Welcome to the beta version of Shelfari’s new Book Detail pages!
These pages are editable by the community, so please contribute! Click here to learn more about this feature. We’d love to hear your feedback.
Description
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
Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis
Summary
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)
Cast of Characters/Important People
- 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.
Memorable Quotes
-
“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
First Sentence
Table of Contents
Authors & Contributors
- Lori Lansens (Author)
Classification
- Library of Congress: Add the Library of Congress Classification.
- Dewey: 813.6
Popular Tags
See all 50 tagsBooks with Additional Background Information
List the books that contain additional information about this book.
If you have any suggestions for how we can improve this page or if there are sections that you would like us to add, please let us know.
