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afox98's review against another edition
3.0
Well written, but so, so, so sad. The book starts with sisters Mabel and Bertie splitting up due to a misunderstanding around their horrific childhood after their mother dies. The book follows them, their daughters, and their granddaughters from the Depression era through the 50s and 60s, up through the present day. I loved the way this author described things, and I could vividly imagine each character. But I would have liked to see more happiness, and I was dissatisfied with the ending. :(
caitlin90's review against another edition
3.0
I thought I would like this more than I did. I was expecting to see a taste of the crazy close bond I have with my sisters reflected in these characters, but none of the relationships were ones I related to very well. I had trouble rooting for some of the characters, which makes me feel a bit guilty. It probably would have helped if I'd read it straight through rather than pausing for long periods of time before picking it back up again. The book already has a timeline that jumps around a bit. Overall, it pairs well with a smooth pinot noir.
lisaeirene's review against another edition
1.0
Not a good book! SKIP IT!!!
First, it droned on. Not very interesting. Second, there were too many characters. I couldn't keep them straight throughout the book and honestly didn't really care about any of the characters.
First, it droned on. Not very interesting. Second, there were too many characters. I couldn't keep them straight throughout the book and honestly didn't really care about any of the characters.
ashleysparkle's review against another edition
4.0
Kind of slower to get through but absolutely worth it. The story is incredible. I LOVE stories that cross generations. I love stories about the time frame it started in & it is fascinating to me how society evolves from when the book starts in the 1920’s to when it ends in the 2000’s. Loved this book so much.
constant_reader's review against another edition
3.0
It was hard to remember who was who. I had to repeatedly look at the family tree. It jumped to the future every chapter and the ending was a dud.
serraj19's review against another edition
2.0
When I started this book I was immediately engrossed in the plot and felt well connected to the charecters. As I continued to delve into the story however, a number of problems became apparent.
#1- the story moved so quickly through long periods of time that getting to know the characters became very difficult. While I had a good idea of who Mabel and Bertie were, I felt as if their children and grandchildren were not as well represented. This definitely disengaged me from the story.
#2- The story quickly becomes a monotonous series of bad things happening. I found myself wishing if, just once, someone could achieve some level of happiness. I know life isn't perfect, but it's not that bad either.
#3- The main problem in this story is that the sisters have become separated yet this issue is left somewhat unresolved. Yes to a certain extent they became connected through current events and the culture of the times but I felt like I were reading two different story's that were vaguely connected. I found this very irritating.
#4- I couldn't help feeling that Mabel and her family were neglected by the author. They sounded like they had an interesting story, yet I only got a small taste of it.
All in all the book wasn't a complete waste of my time, but it was bleak in a manner that was more annoying than tastefull.
#1- the story moved so quickly through long periods of time that getting to know the characters became very difficult. While I had a good idea of who Mabel and Bertie were, I felt as if their children and grandchildren were not as well represented. This definitely disengaged me from the story.
#2- The story quickly becomes a monotonous series of bad things happening. I found myself wishing if, just once, someone could achieve some level of happiness. I know life isn't perfect, but it's not that bad either.
#3- The main problem in this story is that the sisters have become separated yet this issue is left somewhat unresolved. Yes to a certain extent they became connected through current events and the culture of the times but I felt like I were reading two different story's that were vaguely connected. I found this very irritating.
#4- I couldn't help feeling that Mabel and her family were neglected by the author. They sounded like they had an interesting story, yet I only got a small taste of it.
All in all the book wasn't a complete waste of my time, but it was bleak in a manner that was more annoying than tastefull.
lori_mw's review against another edition
3.0
I really liked this book! I love how it followed the lives of the different generations of women, and how Bertie's difficult life shaped the lives of her daughters and granddaughters. I was very disappointed when Bertie died, as I had hoped for a reunion between her and Mabel, or at least for Bertie to find out what had happened so many years ago. I did like the reunion of Bertie's family in the end, but I was really hoping that Bertie's and Mabel's families would meet in some way. I was glad that she finally explained exactly what had happened the day of Bertie's graduation (although I was pretty sure Butcher hadn't hung himself). All in all, a great book, and I would have given it four stars had the main characters been reunited. I will be looking for other books by this author!
jennigma's review against another edition
3.0
I don't even... I just don't. It captures the reality that is life and the reality that life doesn't have happy endings. I'm not sure whether to love it or hate it for that. I do wish Bertie hadn't been so stubborn and stupid about Mabel's letters. I'm so angry that no-one except Mabel knows what happened. No one except Mabel will ever know. She took it to her grave. They both died never seeing the other ever again. The whole thing is just so depressing and upsetting. It's real though. I mean, of course it's fiction. But it doesn't have a happy ending. It has a miserable ending. I find myself feeling a better person, though, than if I hadn't read it. I appreciate the miserable ending in a way that I can't quite explain or understand.
