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Семейство Сноу има три вече пораснали деца, които успешно се справят с предизвикателствата на живота. Синът им Крис е създал собствено семейство и гради успешна кариера. Моли взема дейно участие в семейния бизнес за отглеждане на цветя. По-голямата сестра – Робин, е гордостта на семейството с много победи в престижни състезания по маратон.Робин тренира за Олимпиадата, когато е намерена в безсъзнание на пътя. В болницата се установява, че е получила инфаркт и е изпаднала в кома. Съкрушените родители отказват да приемат мрачните прогнози на лекарите. За пръв път Моли получава възможността да излезе от сянката на Робин. В този труден момент тя трябва да бъде близо до сестра си, да утешава родителите си и да се грижи за семейния бизнес. Когато Моли намира случайно дневника на Робин, наяве излизат дълго премълчавани истини. В семейство Сноу трябва да признаят греховете си и да намерят сили да си простят.
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
806 people are currently reading
9986 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Delinsky
307 books4,356 followersI was born and raised in suburban Boston. My mother’s death, when I was eight, was the defining event of a childhood that was otherwise ordinary. I took piano lessons and flute lessons. I took ballroom dancing lessons. I went to summer camp through my fifteenth year (in Maine, which explains the setting of so many of my stories), then spent my sixteenth summer learning to type and to drive (two skills that have served me better than all of my other high school courses combined). I earned a B.A. in Psychology at Tufts University and an M.A. in Sociology at Boston College. The motivation behind the M.A. was sheer greed. My husband was just starting law school. We needed the money.
Following graduate school, I worked as a researcher with the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, and as a photographer and reporter for the Belmont Herald. I did the newspaper work after my first son was born. Since I was heavily into taking pictures of him, I worked for the paper to support that habit. Initially, I wrote only in a secondary capacity, to provide copy for the pictures I took. In time, I realized that I was better at writing than photography. I used both skills doing volunteer work for hospital groups, and have served on the Board of Directors of the Friends of the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center and on the MGH’s Women’s Cancer Advisory Board.
I became an actual writer by fluke. My twins were four when, by chance, I happened on a newspaper article profiling three female writers. Intrigued, I spent three months researching, plotting, and writing my own book - and it sold.
My niche? I write about the emotional crises that we face in our lives. Readers identify with my characters. They know them. They are them. I'm an everyday woman writing about everyday people facing not-so-everyday challenges.
My novels are character-driven studies of marriage, parenthood, sibling rivalry, and friendship, and I’ve been blessed in having readers who buy them eagerly enough to put them on the major bestseller lists. One of my latest, Sweet Salt Air, came out in 2013. Blueprints, my second novel with St. Martin’s Press, became my 22nd New York Times bestselling novel soon after its release in June 2015. Making Up, my work in progress, will be published in 2018.
2018? Yikes. I didn’t think I’d live that long. I thought I’d die of breast cancer back in the 1900's, like my mom. But I didn’t. I was diagnosed nearly twenty years ago, had surgery and treatment, and here I am, stronger than ever and loving having authored yet another book, this one the non-fiction Uplift: Secrets From the Sisterhood of Breast Cancer Survivors. First published in 2001, Uplift is a handbook of practical tips and upbeat anecdotes that I compiled with the help of 350 breast cancer survivors, their families and friends. These survivors just ... blew me away! They gave me the book that I wish I’d had way back when I was diagnosed. There is no medical information here, nothing frightening, simply practical advice from friends who’ve had breast cancer. The 10th Anniversary Volume of Uplift is now in print. And the money I’ve made on the book? Every cent has gone to my charitable foundation, which funds an ongoing research fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Connect with me on Facebook: facebook.com/bdelinsky
Look for my photos on Instagram: instagram.com/barbaradelinsky
Following graduate school, I worked as a researcher with the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, and as a photographer and reporter for the Belmont Herald. I did the newspaper work after my first son was born. Since I was heavily into taking pictures of him, I worked for the paper to support that habit. Initially, I wrote only in a secondary capacity, to provide copy for the pictures I took. In time, I realized that I was better at writing than photography. I used both skills doing volunteer work for hospital groups, and have served on the Board of Directors of the Friends of the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center and on the MGH’s Women’s Cancer Advisory Board.
I became an actual writer by fluke. My twins were four when, by chance, I happened on a newspaper article profiling three female writers. Intrigued, I spent three months researching, plotting, and writing my own book - and it sold.
My niche? I write about the emotional crises that we face in our lives. Readers identify with my characters. They know them. They are them. I'm an everyday woman writing about everyday people facing not-so-everyday challenges.
My novels are character-driven studies of marriage, parenthood, sibling rivalry, and friendship, and I’ve been blessed in having readers who buy them eagerly enough to put them on the major bestseller lists. One of my latest, Sweet Salt Air, came out in 2013. Blueprints, my second novel with St. Martin’s Press, became my 22nd New York Times bestselling novel soon after its release in June 2015. Making Up, my work in progress, will be published in 2018.
