Customer Reviews

The Diary

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

THE DIARY by Eileen Goudge was sent to with a personal inscription that made me aware that this was a very special story for Eileen to write. Then I focused on the "Author's Note" which immediately touched my heart as I saw it was dedicated to Eileen's parents and I knew I was in for something very special. Reading Eileen Goudge's books are always a pleasure but I was not prepared for just how extraordinary THE DIARY is. I read it in one sitting which is unusual for me with my busy schedule but there was no way I was putting it down.

I was caught up immediately with Emily and Sarah's discovery of their mother's diary which tells the story of A. J. and Elizabeth. The two adult sisters are clearing out their mother's attic following her declining health as a result of a debilitating stroke that has left her mute and close to death. The diary is delicately described as "bound in maroon leather dulled with age, its gilt tooling worn away in spots" with a "satin bookmarker, once red, now faded to the ashy-pink of dried, pressed rose." It also said the diary "seemed to carry the scent of dried roses" and with that description I was transported with all my senses to the setting of the story within that diary!

The diary reveals a completely different mother than the one the daughters thought they knew. With their father having predeceased their mother, and her unable to speak, they have nobody to turn to with their questions concerning the information that is divulged in the writing in this journal. Diary entries are written verbatim and the story simultaneously presents the narrative to accompany each entry.

Sarah and Emily are as entranced as they are shocked to discover that according to the diary their mother's true love was not their father--the father they adored, the couple they thought they knew so well all their lives. The more the girls read, the more they realize they had a mystery they must solve.

Was there really another man, this "A. J." in their mother's life before their father who was the one they were always led to believe was her one and only true love? Who was the mysterious A. J. who the diary describes as someone who made their mother a young woman of passions unknown to her daughters? If this A. J. was Elizabeth's first true love, what made her leave him for their father?

This is a story that will make you ask yourself how well you know your own parents. Think of yourself now as an adult, and how well do you think your own children know about your romantic past with the man in your life, your spouse? That was a question that really made me think about my own son and what does he really know about his parents and the love they have shared for 36 years?

This is a gem of a book. One to share with everyone you care about. It would make a wonderful Mother's Day gift or Easter present for that special parent or person in your life. I know it is a book that I will long cherish and reread as it is written to enjoy over and over again. Eileen Goudge has shared some very personal background with her readers and by opening her heart has created a book to cherish now and for generations to come.
Submitted Originally to BOOKIN' WITH BINGO by Karen Haney, April, 2009

I really enjoyed this book. I read three chapters the first night and finished it the second night. I couldn't put it down, I was swept away wondering what was going to happen next and trying to put the pieces together of who their mother had chosen. It really makes you wonder just what you may not know about the people closest to you. It is a wonderful story of love and what a woman had to go through in the past when chosing a husband based on love or based on status. I highly recommend this story to anyone who wants to be swept away in an easy read.

Sara and Emily are cleaning up their moribund mother's house when they discover an old diary in the attic. Her mother had penned the diary during her youth. To her middle-aged daughters' dismay, it appears that she'd had a big love of her life -- a man that was not their father. How could this be? Their parents had been very happy, seemed to be in love! What's more is that their mother must have lied about certain things throughout her life. But as the women read on, they learn about that goes on to the young and beautiful Elizabeth since the year of 1951. What transpires is a story full of intrigue, misunderstandings and star-crossed romance.

The Diary is a cuddle-under-the-sheets (or beach towel) type of comfort read that you'd get from the likes of Nicholas Sparks and Cecelia Ahern. It reminded of The Notebook in more ways than one, only not as sentimental. I thought this was a nice, albeit insubstantial read that you can gobble up in two or three sittings -- definitely something to take with you on a lazy day on the beach. Eileen Goudge has created something of a light and enjoyable chick-lit that will be picked up by people in the bargain for the aforementioned read again and again. And that, in a nutshell, sums up the book quite well.

Eileen Goudge was inspired by her own parent's true story for "The Diary" according to her own Author's Notes inserted prior to chapter one. When an author digs directly into their close family life, the good/bad, rich/poor, sickness/health, nitty gritty of immediate family relationship, it becomes a work of love--as shows in "The Diary."

