The Dolan Girls: As The Seasons Go By

The Dolan Girls: As The Seasons Go By

It's 1992 and Agnes, Maggie, and Willa Dolan live on a small farm surrounded by almond orchards in the Central Valley of California. Life is simple and summers are carefree. But when big news interrupts their idyllic life, it threatens to change their course dramatically. With everything before them changing, they journey through seasons of loss, discovery, and adventure where their bonds of sisterhood are tested. In this unfamiliar landscape, will they find the joy and vibrance of life that they knew before? Will they ever feel like they are home again? " The Dolan Girls: As the Seasons Go By by Lindsay Lee Brown is an endearing coming-of-age book that illustrates life's ups and downs and the importance of resilience. The author has done an excellent job of showcasing how life on the farm—through the seasons and by watching the animals—largely reflected the changes the Dolan family was experiencing. Lindsay Lee Brown's The Dolan Girls will appeal to young readers, ages 8-12, who are keen on learning about life on a farm. Themes of coming-of-age, family, and friendship are woven throughout the book and offer an age-appropriate glimpse of heavier issues like grieving and loss. Still, the overarching message is one of positivity and resilience, allowing readers to finish the last page with a full heart." -Reader Views, 5-star review The Dolan Girls will always hold a special place in my heart, not just as my first published novel, but because my family's history is woven all throughout. Many of the stories and the overarching plot from this book were inspired by my own childhood. My sister's and my experience growing up on a little farm in the country was so formative and rich. There are so many parallels between the cycles of nature--both in plants and animals--that resemble our own processes in life. How the seed must die before new life can come; how there is pain associated with creating new life; how winter can be dark, but spring is always coming--if we watch and look closely we can learn and find hope in these patterns. Lindsay lives in Santa Cruz, CA with her husband, three girls, three cats, one fish, and (currently) nine chickens. In addition to writing, she enjoys gardening, pursuing new creative hobbies, tackling new skills, backpacking in the woods, reading, rearranging rooms on the regular, and drinking that first cup of coffee in the early morning hours while it's dark and the house is quiet.