2018? Yikes. I didn’t think I’d live that long. I thought I’d die of breast cancer back in the 1900's, like my mom. But I didn’t. I was diagnosed nearly twenty years ago, had surgery and treatment, and here I am, stronger than ever and loving having authored yet another book, this one the non-fiction Uplift: Secrets From the Sisterhood of Breast Cancer Survivors. First published in 2001, Uplift is a handbook of practical tips and upbeat anecdotes that I compiled with the help of 350 breast cancer survivors, their families and friends. These survivors just ... blew me away! They gave me the book that I wish I’d had way back when I was diagnosed. There is no medical information here, nothing frightening, simply practical advice from friends who’ve had breast cancer. The 10th Anniversary Volume of Uplift is now in print. And the money I’ve made on the book? Every cent has gone to my charitable foundation, which funds an ongoing research fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Connect with me on Facebook: facebook.com/bdelinsky
Look for my photos on Instagram: instagram.com/barbaradelinsky
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,180 reviews
September 23, 2014
Rating: 2.5
To sum up my thoughts on this book, it's like a grown-up version of My Sister's Keeper. Love that book? This book should be your next read. Hated that book? Avoid (or not, I'm not the boss of you :P).
The mother was a terrible mother and a card-carrying bitch. Like every time she showed up I wanted to throw the book across the room, so I just skimmed.
She blamed her daughter on the fact that her speschul snowflake daughter had a heart attack.
Also acted like a primadonna in the ER, calling competent doctors incompetent.
The other characters were just idiotic. I can deal with that though.
I think the idea behind this book had potential, but this execution felt flawed and left me feeling angry and irritated with the wrong kind of feelz.
To sum up my thoughts on this book, it's like a grown-up version of My Sister's Keeper. Love that book? This book should be your next read. Hated that book? Avoid (or not, I'm not the boss of you :P).
The mother was a terrible mother and a card-carrying bitch. Like every time she showed up I wanted to throw the book across the room, so I just skimmed.
She blamed her daughter on the fact that her speschul snowflake daughter had a heart attack.
Also acted like a primadonna in the ER, calling competent doctors incompetent.
The other characters were just idiotic. I can deal with that though.
I think the idea behind this book had potential, but this execution felt flawed and left me feeling angry and irritated with the wrong kind of feelz.
February 17, 2009
Goodness, I had thought this book sounded so good when I read about it. So I contacted the author to see if she'd be kind enough to send me a copy. I have to say that this book is the most amazing book. It's going on my list of favorite books of all time! While the premise of the story is one we've heard before, I could never have imagined the depths that it would uncover. The emotions that it evokes are complex and will have you really feeling a bit raw. All of us have wondered at one time or another how we'd handle this type of tragedy in our family, which is why I'm sure this story will resonate so strongly with everyone who reads it. The struggles this family goes through as they accept what they have to do, and then actually doing it, is heartbreaking. But Barbara Delinsky doesn't stop with just that. We get an intimate look into the relationship of daughters and mothers, and two sisters, and husbands and wives. The layers that are peeled away little by little just make the story that much more intense. It makes you wonder if you know your family as well as you think you do. I have to admit that I was in tears at more than one point in the book. This book is being released today...and my recommendation is that you run out and get it...NOW! Obviously I loved this book.
March 9, 2009
More of a 2.5 for me. There was just too much that Delinsky tried to cram into this book--too many people, too many issues. I really didn't feel like I knew the main characters or understood their motives.
July 14, 2010
Summary: Young woman is rendered brain dead from a heart attack; family sits by the bedside for days agonizing about whether to take her off life support and donate her organs; they decide to do it.
That's a situation, not a story. It should not constitute a full-length book. And it's obviously written by someone (yes, I know she's a popular writer) who has never been through this.
I'm super critical, because my own daughter, Kaitlyn Arquette, 18, was chased down in her car and shot twice in the head; survived 20 hours in a coma and then was pronounced brain dead; our family made the decision to take her off life support and donate her organs. So I know what it's like, and this feels like a shallow reproduction of the real thing.
There are also technical problems with the writing itself. The author keeps switching viewpoints within the chapters which is jerky and disconcerting. Not Barbara Delinsky's best book by any means.
That's a situation, not a story. It should not constitute a full-length book. And it's obviously written by someone (yes, I know she's a popular writer) who has never been through this.
I'm super critical, because my own daughter, Kaitlyn Arquette, 18, was chased down in her car and shot twice in the head; survived 20 hours in a coma and then was pronounced brain dead; our family made the decision to take her off life support and donate her organs. So I know what it's like, and this feels like a shallow reproduction of the real thing.
There are also technical problems with the writing itself. The author keeps switching viewpoints within the chapters which is jerky and disconcerting. Not Barbara Delinsky's best book by any means.
February 26, 2020
2.5 stars
This isn’t a badly written book but it was just so mediocre and mundane that I was apathetic when reading it. The story didn’t do it for me. The issues around end of life when someone you love is on life support weren’t carved out enough. I think there was potential to go deeper into the dilemmas and emotions one experiences. So it is a book that I didn’t really enjoy but also didn’t dislike. It was just meh...
