One of the best I've read this year.
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Tish Cohen writes with effortless ease and grace, inter-weaving the stories of her characters' lives with exquisite finesse and humour. This is a stand-out book for me, one I didn't want to end.
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This book has a full carousel of characters. I loved the variety while hating many of their actions. The author handled the topic of Alzheimer’s with grace and wit.
This is the third novel by Tish Cohen that I have gobbled up: I loved Town House and The Inside Out Girl and so put The Truth About Delilah Blue on my library hold list as soon as I knew it was to be released.
Lila Mack has lived with her over-protective father since she was eight, believing that her mother no longer wanted to be in her life. Now at age twenty, she is trying to pursue art with no funding from her father. Deciding to work as a life model seems to be a great way to get some free a ...more
Lila Mack has lived with her over-protective father since she was eight, believing that her mother no longer wanted to be in her life. Now at age twenty, she is trying to pursue art with no funding from her father. Deciding to work as a life model seems to be a great way to get some free a ...more
When Delilah Blue Lovett was a little girl, she asked her father why her mother wasn’t coming with them to California? Her father told her that Delilah’s mother no longer wanted to be a part of their family. Delilah was satisfied for the moment but she always wanted to someday confront her mother about walking out of her and her father.
Delilah is an adult now and wonders what ever happened to her mother. Delilah decides to seek her mother out to learn the truth before it is too late. Delilah ha ...more
Delilah is an adult now and wonders what ever happened to her mother. Delilah decides to seek her mother out to learn the truth before it is too late. Delilah ha ...more
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If you are a fan of Miriam Toews, you will love The Truth About Delilah Blue by Tish Cohen.
This was a story about a 20 year old living with her father in L.A., who is demonstrating the signs of early-onset Alzheimer's disease. After 12 years of believing her mother abandoned her, Lila's mom shows up in L.A. with some shocking news: her father kidnapped her! Duh duh duh...!
Beautifully written with well-captured characters. As the numerous dramas unfold, Cohen offers the reader a bit of humour to ...more
This was a story about a 20 year old living with her father in L.A., who is demonstrating the signs of early-onset Alzheimer's disease. After 12 years of believing her mother abandoned her, Lila's mom shows up in L.A. with some shocking news: her father kidnapped her! Duh duh duh...!
Beautifully written with well-captured characters. As the numerous dramas unfold, Cohen offers the reader a bit of humour to ...more
I was angry with the book. It sounded interesting. I like characters around my age, and she was interested in the arts which I am as well. I loved the title and like stories about complicated mother-daughter relationships so I thought, why not? Well it was nothing short of awful. The characters were uninteresting. The plot, about 10 pages in was totally predictable. The mother was a selfish annoying flake, the father dealing with the beginnings of Alzheimers pissed me off. I just didn't care. Th
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this book was a nice little surprise for me. I had read the first chapter for work purposes a while ago and thought it was interesting enough, but as it went on I was totally gripped by the story. It's about a 20 year old girl who lives with her somewhat overprotective father and works as a nude model for art classes. She wants to go to art school, but her dad won't let her, so it's her way of absorbing some sort of education. She's always thought that her mother abandoned her, but as the story
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I may be biased, as many of the issues revealed in this book mirror my personal home life, but Tish Cohen did a phenomenal job at looking into the disfunction of a small family. This book goes to show you that you don't need a lavish plot to create a deep story!
It is true that on the surface not much happens in the book, but for me personally this novel shed a lot of light on my childhood and rephrased what I went through in a novel way.
The choices of the heroin, Delilah Blue, in the end of th ...more
It is true that on the surface not much happens in the book, but for me personally this novel shed a lot of light on my childhood and rephrased what I went through in a novel way.
The choices of the heroin, Delilah Blue, in the end of th ...more
The book has similarities to Jodi Piccoult's Vanishing Acts, but in the end, they were two different, yet equally engaging books. Deliliah is a bit of a lost soul, which is understandable considering her upbringing. Both of her parents are complex, faulted people, and at different points in the story I alternated between disdain and sympathy for both of them. The author also does an excellent job of making the reader feel Delilah's internal conflict, and of making her a strong, yet fragile chara
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The only drawback to this story is that as curious a child and inventive a child as Delilah was, she sure did not ask alot of questions about the move from Toronto to LA. She would have had alot more memories at 8 years old and should have asked alot more questions of her father.
I liked that you could see the craziness of both parents in the process, so you did not want to favor one over the other in the end. I think Delilah would have been stronger than the book showed in pursuing her art drea ...more
I liked that you could see the craziness of both parents in the process, so you did not want to favor one over the other in the end. I think Delilah would have been stronger than the book showed in pursuing her art drea ...more
I ran out and bought this book because the Globe and Mail ran a review saying that it was a good summer read--a book that the reviewer could not put down. That was not my experience! I had to force myself to finish this book--which is rare for me. I did not find the characters interesting and I found the story predictable. Disappointing, especially given the strong review. I hope I can find some true good summer reads...
