Best Selling Books by Lori Lansens

"Mary''s odyssey of heartache and hope is not so much about finding her husband as it is about rediscovering herself." — People On the eve of their Silver Anniversary, Mary Gooch is waiting for her husband Jimmy—still every inch the handsome star athlete he was in high school—to come home. As night turns to day, it becomes frighteningly clear to Mary that he is gone. Through the years, disappointment and worry have brought Mary''s life to a standstill, and she has let her universe shrink to the well-worn path from the bedroom to the refrigerator. But her husband''s disappearance startles her out of her inertia, and she begins a desperate search. For the first time in her life, she boards a plane and flies across the country to find her lost husband. So used to hiding from the world, Mary finds that in the bright sun and broad vistas of California, she is forced to look up from the pavement. And what she finds fills her with inner strength she''s never felt before. Through it all, Mary not only finds kindred spirits, but reunites with a more intimate stranger no longer sequestered by fear and habit: herself. "Lansens—who lived so memorably inside the heads of conjoined twins Ruby and Rose in The Girls—sketches another indelible female character here. Mary Gooch . . . [is] original . . . heartbreakingly funny and sad." — Entertainment Weekly "A sensitive but deliciously comic account of Mary''s fight against the ''obeast'' that has lived inside her since childhood." — The New York Times Book Review

A novel of conjoined sisters and the connections, visible or invisible, that cannot be broken: "An unsentimental, heartwarming page-turner" ( Kirkus Reviews, starred review). 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 thirtieth 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, they are on an incomparable life journey. As Rose and Ruby''s story builds to an unforgettable conclusion, Lori 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. "A stunner . . . laced with delightful comic moments." — Toronto Star "Utterly compelling." — Newsday "Love, connection, loyalty, raw humanity and much more are the ingredients of this most unusual novel. Lori Lansens''s blend of tragedy and comedy will touch you deeply." —Isabel Allende "Extraordinary." — Time Magazine

Four lost hikers are about to discover they’re capable of something extraordinary. Nola has gone up the mountain to commemorate her wedding anniversary, the first since her beloved husband passed. Blonde, stick-thin Bridget is training for a triathalon. Vonn is working out her teenage rebellion at eight thousand feet, driven by family obligation and the urge to escape her mistakes. Still reeling from the tragic accident that robbed him of his best friend, Wolf Truly is the only experienced hiker among them, but he has come to the cliffs on his eighteenth birthday without food or supplies because he plans to take his own life. When a series of missteps strands this unusual group together in the wilderness, they soon realize that their only defense against the brutality of nature is one another. As one day without rescue spirals dramatically into the next, and misadventure turns to nightmare, these four broken souls begin to form an inextricable bond, pushing themselves and one another further than they ever could have dreamed possible. The three who make it home alive will be forever changed by their harrowing days on the mountain. From the New York Times bestselling author of The Girls, The Mountain Story is a fast-paced, suspenseful adventure and a gorgeous tribute to the resilience of the human spirit. Braving a landscape both unforgivingly harsh and breathtakingly beautiful, Nola, Bridget, Vonn, and Wolf find themselves faced with an impossible question: How much will they sacrifice for a stranger?

Sharla Cody is only five, but has already lived a troubled life -- only to find herself dumped on an elderly neighbor''s doorstep when her mother takes off for the summer. Although Sharla is not the angelic child Addy Shadd had pictured when she agreed to look after her, the two soon forge a deep bond. To Addy''s surprise, Sharla''s presence brings back memories of her own childhood in Rusholme, a town settled by fugitive slaves in the mid-1800s. She reminisces about her family, her first love, and the painful experience that drove her away from home. Brilliantly structured and achingly lyrical, this is a story about the redeeming power of love and memory, and about two unlikely people who transform each other''s lives forever.

A teenage girl is running for her life in "a near-future that is stark, visceral and terrifyingly real" in this national bestselling dystopian thriller (Ami McKay, author of The Birth House). Taking place over the course of forty-eight pulse-pounding hours, This Little Light draws readers into a near-future world of born-again Christians and celebrity worship where abortion is illegal and surveillance is everywhere. Sixteen-year-old Rory Miller and her best friend, Fee, are on the run after a bomb explodes at their elite Christian private school inside their triple-gated California community. As Rory and Fee struggle to evade a media-frenzied search led by zealots and bounty hunters, Rory blogs their story in real time, determined to leave behind a record in their own words in case they don''t make it out alive. Author Lori Lansens weaves an intense, urgent, and enthralling read about an all-too-believable near future—and the world we already live in.