This isn’t a badly written book but it was just so mediocre and mundane that I was apathetic when reading it. The story didn’t do it for me. The issues around end of life when someone you love is on life support weren’t carved out enough. I think there was potential to go deeper into the dilemmas and emotions one experiences. So it is a book that I didn’t really enjoy but also didn’t dislike. It was just meh...
January 12, 2013
So many of the familiar Delinsky elements are here: a major character thwarted from her career path, a tangled family relationship, sibling tension. This is both a good thing and a bad thing.
What makes this book so wonderful, however, is the tightness of the narrative. It takes place over a very short time (compared to some of her other titles). As each day passes, the tension increases until the characters finally have to make the confrontations they've been dreading.
I have a sister that I love dearly, and while some people have a hard time reading books about kids in danger, I have a hard time with siblings in danger. The thought of my sister in an unresponsive coma is one of my worst nightmares, and it's a testament to Delinsky's skill as a writer that I was not only able to read this book, but also finish it. While My Sister Sleeps is an intense title, emotionally wrenching, and thoroughly worthwhile.
Edit: Response on a third reading: Sometimes you need the emotional purge of reading a character's journey through hell and out the other side. This was one of those times. This book is not a comfort book per se, but it grounds me and reminds me of the important facts in life when small things seem overwhelming.
What makes this book so wonderful, however, is the tightness of the narrative. It takes place over a very short time (compared to some of her other titles). As each day passes, the tension increases until the characters finally have to make the confrontations they've been dreading.
I have a sister that I love dearly, and while some people have a hard time reading books about kids in danger, I have a hard time with siblings in danger. The thought of my sister in an unresponsive coma is one of my worst nightmares, and it's a testament to Delinsky's skill as a writer that I was not only able to read this book, but also finish it. While My Sister Sleeps is an intense title, emotionally wrenching, and thoroughly worthwhile.
Edit: Response on a third reading: Sometimes you need the emotional purge of reading a character's journey through hell and out the other side. This was one of those times. This book is not a comfort book per se, but it grounds me and reminds me of the important facts in life when small things seem overwhelming.
April 10, 2015
I really enjoyed this book. I read it in one sitting on a beautiful day at the cabin a couple of years ago. It grabbed me in the first few pages.
The Snow family have a very tangled relationship filled with secrets, rivalries, and resentments.
Robin Snow is the star athlete family and her younger sister Molly has always felt second best to her. Even as an adult, Molly struggles with living in Robin’s shadow. On a fateful day Robin goes for a run alone. Molly was to accompany her but at the last minute she decided not to go.
Tragedy strikes and Robin ends up in the ER. The family gathers together and some tough decisions have to be made.
This book was heart-breaking and bittersweet. Very well written with very good character development. Twists and turns along the way held my interest.
I highly recommend this book.
The Snow family have a very tangled relationship filled with secrets, rivalries, and resentments.
Robin Snow is the star athlete family and her younger sister Molly has always felt second best to her. Even as an adult, Molly struggles with living in Robin’s shadow. On a fateful day Robin goes for a run alone. Molly was to accompany her but at the last minute she decided not to go.
Tragedy strikes and Robin ends up in the ER. The family gathers together and some tough decisions have to be made.
This book was heart-breaking and bittersweet. Very well written with very good character development. Twists and turns along the way held my interest.
I highly recommend this book.
Read
December 26, 2012Writing quality of a soap opera. Blech!
April 2, 2009
My review: Robin is the star athlete of the Snow family. All family activities revolve around her running. Molly is the younger sister, always feeling second best to Robin. Even as an adult, Molly continues to struggle living in Robin’s shadow. It’s not until Robin’s last run, that the Snow family will finally face the reality of their dynamics.
One that fateful day, Molly was supposed to be with Robin during her long run. True to Robin’s fashion, she changed her running plans at the last minute and expected Molly to accommodate her schedule. Molly, fed up with Robin being inconsiderate, decides to not help Robin and goes about her day as planned. Later that evening, Molly receives a call from the hospital stating Robin has been in an accident and she’s needed at the hospital immediately. Molly blows off the phone call thinking Robin just had another running injury. (after all, she’s had numerous injuries in the past) and takes her time arriving at the hospital. It’s not until she speaks with the doctors, that she learns the severity of Robin’s accident.
Meanwhile, their parents, Kathryn and Charlie Snow, are en route from a trip when Molly calls to tell them about the accident. Molly doesn’t go into detail, but explains to her parents that they should come straight to the hospital. Molly’s brother, Chris, is having marital problems. His wife, Erin, complains that he doesn’t talk with her and is not an active participant in their marriage.
As the Snow family gathers at the hospital, they soon learn Robin’s prognosis is grim. Each has his/her own way of grieving for Robin and what her void will mean to the family.
What effect do the characters in the book have on one another? Each family member has a role that he/she plays well. Charlie is the quiet father, but still has a presence in the family. He keeps Kathryn grounded and is the voice of reason. Kathryn is the overbearing, hardworking wife who wants the best for her children. It comes off that she favors Robin and pushed her far and beyond to be the best runner, however Kathryn has her reasons for doing so. Chris, the middle child, is quiet and takes life as it comes. Initially, he appears to “go with the flow”, but the reader soon learns he’s very passive in his life. Finally, there’s Molly, the youngest. Molly picks up Robin’s slack. She never feels she’s good enough in her mother’s eyes and is expected to do whatever she can to make Robin’s life easier.
