The Girls by Lori Lansens
Meet Rose and Ruby: sisters, best friends, confidantes, and conjoined twins. Since their birth, Rose and Ruby Darlen have been known simply as “the girls.” They make friends, fall in love, have jobs, love their parents, and follow their dreams. But the Darlens are special. Now nearing their 30th birthday, they are history’s oldest craniopagus twins, joined at the head by a spot the size of a bread plate.When Rose, the bookish sister, sets out to write her autobiography, it inevitably becomes the story of her short but extraordinary life with Ruby, the beautiful one. From their awkward first steps — Ruby’s arm curled around Rose’s neck, her foreshortened legs wrapped around Rose’s hips — to the friendships they gradually build for themselves in the small town of Leaford, this is the profoundly affecting chronicle of an incomparable life journey.
As Rose and Ruby’s story builds to an unforgettable conclusion, Lansens aims at the heart of human experience — the hardship of loss and struggles for independence, and the fundamental joy of simply living a life. This is a breathtaking novel, one that no reader will soon forget, a heartrending story of love between sisters.
~~ From the book jacket
“Lansens has created a richly nuanced, totally believable sibling relationship . . . An unsentimental, heartwarming page-turner. Quite an achievement.”
Kirkus Reviews
“Her biggest achievement in the novel is bringing to life these two truly extraordinary characters to such a degree that readers may forget they are reading fiction.”
Booklist (Starred Review)
“Lori Lansens makes a gentle, persuasive case for everyone’s individuality.”
Boston Globe
“I promise you will never forget this extraordinary story. Love, connection, loyalty, raw humanity, and much more are the ingredients of this most unusual novel. Lori Lansen’s blend of tragedy and comedy will touch you deeply.”
Isabel Allende, one of the first successful women novelists in Latin America, author of The House of the Spirits
PLEASE NOTE: Each student should have their own copy of this book for fall semester. It is readily available online or at retail bookstores, wholesale establishments such as Sam’s Club and Costco. If you prefer, copies may be ordered at the textbook order section of the Westminster College Bookstore (724) 946.7217.
