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493 ratings | 218 reviews | avg rating:3.60

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60 books | 78 friends

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Beatrice Gormley

Goodreads Author

Born

in Glendale, CA, The United States

Website

http://www.beatricegormley.com/

Genre

Biography, Historical Fiction, Children's

Influences

Alison Lurie; C.S. Lewis, Robert A. Heinlein, E. Nesbit ...more

Member Since

September 2009

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/bgormley

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Born in Glendale, California, Beatrice grew up in Southern California. After graduating from Pomona College, she worked in publishing near San Francisco. There she met and married Robert Gormley, and they moved to Massachusetts. They have two daughters.
Since age 9 Beatrice had wanted to become a writer. But it wasn't until after her children were born that she really focused on her writing. In 1981 her first book, Mail Order Wings,was published. Since then she's written many popular novels and biographies for young people. Her most recent books are Second Lives, a novel of humans and other animals, and the biography Joe Biden: Our 46th President.
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Beatrice Gormley’s books

Average rating: 3.85 · 2,416 ratings · 364 reviews · 46 distinct works • Similar authors

	Laura Ingalls Wilder: Young Pioneer by Beatrice Gormley (Goodreads Author), Meryl Henderson (Illustrator) 4.15 avg rating — 329 ratings — published 2001 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Adara 3.84 avg rating — 282 ratings — published 2002 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Mail-Order Wings 4.13 avg rating — 220 ratings — published 1981 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	C.S. Lewis: Christian and Storyteller 3.95 avg rating — 155 ratings — published 1997 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Louisa May Alcott: Young Novelist by Beatrice Gormley (Goodreads Author), Meryl Henderson (Illustrator) 3.77 avg rating — 155 ratings — published 2008 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Amelia Earhart: Young Aviator by Beatrice Gormley (Goodreads Author), Meryl Henderson (Illustrator) 3.78 avg rating — 154 ratings — published 2000 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Salome 3.35 avg rating — 121 ratings — published 2007 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Barack Obama: Our 44th President 3.81 avg rating — 103 ratings — published 2008 — 14 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Back to the Titanic (Travelers Through Time, #1) 3.53 avg rating — 110 ratings — published 1994 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Poisoned Honey: A Story of Mary Magdalene 3.54 avg rating — 104 ratings — published 2001 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Beatrice Gormley's Blog

Just in time for the inauguration.

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Beatrice’s Recent Updates

Beatrice Gormley and 134 other people liked Terry's review of Atonement: "This is where a 2.5 star rating would be ideal. I am extremely ambivalent about this novel--first the pluses: the writing is gorgeous; McEwan has some of the best prose out there. Every line has meat to it, nothing is throwaway, and every visual is s" Read more of this review »
Jun 23, 2026 06:33PM · see review
Beatrice Gormley rated a book liked it Atonement by Ian McEwan (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jun 23, 2026 06:30PM · like
Beatrice Gormley rated a book really liked it The Novice's Tale (Sister Frevisse, #1) by Margaret Frazer	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
So far, I've read 5 books in this medieval mystery series, and I intend to read all 20. I don't really care who dunnit--it's just a pleasure to sink into the world of 15th-century England, as Frazer masterfully recreates it, and spend time with her e ...more
May 26, 2026 06:42PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Novice's Tale by Margaret Frazer. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Novice's Tale by Margaret Frazer <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Beatrice Gormley made a comment on Tania’s review of The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny " My exact reaction, too. A frustrating read--I was alternately mesmerized and bored out of my mind. "
May 26, 2026 06:40PM · see review
Beatrice Gormley and 198 other people liked Tania's review of The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny: "Sometimes less really is more. With a bit of tighter editing, The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny could’ve been a solid five-star read for me. The writing’s gorgeous, and I loved the themes of identity, migration, and loneliness. But it’s a long book, " Read more of this review »
May 26, 2026 06:38PM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Beatrice Gormley and 819 other people liked Read By RodKelly's review of The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny: "I really thought I’d love this book, but I came away hating it, which is a shame because it started out so strong. I think the author tried to do far too much and lost control of the material. While I appreciated the richness of the many ideas explor" Read more of this review »
May 26, 2026 06:37PM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Beatrice Gormley rated a book liked it The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 26, 2026 06:37PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Beatrice Gormley finished reading We Solve Murders (We Solve Murders, #1) by Richard Osman	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 26, 2026 06:34PM · like
Beatrice Gormley rated a book really liked it Strawberry Fields by Marina Lewycka	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
If the title "Strawberry Fields" starts you humming the Beatles song, forget it. This novel is a wild ride about a collection of immigrants laboring on a strawberry farm in Sheffield, England. These young women and men have traveled to England from E ...more
Mar 28, 2026 02:23PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Strawberry Fields by Marina Lewycka. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Strawberry Fields by Marina Lewycka <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Beatrice Gormley did not finish What We Can Know by Ian McEwan (Goodreads Author) Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee in Readers' Favorite Fiction	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 28, 2026 02:22PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of What We Can Know by Ian McEwan. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — What We Can Know by Ian McEwan <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