As the author reveals more intimate details about the Snow family, the reader quickly begins to see things aren’t as perfect as Kathryn portrays them to be. Molly discovers a family secret and confronts her parents. The reader learns more about Robin through her journal entries once this secret is revealed. My only complaint is I would have liked to have read more of her entries. So much of the family centered around Robin, so at this critical time, I would have wanted to hear more from her as she really is a silent character, with a profound presence.
My thoughts on the ending: The ending doesn’t come as a surprise. The book is mainly about the process that Snow family goes through in order to reach a decision about Robin’s life. Throughout the process, each member will learn how his/her role in the family impacts the family as a whole.
Recommended for readers who like: a good story about family dynamics. If you are a Barbara Delinisky fan, this novel will not disappoint. If you have never read a book by this author, this would be a good place to start.
One that fateful day, Molly was supposed to be with Robin during her long run. True to Robin’s fashion, she changed her running plans at the last minute and expected Molly to accommodate her schedule. Molly, fed up with Robin being inconsiderate, decides to not help Robin and goes about her day as planned. Later that evening, Molly receives a call from the hospital stating Robin has been in an accident and she’s needed at the hospital immediately. Molly blows off the phone call thinking Robin just had another running injury. (after all, she’s had numerous injuries in the past) and takes her time arriving at the hospital. It’s not until she speaks with the doctors, that she learns the severity of Robin’s accident.
Meanwhile, their parents, Kathryn and Charlie Snow, are en route from a trip when Molly calls to tell them about the accident. Molly doesn’t go into detail, but explains to her parents that they should come straight to the hospital. Molly’s brother, Chris, is having marital problems. His wife, Erin, complains that he doesn’t talk with her and is not an active participant in their marriage.
As the Snow family gathers at the hospital, they soon learn Robin’s prognosis is grim. Each has his/her own way of grieving for Robin and what her void will mean to the family.
What effect do the characters in the book have on one another? Each family member has a role that he/she plays well. Charlie is the quiet father, but still has a presence in the family. He keeps Kathryn grounded and is the voice of reason. Kathryn is the overbearing, hardworking wife who wants the best for her children. It comes off that she favors Robin and pushed her far and beyond to be the best runner, however Kathryn has her reasons for doing so. Chris, the middle child, is quiet and takes life as it comes. Initially, he appears to “go with the flow”, but the reader soon learns he’s very passive in his life. Finally, there’s Molly, the youngest. Molly picks up Robin’s slack. She never feels she’s good enough in her mother’s eyes and is expected to do whatever she can to make Robin’s life easier.
As the author reveals more intimate details about the Snow family, the reader quickly begins to see things aren’t as perfect as Kathryn portrays them to be. Molly discovers a family secret and confronts her parents. The reader learns more about Robin through her journal entries once this secret is revealed. My only complaint is I would have liked to have read more of her entries. So much of the family centered around Robin, so at this critical time, I would have wanted to hear more from her as she really is a silent character, with a profound presence.
My thoughts on the ending: The ending doesn’t come as a surprise. The book is mainly about the process that Snow family goes through in order to reach a decision about Robin’s life. Throughout the process, each member will learn how his/her role in the family impacts the family as a whole.
Recommended for readers who like: a good story about family dynamics. If you are a Barbara Delinisky fan, this novel will not disappoint. If you have never read a book by this author, this would be a good place to start.
January 11, 2009
Olympic level marathoner and egotistical Robin Snow does not get along, for the most part, with her less athletic, younger sister Molly, a horticulturist. Though they share a sisterly bond, especially when things go bad for one of them, Molly resents her older sibling’s fame and accompanied gloating haughtiness, so she refuses to run with Robin as she trains. When Robin, running alone, suffers a heart attack that leaves her comatose, Molly feels guilty for not being there for her.
As Robin's health worsens, Molly’s feelings of guilt rise in a positive correlation. Other family members—like their brother, Chris, and their parents, Charlie and Kathryn—fail to cope with the increasingly ominous situation. Chris has a personal problem while Kathryn is in denial and Charlie turns to religion. Thus, every critical decision falls on Molly’s overly burdened shoulders as the doctor begins to believe Robin will never wake up.
Fans of Barbara Delinsky will enjoy this angst-laden character driven family drama that looks deep into relationships mostly between siblings. Although the well-written story is extremely passive (which makes sense since one of the key characters is in a coma) and at times over burdened with too much personal torment that borders on hyperbolic emoting, While My Sister Sleeps deeply showcases how people react differently to an unexpected health crisis.
Review by Harriet Klausner
As Robin's health worsens, Molly’s feelings of guilt rise in a positive correlation. Other family members—like their brother, Chris, and their parents, Charlie and Kathryn—fail to cope with the increasingly ominous situation. Chris has a personal problem while Kathryn is in denial and Charlie turns to religion. Thus, every critical decision falls on Molly’s overly burdened shoulders as the doctor begins to believe Robin will never wake up.
