This is another novel from a list of “must reads” in a local
paper of books. The excerpt sounded
interesting. Unfortunately, Ocean was on
that list too. So hopefully they didn’t
recommend two lousy reads.
Sisters frequently have one of the closest bonds
imaginable. I would imagine it is
especially true for twin sisters. I
don’t have a sister but I have a cousin whom I was raised with who is more like
a sister to me than a cousin. Even though our lives have gotten busier as we’ve
grown, we are still close. When we get
together after long periods of separation, it’s like we never were apart. In Sisterland, the two main characters are separated
by what sounds like choice. With one
sister embracing her abilities and the other repressing them, will we find that
the two women could have stayed close while still living their lives they way
the wanted? Or was separation the only
way for each to thrive?
Besides familial bonds, this novel may force us to review
our beliefs in the supernatural. There
are many people who believe that psychics are real and many who do not. Which category do you fall into? Have you had any experiences with the
supernatural you care to share?
Hello Ladies,
ReplyDeleteSorry for the delay in this months post.
I've apparently acquired a third child this summer named Notme, and they seem to be responsible not only for the lack of beer and food in the refrigerator but also for using all this months internet downloads, when I finally catch up with them they're in deep trouble . haha. love having them home !!
Sorry to be first to post agin ladies. Clearly, I have one of those anxious natures.
ReplyDeleteI hope you and your families had a wonderful Christmas and are looking forward to celebrating the start of the New Year. My Mum and Dad were married on New Year’s Eve, 66 years ago. Imagine that! I bet they didn’t. I’d have to be 105 to be married to Jay for that long – assuming he survived too.
“Sisterland” certainly was not a lousy read, Katie. Neither was “The Ocean at the End of the Lane”. But I definitely enjoyed “Sisterland” more. The sections dealing with the girls as teenagers were excellent. The descriptions of their recognition of their powers and responses to them were very convincing – and I’m not convinced about psychics. The story development was good too: would there be an earthquake? And I liked the idea that knowledge may be gifted to a person, but the person may not properly interpret that information: the earthquakes didn’t take place in the United States; Kate thought she had seen Vi in a dream, but it was herself with short hair. (Intelligence Services do this all the time - misinterpret information gathered.)
Even when relationships were strained, the sisters obviously shared a great bond that they eventually became mature enough to accept and appreciate. I think, as you suggest in your introduction, Katie, separation was the only way each sister could thrive. It speaks volumes for their strength of character that the sisters survived their parenting. The information that it was their father from whom they had inherited their senses came as a surprise to me, showing what an unobservant reader I am. Kate’s Dad must have really suffered. I had assumed the mother’s psychological problems were related to information gleaned from her own senses.You can see why Kate, in her own role as a mother, wanted her skills obliterated. Not knowing what was natural parental anxiety and what was a prediction must have been awful . . . and then to have confused the nature of the major event to occur on 16th October. Though the impact of getting pregnant again must have been like an earthquake . . . And does Gabe have senses too? A whole other story there.
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Kate, Jeremy and the Wheelers. There’d be a lot of scope for an actress playing Courtney: was she a calculating person do you think?
I said earlier I’m not convinced about spiritual powers. I’ve been to three sessions given by psychics – one in a spiritual church in Nottingham, one in a house in New Orleans, and one a public performance here in Hornsea for which the psychic was paid. On all three occasions members of the congregation/audience received a lot of comfort from the contacts apparently made. If it’s helping people, that’s what matters I suppose.
A book that provided lots to think about. Thanks, Katie.
A Happy New Year to you both and to your families.
Happy Holidays Ladies! Ours has been low key but pleasant. I hope the same for you both. Nancy, I hope “Notme” has moved out of the house. Sue, congratulations to your parents on such a lovely anniversary!
ReplyDeleteI, too, enjoyed Sisterland much more than my previous recommendation. I’m very pleased about that. Based on my questions about the sister’s abilities to thrive with versus without each other, I would say it was only Kate who needed the separation. I believe Violet would have loved being more connected than they were. I believe that Violet’s powers may even have been stronger with Kate as part of her team. But with Kate’s desire to lose her abilities, she never would have been able to succeed at it with Violet so close. The separation was absolutely necessary until Kate had sufficiently squashed her powers.
I sympathized with Kate so much in regard to her mother worry! There is hardly a moment were I don’t have to tell myself to calm down. The constant fear that something terrible is going to happen to this precious little being in your life is staggering. I couldn’t even imagine being unable to tell the difference between normal worry and prophetic visions!
I do believe in supernatural phenomenon but I do also believe there are a lot of charlatans out there trying to swindle people. Franklin teases me frequently about my beliefs in the unexplained. He would never go to a psychic or anything like that. I never have been to one but I would be open to going for fun, not anything serious.
As for the Hank/Gabe situation, how upsetting! It makes me wonder so much. Will Hank ever find out about Gabe? With the world of facebook, wouldn’t it be assumed that at some point Hank would see a picture of him and know? And what about Courtney? Does she think that the friendship between the four of them ended solely because of Violet’s prediction? Do we think she has any inkling about what may have happened between Kate and Hank? And has Jeremy truly accepted Gabe as his son? Would it have been easier for him to have accepted a little girl over a little boy? I know it’s “just a story” but it definitely makes me wonder like crazy!
Happy New Year to you both! May it bring many more books :-D
-Katie
ReplyDeleteHello Ladies,
It was wonderful to hear you both enjoyed your Christmas and New Years.
My congratulations to your parents Sue, how wonderful.
We were able to spend our Christmas with Mum and Dad quietly, but happily, and then a few days in Sydney with Ivars family, he had cousins out from Latvia visiting so that was also wonderful.
I have been rather overwhelmed the last couple of weeks, trying very hard to ease Dad’s way a little and cope myself, but when you have a loving supporting family around you I have found all things are possible.
I enjoyed Sisterland very much , although it feels so long ago I fininished it. I like you Katie, also believe in “intuition” shall we call it, and Ivars sometimes shakes his head at conversations Sam and I have of the other realms .
I enjoyed the interactions between the sisters and particularly liked Violets character, she seemed more honest and comfortable with herself even though she struggled with her own life problems. Kate seemed to want to make everything too sanitised and ordered . In the end I don’t believe we can escape our true natures, hard as Kate seemed to try.
I did sympathise with Kate also, with her conflict in whether she was having premonitions or new mother worries. As wonderful as babies are it is a difficult time of adjustment for new parents. It does get easier Katie!
I am sorry this post is a little sketchy, I really enjoyed this novel and feel it deserved closer attention than I possibly gave it.
Hope you are both coping with the deep freeze, so far our Summer has been fairly mild with good rain in our area, so the bushfire threat is less. Some other parts of the country are suffering fires though.
much love
Nancy