Rating: Very Good
Source: Edelweiss
Description: The Hemingway Sisters of Cold River, Missouri are local legends. Raised by a mother obsessed with Ernest Hemingway, they were named after the author’s four wives—Hadley, Pfeiffer, Martha, and Mary. The sisters couldn’t be more different—or more alike. Now they’re back in town, reunited to repair their fractured relationships.
Hadley is the poised, polished wife of a senator.
Pfeiffer is a successful New York book editor.
Martha has skyrocketed to Nashville stardom.
They each have a secret—a marriage on the rocks, a job lost, a stint in rehab…and they haven’t been together in years.
Together, they must stay in their childhood home, faced with a puzzle that may affect all their futures. As they learn the truth of what happened to their mother—and their youngest sister, Mary—they rekindle the bonds they had as children, bonds that have long seemed broken. With the help of neighbors, friends, love interests old and new—and one endearing and determined Basset Hound—the Sisters Hemingway learn that the happiness that has appeared so elusive may be right here at home, waiting to be claimed.
Genre: Fiction
Why I Picked This Book: I love books about sisterly relationships and anything about someone coming home.
My Impression: I don't know what it is about sisters inheriting a falling down house and being forced to deal with it that gets me every time but it most definitely does and this was no exception. All three sisters had endured more than their share of misery and misfortune both in their current life and in their past. Not only do the sisters have to make peace with the past but they also have to deal with their present and figure out just what secrets the old farmhouse is hiding.
This reminded me a little bit of Karen White's Dreams of Falling with dysfunction on top of dysfunction. It was a bit lighter and somewhat more predictable than that book but it had a similar feel. I also found this one to be a much faster read. I did get frustrated with how secretive the sisters were regarding the present life. Life would have been so much easier if they had just talked to each other! Or at least admitted some big picture stuff. However, this is one of my pet peeves and I spend quite a lot of time yelling at lots of books for this so I can't really hold it against this one.
Small hiccups aside I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was one of those that I felt pulled into the moment I picked it up and I could always justify just one more chapter. The sisters weren't always likable but they were frequently funny and always sympathetic. I enjoyed spending this time with them and I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.
Would I Read More of this Series/Author? Absolutely! I really enjoyed this author's writing style as well as the characters she created. I'll be looking for more books from this author.
Would I Recommend this Book? Definitely! If you enjoy fiction with complicated relationships and lots of family secrets this is a must read.
* I received this book in exchange for an honest review. As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *
Hmmm I like the sound of this one. I know if only they'd talk to each other!! Maybe the author feels she wouldn't have a book if she got them talking!
ReplyDeleteThis one is completely new to me but I love the sound of it. I do agree that there is something about a story of sisters and an old house that is irresistible.
ReplyDelete