A major new talent tackles the complicated terrain of sisters, the power of books, and the places we decide to call home. There is no problem that a library card can't solve. The Andreas family is one of readers. Their father, a renowned Shakespeare professor who speaks almost entirely in verse, has named his three daughters after famous Shakespearean women. When the sisters return to their childhood home, ostensibly to care for their ailing mother, but really to lick their wounds and bury their secrets, they are horrified to find the others there. See, we love each other. We just don't happen to like each other very much. But the sisters soon discover that everything they've been running from-one another, their small hometown, and themselves-might offer more than they ever expected.
My take: 3 stars
This was a nice story, following the lives is three adult sisters who move back home to Ohio for various reasons.
That is the extent of my praise for this book because I want to focus on what bothered me.
First of all, I could NEVER figure out who the narrator was. It was written in first person, but the "I" was never clear. I am use to this if the chapter or section is from a perspective of a particular character, but this was not the case in this novel.
Secondly, is it really possible for a mother to be so flighty that she could start a meal, only to wander off outside while it burned to a crisp inside? That she would hum at the dinner table while serious (Mom and Dad, I'm pregnant) conversation was happening, but not hear it because her mind is elsewhere? I just didn't buy it.
And the entire family goes through life spouting quotes from numerous Shakespeare plays and sonnets. It's the way they communicate. Does this really happen?
These downfalls in the novel (for me, at least) garner three looks instead of more. The writing was good and it was easy to follow. I had some sympathy for the characters (although I wanted to slap Rose a couple of times) and felt invested enough at the end.
I am not sure I would recommend this one, but I couldn't tell you to cross it off your list, either.
My take: 3 stars
This was a nice story, following the lives is three adult sisters who move back home to Ohio for various reasons.
That is the extent of my praise for this book because I want to focus on what bothered me.
First of all, I could NEVER figure out who the narrator was. It was written in first person, but the "I" was never clear. I am use to this if the chapter or section is from a perspective of a particular character, but this was not the case in this novel.
Secondly, is it really possible for a mother to be so flighty that she could start a meal, only to wander off outside while it burned to a crisp inside? That she would hum at the dinner table while serious (Mom and Dad, I'm pregnant) conversation was happening, but not hear it because her mind is elsewhere? I just didn't buy it.
And the entire family goes through life spouting quotes from numerous Shakespeare plays and sonnets. It's the way they communicate. Does this really happen?
These downfalls in the novel (for me, at least) garner three looks instead of more. The writing was good and it was easy to follow. I had some sympathy for the characters (although I wanted to slap Rose a couple of times) and felt invested enough at the end.
I am not sure I would recommend this one, but I couldn't tell you to cross it off your list, either.
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