2011: Book 7

The Almost Archer Sisters by Lisa Gabriele


272 pages

Completed 2/3/11

A novel about two sisters, their bond, and the unraveling of it after one betrays the other in an unthinkable way, Gabriele's talent made me forget that these were fictional characters. With one sister escaping to New York City and the other remaining on the family farm in Canada with her wise, hairdresser father, husband, and two young sons who need constant attention, the two sisters' world rarely mesh...until they do in an unpredictable way.

While the ending bored me, the novel itself was pretty good; nothing to rave about, but I enjoyed it well enough.

LIZ: BOOK #21

Whistling in the Dark by Lesley Kagen

336 pages

Completed 5/4/10


This novel revolves around two young sisters in the 1950s left to fend for themselves with a hospitalized mother, absent older sister, and alcoholic stepfather, in a town that's been plagued by two assaults and murders of two girls. The sisters' relationship is touching; other than that, though, nothing in this book really got to me.

Far too many characters with far too large families lead to confusion, a twisted love triangle, all combined with the unlikeliness of the majority of the situations written, this was novel was far too much of a stretch to be believable.

Sometimes after reading books, I check online to see what other readers had to say. I was surprised that the overwhelming majority of people loved this book - I thought it was overwritten, lacking, and disappointing all at the same time. I think it's time for a memoir...

LIZ: BOOK #9

Tales From the Bed by Jenifer Estess

256 pages

Completed 2/11/10

Diagnosed with ALS in her early thirties, Jennifer Estess decided to not wallow in her fatal diagnosis, but instead used the bond with her two sisters to realize the truly important things in her life. Founding Project A.L.S., the Estess sisters show what rallying behind a loved one really is.

As any book revolving around illness does, this was chock full of medical terms, but in a way that didn't make you feel lost and unintelligent. While the story of Jenifer Estess was inspiring, her bond with her sisters is what touched me the most. As someone who is forging a stronger bond with my own sister, I was moved to tears on more than one occasion during this reading.

The ending is predictable; the epilogue not so much. All in all, I was not overly impressed with this memoir. The dropping of celebrity names, the blurry line between Jenifer's and Valerie's writing, the lack of impression it made on me; all led me to conclude that I do not recommend this one, regardless of it's heartbreaking storyline.