amy_virginia's review against another edition
3.0
Anna Maxted writes chick lit with a little more weight than is standard--her previous books have dealt with the death of a parent, date rape, and eating disorders. This one is no different, although it is a little harder to sum up the major "issue" of the book--or rather, maybe, there are more than one.
Instead of one heroine we get two: Lizbet, fairly standard chick-lit heroine in the Bridget Jones mold, who is dealing with a miscarriage, and the fact that her parents always favored her perfect younger sister, Cassie. Cassie, however, has her own issues. I don't want to give too much away but the bulk of the book has to do with issues of family--the definition of family and what it means to be a mother, daughter and sister.
Having a close sister, I could relate to a lot of the interaction between Cassie and Lizbet (although we are both decidedly Bridget-Jonesian. Thoughtfully, we have both spared the other from having to live up to perfection).
I will say, though, that I didn't find this book as engrossing as some of Maxted's earlier books. She usually writes a male character that I really like a lot. (Particularly the cute vet in Getting Over It. Sadly, no vet I have ever gone to has ever been cute--sorry, Dr. Bowerman.) Here, with the focus mainly on the relationship between the sisters, maybe there wasn't room for a more fleshed-out boyfriend/husband/romantic interest character.
Instead of one heroine we get two: Lizbet, fairly standard chick-lit heroine in the Bridget Jones mold, who is dealing with a miscarriage, and the fact that her parents always favored her perfect younger sister, Cassie. Cassie, however, has her own issues. I don't want to give too much away but the bulk of the book has to do with issues of family--the definition of family and what it means to be a mother, daughter and sister.
Having a close sister, I could relate to a lot of the interaction between Cassie and Lizbet (although we are both decidedly Bridget-Jonesian. Thoughtfully, we have both spared the other from having to live up to perfection).
I will say, though, that I didn't find this book as engrossing as some of Maxted's earlier books. She usually writes a male character that I really like a lot. (Particularly the cute vet in Getting Over It. Sadly, no vet I have ever gone to has ever been cute--sorry, Dr. Bowerman.) Here, with the focus mainly on the relationship between the sisters, maybe there wasn't room for a more fleshed-out boyfriend/husband/romantic interest character.
lindsaysherman's review against another edition
1.0
Three weeks of trying and just couldn't get into it. Gave up with 150 pages left still. Next...
melissa_is_reading's review against another edition
2.0
This was a good read. I enjoyed it.
i probably wouldn't read it again.
The characters in this book annoyed me - they just didn't feel real?
I am thankful this was a library book instead of a book I had bought.
i probably wouldn't read it again.
The characters in this book annoyed me - they just didn't feel real?
I am thankful this was a library book instead of a book I had bought.
afterwhat's review
4.0
This book just exactly scratched my itchy spot of the moment. It's chick-lit, without the either irreverence or dependence toward love that seems like an either-or in chick-lit. I'll definitely be picking up more Anna Maxted.
chrissyml's review
4.0
How easy it would have been for Anna Maxted to have created two sisters that were stereotypical opposites. While one sister in this novel is a high-achieving career girl and the other is a more free-spirited journalist, I found the characters to be nicely three-dimensional, even the men (who are normally pretty flat in chick lit). The relationship between the sisters is complicated and becomes increasingly so during the progression of the novel, but is very believable. Anna Maxted tends to deal with heavier subjet matter than most chick lit authors, incorporating themes like death of a parent or date rape. This novel deals with miscarriage and unexpected pregnancy, and handles it in a very delicate way. Unlike most books about sisters, there is no "good sister" or "bad sister" here, which is the way it normally happens in real life.
More...