The Girls: A Novel
by Lori Lansens
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Book Summary Information
Author: Lori LansensEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2006-05-02
ISBN: 0316069035
Number of pages: 352
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Book Reviews of The Girls: A Novel
Book Review: Can't say much more than.....EXCELLENT!
Summary: 5 Stars
The mark of a good book is one that you don't want to see come to end...The mark of a "great" book is one that you can't stop thinking about once you've finished, and even moved on to other books. THE GIRLS was a "great" book for me. I've read one entire book, and just begun another since finishing THE GIRLS, but can't seem to stop thinking about Ruby and Rose.
Written as a memoir, the story is told by sisters Ruby and Rose (the oldest living conjoined twins), in alternating chapters. By the time the reader is halfway through the book, you'll feel as if you really know Ruby and Rose, and that they really do exist just north of the border (Lealand, Canada). Rose is the "writer" (it was her idea for the book) and uses big words, detailed descriptions and follows a timeline, telling their story from beginning to the present. Ruby is more nonchalant and doesn't put much effort into her writing. Her chapters are more like journal entries, and there is no sequence of events - she writes what she wants, when she wants to and skips around thier lives.
Characters are very well developed and events are described in excellent detail without becoming tiresome and/or boring. As the story moves along, you begin to see traits of Rose in Ruby and Ruby in Rose. The sisters appear to switch roles at times, with hthe stronger one behaving weaker, while the weaker one takes the lead. Readers become invested in Rose and Ruby's stories and lives, and will want to know what happened to them growing up, about their trip to Slovakia, how their health status has changed, and what paths they have taken leading them to this point in their lives.
You'll laugh, shake your head, recognize similar friends and relatives in your life, and may even shed a tear or have a good cry. Perhaps you'll even find yourself in front of your computer, searching for info on Rose and Ruby - the oldest living conjoined twins - before you "snap" back to reality, remembering that the story is a work of fiction and that the only place these characters exist is in between the pages of this book and in the hearts and minds of every reader whose read THE GIRLS. Putting it simply, readers will fall in love with Rose & Ruby and will genuinely come to care about them.
I know that I came away feeling as if I knew Rose and Ruby and that they were actual living sisters. I wanted to know more about them and what became of them once I turned the last page! I could easily picture Aunt Lovey and Uncle Stash and wished that every abandoned child could find themselves so lovingly taken care of and well brought up.
Very well written and highly recommended! I hope this one gets a little more exposure and finds its way to a Best Seller's list - It's definitely deserving!
Summary of The Girls: A Novel
Meet Rose and Ruby: sisters, best friends, confidantes, and conjoined twins.Since their birth, Rose and Ruby Darlen have been known simply as "the girls." They make friends, fall in love, have jobs, love their parents, and follow their dreams. But the Darlens are special. Now nearing their 30th birthday, they are history's oldest craniopagus twins, joined at the head by a spot the size of a bread plate.
When Rose, the bookish sister, sets out to write her autobiography, it inevitably becomes the story of her short but extraordinary life with Ruby, the beautiful one. From their awkward first steps--Ruby's arm curled around Rose's neck, her foreshortened legs wrapped around Rose's hips--to the friendships they gradually build for themselves in the small town of Leaford, this is the profoundly affecting chronicle of an incomparable life journey.
As Rose and Ruby's story builds to an unforgettable conclusion, Lansens aims at the heart of human experience--the hardship of loss and struggles for independence, and the fundamental joy of simply living a life. This is a breathtaking novel, one that no reader will soon forget, a heartrending story of love between sisters.
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