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Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
Readers and Reading: May 2011 reads	9	25	Jun 05, 2011 07:03AM
Book Nook Cafe: What I read in May 2011	67	85	Jun 17, 2011 07:51AM
The Seasonal Read...: Summer Challenge 2012: Completed Tasks - DO NOT DELETE ANY POSTS IN THIS TOPIC	2637	940	Aug 31, 2012 09:02PM
Challenge: 50 Books: Tory's 50 for 2012	48	74	Dec 31, 2012 05:11PM
Crazy for Young A...: A-Z Author Names	790	510	Sep 09, 2014 01:21AM
The Seasonal Read...: Spring 2015 Completed Tasks - DO NOT DELETE POSTS	3347	576	May 31, 2015 08:59PM
Nothing But Readi...: NBRC 26 Alphabet 2: Animals: A to Z (Spell-it-Out)	612	1352	Dec 29, 2016 05:14AM
What's the Name o...: 80s children's book about trading places? featured a girl with a fairy godmother. She makes a wish to be the popular girl and wakes up in the other girl's body	9	1037	Apr 22, 2022 08:43PM

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Beatrice’s Quotes

“Every good idea sooner or later degenerates into hard work.”
― Calvin Trillin

tags: humor, inspirational

47 likes

“We come to life in the middle of stories that are not ours.”
― Paul Elie

tags: inspirational

12 likes

“If you show someone something you've written, you give them a sharpened stake, lie down in your coffin, and say, ‘When you’re ready’.”
― David Mitchell, Black Swan Green

tags: literary-criticism, writing

410 likes

“This is not a novel to be tossed aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force.”
― Sid Ziff

tags: bad-reviews, book, humorist, misattributed-dorothy-parker, wit

1616 likes

“If you want to make God laugh, tell her your plans.”
― Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird

163 likes

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Beatrice Gormley’s Followers (30)

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Beatrice’s Friends (22)

Beatrice Gormley

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Beatrice Gormley’s books

32 posts
Beatrice Gormley's Blog

Just in time for the inauguration.

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Beatrice’s Recent Updates

See a Problem?

Preview — The Novice's Tale by Margaret Frazer

See a Problem?

Preview — The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai

See a Problem?

Preview — The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai

See a Problem?

Preview — The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai

See a Problem?

Preview — Strawberry Fields by Marina Lewycka

See a Problem?

Preview — What We Can Know by Ian McEwan

Topics Mentioning This Author

Beatrice’s Quotes

recent posts
Beatrice’s Groups

Beatrice’s Friend Comments

Beatrice Gormley’s Followers (30)

Beatrice Gormley

Goodreads Author

Popular Answered Questions

rssBeatrice’s Recent Updates

See a Problem?

Preview — The Novice's Tale by Margaret Frazer

See a Problem?

Preview — The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai

See a Problem?

Preview — The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai

See a Problem?

Preview — The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai

See a Problem?

Preview — Strawberry Fields by Marina Lewycka

See a Problem?

Preview — What We Can Know by Ian McEwan

Topics Mentioning This Author

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Beatrice’s Recent Updates