Barbara Delinsky Is a Fabulous Author

I had never heard of Barbara Delinsky until I found a book by her, Commitments, that I discuss below, in April. For those that don't know her, her website is very helpful in getting to learn about her biography, her work and her photos!

I have enjoyed Delinsky's books tremendously, and I wanted to learn more about her. I can tell you that she was born in Boston. You can learn more by reading her bio on her website or by doing research. I can also tell you that she seems to be a wonderful person. She will be turning 80 in August and inspires me with her work ethic as well as her compassion and helpful input. I really like the way she thinks about things and approaches life. Her mother died of breast cancer when she was just eight, and she is a breast cancer survivor as well. She wrote Uplift: Secrets from the Sisterhood of Breast Cancer Survivors in 2011. Delinsky married her husband, a law student at the time who became a lawyer. The two of them both graduated from Tufts University a year apart. They had a son and then twin daughters.

Here are the 4 books that I have read:

Commitments (Published in 1988)

I happened to find this book in a box in my neighborhood, never having heard of Delinsky before, and I really enjoyed it in early April. It turns out that my biological mother and my wife are both fans of Delinsky!

This book, written before I was married or ever having thought of Children at all (age 23), was about a writer, Sabrina Stone, who has a mentally-handicapped child. She runs into a reporter, Derek McGill, and soon their paths cross again, when he has been wrongfully convicted of murder. The book is about how she helps free him.

The Passions of Chelsea Kane (Published in 1992)

This is the 4th book I read. After we had communicated in mid-May, I asked her if she had covered books about adoption, and this is the one she recommended for me. Thanks, Barbara! What a fantastic book (said the adopted person).

The story is a good one, and, once again, the author does a good job across generations with her characters. In this one, the protagonist is Chelsea Kane, who grew up knowing she was adopted. She was an only child, and her mother suffered from polio. When her mother passed away, she learned something she had never known before: She was born in a small town in New Hampshire. I started this book late this week and finished it moments ago.

The Vineyard (Published in 2000)

This book is how I ended up connecting directly with the author. Curious about here work, I visited the website and found her social media. She had posted on X.com , and I responded on 5/17 in the early evening. She answered me within 12 hours, very early on Sunday 5/18. I had followed her, and she followed me back. I sent her a direct message that morning, beginning a wonderful exchange:

I appreciated the idea and picked it up in late May and finished it very quickly. The vineyard is located in Rhode Island, and it is run by a 76-year old lady who is getting married shortly after her husband's death. Here two kids are angry with her for getting married so quickly. The protagonist, a young woman with a daughter with dyslexia, knows of her and finds out that she is looking to hire someone to help write a book, and she and her daughter come to Rhode Island and stay for the summer. Delinsky does a great job with characters across three generations.

A Week at the Beach (Published in 2020)

Photo on Delinsky's Website

This was my second book of Delinsky's that I read, completing it on May 18th. It was set in Rhode Island, though the protagonist, Mallory, lived with her daughter in Manhattan. Three daughters grew up with parents that later divorced. The father, who is a character in the book, was a judge, but he is suffering from Alzheimer's. Two of the daughters have moved on, allying with the mother, who is not a living character in the book, while one, the youngest, allied with her father and stayed in Rhode Island to help deal with his challenges. The book covers some big topics: Alzheimer's, family challenges, friendship challenges and more. What I really liked about this one was that Delinsky covered three different generations of characters quite well.

So, this is a wide range of books by someone who I think is a fantastic author (and a good person!). There is so much more from what I can tell from her, as she has written 23 New York Times bestsellers. You can trust Barbara Delinsky. Enjoy her books!