Helpful Score: 8
This book is a character study of a family - the parents and particularly the three daughters. The novel does not have much of a plot. In the context of a few events, it looks at the individuals and what makes them who they are. As such, I found a lot that I could relate to in the book. The characters seemed real and believable.
I did find a few things disconcerting about the book. Because the story is character based and not plot based, at times, it seemed a little long. Also the narrator or voice of the story is the three sisters - references to "us" and "our parents." However, each sister is then discussed in the third person as if the other two were talking about her. That took a little getting used to. At first, I found the Shakespearian references distracting, but once I got over the need to look each one up, they were fun!
The one thing I wish is that the characters of the parents especially the mother were explored more fully. The book hints at the story of her life but does not go into it. I wanted to know!
I did find a few things disconcerting about the book. Because the story is character based and not plot based, at times, it seemed a little long. Also the narrator or voice of the story is the three sisters - references to "us" and "our parents." However, each sister is then discussed in the third person as if the other two were talking about her. That took a little getting used to. At first, I found the Shakespearian references distracting, but once I got over the need to look each one up, they were fun!
The one thing I wish is that the characters of the parents especially the mother were explored more fully. The book hints at the story of her life but does not go into it. I wanted to know!
Helpful Score: 8
A book with a lot of recent hype, which always makes me a little nervous because I want the book to really earn the hype that it receives.
So onward to the review - purely wonderful read. I hate to say that I had a hard time finding a chunk of time to read it, but page by page I fell in love with this read. A story of three sisters that come home to regroup and get their lives on different tracks. Close to home, this story made me think about my return to "home" or where my parents currently live, with my boyfriend to take jobs and regroup. My little sister also came back to where my parents live to regroup and take her life down a different path. Fortunately, our own issues brought us close to our parents, unlike the book where the girls use their mother's illness as the reason to return home.
My one small minor issue that I was able to overcome was the frequency of quotes from Shakespeare. Not being a Shakespeare fan, I probably would have gotten into the read quicker because I felt as though there were quite a few more at the beginning in comparison to the end. They did fit in the story, so if you knew the story line, it was easy to interpret the quotes.
I quickly became attached to each of the three sisters in very different ways. Their story arcs were unique, but interconnected and the flashbacks to previous years helped guide the story along. The book centered around the three girls, but the parents and other minor characters were very much a part of bringing this story to life.
I am physically passing this book onto mom and would recommend those who have a sister or two to pick this one up.
So onward to the review - purely wonderful read. I hate to say that I had a hard time finding a chunk of time to read it, but page by page I fell in love with this read. A story of three sisters that come home to regroup and get their lives on different tracks. Close to home, this story made me think about my return to "home" or where my parents currently live, with my boyfriend to take jobs and regroup. My little sister also came back to where my parents live to regroup and take her life down a different path. Fortunately, our own issues brought us close to our parents, unlike the book where the girls use their mother's illness as the reason to return home.
My one small minor issue that I was able to overcome was the frequency of quotes from Shakespeare. Not being a Shakespeare fan, I probably would have gotten into the read quicker because I felt as though there were quite a few more at the beginning in comparison to the end. They did fit in the story, so if you knew the story line, it was easy to interpret the quotes.
I quickly became attached to each of the three sisters in very different ways. Their story arcs were unique, but interconnected and the flashbacks to previous years helped guide the story along. The book centered around the three girls, but the parents and other minor characters were very much a part of bringing this story to life.
I am physically passing this book onto mom and would recommend those who have a sister or two to pick this one up.
Helpful Score: 5
This is a story about three adult sisters that move back home. They supposedly return to help care for their mother who has cancer, but each sister has other secret reasons for coming home. (homelessness, pregnancy, larceny, to name a few.)
I really wanted to like this book. I loved the author's descriptive writing. The story was character driven and I think that was my problem....I just didn't like any of the characters.
Interesting note- The three witches or sometimes called the Weird Sisters' are also characters in the William Shakespeare play MACBETH.
