The Weird Sisters (review)

Man, I liked this book. I mean, really.

And I don't say that lightly. I don't like every book I read -- far from it. If you've read many of my reviews, you know that I can be disappointed by books. So when I say I really like a book, I mean it.

True: The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown was a solid, enjoyable read and I just plain liked it. The story -- three very different sisters who neither understand each other nor get along particularly well, are called home when their mother is diagnosed with breast cancer -- was almost secondary to the beauty of Brown's writing. You'll probably think I am an exaggerator extraordinaire but, honestly, I haven't read such lovely prose in . . . well, I can't recall when that last happened.

Clearly, I had never read anything from Eleanor Brown before. If I had, I would have known how well she can turn a phrase, capture a moment, create a story and characters that draw her readers in and make them never want to leave. She does it all well.

Confession time: I frequently skim the duller passages and pages in books. Sometimes the wordiness of authors is simply too . . . wordy. I can't read them all. Just can't.

But, The Weird Sisters? I couldn't skim. If I started to, I had to go back and read again, Brown's writing is just that good.


What else should I say about the book?

The three sisters -- named Rosalind, Bianca, and Cordelia (after Shakespeare's characters of the same names) by their Shakespearean scholar father  -- carry the burdens not only of their names and birth order, but also of the secrets they keep from each other. They are, in essence, sorta messed up. It takes their mother's cancer to bring them together and help them sort out their lives and their relationships to each other and the family as a whole.

I won't say too much more, because I don't want to ruin the book for those who want to read it. Instead, I'll close with this: The Weird Sisters is an enjoyable, easy read (unless you can't stand Shakespeare -- many of his lines are sprinkled throughout the book, as the sisters and their father quote ol' Will almost as frequently as they speak their own words). I recommend it. So, go, add it to your summer reading list, or check it out right now. I think you'll like it!

Have you read The Weird Sisters? Did you like it? 

Enjoy your weekend!


~ Felice




Review disclaimer: This is a paid review for BlogHer Book Club but the opinions expressed are my own.