The Girls - The Library of the Uncommons

Hardcover, 581 pages

English language

Published Aug. 2, 2006 by Thorndike Press.

ISBN:: 978-0-7862-8827-4
OCLC Number:: 65538558

(1 review)

'I have never looked into my sister's eyes. I have never bathed alone. I have never stood in the grass at night and raised my arms to a beguiling moon. I've never used an aeroplane bathroom. Or worn a hat. Or been kissed like that...So many things I've never done, but oh, how I've been loved. And, if such things were to be, I'd live a thousand times as me, to be loved so exponentially' The girls, Rose and Ruby Darlen, were both joined at the head (craniopagus twins) in a rural farming community in 1974. Abandoned by their frightened teenage mother, they are adopted by the eccentric nurse who attended their birth, and her husband, a gentle immigrant butcher. The sisters attempt to lead a normal life, but can't help being extraordinary. Now almost thirty, Rose and Ruby are on the verge of becoming the oldest living craniopagus twins …

'I have never looked into my sister's eyes. I have never bathed alone. I have never stood in the grass at night and raised my arms to a beguiling moon. I've never used an aeroplane bathroom. Or worn a hat. Or been kissed like that...So many things I've never done, but oh, how I've been loved. And, if such things were to be, I'd live a thousand times as me, to be loved so exponentially' The girls, Rose and Ruby Darlen, were both joined at the head (craniopagus twins) in a rural farming community in 1974. Abandoned by their frightened teenage mother, they are adopted by the eccentric nurse who attended their birth, and her husband, a gentle immigrant butcher. The sisters attempt to lead a normal life, but can't help being extraordinary. Now almost thirty, Rose and Ruby are on the verge of becoming the oldest living craniopagus twins in history. Rose has a passion for writing, and The Girls is her version of life as a conjoined twin. Rose and Ruby are attached at the head, but their struggles and triumphs remind us that connection is central to us all.

13 editions

MaidMerry reviewed The Girls by Lori Lansens

Review of 'The Girls' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Had I been aware of the subject matter of this book, I probably wouldn't have picked it up (saw it at a used book store, and the title rang a bell, so I bought it). That would have been a shame, since I would have missed out on a well-written story with characters who are so well-drawn, it's hard to believe they aren't real.

The Girls is the story of craniopagus twins (joined at the head). With the guidance and love of their "Aunt Lovey" and "Uncle Stash," they face their challenges with aplomb, mutual caring, and and a remarkable lack of self-pity. They touch everyone who knows them, whether those be characters or readers.

Subjects

Young women
American Contemporary Fiction - Individual Authors +
Fiction
Fiction - General
Psychological
General
Abandoned children
Conjoined twins