I really wanted to like this book. I loved the author's descriptive writing. The story was character driven and I think that was my problem....I just didn't like any of the characters.
Interesting note- The three witches or sometimes called the Weird Sisters' are also characters in the William Shakespeare play MACBETH.
Helpful Score: 5
I tried very hard to enjoy this book but I just couldn't. I felt like it moved too slow and didn't get anywhere. I did have a hard time with the third personal plural voice but I did eventually adjust to it. But after almost 200 pages I asked myself, why was I forcing myself to finish...and I didn't.
Helpful Score: 5
The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown is about three sisters who move back home to care for their mother who has breast cancer. Rose is the oldest and had already moved back to tend to both aging parents, whether they needed help or not. Shes the mother hen, the one who takes control, the one who willingly and begrudgingly heaps responsibility on her own shoulders. Bianca, aka Bean, is the middle sister. Shes a self-centered thirty-year old who sucks up attention much like a smoker inhales a cigarette. She also a thief, an embezzler. But wait! Theres more. Youll have to read about her other alluring attributes, but I will tell you that I would vote her least likely to choose as a friend. She irked me. Finally, theres the twenty-seven-year-old baby, Cordelia. Cordy is a free spirit, a nomad, a wanderer. Shes also pregnant, something she picked up along her travels.
The sisters are so different that they dont always get along. Brown writes, See, we love one another. We just dont happen to like one another very much. While the differences grate on their relationships, they are all bound by one thing; they love books. They grew up reading anything and everything. Books are like oxygen and they will pick up any book just as long as theyre reading. Their dad is a professor of English who has devoted his life to Shakespeare. He only speaks Shakespearean, a language Im neither familiar with nor really tempted to learn right now. But in their family its somehow endearing to the girlsfor me, not so much. I prefer to converse with my parents in non-riddles. All three sisters are named after Shakespearean characters, and the weird sisters refers to the witches in Macbeth.
The good news is, you dont have to be a Bard fan to like this book. Its about the sister dynamics and their individual struggles. I wasn't so sure I was going to like the book, since I cannot truly relate to any of the characters. But I did like it, probably for just that reason. It brought me into an unfamiliar world. I think the novel would be a good candidate for a book club selection, because the discussion could center not only around sisters in general, or these particular sisters, but also about each of their personalities. Read other reviews at http://readinginthegarden.blogspot.com
The sisters are so different that they dont always get along. Brown writes, See, we love one another. We just dont happen to like one another very much. While the differences grate on their relationships, they are all bound by one thing; they love books. They grew up reading anything and everything. Books are like oxygen and they will pick up any book just as long as theyre reading. Their dad is a professor of English who has devoted his life to Shakespeare. He only speaks Shakespearean, a language Im neither familiar with nor really tempted to learn right now. But in their family its somehow endearing to the girlsfor me, not so much. I prefer to converse with my parents in non-riddles. All three sisters are named after Shakespearean characters, and the weird sisters refers to the witches in Macbeth.
The good news is, you dont have to be a Bard fan to like this book. Its about the sister dynamics and their individual struggles. I wasn't so sure I was going to like the book, since I cannot truly relate to any of the characters. But I did like it, probably for just that reason. It brought me into an unfamiliar world. I think the novel would be a good candidate for a book club selection, because the discussion could center not only around sisters in general, or these particular sisters, but also about each of their personalities. Read other reviews at http://readinginthegarden.blogspot.com
Helpful Score: 3
I truly enjoyed this tale of three (not so weird) sisters and the stories of their coming onto adulthood. It's a testament to the fact that change is good and it IS possible to rewrite your story...and have a happy ending. I think the most interesting thing about this book in addition to all the Shakespearean references, was the voice. The author calls it "first person plural, narrated in the voices of all three sisters." At first, it did make me stop and think about who was speaking. Something would happen to one sister and suddenly all three were commenting upon it. This was very weird, but I came to enjoy its unique perspective. All in all, a very enjoyable book.
Helpful Score: 3
About 25 pages into this book, I was disappointed in the mood and feeling the story gave me. Sardonic is the best way I can describe it. But I persisted, as is my way, and by the end of the book I loved it.