Fans of Barbara Delinsky will enjoy this angst-laden character driven family drama that looks deep into relationships mostly between siblings. Although the well-written story is extremely passive (which makes sense since one of the key characters is in a coma) and at times over burdened with too much personal torment that borders on hyperbolic emoting, While My Sister Sleeps deeply showcases how people react differently to an unexpected health crisis.
Review by Harriet Klausner
March 27, 2015
Everything happens for a reason according to Nana and even though some things might not make your happy, they do have to happen. Potential Olympic runner Robin Snow is out on a run and has a heart attack. This leads to a week of anguish for a family but yet each of them grows in their own way. This book is tragic from the very start to the very end yet it is bittersweet. How is the Snow family going to cope with the tragedy of Robin's heart attack and what are they going to decide. Very sad book that makes you stop and think, how would I deal with this type of tragedy? Would I be like Katheryn watching her oldest daughter in the hospital not wanting to come to terms what is happening? Would I be like the younger daughter Molly who wants to be strong, wants to do what Robin would want and thinks she has never been good enough in her Mom's eyes. Or would I be like son Chris, detached and not one to show his feelings. Very beautifully written.
July 6, 2023
Olympic hopeful Robin has a massive heart attack while training. Now brain dead, her sister Molly, their parents and brother wrestle with personal and family problems while awaiting the inevitable.
I read WHILE MY SISTER SLEEPS years ago and remember enjoying it, so when Kindle had it as a daily deal for $1.99, I figured I’d reread. Barbara Delinsky, a prolific writer, is at her best when writing about relationships. I didn’t enjoy WHILE MY SISTER SLEEPS as much as my memory of the book, perhaps because the story felt dated in how we think and talk about the end of life, when the body exists and the mind is gone. Maybe I watch too much Grey’s Anatomy, but I would have liked more about organ donation.
Still, Delinsky never fails to deliver a well written story.
I read WHILE MY SISTER SLEEPS years ago and remember enjoying it, so when Kindle had it as a daily deal for $1.99, I figured I’d reread. Barbara Delinsky, a prolific writer, is at her best when writing about relationships. I didn’t enjoy WHILE MY SISTER SLEEPS as much as my memory of the book, perhaps because the story felt dated in how we think and talk about the end of life, when the body exists and the mind is gone. Maybe I watch too much Grey’s Anatomy, but I would have liked more about organ donation.
Still, Delinsky never fails to deliver a well written story.
March 6, 2010
This was the story of a family faced with a daughter who has a heart attack out running and is on life support. It is the story of how the family copes and grows through the experience. I found this a good read, this issue was explored compassionately and the characters grew in the experiece.
April 4, 2009
I really didn't like this book. I didn't like any of the characters. The story revolves around a family who owns some famous nursery in New England where they all work except for the oldest daughter who is a famous runner training for the Olympics. She winds up having a heart attack while running which causes severe brain damage. The story basically involves the family members coming to terms with what happened as well as with each other. The characters are painted in such broad strokes that they really are just one note characters and then they manage to change way too easy at the end of the book so that everything ends happily.
November 29, 2021
What a tearjerker!!!
August 10, 2018
Este libro llegó a mi en un buen momento y aunque la sinopsis nos habla un poco sobre el argumento (menos mal que leo las sinopsis después de terminar el libro) tiene mucho más en su interior. Me pareció un libro muy real, que toca temas muy delicados y difíciles de afrontar en la familia. Asimilar las pérdidas, soltar, hablar con la verdad y sobretodo aceptar tanto los hechos como a las personas tal cual como son, son experiencias que nos pueden resultar agobiantes e incluso nos pueden sobrepasar. La mayoría de las veces no somos conscientes de lo que poseemos y damos muchas cosas por sentado. La vida es un regalo y cada oportunidad una bendición. Aceptar los acontecimientos día a día, aprender de las malas experiencias, dar las gracias a nuestros seres queridos, respetar la evolución de cada quien forma parte vital de la felicidad. Siempre van a ocurrir cosas, no todas bonitas, no todas felices pero si hay amor, si hay confianza y si hay voluntad todo se puede superar. En fin, esta historia me tocó el corazón, me hizo pensar mucho y sobretodo dar las gracias por la familia maravillosa que tengo. La disfruté mucho, la leí con pausa y me dejó un buen aprendizaje.
September 16, 2017
It's a very emotional book. The secrets we keep!!!
April 17, 2014
The Snow sisters - Molly and Robin - are as close as two sisters can possibly be. Like most sisters, the women share a bond that has sustained them through the good times and the bad. Throughout their childhood, and now as adults, the women's love for each other and their friendship has endured, and is just as strong as ever.
Their careers are flourishing - Molly is a horticulturist and Robin is a world-class runner - and they are both in the prime of their lives. So when Molly receives the news that Robin has suffered a massive heart attack, she couldn't be more shocked. At the hospital, the Snow family is given the grim prognosis: Robin may never regain consciousness.
