The Girls by Lori Lansens

Assignment: #1 of 3 popular author(Adult book with YA appeal)
Author: Lori Lansens
Publisher: New York:Little Brown and Company, 2006
Date: 03/21/07
Format/Genre: Realistic Fiction
Recommended Grade Level: 10th grade-adult
Summary: Rose and Ruby Darlen are craniopagus twins that live in Baldoon County, New York. Craniopagus twins are very rare. The twins heads are joined together and they share blood vessels in their brain.Their mother abandoned them after giving birth. The twins were taken in by Aunt Lovey and Uncle Stash. They are not related but Aunt Lovey delivered the two girls. Throughout this book both Ruby and Rose tell their stories from birth to the age of twenty-nine. In their twenty-nine years they learn about love, laughter, hardships of being connected and the hate that can be imposed on others who are different.
Comments: I enjoyed reading the book but it was not one of my favorites . The book was a little wordy in the sense that it continued on long drawn out stories. I did find it to be a moving story because of its accounts on a persons differences. Ruby and Rose are able to find out that life has not just been lemons but a sweet glass of lemonade. The only problem was the ending left the reader hanging. I was expecting the author to end the book with the girls death and instead it ends with Rose finally finding the perfect title for the book. This book would be a great read for a young girl that is wanting to find her own identity.
Voya: 3Q 3P