For My Daughters [Paperback]

Barbara Delinsky (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 18, 2008

A Barbara Delinsky classic, first published in 1994, For My Daughters is a poignant and unforgettable story of the enduring power of love and the tenacious strength of family from the acclaimed New York Times bestselling author.

Estranged sisters Caroline, Annette, and Leah St. Clair have spent their lives trying to escape the legacy of their wealthy, aloof, social-climbing mother, Virginia—each losing a certain part of herself in the process. Now, on the eve of her seventieth birthday, Virginia has asked them all to help her get settled into her magnificent new estate on the rocky coast of Maine, a request each sister reluctantly agrees to, thinking it may be her mother's last.

But it is Virginia who has something to give to the daughters she neglected in childhood. For amid the glories of a New England summer, three sisters will finally learn the answers to the questions that have troubled them for years . . . and new truths that will stay with them forever.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Bestselling romance author Delinsky ( Suddenly ) again proves herself an excellent storyteller in her hardcover debut, a thoroughly enjoyable weeper in which passion and family bonds are both victorious. Wealthy, widowed Philadelphia socialite Ginny St. Clair has always been cool and distant to her three daughters. The summer of her 70th birthday, she abruptly invites all of her offspring to help her settle into a mansion on the rocky Maine coast. Annette, the suffocatingly good mother of five; hard-edged Caroline, a hotshot Chicago lawyer; and Leah, the twice-divorced youngest sibling, arrive at the estate, each aghast to find the others--but their mother, by design, is not there. Though the three grimly assume battle positions, enforced proximity fosters grudging respect and finally love. For Leah, there's also a scalding affair with groundskeeper Jesse Cray, a wild echo of a romance that had flared half a century earlier between a gardener and the mistress of the house. Predictably, that woman was Ginny, who chose duty over love. Readers will enjoy the tart barbs flung by siblings whose animosities are well rendered, as well as the sparks that fly between Jesse and Leah. Clinically neat solutions to various problems and a few whacking credibility lapses hardly dent the novel's appeal. 100,000 first printing; $150,000 ad/promo; audio to HarperAudio; author tour.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Delinsky, a popular and prolific author of Harlequin romances, makes an impressive hardcover debut with this novel. Three sisters, longtime rivals, are reunited by the mother from whom all are estranged. Focusing on each woman in turn, Delinsky skillfully brings out the pain, insecurity, and hope each harbors. Although there are men in their lives, the real focus is on the sisters, their relationships with one another and their mother, and a summer retreat that brings self-discovery and resolution to unresolved conflicts. Delinsky develops her characters well and creates a strong sense of place with beautiful, evocative descriptions of the landscapes. This bittersweet story should be a popular addition to modern fiction collections.
Barbara E. Kemp, Library Consultant, Reston, Va.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (March 18, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061374555
• ISBN-13: 978-0061374555
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #888,479 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Barbara Delinsky, author of ESCAPE (2011), NOT MY DAUGHTER (2010), WHILE MY SISTER SLEEPS (2009), THE SECRET BETWEEN US (2008), and FAMILY TREE (2007), has written more than twenty bestselling novels with over thirty million copies in print. She has been published in twenty languages worldwide. Barbara's fiction centers upon everyday families facing not-so-everyday challenges. She is particularly drawn to exploring themes of motherhood, marriage, sibling rivalry, and friendship in her novels.

A lifelong New Englander, Barbara earned a B.A. in Psychology at Tufts University and an M.A. in Sociology at Boston College. As a breast cancer survivor who lost her mother to the disease when she was only eight, Barbara compiled the non-fiction book Uplift: Secrets From the Sisterhood of Breast Cancer Survivors, a handbook of practical tips and upbeat anecdotes. She donates her proceeds from the sale of this book to her charitable foundation, which funds an ongoing research fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Barbara enjoys knitting, photography, and cats. She also loves to interact with her readers through her website at www.barbaradelinsky.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bdelinsky, and on Twitter as @BarbaraDelinsky.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very moving!, March 19, 2001

By 

mzglorybe (Southern CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: For My Daughters (Avon) (Mass Market Paperback)

A wonderful book! Delinsky grabs your interest immediately and keeps it going 'til the last page. I recently started reading her when someone gave me her book "Suddenly" and read 8 more by her. "Coast Road" and "Three Wishes" are also great. This one is about a mother that didn't bond with her daughters while they were growing up, and why, and all the regrets on both sides, as they all reluctantly come together for Mom's 70th birthday. It's a great love story, but much more than that. Expect to shed a tear, and a few smiles. A great book! One you will want to keep on your library shelf.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well Done!, December 29, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: For My Daughters (Avon) (Mass Market Paperback)

I really enjoyed this book! The characters were extremely well-rounded and fleshed out. After reading the novel, they stayed with me as if they were old friends.

The story was realistic and held my attention. I read the book in a day and a half because I couldn't put it down. The dialogue was so natural. I truly felt like Barbara could have been recounting a true story word for word. The relationships between the characters are 3-dimensional, and I understood all the character's reasons for making the decisions they made. I cried, I laughed a little, and I felt alot.

This book revealed some truths about how many people live their lives in fear of being unaccepted and unloved, and how some do not know how to show love or know when they are loved.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The daughters found out that their mother was human too, October 11, 2000

By 

Barbara "Queen of her castle AND her home lib... (beautiful Charleston, SC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: For My Daughters (Avon) (Mass Market Paperback)

Another great book by Ms. Delinsky. It's funny how, as children, we imagine our parents a certain way----mainly because they are our guidance and our disciplinarians-----but when we are grown up and they let us see their true human events in their lives, it's at times crushing and at times comical and at times refreshing. This is a wonderful story, and as a 50 year old woman, I surely can relate to it as well as understand some of the perplexing attitudes and looks I get from my twin, 16 year old daughters. This book will make you think about relationships of long ago.Read it, you'll love it.