As Robin's parents and siblings struggle to cope, the complex nature of their relationship is put to the ultimate test. Molly has always lived in Robin's shadow and her feelings for her sister have run the gamut, from love to resentment and back again. In fact, the last time the sisters spoke, they argued. Now, however, there is so much more at stake.
Under such devastating circumstances, Molly's parents begin to fold, and her brother retreats into a cool reserve that threatens his own family. So, it's up to Molly to make the tough decisions, and she soon makes discoveries that shatter some of her most cherished beliefs about the sister she thought she knew.
Once again, New York Times bestselling author Barbara Delinsky has created a masterful family portrait, filled with thought-provoking ideas about the nature of life itself, how emotions influence the decisions we make, and how letting go can sometimes be the hardest thing to do and also the greatest expression of love all at the same time.
While I will admit that a few of Barbara Delinsky's books that I've read in the past may not have been her best work - at least in my opinion - I would give While my Sister Sleeps a definite A+! I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. In my opinion, Barbara Delinsky has once again created characters that are absolutely realistic and easy to relate to, people who the reader can't help but care for as they suffer through their various trials and tribulations. I'm certainly looking forward to reading more from this author in the future.
Their careers are flourishing - Molly is a horticulturist and Robin is a world-class runner - and they are both in the prime of their lives. So when Molly receives the news that Robin has suffered a massive heart attack, she couldn't be more shocked. At the hospital, the Snow family is given the grim prognosis: Robin may never regain consciousness.
As Robin's parents and siblings struggle to cope, the complex nature of their relationship is put to the ultimate test. Molly has always lived in Robin's shadow and her feelings for her sister have run the gamut, from love to resentment and back again. In fact, the last time the sisters spoke, they argued. Now, however, there is so much more at stake.
Under such devastating circumstances, Molly's parents begin to fold, and her brother retreats into a cool reserve that threatens his own family. So, it's up to Molly to make the tough decisions, and she soon makes discoveries that shatter some of her most cherished beliefs about the sister she thought she knew.
Once again, New York Times bestselling author Barbara Delinsky has created a masterful family portrait, filled with thought-provoking ideas about the nature of life itself, how emotions influence the decisions we make, and how letting go can sometimes be the hardest thing to do and also the greatest expression of love all at the same time.
While I will admit that a few of Barbara Delinsky's books that I've read in the past may not have been her best work - at least in my opinion - I would give While my Sister Sleeps a definite A+! I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. In my opinion, Barbara Delinsky has once again created characters that are absolutely realistic and easy to relate to, people who the reader can't help but care for as they suffer through their various trials and tribulations. I'm certainly looking forward to reading more from this author in the future.
December 10, 2009
It's been a while since I gave a book 5 stars, but this one definitely deserves it. Robin Snow is a star athlete and an Olympic hopeful to run the marathon. One day when she's out for her usual run, her life takes a dramatic turn for the worse. This beautifully written story follows each family member's journey through this crisis and shows how they grow, individually and as a family, through this terrible situation. There's a lot going on in this story, but it is beautifully woven and it all ties together so well.
I have long been a Jodi Picoult fan, and have just recently discovered Delinsky, this is only the second book of hers that I have read. What I like about both of them is that I feel I have grown as a person after reading their books. They both cover family issues as they cope with a crisis, and they both research their books so well that you really come through the end with a better understanding of a situation or issue. What seems different to me about Delinsky though (and better IMO), is that she covers topics that could truly happen to any of us at any time - those unpredictable moments where life is suddenly not working out like you planned. In both of the books that I have read, the family is trucking along happily and with no warning something happens to change their family dynamic drastically. She really makes you think through what her characters are dealing with, and you experience their journey with them. This has recently become my favorite type of story, the ones that really make you think: about what others around you are dealing with, about your own feelings toward such topics and situations, and about your own life - how you just never know when you will have to face an equally difficult situation, and how you deal with it could affect the rest of your life, and those around you. I am very pleased to discover though that Delinsky has written many more books and I plan to work my way through those very soon.
P.S. Although it's only a small thread, and not really one that affects your enjoyment of The Secret Between Us, I recommend reading that one first if you can b/c a few of the characters revisit us in this one.
I have long been a Jodi Picoult fan, and have just recently discovered Delinsky, this is only the second book of hers that I have read. What I like about both of them is that I feel I have grown as a person after reading their books. They both cover family issues as they cope with a crisis, and they both research their books so well that you really come through the end with a better understanding of a situation or issue. What seems different to me about Delinsky though (and better IMO), is that she covers topics that could truly happen to any of us at any time - those unpredictable moments where life is suddenly not working out like you planned. In both of the books that I have read, the family is trucking along happily and with no warning something happens to change their family dynamic drastically. She really makes you think through what her characters are dealing with, and you experience their journey with them. This has recently become my favorite type of story, the ones that really make you think: about what others around you are dealing with, about your own feelings toward such topics and situations, and about your own life - how you just never know when you will have to face an equally difficult situation, and how you deal with it could affect the rest of your life, and those around you. I am very pleased to discover though that Delinsky has written many more books and I plan to work my way through those very soon.
P.S. Although it's only a small thread, and not really one that affects your enjoyment of The Secret Between Us, I recommend reading that one first if you can b/c a few of the characters revisit us in this one.
