Together Alone
by Barbara Delinsky
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New York Times bestselling author Barbara Delinsky weaves a stunning and intricate tapestry of life, love, and acceptance.With their daughters off to college, the time has come for forever best friends Emily, Kay, and Celeste to redefine themselves as women. Once half of a perfect marriage—still suffering from a terrible loss—Emily hardly knows her workaholic husband, Doug, anymore, and is drawn instead to what is offered by a new neighbor. A dedicated teacher who loves her job, Kay is show more confused and troubled by husband John's unfamiliar demands. And Celeste, long-divorced and ecstatic with freedom, sees her electric new life dimmed when her child is endangered.
As the three friends struggle to navigate this uncharted territory, they find themselves redefining their dreams, desires, and what it means—to each of them—to be a woman. But before they can bring about change, they must learn the hardest lesson of all: how to love themselves.
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"Together Alone" is the story of three women who rely on each others close friendship for support, encouragement, and advise in dealing with their problems and every day issues. The most immediate issue they are all facing is they each have a cherished daughter leaving for college. Although, on the surface, the “off to college” routine is typically a mildly stressful event, it has much deeper significance for these mom’s who have just spent the last 18 years dedicated to raising that one and only child. All of a sudden they are faced with bigger issues, that up until now, they had managed to ignore: the unsatisfactory marriage, the idea of aging, the loneliness and boredom, and the challenge of finding a new purpose in life.
The show more primary character, Emily, is also dealing with a much deeper issue. Eighteen years ago, when her first child, a little boy, was two years old he was kidnapped. The kidnapper was never found. The child never returned. And the body never recovered. Emily still struggles with the pain and guilt of that tragedy.
In contrast, there were several quite funny scenes when one of the women, Celeste, a divorcee, decides to start dating and has a series of blind dates with men she contacted through a personal ad in the local newspaper.
And of course, just because the girls are off to college, does not mean the mom’s are off the hook on the worry about their wellbeing.
On the whole "Together Alone" is an inspirational women’s book. Every woman should be so fortunate to have one or two friends that will give this kind of mutual unconditional friendship. And every woman should have this kind of courage to move forward with their lives.
Part mystery, part love story, Barbara Delinsky sure squeezes a lot of drama into a novel. Individual portions were quite realistic and believable, but on the whole, there were just too many coincidences that made things fall into place precisely at the moment the novel required for it’s somewhat predictable ending.
Deep issues; mildly superficial presentation, but still, entertaining. show less
The show more primary character, Emily, is also dealing with a much deeper issue. Eighteen years ago, when her first child, a little boy, was two years old he was kidnapped. The kidnapper was never found. The child never returned. And the body never recovered. Emily still struggles with the pain and guilt of that tragedy.
In contrast, there were several quite funny scenes when one of the women, Celeste, a divorcee, decides to start dating and has a series of blind dates with men she contacted through a personal ad in the local newspaper.
And of course, just because the girls are off to college, does not mean the mom’s are off the hook on the worry about their wellbeing.
On the whole "Together Alone" is an inspirational women’s book. Every woman should be so fortunate to have one or two friends that will give this kind of mutual unconditional friendship. And every woman should have this kind of courage to move forward with their lives.
Part mystery, part love story, Barbara Delinsky sure squeezes a lot of drama into a novel. Individual portions were quite realistic and believable, but on the whole, there were just too many coincidences that made things fall into place precisely at the moment the novel required for it’s somewhat predictable ending.
Deep issues; mildly superficial presentation, but still, entertaining. show less
This is a re-read, and it was fully justified. A story with many layers, about friendship, family, missing children, heartbreak and so much more. Wonderful story, movingly told on so many levels. Excellent.
About a lady who left her baby in the car to go in the Post Office and come back to find Daniel gone. It was a complex story of several families with great tensions and kept getting more intense until I had to read it to the end. lt Now I can go to bed.
Another book of Barbara Delinsky that is a sure hit if you like her style of writting. Myself, I just loved it. As soon as I opened this book and turned the first page, I had to finish it. Together kept me on the edge of my seat, and as a mother myself, I could relate to many feelings of desperation and care all along the pages. A must read!
Interesting twists, turns and revelations.
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Son was kidnapped. Husband has a secret second family. in Name that Book (July 2013)
Author Information

193+ Works 22,670 Members
Barbara Delinsky was born on August 9, 1945 in suburban Boston. She received a B.A. in psychology from Tufts University and an M.A. in sociology from Boston College. After graduate school, she worked as a researcher with the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. After her first child was born, she worked as a show more photographer and reporter for the Belmont Herald. She has written more than 60 novels including Shades of Grace, Coast Road, While My Sister Sleeps and Not My Daughter. Some of her novels have been made into television movies including Three Wishes starring Valerie Bertinelli and A Woman's Place starring Lorraine Bracco. She wrote the nonfiction book Uplift: Secrets from the Sisterhood of Breast Cancer Survivors. She has also written under the pen names Bonnie Drake and Billie Douglass. Barbara's novels, Blueprints and Sweet Salt Air, made the New York Times bestseller list in 2015. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Together Alone
- Original title
- Together Alone
- Original publication date
- 1995-02
- People/Characters
- Emily Arkin; Brian Stasek; Kay; Celeste; Doug; John
- First words
- He wasn't going to like it.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Never lonely again.
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Statistics
- Members
- 381
- Popularity
- 82,011
- Reviews
- 7
- Rating
- (3.68)
- Languages
- 7 — Dutch, English, French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 23
- ASINs
- 4



























