My wife enjoyed it tremendously and suggested I would also. She was quite right. This is no romance novel, although about love. It deals with finding the strength to choose true love over safer, more secure options. A LOVE theme, but in a realistic, human context, not from a steamy room in a motel, like those cheap imitations of human intimacy.
This book holds as much mystery and suspense in the pages as any murder mystery or detective story. The clues to the mystery are provided but it takes the author, in her own time (of course at the end of the story) to fill in the final picture. And much to a reader's delight.

Sisters, Emily and Sarah, box up Mother's belongings (dad/husband is already deceased) due to the home place being sold. They come across Mom's diary--The Diary. Who wouldn't look. Mom lays motionless, unresponsive, & failing in a nursing home after a stroke. She's likely soon to die. Diary entries begin to uncover a romantic triangle, their mother's young adult dilemma of loving and being loved by two different men, both unique in their own ways, but opposites as far as the choice to be made.

It's called "Domestic fiction" rather than mystery or romance and it lives up to those words. It is the writing of the emotional intercourse among family that brings the pages alive. Everyone wishes they had "The Diary" written by their parents. That would enlighten us to the internal affectionate history of those who we can not longer talk with--no more ask the questions. Lucky, lucky, Emily and Sarah received those answers to questions.

This is destined as the #1 feel-good-in-the-end book-of-the-year.

We both read this book in a day, because we have the time, but more because neither of us could not put it down until we knew the secrets hidden away in "The Diary."

2 bottom lines:
Buy "The Diary" by Eileen Goudge
Write your own diary to leave for those following your life.

I read this in one day. It was a short and simple read but pleasurable. It is not a "buxom beauty ravished by Fabio" type love story either, but a clean, sweet telling of a romantic tale that takes place in the 1950s. The book opens with Emily and Sarah going thru their mother's things as their mother lies in the hospital suffering from stroke and old age. They find their mother's diary and upon reading a few pages, they cannot put it down. Thus, thru their mother's words, they enter the world of poodle skirts, county fairs, and Studebakers. Their mother, Elizabeth had had a life altering affair with a "bad boy" prior to marrying their father. She was swept off her feet and away from her "Pleasantville" like life and good old fiance, Bob by a childhood friend, AJ. They get in trouble, cause a scandal, experience loss. The book is suspensful and keeps the reader hanging until the very end. I kept asking myself..."If she loved AJ so much, how did she end up marrying Bob and why??" I could not wait to find out the answer and the answer revealed in the end is a wonderful surprise! My one complaint: I would have liked to know her daughters better. I wish there had been a little more about Sarah and Emily, the daughters of the fun, courageous Elizabeth.

was an unusual type of subject for this writer, but well done as usual for her.

I would give it more stars if possible. Another winner for Ms Goudge. Read this in a day while commuting. A believable story with rich characters.

Reading books is a fantastic way to get away from life in general. You don't have to be who you are or in the middle of your own chaos for awhile. Eileen does really nice job of taking you to a place of long ago, making you fall in love, get your heart broke a little as you feel for the characters and then give you the happily ever after in this book: The Diary. I really liked it. I love based on true story books anyway, but this one was exceptionally nice.

When two elderly sisters are packing up their dying mother's house, they come upon her diary. Within, they learn that their mother's true love was not their father. But not everything is as it seems.

Elizabeth Harvey has been dating Bob for four years. With the hints Bob has been dropping lately, she is pretty sure he is going to propose soon. He treats her well and he loves her. She also loves him and is sure they will have a wonderful life together.

When Elizabeth bumps into an old friend at the county fair, she is shocked with her own behavior. She is almost betrothed and handsome AJ has her blushing furiously in no time. Elizabeth knows she is walking a fine line. She does not want to betray Bob, but she has to follow her heart. AJ lights a spark inside of her that she needs to explore. However, AJ eventually leaves, explaining to Elizabeth that he will return when he has something to offer her.

Months later, Bob tells Elizabeth he has enlisted in the Army, but that he still wants to marry her. She tells him she will give it serious consideration. She knows she and Bob would have a wonderful life together. She hasn't heard from AJ in months and is beginning to question herself and her heart. But then suddenly, AJ returns, and Elizabeth must make a difficult decision of the heart and for her life.

THE DIARY is a heartwarming love story with such well crafted characters, I hated to see it end. Eileen Goudge spins a wonderous tale of family, relationships and love with just a hint of mystery. I was drawn in from page one and could not let go until the very end. I absolutely loved it!

A really quick read for me. The story line was very intriguing and kept me wondering, and I just kept flipping page after page after page. Then it was done before I knew. A real page-turner. :)