March 31, 2010
I liked this book, the way the author writes, I found myself eager to read and not wanting to put it down. However I was disturbed to see Teri Schiavo name used in the book and compared to the character in this book, who is brain dead and left going by machines. Teri Schiavo was awake, alive, breathing on her own, and especially loved and wanted by her parents. Yes she did have a feeding tube inserted, because of her possibility to aspirate. Teri Schiavo was starved to death. She was like a child, she needed care, and attention from her parents who were so willing. THe sister character in this book is very different, she has a accident and never wakes up again, never opens her eyes, never smiles. She is being kept alive by a machine which keeps her heart pumping and her lungs functiioning. I realize Delinsky gets much of her writing material from current events, and as such should be more responsible in which sources she uses. Bobbi Schiavo, the brother of Teri has a foundation for Teri which is in its 5th year, called Terifight.org. He goes around the country, speaking on behalf of his sister, and helping other families in the same circumstances. TOday is the 5th year anniversary of Teri Shiavo. Her life was taken from her thru cruel circumstances, her family still suffers because of the lies perpetrated thru the media. Please let us all be more responsible. God Bless Teri, and may she rest in Peace.
January 1, 2011
Wow, what to say about this book? It wasn't my usual type of book, but it was another of those that fell into my lap and I started reading. By the end either I really didn't like any of the characters or I really didn't care about them at all. In fact, the only one I grew to like even marginally was in a coma. (I don't think that's a spoiler, since it's clear from the description that's what the book's about. And how did she get away with using the title? I would've thought that the people who made "While You Were Sleeping" would have sued her for it!) In a complete reversal of my normal opinion, this book would have made a better Lifetime movie than trying to read about these characters. Maybe watching even moderately-capable actors would have given more depth to the characters and made me care more about them. The writing style was odd at times, as well. More than once I came to the end of a chapter and flipped the pages back and forth, thinking I'd missed some because of the abrupt ending. There was enough material here that this should have been a really good story, but it just ... wasn't.
March 20, 2009
I just finished this book on my eReader. It was a very good book. Sad and so true. It is about family relations, dementia, life support, heart problems, love, giving up and holding on. This is the second book written by Barbara Delinsky I have read. I can't tell you which was better. Both dealt with family relations and how important that is between sisters, brothers, mothers and fathers.
Robin is the oldest child, she is a runner. She goes out for a run and has an accident. Chris, the only son is the second child, married, with a child of his own. Molly, the youngest helps with the family business, a plant nursery/flower shop. Kathryn and Charlie are the parents. What a tangled web they have spun over the years, and it all comes out in the hospital while Robin sleeps.
Barbara Delinsky knows how to write about family. Her book Family Tree dealt with relationships that went back at least two generations in a family. I cannot explain to anyone how she captures the essence as well as she does.
This book is worth reading. Look for it on your Kindle lists!
Robin is the oldest child, she is a runner. She goes out for a run and has an accident. Chris, the only son is the second child, married, with a child of his own. Molly, the youngest helps with the family business, a plant nursery/flower shop. Kathryn and Charlie are the parents. What a tangled web they have spun over the years, and it all comes out in the hospital while Robin sleeps.
Barbara Delinsky knows how to write about family. Her book Family Tree dealt with relationships that went back at least two generations in a family. I cannot explain to anyone how she captures the essence as well as she does.
This book is worth reading. Look for it on your Kindle lists!
June 9, 2018
This is a sensitive book about family relationships. The setting is tragic for any family - a sister/daughter on life support. The ups and downs of Sister relationships, guilt, sadness, remorse are all played out by this family. The mother/daughter relationships force their way to the conscious level. Secrets? Does every family have them? And if they are shared does the world shatter? Organ donation? All of these issues are aired and beautifully dealt with. A must read!
September 15, 2016
This book was good. I really enjoyed it. In the beginning I thought that I wouldn't enjoy it, but it grew on me as I kept reading. The characters were really developed and I enjoyed watching them grow. This is my second book by this author but it won't be my last.
August 8, 2017
Alright, it's almost Valentine's Day, and we all know what that means! What, wait, no! Not chocolates and flowers -- I mean going to your local library and finding that stack of wrapped books and picking one out to have a blind date with!
For the past couple years, I have been seeing this trend more and more often at the libraries I frequent, though I'm not sure how wide-spread the trend is. This just happened to be the book that I picked up, wrapped in red paper with only "Mystery -- There were days when Molly Snow loved her sister, but this wasn't one" written on it.
For be honest, this REALLY isn't the type of book I'd normally read. Which is good, yes, because that was rather the point of this exercise, to give me the opportunity to read books that I'd normally never have come into contact with. This wasn't exactly the mystery I was promised -- though there was some uncovering done, I can't say that any of it was sleuthing exactly. However, I did enjoy reading it.
I think that the only critique I can give is according to my personal beliefs, and that isn't something that anyone else is obligated to agree with. Namely, So while I understand that people think otherwise, I did want to at least mention it.