Uma história emocionante de aventura, sacrifício e sobrevivência na natureza implacável de uma montanha lendária. Assim que completa 18 anos, Wolf Truly pega o teleférico para o topo da montanha que se ergue sobre a cidade em que vive. Ele planeja tirar a própria vida. Em vez disso, acaba se deparando com três mulheres vagando pela floresta, estranhas que mudarão o rumo da sua vida. Quando uma série de infortúnios deixa esse grupo preso em meio à natureza selvagem, eles logo percebem que podem contar apenas um com o outro para se defender da brutalidade da floresta. Conforme os dias passam e sua desventura se transforma em pesadelo, essas quatro almas perdidas formam um laço inquebrável. A montanha é uma história sobre redenção e dificuldade; sobre a realidade brutal da natureza; sobre o amadurecimento em qualquer idade; e sobre as formas singulares como mantemos uns aos outros vivos.

« Je n''ai jamais regardé ma soeur dans les yeux. Je n''ai jamais pris mon bain toute seule. Et pourtant j''ai été aimée, ô combien aimée... » Tels sont les premiers mots du journal intime que Rose entreprend à 29 ans, sachant ses jours et ceux de Ruby comptés. Qu''elles aient atteint cet âge relève déjà du miracle. Dans le comté de Baldoon, au Canada, Rose et Ruby mènent une vie hors du commun - siamoises, elles sont reliées par la tête - et tout ce qu''il y a de plus ordinaire, entourées de leurs parents adoptifs et de leurs nombreux collègues et amis. Ni monstres, ni merveilles, ni phénomènes de foire, Rose et Ruby sont tout simplement « les filles ». Au fil de réflexions graves et drôles, se dessinent deux destins unis par la fatalité, mais aussi par un amour inconditionnel, plus grand que soi. Première parution : l''Archipel (2010).

5 kilos pris à la mort de son père, 10 à la suite de sa fausse-couche... En raison de son obésité, Marie se complaît jour après jour dans une solitude mortifère. Consumée par un quotidien qui se résume à des allers-retours entre son lit et le frigidaire, Marie, ne vit que pour et par Jimmy, son mari. Or, un soir, à la veille de ses noces d''argent, celui-ci ne regagne pas leur maison en Ontario. Résolue à retrouver Jimmy, Marie délaisse sa vie sans remous et s''envole pour Los Angeles. Au fil de rencontres insolites, avec un immigrant mexicain, puis des triplés dont elle prendra soin comme s''ils étaient ses propres enfants, Marie apprend à s''ouvrir aux autres et à se libérer de ses peurs. Son périple sous le soleil de Californie devient contre toute attente un voyage initiatique où la personne recherchée n''est peut-être qu''elle-même... L''auteur des Filles, reconnue pour l''humanité de ses portraits d''êtres insolites, merveilleusement attachants, montre avec humour et délicatesse que les miracles existent et qu''ils ne sont pas toujours là où on les imagine.

Da sempre attratta da figure emarginate e fuori dal comune, Lori Lansens ci regala un romanzo intimo e appassionante dalla splendida scrittura, e una protagonista che, con le sue fragilità e le sue paure, sarà difficile non amare.

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.

À la frontière des États-Unis et du Canada, entre passé et présent, les destins croisés d''une descendante d''esclaves et d''une fillette seule au monde. Un roman poignant, un hymne au courage, à la bonté, à l''espoir. Lakeview, près de Chatham, Ontario. Addy Shadd, qui vit là en vieille femme solitaire, découvre sur les marches poussiéreuses de sa caravane la toute jeune Sharla, une petite métisse abandonnée par sa mère. De la rencontre de ces deux solitudes vont naître une tendre complicité et une nouvelle joie de vivre qui rappelleront à Addy son enfance heureuse à Rusholme, communauté noire fondée au Canada par des esclaves fugitifs. Mais lui reviendront aussi en mémoire son départ forcé, son errance entre Detroit et Toronto, la Prohibition et la Grande Dépression, le racisme, ses années d''exil... Tandis que ses souvenirs prennent le pas sur la réalité, Addy entend l''appel de sa ville natale. Sentant sa fin proche, elle n''aura de cesse, avant de prendre le chemin du retour, de chercher pour Sharla une véritable famille...

"En 2024, au coeur d’une Californie où la droite religieuse s’impose en autorité, Rory Miller et sa meilleure amie, Feliza Lopez, sont accusées d’avoir fait exploser une bombe dans leur école privée le soir du Bal de la pureté américaine. Leurs têtes sont mises à prix, elles sont recherchées de toutes parts. Terrorisées, les deux adolescentes trouvent refuge à l’intérieur d’une remise dans les montagnes dominant Malibu, à l’abri des drones qui les traquent. Rory reste à l’affût de ce qui s’écrit sur Internet, convaincue qu’elles sont victimes d’un complot fomenté par les Croisés, des croyants antiavortement qui prônent la virginité jusqu’au mariage. Sur son blogue intitulé Cette petite lueur, elle conteste ce nouvel ordre et relate les quarante-huit heures les plus éprouvantes de sa jeune vie.Un roman haletant doublé d’une mise en garde contre les dérives possibles de nos sociétés, qui aborde aussi la fragilité des droits que nous croyons acquis. Lori Lansens, à qui l’on doit Les Filles et Les égarés, a donné naissance encore une fois à des femmes inoubliables."--Page 4 de la couverture