It definitely got me thinking about how the choices I make today will affect future generations to come. I've never liked not knowing the past accurately. I don't know why I find it so important either, just that I do. (It's why I keep journals and why I wish to become a time traveler for the sole purpose of accurately recording history.) Oh dear, I've gone off rambling. Overall, I do appreciate this book. I do not find myself having a satisfied feeling from reading it, but I do find myself more grown for reading this book.
It definitely got me thinking about how the choices I make today will affect future generations to come. I've never liked not knowing the past accurately. I don't know why I find it so important either, just that I do. (It's why I keep journals and why I wish to become a time traveler for the sole purpose of accurately recording history.) Oh dear, I've gone off rambling. Overall, I do appreciate this book. I do not find myself having a satisfied feeling from reading it, but I do find myself more grown for reading this book.
sarahlisbeth84's review against another edition
3.0
This book is hard to rate. The writing was superb and brought beauty to the story that the plotlines themselves didn't bring. There was definitely no happiness in this story, but that didn't make me hate it. Life sucks sometimes, and although many people read as a way to escape from reality, I rarely do. Sometimes when I get in a rut of feeling sorry for myself or thinking everything works out for everyone except me, I need a dose of reality, even if it's from a novel. I hope Nancy Jensen graces us with more of them.
kairosdreaming's review against another edition
4.0
Deeply moving and deeply sad, this is a book that packs a lot of emotion. When you see the title "The Sisters" you know it's going to be about family, but you don't really realize how those people will interact until reading the book.
Mabel and Bertie are sisters. Bertie is just getting ready to graduate the eighth grade and her biggest dream is to marry Wallace, a local boy, who is older than her, but who she still adores. Mabel, having quit school when their mother died to care for her sister and their step-father approves of Bertie's choice. So when Mabel and Wallace run away together, and the step-father dies, it spins the whole family's world for a loop and even has an impact on future generations.
I did like Mabel much better than Bertie. I think it was because she seemed to remain so positive while Bertie chose to dwell in the past and be miserable at times. I understand there was a lot of heartache all around, and that the lesson of this book seemed to be that one person could dampen things throughout the whole family line, but it just seemed to me that Bertie's side of the family tree was much more depressing than Mabel's. In fact, I was sad to see that much more of the book was dedicated to Bertie and her family than Mabel and her family. Mabel was the much more interesting of the two. Even so though, Bertie had quite a few characters and personalities and my favorite on her's was Grace, a granddaughter who was a bit of a free spirit.
Since this is about a family and their lives you would expect the book to move quite slowly at times. But it doesn't. There is always enough drama and strife going on that someone is doing something at all times. And just the grief the characters expressed was enough to tug you in to see what happens. And the book also deals with some hard topics such as incest, abuse, and homosexuality in the early part of the 20th century. It's not a book to take lightly or consider afternoon pleasure reading. There's some serious stuff going on in here.
I'm very glad I took the librarian's recommendation on this book. While it wasn't a pleasant read, it was a good one.
The Sisters
Copyright 2011
322 pages
Review by M. Reynard 2013
More of my reviews can be found at www.ifithaswords.blogspot.com
Mabel and Bertie are sisters. Bertie is just getting ready to graduate the eighth grade and her biggest dream is to marry Wallace, a local boy, who is older than her, but who she still adores. Mabel, having quit school when their mother died to care for her sister and their step-father approves of Bertie's choice. So when Mabel and Wallace run away together, and the step-father dies, it spins the whole family's world for a loop and even has an impact on future generations.
I did like Mabel much better than Bertie. I think it was because she seemed to remain so positive while Bertie chose to dwell in the past and be miserable at times. I understand there was a lot of heartache all around, and that the lesson of this book seemed to be that one person could dampen things throughout the whole family line, but it just seemed to me that Bertie's side of the family tree was much more depressing than Mabel's. In fact, I was sad to see that much more of the book was dedicated to Bertie and her family than Mabel and her family. Mabel was the much more interesting of the two. Even so though, Bertie had quite a few characters and personalities and my favorite on her's was Grace, a granddaughter who was a bit of a free spirit.
Since this is about a family and their lives you would expect the book to move quite slowly at times. But it doesn't. There is always enough drama and strife going on that someone is doing something at all times. And just the grief the characters expressed was enough to tug you in to see what happens. And the book also deals with some hard topics such as incest, abuse, and homosexuality in the early part of the 20th century. It's not a book to take lightly or consider afternoon pleasure reading. There's some serious stuff going on in here.
I'm very glad I took the librarian's recommendation on this book. While it wasn't a pleasant read, it was a good one.
The Sisters
Copyright 2011
322 pages
Review by M. Reynard 2013
More of my reviews can be found at www.ifithaswords.blogspot.com