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The Girls
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The Girls (2006) (edit title/settings)

by Lori Lansens (Author) (edit contributors)

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Description edit see section history

Rarely has the experience of being a sister been so poignantly and memorably captured as in Lori Lansens's triumphant novel. The Girls celebrates life's fundamental joys and trials as it presents Rose and Ruby, sisters destined to live inseparably but blessed with distinct sensibilities that... read more

Summary edit see section history

Rose and Ruby Darlen are conjoined twins who are connected at the head and always will be. They were born to a mother who was young and didn't want them so the nurse that delivered them, who had never had chilfren and had always wanted them, adopted them with her husband. They raised the girls... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

Rose and Ruby Darlen are conjoined twins who are connected at the head and always will be. They were born to a mother who was young and didn't want them so the nurse that delivered them, who had never had chilfren and had always wanted them, adopted them with her husband. They raised the girls in the countryside of Leaford, a small town in Canada. They had one house by them, a house that belonged to the Merkels. Mr. Merkel was nice but Mrs. Merkel was bitter and didn't like the girls. The girls were very different in personalities and interests but did get along since they were somewhat obligated to since they will never be apart from each other.
Rose is the main writer of their autobiography. The only reason why Ruby wrote in it was because Rose asked her to do so. Ruby was reluctant at first but as the novel goes on you can tell that Ruby starts to somewhat enjoy it. Rose writes a lot of stories about their past with their "parents", Lovey and Stash, which is why they are two of the main characters even though they are dead. One chapter is about their trip to Slovakia when they were about 19 with Aunt Lovey and Uncle Stash. Most of the chapters have surprising bits of information which makes the book addicting. The book is written as both their autobiographies but in the book the twins agree to not let each other read each others' chapters until the book is over which makes the book interesting because, as a reader, you know things that some of the main characters do not know.
From a young age Ruby and Rose are told that they will not live long because of the condition they are in. So when they get news of a medical problem that Rose encounters, they are told that they will both die. Rose is determined to finish her book though before that happens. She slowly starts to deteriorate though. For example, she starts losing her sight and gets dizzy often. Ruby is more calm about dying while Rose will do anything to hang on. One of the reason Rose is so reluctant is because she is in love with someone. The ending of the book is way different than a reader would expect. It was very good and you'll have to read it to find out the full ending.

Characters/People edit see section history

  • Rose Darlen: One of the twin sisters. Rose is the more able-bodied one. She is taller and more developed physically so she carries Ruby around on her hip since Ruby isn't tall enough. Ruby depends on Rose a lot because of that reason. Rose loves all sports, mostly baseball and hockey, books and writing. Her and Ruby get along but have distinct personalities.
  • Ruby Darlen: The other twin sister. It is said throughout the book multiple times that Ruby is the prettier one but she isn't vain. She is the more practical one and is less thoughtful than Rose. She doesn't always think before she speaks. Ruby is very interested in the Indian stories and legends that have to do with the town they live in and she even digs up artifacts she finds and donates them to their local museum.
  • Aunt Lovey: The adoptive mother of the twins. Lovey was the nurse that helped to deliver them at the hospital where Rose and Ruby were born. Their mother did not want them so Lovey convinced her husband to help adopt them. Her husband is Stash.
  • Uncle Stash: The adoptive father of the girls. He is from Slovakia and met Lovey shortly after he arrived in America with his family. He is a quiet man for the most part and has a thick Slovakian accent. He loves baseball and passed the passion for it onto Rose.
  • Mrs. Merkel: The neighbor of the Darlens. She is a bitter woman who doesn't seem to like the girls much. The reason for her bitterness is because of the death of her young son, Larry. He was swept up in a tornado and they never found his body. The twins were born the day he disappeared and they think that's the reason why Mrs. Merkel doesn't like them much.
  • Mr. Merkel: The husband of Mrs. Merkel. He is kind and likes the twins but feels uneasy around them since his wife doesn't like them. He always seems somewhat down due to the fact that his son died at such a young age and he never got over it.
  • Nick Todino: The son of one of the girls' neighbors, Nonna. He moves into his mother's house when she starts getting older and needs more help. For some reason that is unknown to Rose and Ruby he likes to help them out and does it more and more as the book goes on. Rose starts to have feelings for him towards the end of the book which she never thought would happen.
  • Nonna: Add a description of this character.
  • Frankie Foyle
  • Gideon
  • Ryan Todino
  • Elizabeth Taylor
  • Rosie
  • Larry Merkel
  • Cousin Jerzy
  • Mother Darlensky
  • Verbeena
  • Dr. Singh
  • Dr. Ruttle Jr.
  • Dr. Mau
  • Cousin Marek
  • Errol Osler
  • Grozovo
  • Yanno
  • Ernie Harwell
  • Lutie
  • Rupert
  • Abey
  • Berb Foyle
  • Marie
  • Stanislaus Darlensky
  • Mary-ann
  • Cyrus
  • Minnie
  • Richie
Show all 35 characters
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Quotes edit see section history

