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A review by bellebelly
A Tale of Two Sisters by Anna Maxted
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.