The book starts and ends with Molly Snow's perspective, detailing all her work to find out what her sister (who is in a coma and isn't waking up) would want. The characters are very real, with all the love and faults and ridiculousness of real people. The mother was a bit dramatic, but really -- I do know a few people who actually act like that. Um. Yeah. The world's a scary place.
So, though it's not a book I'm likely to reread, bravo! And thank you to my local library for giving me a chance to try a book I wouldn't have read otherwise!
For the past couple years, I have been seeing this trend more and more often at the libraries I frequent, though I'm not sure how wide-spread the trend is. This just happened to be the book that I picked up, wrapped in red paper with only "Mystery -- There were days when Molly Snow loved her sister, but this wasn't one" written on it.
For be honest, this REALLY isn't the type of book I'd normally read. Which is good, yes, because that was rather the point of this exercise, to give me the opportunity to read books that I'd normally never have come into contact with. This wasn't exactly the mystery I was promised -- though there was some uncovering done, I can't say that any of it was sleuthing exactly. However, I did enjoy reading it.
I think that the only critique I can give is according to my personal beliefs, and that isn't something that anyone else is obligated to agree with. Namely, So while I understand that people think otherwise, I did want to at least mention it.
The book starts and ends with Molly Snow's perspective, detailing all her work to find out what her sister (who is in a coma and isn't waking up) would want. The characters are very real, with all the love and faults and ridiculousness of real people. The mother was a bit dramatic, but really -- I do know a few people who actually act like that. Um. Yeah. The world's a scary place.
So, though it's not a book I'm likely to reread, bravo! And thank you to my local library for giving me a chance to try a book I wouldn't have read otherwise!
March 27, 2017
Molly and Robin Snow are sisters, and like all sisters they share a deep bond that sustains them through good times and bad. Their careers are flourishing–Molly is a horticulturist and Robin is a world-class runner–and they are in the prime of their lives. So when Molly receives the news that Robin has suffered a massive heart attack, she couldn’t be more shocked. At the hospital, the Snow family receives a grim prognosis: Robin may never regain consciousness.
As Robin’s parents and siblings struggle to cope, the complex nature of their relationship is put to the ultimate test. Molly has always lived in Robin’s shadow, and her feelings for her have run the gamut, from love to resentment and back. The last time they spoke, they argued. But now there is so much more at stake. Molly’s parents fold under the devastating circumstances, and her brother retreats into the cool reserve that is shattering his own family. It’s up to Molly to make the tough decisions, and she soon makes discoveries that destroy some of her most cherished beliefs about the sister she thought she knew.
As Robin’s parents and siblings struggle to cope, the complex nature of their relationship is put to the ultimate test. Molly has always lived in Robin’s shadow, and her feelings for her have run the gamut, from love to resentment and back. The last time they spoke, they argued. But now there is so much more at stake. Molly’s parents fold under the devastating circumstances, and her brother retreats into the cool reserve that is shattering his own family. It’s up to Molly to make the tough decisions, and she soon makes discoveries that destroy some of her most cherished beliefs about the sister she thought she knew.
April 29, 2020
Not too bad for your standard chick lit. The book covered a myriad of social issues - from organ donation to anorexia and a few more thrown in for good measure. It was over dramatized and the characters were abominable:
Kathryn - The mother from hell
Charlie - the Casper Milquetoast father
Chris - the namby-pamby brother
Erin - a frustrated mother and wife
Molly - the long suffering sister
Marjorie - the Alzheimer patient
David - the do-gooder
Liz - the minx
Nick - the media monster
Alexis - the ballerina wanna be
Peter - the rabbit
Robin - the coma queen.
I read this because due to the Coronavirus my library is closed and I’ve read all my ThriftBooks (about $200.00 worth.) I remembered my neighborhood has recently installed a “Little Library” so I went there and exchanged for 10 books of every genre. This was one of them!
Kathryn - The mother from hell
Charlie - the Casper Milquetoast father
Chris - the namby-pamby brother
Erin - a frustrated mother and wife
Molly - the long suffering sister
Marjorie - the Alzheimer patient
David - the do-gooder
Liz - the minx
Nick - the media monster
Alexis - the ballerina wanna be
Peter - the rabbit
Robin - the coma queen.
I read this because due to the Coronavirus my library is closed and I’ve read all my ThriftBooks (about $200.00 worth.) I remembered my neighborhood has recently installed a “Little Library” so I went there and exchanged for 10 books of every genre. This was one of them!
September 20, 2021
The plot was a great idea and well mapped out, but the book was lackluster and predictable. Most of the story is told through dialogue, which wouldn't be so off-putting if the characters had unique voices at all, but they don't. I had to look up the page at some points to follow who was speaking, even who was in the scenes, because the characters all speak exactly the same. It made the reading feel monotonous and made it easy to want to skim, and that took away from the emotional gravitas of the story. Just 2 stars. I didn't hate it, but I didn't enjoy it.
August 13, 2018
Robin was a runner, the one thing she did that defined her. She has a heart attack while running and never wakes up. While her family is devastated the time they have before taking her off life support actually gives her family a way to deal with questions that had long been put off. Hard decisions are made with love and understanding of everyone’s feelings.
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