Blueprints, the New York Times bestselling novel from Barbara Delinsky, is the story of two strong women, Caroline MacAfee, a skilled carpenter, and her daughter Jamie, a talented architect. The day after her 56th birthday, Caroline is told the network wants Jamie to replace her as the host on Gut It!, their family-based home construction TV show. The resulting rift couldn’t come at a worse time. couldn’t come at a worse time.
For Jamie, life changes overnight when, soon after learning of the host shift, her father and his new wife die in a car accident that orphans their two-year-old son. Accustomed to organization and planning, she is now grappling with a toddler who misses his parents, a fiancé who doesn’t want the child, a staggering new attraction, and a work challenge that, if botched, could undermine the future of both MacAfee Homes and Gut It!
For Caroline, hosting Gut It! is part of her identity. Facing its loss, she feels betrayed by her daughter and old in the eyes of the world. When her ex-husband dies, she is thrust into the role of caregiver to his aging father. And then there’s Dean, a long-time friend, whose efforts to seduce her awaken desires that have been dormant for so long that she feels foreign to herself.
Who am I? Both women ask, as the blueprints they’ve built their lives around suddenly need revising. While loyalties shift, decisions hover, and new relationships tempt, their challenge comes not only in remaking themselves, but in rebuilding their relationship with each other.
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This is a great story about life, growing older, changes, and how to maintain your grace.
I read “While My Sister Sleeps” and was hooked on the characters and their dilemmas. There are so few people in this world who know how to resolve conflicts without screaming, pouting, throwing things…It is wonderful to see characters who struggle and eventually get passed an issue. I am hooked!
Blueprints by Barbara Delinsky showcases her talent for portraying real people dealing with real life. As much best friends as mother and daughter, Caroline and Jamie MacAfee are also work partners in a network series that features the MacAfee construction business. The dynamics of their relationship change when the producer demands Caroline step aside as host in favor of Jamie as a ‘younger and more relevant’ on-camera lead. Hurt, Caroline wonders if Jamie didn’t precipitate, or at least know of, the producer’s plan for a change. That hurt is exacerbated when Jamie’s dad, who divorced Caroline for a much younger woman, agrees with the producer. He insists architect Jamie accept the position she’s refused as does her fiancé, an attorney for the company.
Dynamics change again when Jamie’s dad and his young wife are killed in an accident that leaves Jamie as guardian of their son. Jamie discovers her fiancé is not the person she thought when he refuses to accept the two-year-old as a part of their future plans.
The underlying theme is trust and forgiveness and rebirth and Ms. Delinsky deals skillfully with the rebuilding of the lives and relationship of these two women in the aftermath of tragedy and betrayal.
Barbara Delinsky is one of my favorite authors. She never shies away from tackling the tough cultural problems and in this book she tackles age discrimination. Caroline is replaced on her TV show by her daughter. Producers feel they need a younger host creating a rift and feeling of betrayal between mother and daughter. After the death of her father and step-mother, Jamie becomes the caretaker of her 2 year old brother and problems ensue.
Wonderful characters! Thoroughly enjoyed the characters !!!!
Ms Delinsky always delivers.
Obsessed with this book, and now this author!MUST READ!
Love this story with a happy ending. A few surprises made this a great read! Wish it was a series, I miss the characters!!
I loved all of the characters and the family relationships. A very “feel good” read. I didn’t want it to end…
I felt that the characters were friends that I could continue to know. Very good book
The kind of easy read that I love.
Easy read and enjoyable!
Loved this book, will keep you reading for hours.
Throughly enjoyed the characters and inner conflict of the characters. Would recommend reading it. Lead to me wanting to read more of her books.
I love this book. Although her characters could come off a magazine’s society pages, their emotions are spot on in the book. She seems to understand family dynamics and emotional changes they go through. I never want her stories to end and can’t wait for the next one to be released.
The book repeated itself, story was slow and seemed to have been written without much thought given to the plot.
I loved it.
This book kept me turning the pages from beginning to end.
I like all of Barbara’s books!
Well written with a believable plot and characters one wants to get to know.