Barbara Delinsky - Family Tree

Dana Clarke has just given birth to her first child. The little girl is lovely, but no one can help noticing how little she resembles her parents.
Dana's husband, among others, suspects that she may have had an affair.
In order to put the rumors and speculation to rest, Dana has to delve deep into her past and her husband's heritage to unearth some uncomfortable secrets. Can her marriage survive what she discovers ?

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Dana and Hugh Clarke are happily married although their upbringing couldn't be more different. Dana, lost her mother early and grew up with her grandma, Hugh was raised in a elitist family that prided themselves to know their whole family heritage of Anglo-Saxons.
But their world turns upside down with the birth of their first child, Lizzie, who's unremarkable features point to an African-America heritage.
While Dana's fairly certain her daughter got her features from her mostly unknown family Hugh struggles with his families' resentment towards the child and his doubts in his wife's fidelity. His tool to quiet his families' voices and his own lingering doubts about his wife and best friend and Neighbor, David who looks so much like little Lizzie, is a paternity test.
But Hugh is the father and little Lizzie's blood has more to reveal than that.

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Although an interesting topic, I think the author didn't quite deliver or I didn't get it. I can't put my finger on it but a lot of the protagonists actions didn't make sense to me and were plain old stereotype.
The wife loves knitting, her life is nursing and knitting. The family has to deal with the discovery that there is African-American blood in their veins. Please, spare me. I know there are certainly families that wouldn't want to hear about this but it is hardly imaginable that in today's times a family is a Delinsky-called purebreed.
Also largely missing is the emotion a topic like this should cause in a family.
Probably not the best book by Delinsky.

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Mass Market Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: Anchor; Reprint edition (June 24, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0307388468
ISBN-13: 978-0307388469

Barbara Delinsky - While My Sister Sleeps

An Olympic marathon contender, self-centered Robin Snow often rubs her younger sister, Molly, the wrong way. After many years in her sister's shadow, Molly takes out her resentment with petty actions, such as refusing to accompany Robin on a run. Fatefully, Robin has a heart attack while training and falls into a coma. As Robin's condition fails to improve, Delinsky digs tediously into the family's woes: Molly's touchy relationship with Robin's ambitious reporter ex-boyfriend; middle son Chris's dealings with a would-be blackmailer; mother Kathryn's trouble coming to terms with Robin's dire prognosis.

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The two sisters Molly and Robin Snow couldn't be more different from each other. Robin, the elite marathon runner training for the Olympics, depending on her sister Molly's help managing her daily life and her job at the family plant and tree nursery.
Life changes when 32-years-old Robin suffers a heart attack that leaves her brain dead, forcing the family to come to terms with family issues, deeply hidden secrets and revelations. During the process deciding on what to do with the earthly remains of Robin, her mother Kathryn lives in denial while sister Molly becomes Robin's advocate and voice on what Robin would want.
Reading her sister's diary Molly sees a different side of her sister she's so often despised but never the less deeply loves but the journal also opens doors to revelations that could shatter the whole family.

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While My Sister Sleeps is one of those stories you live and feel while you are reading. I downloaded an excerpt which included the first chapter and I instantly wanted the whole story. The beauty of this book is in the non-dramatic way Delisnky tells us the story. Of course it is dramatic and sad but her way of telling is no nonsense, not overly tearful but mature.
I fell in love with this until now unknown author and will definitely read more of her novels.

Rating:
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Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Doubleday; First Edition edition (February 17, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0385524927
ISBN-13: 978-0385524926