Helpful Score: 2
This book was on my wishlist for a long time and I finally received it. I was excited to start it, but quickly lost interest in it. The story is about two sisters and their lives throughout the coming years. However, because the author uses virtually the same voice for both sisters (they are supposed to be very different) - there were certain chapters where I wasn't even sure which sister was speaking. At some points, she doesn't actually name the sister until near the end of the chapter, making it difficult to follow. In addition, the author skips ahead by three year increments. She doesn't bring much of the past history with that particular sister (i.e. personal relationships for example). I found myself reading each chapter and trying to get familiar with what was going on with each sister again and not knowing who some of the characters in that actual chapter even were or how they related. Three quarters of the way through the book I finally put it down. I skipped through the chapters to see what happens and have a decent idea, but won't finish it. I looked for other member reviews, but nothing came up. I'm not sure why this book is so hot on the list right now and why so many people are wishing it!
Helpful Score: 2
***Warning - spoilers ahead*** I didn't want to ever ruin a book - I believe the spoilers contained in the below review will not inhibit anyone from enjoying the book.
What a book! A powerful and insight book into the struggles between sisters. Being a half of a sister pair, I am the older one, but our lives and roles have changed throughout the years - even by the week. We have each had to take a back burner to the other in our parents eyes when our lives have been up or down. We have shared in the joy and the pain of each other's life circumstances. I believe that sisters challenge each other more than any other relationship out there - you fight to be on top, but you praise each other when they get there.
To get a little personal - My sister (J) and I have both had times of great joy and times of great struggle. Some of the scenarios in the book completely mimic our lives - without giving too much away - J has spent some time in a few hospitals for many reasons, just as the younger sister in this book. Sometimes our parents were by her side and sometimes I was right there. A major story line for the older sister was almost a predicament that I found myself in - the character ended up being a pink ribbon holder; I only had a scare. I know that my mom had to put me first during this time of my life which left my sister on the sidelines.
These sisters that Julia created are human in that they grow apart, but still have each other to fall back on. They have real life experiences and I felt they were people that I could relate to.
I absolutely enjoyed reading a story that felt true and honest portraying sisters as they are - at times enemies while in the same moment the closest of friends.
What a book! A powerful and insight book into the struggles between sisters. Being a half of a sister pair, I am the older one, but our lives and roles have changed throughout the years - even by the week. We have each had to take a back burner to the other in our parents eyes when our lives have been up or down. We have shared in the joy and the pain of each other's life circumstances. I believe that sisters challenge each other more than any other relationship out there - you fight to be on top, but you praise each other when they get there.
To get a little personal - My sister (J) and I have both had times of great joy and times of great struggle. Some of the scenarios in the book completely mimic our lives - without giving too much away - J has spent some time in a few hospitals for many reasons, just as the younger sister in this book. Sometimes our parents were by her side and sometimes I was right there. A major story line for the older sister was almost a predicament that I found myself in - the character ended up being a pink ribbon holder; I only had a scare. I know that my mom had to put me first during this time of my life which left my sister on the sidelines.
These sisters that Julia created are human in that they grow apart, but still have each other to fall back on. They have real life experiences and I felt they were people that I could relate to.
I absolutely enjoyed reading a story that felt true and honest portraying sisters as they are - at times enemies while in the same moment the closest of friends.
Helpful Score: 1
At first I found this book a liitle hard to follow but after I got into the story I could not put it down. Two sisters, Lousa and Clem meet after a beloved aunt dies. Clem is a animal biologist and Louisa is a writer for an art magazine and a potter. The author interweaves their stories to share with you how each of the girls live their separate lives and at times what happens when they briefly get together. When tragedy strikes life changes for one sister.
Helpful Score: 1
3.0 out of 5 stars 3.5 stars for this moving novel about the connection between sisters..., November 18, 2009
By Denise "DC" (Missouri, USA) - See all my reviews
This is a convoluted but well-written novel about the nature of a relationship between sisters and the capriciousness of life.
Two sisters -- as dissimilar as "chocolate and seaweed" -- grow up and go their separate ways into adulthood. One sister works in the promotion and critique of art and the other is a free-spirited biologist who roves the world to work protecting animals. The story spans the 25-year history of their lives both when together and when apart. We have a glimpse of how the sisters relate in person and how they communicate when the other is away and busy with her own life. Louisa and Clem try to stay connected without necessarily being close, honest without being brutal, involved without being present. But each woman is always evaluating and judging herself compared to her sister. Each has expectations of what the other should or should not be doing or how she should "be" and there are many disappointments.
Each chapter is told from the point of view of a sister and the book jumps around in time from chapter to chapter. I often had to read several paragraphs before I was sure which sister was speaking -- honestly, I find that annoying. I like my novels to proceed in an orderly fashion with a single narrator.
I did enjoy this somewhat depressing novel, and without giving any spoilers, it was an in-depth exploration of how life can catch a person by surprise. There are no guarantees or insurance against the fickleness of fate. The ups and downs in the lives of Louisa and Clem are rich with poignancy and the thread of connectedness that keeps the sisters bound. Recommended.
By Denise "DC" (Missouri, USA) - See all my reviews
This is a convoluted but well-written novel about the nature of a relationship between sisters and the capriciousness of life.
Two sisters -- as dissimilar as "chocolate and seaweed" -- grow up and go their separate ways into adulthood. One sister works in the promotion and critique of art and the other is a free-spirited biologist who roves the world to work protecting animals. The story spans the 25-year history of their lives both when together and when apart. We have a glimpse of how the sisters relate in person and how they communicate when the other is away and busy with her own life. Louisa and Clem try to stay connected without necessarily being close, honest without being brutal, involved without being present. But each woman is always evaluating and judging herself compared to her sister. Each has expectations of what the other should or should not be doing or how she should "be" and there are many disappointments.
Each chapter is told from the point of view of a sister and the book jumps around in time from chapter to chapter. I often had to read several paragraphs before I was sure which sister was speaking -- honestly, I find that annoying. I like my novels to proceed in an orderly fashion with a single narrator.
I did enjoy this somewhat depressing novel, and without giving any spoilers, it was an in-depth exploration of how life can catch a person by surprise. There are no guarantees or insurance against the fickleness of fate. The ups and downs in the lives of Louisa and Clem are rich with poignancy and the thread of connectedness that keeps the sisters bound. Recommended.
Helpful Score: 1
Really, not up to snuff with her previous two books. And I mean really, really not. If I'd picked this one up first, I wouldn't have gone near her other much better novels. My biggest problem with this is the constant narration changes. This book is a ping pong match between the point of view of two sisters--sometimes within the span of a page the narrator would change. It gives the book such a choppy flow. It's almost impossible to keep straight who's point of view you're plodding through, which leads to re-reading and checking back through pages to see what you missed. I didn't come close to halfway through this before I gave up. Another problem for me was how dull and unlikable the characters are. I could not ephasize with either, and I didn't like them even the sligtest bit. Also, I felt like the author was too heavy-handed with drilling into your skull how different the sisters are--we got it the first several pages, no need to repeat it every time a new chapter begins. This is a definite miss. I do recommend her earlier two books in a big way, but I'd say skip this one.
