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A review by sloatsj
They Were Sisters by Dorothy Whipple
4.0
Surprise, it's a story of three sisters: Lucy, Charlotte and Vera. They all marry, and the latter two become failures at motherhood, whereas Lucy remains childless. Guess who picks up the slack?
I ordered this because Persephone books published the wonderful Elizabeth Jenkins' book I read, [b:Harriet|13607031|Harriet|Elizabeth Jenkins|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1335011679l/13607031._SX50_.jpg|1664925], and I also loved Jenkins' other novel, [b:The Tortoise and the Hare|497423|The Tortoise and the Hare|Elizabeth Jenkins|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1478573288l/497423._SY75_.jpg|1987279]. The press focuses on 'neglected' women authors of the 20th century, and I'm all for that.
In any case, I enjoyed "They Were Sisters." It had interesting, sympathetic characters, a heroine, a villain. There weren't big surprises and given the personalities, things turned out as one would expect. One slightly jarring thing was the entrance of God near the end. Suddenly Lucy gets a bit preachy and yet the book until then had zero to do with religion. That was awkward and unnecessary in an already long book.
Although Persephone says it publishes neglected authors, Dorothy Whipple seems to have been very popular in her day. This book, for example, was made into a film with James Mason. In any case, I like the general vibe, and when I ordered this I also ordered another Whipple book, that I will now start. Kind of sorry about that -- wish I'd ordered another author to try, but I don't think it's the end of my relationship with Persephone, which makes beautiful editions.
I ordered this because Persephone books published the wonderful Elizabeth Jenkins' book I read, [b:Harriet|13607031|Harriet|Elizabeth Jenkins|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1335011679l/13607031._SX50_.jpg|1664925], and I also loved Jenkins' other novel, [b:The Tortoise and the Hare|497423|The Tortoise and the Hare|Elizabeth Jenkins|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1478573288l/497423._SY75_.jpg|1987279]. The press focuses on 'neglected' women authors of the 20th century, and I'm all for that.
In any case, I enjoyed "They Were Sisters." It had interesting, sympathetic characters, a heroine, a villain. There weren't big surprises and given the personalities, things turned out as one would expect. One slightly jarring thing was the entrance of God near the end. Suddenly Lucy gets a bit preachy and yet the book until then had zero to do with religion. That was awkward and unnecessary in an already long book.
Although Persephone says it publishes neglected authors, Dorothy Whipple seems to have been very popular in her day. This book, for example, was made into a film with James Mason. In any case, I like the general vibe, and when I ordered this I also ordered another Whipple book, that I will now start. Kind of sorry about that -- wish I'd ordered another author to try, but I don't think it's the end of my relationship with Persephone, which makes beautiful editions.