The Diary [Paperback]

THE DIARY by Eileen Goudge was sent to with a personal inscription that made me aware that this was a very special story for Eileen to write. Then I focused on the "Author's Note" which immediately touched my heart as I saw it was dedicated to Eileen's parents and I knew I was in for something very special. Reading Eileen Goudge's books are always a pleasure but I was not prepared for just how extraordinary THE DIARY is. I read it in one sitting which is unusual for me with my busy schedule but there was no way I was putting it down.

I was caught up immediately with Emily and Sarah's discovery of their mother's diary which tells the story of A. J. and Elizabeth. The two adult sisters are clearing out their mother's attic following her declining health as a result of a debilitating stroke that has left her mute and close to death. The diary is delicately described as "bound in maroon leather dulled with age, its gilt tooling worn away in spots" with a "satin bookmarker, once red, now faded to the ashy-pink of dried, pressed rose." It also said the diary "seemed to carry the scent of dried roses" and with that description I was transported with all my senses to the setting of the story within that diary!

The diary reveals a completely different mother than the one the daughters thought they knew. With their father having predeceased their mother, and her unable to speak, they have nobody to turn to with their questions concerning the information that is divulged in the writing in this journal. Diary entries are written verbatim and the story simultaneously presents the narrative to accompany each entry.

Sarah and Emily are as entranced as they are shocked to discover that according to the diary their mother's true love was not their father--the father they adored, the couple they thought they knew so well all their lives. The more the girls read, the more they realize they had a mystery they must solve.

Was there really another man, this "A. J." in their mother's life before their father who was the one they were always led to believe was her one and only true love? Who was the mysterious A. J. who the diary describes as someone who made their mother a young woman of passions unknown to her daughters? If this A. J. was Elizabeth's first true love, what made her leave him for their father?

This is a story that will make you ask yourself how well you know your own parents. Think of yourself now as an adult, and how well do you think your own children know about your romantic past with the man in your life, your spouse? That was a question that really made me think about my own son and what does he really know about his parents and the love they have shared for 36 years?

This is a gem of a book. One to share with everyone you care about. It would make a wonderful Mother's Day gift or Easter present for that special parent or person in your life. I know it is a book that I will long cherish and reread as it is written to enjoy over and over again. Eileen Goudge has shared some very personal background with her readers and by opening her heart has created a book to cherish now and for generations to come.
Submitted Originally to BOOKIN' WITH BINGO by Karen Haney, April, 2009

I really enjoyed this book. I read three chapters the first night and finished it the second night. I couldn't put it down, I was swept away wondering what was going to happen next and trying to put the pieces together of who their mother had chosen. It really makes you wonder just what you may not know about the people closest to you. It is a wonderful story of love and what a woman had to go through in the past when chosing a husband based on love or based on status. I highly recommend this story to anyone who wants to be swept away in an easy read.

Sara and Emily are cleaning up their moribund mother's house when they discover an old diary in the attic. Her mother had penned the diary during her youth. To her middle-aged daughters' dismay, it appears that she'd had a big love of her life -- a man that was not their father. How could this be? Their parents had been very happy, seemed to be in love! What's more is that their mother must have lied about certain things throughout her life. But as the women read on, they learn about that goes on to the young and beautiful Elizabeth since the year of 1951. What transpires is a story full of intrigue, misunderstandings and star-crossed romance.

The Diary is a cuddle-under-the-sheets (or beach towel) type of comfort read that you'd get from the likes of Nicholas Sparks and Cecelia Ahern. It reminded of The Notebook in more ways than one, only not as sentimental. I thought this was a nice, albeit insubstantial read that you can gobble up in two or three sittings -- definitely something to take with you on a lazy day on the beach. Eileen Goudge has created something of a light and enjoyable chick-lit that will be picked up by people in the bargain for the aforementioned read again and again. And that, in a nutshell, sums up the book quite well.

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