It's the story of a family--parents and three sisters--who come back together due to a family crisis. It's a family of readers, and I mean READERS. Shakespeare has become an integral part of their everyday lives and conversation. The writing is outstanding. By the end of the story, each of the sisters has traveled a journey of self discovery, and the reader feels a part of it. Great read.
It's the story of a family--parents and three sisters--who come back together due to a family crisis. It's a family of readers, and I mean READERS. Shakespeare has become an integral part of their everyday lives and conversation. The writing is outstanding. By the end of the story, each of the sisters has traveled a journey of self discovery, and the reader feels a part of it. Great read.
Helpful Score: 3
I found The Weird Sisters to be a good, not great, novel about a trio of sisters and how the roles they assumed in childhood, mainly due to birth order, follow them into adulthood. In the book, their roles are often a crutch or excuse used by the sisters to prevent growth, change or embracing the unknown. Likewise, the other siblings and parents (a Shakespeare-spouting father and cancer-stricken mother) use the roles to keep the sisters in stereotypical pigeon holes. I enjoyed reading the sisters' journey of self-discovery and renewal as well as the description of life in a college town. I found the narrator's voice (first person, plural) distracting.
I liked this much better than I expected to. It has shades of chick lit (three sisters come home to care for their sick mother and deal with their problems) but rises above with its unusual narration. There was also a great appreciation for the role of books in peoples' lives.
Helpful Score: 1
I LOVED this book. How the author got into the heads of the three siblings was remarkable. Each sibling read like a real person, and the birth order "rules" certainly came into play. I saw a bit of myself in each girl, and rooted for the success of the girls throughout. I cannot recommend this book strongly enough! Ms. Brown's writing is strong, poetic, unexpectedly descriptive, and sounds all of the right notes. My only criticism is that she said "padded" (as in padded down the hall, padded into the kitchen) eight times, per my count. It's a worn out phrase that ALL writers should avoid, for now and forevermore. Otherwise, this was beautifully written and a wonderful read.
Helpful Score: 1
I liked the different characters in this book. I feel like the author really let you get to know them. The style she used, telling the story from the sisters' point of view all at the same time one moment and then individually the next was a really neat trick. It was a little slow moving but good.
Helpful Score: 1
I wanted to love this book. I feel the dynamic with the sisters, the inner struggles, the love of reading, the 'please look at me' atmosphere. I felt like I would really relate to the characters. Instead I had to force myself to finish the book. I understood Rose and her need to take care of it all, but the rest of the book just felt empty to me. I was very disappointed with it overall.
A well written book about three sisters and how they deal with their individual problems as a family.
I agree with the reviewer who asked why was she bothing with this book after 200 pages? I only got to 130. I thought it was going to get better but it was going nowhere fast. I found the lines from Shakespeare annoying, to me it seemed like the author was trying to prove what a brilliant scholar she was by throwing that in. Instead it reminded me of when my kids repeat lines from movies they like,its fun for them but not for anyone else.
My new favorite author! I am loving reading about these quirky, sexy sisters! I am fortunate... have 3 lil sisters! What a great summer read. Wish it wouldn't end... just like summer fun
I really enjoyed this book. The three sisters stories were woven together nicely. It felt believable and the characters were realistic. I liked that it was narrated in the third person plural because it was different and emphasized their connections to each other, but it was strange at times. It gave me the sense that the narrator was another character that we never met. Overall, it was a great story & I'd highly recommend it.
Story of 3 sisters that spent summers with their grandmother on the East Coast. As they grew older they grew apart; that is until their aged grandmother brought them together from all corners of the U. S. to reunite and become a family again, despite their differences.
Trite, predictable, and uses every cliche in the book. The writing is weak, the characters are flat as cardboard, and the entire family is annoying and unbelievable. I want the time I spent on this back. This is a waste of time. You've been warned.
A book about the intricate relationship of three sisters.
Great job. Can't wait to read this one! Thanks
