Double Stitch

by John Rolfe Gardiner

By the award-winning author of Somewhere in France, a historical novel based on a true story of orphaned identical twins born to switched identities, uncanny communications, and terrible trials. Identical twins Rebecca and Linda Carey arrive at Drayton Orphanage in 1926, aged ten. Copper-skinned and blond, beautiful but diffident, their perfectly matched faces, manners, and voices make them indistinguishable. Drayton is an institution of stone cottages and archaic values (chiseled into one wall is the phrase A Woman Should Please, That Is Her Happiness) that to them is nothing more than a fantasy land with no bearing on their eventual future. They plan on getting as far away as a dollar will send a post card.The world that awaits them on their release, however, proves infinitely more complex--and dangerous--than any of their imaginings. Rebecca heads for China, only to discover her intended guardian has less than noble intentions, while Linda endures a tramp's journey across the United States to California, only to find herself captive to a fanatic's vision. Separated at opposite ends of the world, the twins' shared willfulness and navet has led them to similar straits. As Wor

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction

319 pages, Hardcover

First published September 25, 2003

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. The main characters are identical twins, Linny and Becca. They come to the orphanage when they’re 10 years old and the story is basically about them growing up and their struggles with their individual identities vs. their double identity.
Throughout the story the psychologists and the orphanage staff all believe that the twins could be a danger to each other if they stay too close together. But at the same time, their teachers don’t want to split them apart.
At one stage in the story, after finding out that their grandmother is coloured, Becca and Linny have a huge falling out. Becca believes she is black whereas Linny believes she is white. This conflict was really interesting and it affects the story again later on.
When they finish school the twins go their separate ways, Becca goes to China and Linny heads to San Francisco. This was the part of the story that I enjoyed the most I think. It was full of adventure and bad experiences for the twins, and even though they were so far apart they were still together in some way.

I loved this book. I have a slight obsession with identical twins anyway and I also love reading about psychology, so this book was perfect for me.
This book was a fascinating insight into identity struggles and the psychology of doubles. The story of the twins was amazing and I’ll definitely be reading this book again.

[Erin Gilbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weird but good read.

[Kelsey Gordon · Rating 2 out of 5]

the content of this story had such great potential, the execution made everything seem anticlimactic.

[Therese Dotray-Tulloch · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very strange book. I finished it because I have had the Advance Reader's Copy on my shelf for over ten years and finally got around to reading it. Some of the characters were based on actual people, the rest were struggling souls always presented as only two dimensional.

[Martip · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some enjoyable parts, like the stories of the two twin girls who grow to young adulthood. The psychological stuff, not so much.

[Joetta · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible. Couldn’t actually finish it.

[Mark Ritter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn’t finish it actually. Just gave up. Life’s too short

[Yvonne O'Connor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Linda and Rebecca Carey are twins, orphaned in the 1920's in Philadelphia. They come to stay at the Drayton School under the guidance of its progressive-minded director, Eula Kieland. Although the twins are blond, they have a coppery skin which makes people wonder about their true race. Over time, it is discovered that their Grandmother is half black, which causes trouble with the school's "all white" policy. Otto Rank (shrink) corresponds with Eula about the girls and offers advice on raising them. When they come of age, Becca goes to China on an alleged fellowship, but is sold into service and raped. It takes her years to get back to Drayton. Linny runs away to CA where she, too, is sold into sex slavery, but escapes harm by claiming to be black - thereby "horrifying" her captors. The girls eventually reunite and end-up living with their grandmother as Linny sews designer gowns to earn their living.

An interesting perspective on mixed-race relations in the early 20th century. The sub-plots on Otto and Anais Nin and Eula and Tessie's lesbianism seemed unnecessary. Many parts of the story thus suffered from under-development due to over-development of the rest!

[Andi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book, but the Freudian psychological ramblings about the twins were more than I could handle. It weighed the story down, overanalyzing every character and every action to the point of exhaustion.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit slow at times but great character conflict. End was a little disappointing.

[Psalm · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weird..that's all I have to say.

[Jackie · Rating 2 out of 5]

A psychological novel without much true psychology.

[Joanne · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got through this somehow, but was skimming pages toward the end. I never saw the point of the book, or cared about what happened to anyone in it.