The Weird Sisters
Release date: 2011 / 318 pages
Synopsis (from the back cover): The Andreas family is one of readers — books are their passion and their solace. The father is a bit eccentric. A renowned professor who communicates almost exclusively in Shakespearean verse, he named all three of his daughters for great Shakespearean women: Rosalind (Rose), Bianca (Bean), and Cordelia (Cordy). As a result, they find that they have have a lot to live up to…
First Sentence: We came home because we were failures.
Review: After rejecting three of the books I had packed for my two weeks in Florida over the holidays, I thoroughly enjoyed The Weird Sisters (and believe many book clubs would too). The premise involves three sisters who reunite in their small, collegiate hometown (one sister had never left) under the pretense of helping their mother after her diagnosis with breast cancer. However, the returning sisters are each harboring life-altering decisions that demands a return home. The third sister believes she would be happiest living in her hometown forever, but is forced to reconsider this once her fiancé moves to England for two years.
Now, as is obvious from the premise, The Weird Sisters is a character-driven narrative best suited for women. However, surrounding the sisters’ narrative is a lovely obsession with Shakespeare – ala the sisters’ father – and a delightful point of view that is third person limited with a splash of omniscience from time-to-time. Brown deftly weaves quotes from various plays and sonnets that fit the particular situation, (mostly but not exclusively from Shakespeare), that are never intrusive. Since the emphasis of my Masters’ degree was literature and I taught Shakespeare for 15 years, I did recognize a great many of the allusions and references. However, readers who have never read Shakespeare – but simply love reading – would not be at a disadvantage with this novel. In fact, the quotes could be skipped entirely and the novel would still remain intact and delightful. But for those of us who do love the Bard, the allusions are a delightful surprise.
For example, regarding the title (which I initially found off-putting):
“But it is worth noting, especially now that ‘weird’ has evolved from its delicious original meaning of supernatural strangeness into something depressingly critical and pedestrian, as in, “’ Don’t you think Rose’s outfit looks weird?’ Bean asked,” that Shakespeare didn’t really mean the sisters were weird at all. The work he originally used was much closer to “wyrd,” and that has an entirely different meaning. “Wyrd” means fate. And we might argue that we are not fated to do anything, that we have chosen everything in our lives, that there is no such thing as destiny. And we would be lying.” (24-5)
Throughout the novel, Brown’s writing is palpable and creates a lovely sense of place:
“’Too easy,’ she said sloud to the empty street, her skirt whispering against the sidewalk, already gone hot and sullen in the rise of spring, her sandals so worn that she could feel the insistent warmth against her heels.” (6)
As well as a complex and compelling sense of who each sister truly is:
“She never managed to find herself in these books no matter how she tried, exhuming traits from between the pages and donning them for an hour, a day, a week. We think, in some ways we have all done this our whole lives, searching for the book that will give us the keys to ourselves, let us into a wholly formed personality as though it were a furnished room to let. As though we could walk in and look around and say to the gray-haired landlady behind us, “We’ll take it.” (246)
I recommend this novel to book clubs since I could imagine members discussing which of the three sisters resonated most soundly – and which sister was least familiar – as well as how we can allow our childhood designations (“the smart one” or “the funny one”) to define us well past any sort of usefulness. At times I was a bit frustrated that the three sisters were so trapped by their imagined identities (time to move on, girls!), but by the end I think all three sisters have made strides to expand their identities beyond any childhood constraints. So, I recommend this (to women, especially) without reservation!
Interested in winning a free copy? Drop me a comment below and I will choose a lucky winner by the weekend!
Monday, January 17th: 1330V
Tuesday, January 18th: Steph and Tony Investigate
Wednesday, January 19th: Jenn’s Bookshelves
Thursday, January 20th: Books, Movies, and Chinese Food
Monday, January 24th: Caribousmom
Tuesday, January 25th: I’m Booking It
Wednesday, January 26th: Book Addiction
Thursday, January 27th: Life in Review
Monday, January 31st: Sophisticated Dorkiness
Tuesday, February 1st: Rundpinne
Wednesday, February 2nd: Book Club Classics!
Thursday, February 3rd: At Home with Books
Friday, February 4th: Luxury Reading
Monday, February 7th: Simply Stacie
Wednesday, February 9th: Life in the Thumb
Friday, February 11th: In the Next Room
LOVED this book. Would love to be entered if you’re giving away a finished copy, I already own an ARC but I’m lusting after those shiny hardcovers since I plan to reread this many times. But yeah, totally agree with the review <3
strandedhero(at)gmail(dot)com
my weird sister and I have a blog and we would both enjoy this copy! http://shootinsisters.blogspot.com/
This book looks intriguing. Thanks for the opportunity!
This sounds like a great choice for one of my book discussion groups. It sounded like a great book with character-rich descriptions. Please enter my name into the giveaway.
Me! Me! ME! Pick me!
I am the oldest of three sisters…I would love to read something like this! Please enter my name for a chance to win this book. Thank you.
-Araceli
Please consider me for this giveaway. Just last week a friend emailed me that she liked this book and thinks I would like it too. Such a coincidence.
And, I’m currently taking part in a Shakespeare class with emphasis on the women in Shakespeare’s plays.
I’d love to own a copy of this book.
Thanks for considering me.
I would love the chance to read this book.I come from a family of six sisters! Meg
I need “sisters!” Would love to have/read the book.
Great review! I’m reading this now and thoroughly enjoying it (and I am not well-schooled in Shakespeare, but that is not posing a problem). Thank you so much for being on the tour!
Sounds interesting. I would like a chance at reading it. Please enter me. Thanks!
This was on Amazon’s best of January list and I’m intrigued. Please include me!
This one’s on my TBR!! I would LOVE a copy, and will forget my dignity and beg if I have to!
Always looking for a good book club book, and it’s even better when it’s an interesting read! Thanks!
This sounds like a great book for discussion.
This book is at the top of my TBR list! Would love to be included.
Several of the women in my book club have sisters so I know this book would be enjoyed by all. I would love to win a copy so that I may present it to my group.
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hi there ,
realy nice and wonderful.
if won free copy that would be awesome , here in Iraq i cant find the origional copies just the translated…
thanks
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