  • “Ruby is my sister. And strangely, undeniably, my child.”
    Rose Darlen
  • “It was Aunt Lovey's belief that all ordinary people led extraordinary lives, but just didn't notice.”
    Rose Darlen
  • “Don't worry if it's not well written. It's the conjoined-twin thing that's gonna sell it or not.”
    Whiffer
  • “Uncle Stash said you didn‟t have to be crazy to do something stupid, just young.”
    Rose Darlen
  • Popular Highlights from Kindle Customers
  • “Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”
    Highlighted by 29 Kindle customers
  • “People don’t finish, Rose. People stop. To finish is to say okay, now it’s right, never I’m going to change it. To stop is to say okay, it’s not perfect, but I have to go to something else.”
    Highlighted by 29 Kindle customers
  • It was Aunt Lovey’s belief that all ordinary people led extraordinary lives, but just didn’t notice.
    Highlighted by 27 Kindle customers
  • Maybe there are no losses you really get over. No matter how things play out in the end.
    Highlighted by 21 Kindle customers
  • “Write,” she said, “as if you’ll never be read. That way you’ll be sure to tell the truth.”
    Highlighted by 17 Kindle customers
  • Ruby and I endure because of our connectedness. Maybe we all do. How can that be a curse?)
    Highlighted by 16 Kindle customers
  • I’m filled with confidence when I begin, but by the end of a writing night I’m left to wonder if other writers feel the way I do—that with each letter, word, phrase, sentence, paragraph, I’m digging a toehold, gripping a rock, a fool on a mountainside, alone and ill-equipped, a disastrous fall more likely than a gloried ascent. Why did I start climbing? Where am I now? Who gives a shit if I reach the summit?
    Highlighted by 15 Kindle customers
  • There is some alienation, of course, in being so different, but it’s also been fascinating, and a unique opportunity, I think, to have observed our generation without fully participating in it.)
    Highlighted by 12 Kindle customers
  • Her policy was, If you’re old enough to ask the question you’re old enough to be told the truth.
    Highlighted by 11 Kindle customers
  • If Uncle Stash had remained in Aunt Lovey’s embrace after the crash, I think he could have willed himself to death instantly. Instead, it took a week. Some people will understand that Ruby and I were relieved to find him gone one morning. How cruel it must be for a man to live past his soul.
    Highlighted by 9 Kindle customers
Show all 14 quotes from this book

First Sentence edit see section history

I have never looked into my sisters eyes.

Table of Contents edit see section history

Ruby & Me
Nature's Mother
Country Mice
Writing & Deadlines
Holy Ghosts
Birds & Feathers
Coots
The Secret Life of Crows
Heaven's Door
Mysterious Ways
You
La Tranche
Concentric Circles
Summer
The Story of the Wedding Dress
Remains
Peevo
Deadlines & Writing
Premonitions & Portents
Writing
Prosim
Home Again, Homes Again
Writers and Baseball
Human Conditions
Love Poems
Dead Men's Ember

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. Lori Lansens (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Country: United States
Publication Date: 2006
ISBN: 9780316069038
Page Count: 343

Classification edit see section history

  • Library of Congress: PR9199.4.L36G57 2005
  • Dewey: 813.6

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