I can't say what it is about this book that keeps me thinking about the story line long after I've finished it, but it does. Delilah Blue is a little girl lost character who struggles to find out who she really is and what she wants, along with her mother and father. This is a beautifully written novel. Its poignancy stays with you long after you turn the last page. I love Tish Cohen's writing style--open, honest, and forthright--a real gift.
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While this story was a bit slow to start, the author weaves an excellent tale that ties together generations and provides an opportunity for parents to evaluate their true motives. Delilah is a strong character who, in spite of her odd upbringing, develops in to a bright, creative, introspective young woman who is able to see past her parents foibles and appreciate their love for her.
Cohen's suspenseful novel is about a young aspiring artist who is comes to grips with her true identity after her parents reveal the truth about her childhood. Although it lacked the oompf that would give it 5 stars, this book is definitely a page-turner with accessible prose. It would be a great read for readers with an interest in books about the art world and/or complex family relationships.
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I really quite liked this book. A story line that I've never come across before and, while it worked for the most part, could be considered a bit contrived. That being said, it was an interesting story line and would be a great vacation book. There is some bad language and the main character does have a questionable "job".
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My overall impression of this book was "average." The plot kept me going but some of the writing and characters were predictable. At times I felt the author was spoon feeding me the revelations and insights instead of allowing me to figure out the layers of the characters myself. For example, the whole situation with the mother being the child and the child being the parent. I just felt it was dumbed down when it was so out in the open like that. This technique made the book feel shallow despite
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This book was slow and hard to get into for me. I stuck with it and ended up finishing it but gave it a 3 star due to how slow it was and how hard it was to get lost in the story. This book follows Delilah who doesn’t remember her mother and has always believed her mother to have wanted nothing to do with her until her mother finds her!! Delilah is working as a nude model for an art class in a college where she wishes she could afford to take art classes. When her mother finds her and the story
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I started out not liking this book much because it wasn't believable, but as the story went on I liked it more as it got more detailed. As more background was revealed the story made more sense. I read it quickly because I was anxious to find out why Victor had kidnapped his daughter. By the end of the book I wanted to smack Elisabeth upside the head because self absorbed people really annoy me but I suppose for the story to make sense she had to be that way. All in all a good read. :)
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It took me about 90 pages to really get into this book. It has a lot of beautiful description but I tend to be a "speed reader" and sometimes that puts me off a bit. It was interesting how the characters developed and what I felt about them at the beginning changed dramatically by the end.
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I DNF'd this book at 61 pages. I found the characters rather irritating and just could not get into the storyline. There were components to the story that irked me, as well. This book was just not for me.
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Tried two or three times and just can't finish this one.
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I enjoyed reading this book. I couldn't put it down.
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Good light read
I thought this book was very well written, but I didn’t connect with the characters as much as I would have liked. I enjoyed it, but I don’t think I would read it again. I liked the author’s style of writing, so I will probably check out some of her other books in the future.
Wish I would have stopped reading this about 50 pages in. I hate when people don't communicate. Elisabeth was so flaky, so I had zero sympathy for her. Not that I thought Victor was any better, even before the Alzheimers. I felt the most sorry for Lila, but she was pretty flaky too.
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I received this book as a first reads book from Goodreads.com
When Delilah Blue was eight years old her father told her they were going on a trip to Disney World in Florida. Lo and behold, they end up at Disney Land in California and Delila's father, Victor, tells her that her mother doesn't want her anymore and they are going to start a new life in California. So, from Toronto to LA Delilah goes, becoming Lila with a new hair color and a new existence. She grows up believing her mother never eve ...more
When Delilah Blue was eight years old her father told her they were going on a trip to Disney World in Florida. Lo and behold, they end up at Disney Land in California and Delila's father, Victor, tells her that her mother doesn't want her anymore and they are going to start a new life in California. So, from Toronto to LA Delilah goes, becoming Lila with a new hair color and a new existence. She grows up believing her mother never eve ...more
I enjoyed the start of this book... but then it fizzed out for me...
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Readers also enjoyed
"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom."
Anais Nin quote from Oprah's website inspired Tish Cohen to write her first adult novel.
Tish Cohen is the author of TOWN HOUSE, a 2008 finalist for the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize – Best First Book Award (Canada and Caribbean region), and in development as a feature film with Fox 2000. Ridl ...more
Anais Nin quote from Oprah's website inspired Tish Cohen to write her first adult novel.
Tish Cohen is the author of TOWN HOUSE, a 2008 finalist for the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize – Best First Book Award (Canada and Caribbean region), and in development as a feature film with Fox 2000. Ridl ...more
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