Author: Eleanor Brown
Publisher: Berkley Publishing
Publish Date: January 20, 2011
Source: I received a copy from the publisher. This did not affect my review.
Why You're Reading This Book:
- You're a fiction fan.
- You like family stories.
- You like quirky characters.
From Goodreads.com: "The three Andreas sisters grew up in the cloistered household dominated by their Shakespearean professor father, a prominent, eccentric academic whose reverence for the Bard left its imprint on his daughters' names: Rosalind (As You Like It), Bianca (The Taming of the Shrew), and Cordelia (King Lear). The siblings eventually left home and escaped their ponderous monikers with nicknames, but their mother's medical maladies brings them back. Before long, their unwelcome reunion reveals that they all have problems: Rose is force-feeding a troubled relationship; Bean is entangled in a big city case of embezzlement; and unmarried Cordy is pregnant."
My Two Cents:
This book had been on my TBR list for awhile but I just hadn't gotten around to reading it. So when I got a copy from the publisher, it was a sign that I needed to get to this book sooner rather than later. And I was definitely glad that I finally read this book.
The stars of this book are really the three Andreas sisters: Rose, Bean, and Cordy. Each of them are very different from each other. All of them have their own set of problems and find themselves back in their hometown where their father teaches English at the local college and their mother is suffering from breast cancer. I'm one of three girls so I know how important the relationships that you have with your sisters is and this book really made me think about those relationships that I hold so dear. While the Andreas sisters don't get along as well always as I do with my sisters but you can tell that they have a real bond. I could definitely see a little bit of myself in each of the sisters, especially Rose. I would have liked to see a little bit more about how things turned out for the sisters.
Another interesting thing about this book is that it's written in the first person plural from the point of view of the three sisters. I think that's an incredibly hard point of view to write. It doesn't always work well. In this case, it works really well. I think it really helps to show that even though all the sisters are so different, they still grew up in the same house and have a lot of the same experiences and thoughts because of it.
Eleanor Brown is definitely an author that I'll be on the look out for!
I loved this book too! I also really liked the cover so I'm glad they kept it for the paperback!
ReplyDeleteI'm in love with this cover!
DeleteThis one has been sitting on my TBR shelf for a while as well. Looks like I need to read this one sooner rather than later based on your positive review!
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely a good one! I'll be anxious to see how you like it.
DeleteOh gosh! I've wanted to read this one for forever!! I was wondering, do you think it would make a good book club choice?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great review!
I definitely think The Weird Sisters would make a good book club book. There's a lot to discuss here. There is the Shakespeare connection, the family relations and the very different issues that each of the sisters are facing just to name a few.
DeleteThis has been on my wishlist and I keep shuffling it around...guess this is a sign that i need to read it. LOL
ReplyDeleteYes! Read it and tell me what you think!
DeleteOh my goodness I want to read this one so bad! It's been on my list since it was published. I'm one of three sisters too so I think I will really love it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your thoughts!!
I'm always drawn to books about three sisters. In The Weird Sisters, Brown writes a little about the theory of birth order (the idea the order in which you are born imparts different characteristics). I'm the eldest of my sisters and I saw a lot of myself in Rose in the book, who is the eldest as well.
DeleteI really enjoyed this one, too, and thought the first person plural was very interesting and compelling. It added depth to a story that would have still kept my interest, but that definitely made it a "love!" book for me.
ReplyDeleteI really wanted this when it first came out, then I kind of forgot about it... It's a shame though, because it really does look good.
ReplyDeleteI'm not so sure I'd get on with the first person plural viewpoint though - it sounds like it might be a little confusing. I've heard it works well though, so I'll have to see :)
That POV does sound hard to write.
ReplyDeleteBrandi from Blkosiner’s Book Blog
I only just heard about this book on The Book Report (http://www.bookreportradio.com/), and it definitely sounds worth a read, thanks for making my mind up for me.
ReplyDelete