Sisterland

A Novel

By: Curtis Sittenfeld

Narrated by: Rebecca Lowman

Length: 14 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST NOVELS OF THE YEAR BY
Slate • Daily Candy • St. Louis Post-Dispatch • The Guardian (U.K.)

“Novelists get called master storytellers all the time, but Sittenfeld really is one. . . . What might be most strikingly excellent about Sisterland is the way Sittenfeld depicts domesticity and motherhood.”—Maggie Shipstead, The Washington Post

“Psychologically vivid . . . Sisterland is a testament to [Curtis Sittenfeld’s] growing depth and assurance as a writer.”—Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times

“[Sittenfeld’s] gifts are in full effect with this novel, and she uses them to create a genuinely engrossing sense of uncertainty and suspense.”—Sloane Crosley, NPR’s All Things Considered

Curtis Sittenfeld, author of American Wife and Prep, returns with a mesmerizing novel of family and identity, loyalty and deception, and the delicate line between truth and belief.

From an early age, Kate and her identical twin sister, Violet, knew that they were unlike everyone else. Kate and Vi were born with peculiar “senses”—innate psychic abilities concerning future events and other people’s secrets. Though Vi embraced her visions, Kate did her best to hide them.

Now, years later, their different paths have led them both back to their hometown of St. Louis. Vi has pursued an eccentric career as a psychic medium, while Kate, a devoted wife and mother, has settled down in the suburbs to raise her two young children. But when a minor earthquake hits in the middle of the night, the normal life Kate has always wished for begins to shift. After Vi goes on television to share a premonition that another, more devastating earthquake will soon hit the St. Louis area, Kate is mortified. Equally troubling, however, is her fear that Vi may be right. As the date of the predicted earthquake quickly approaches, Kate is forced to reconcile her fraught relationship with her sister and to face truths about herself she’s long tried to deny.

Funny, haunting, and thought-provoking, Sisterland is a beautifully written novel of the obligation we have toward others, and the responsibility we take for ourselves. With her deep empathy, keen wisdom, and unerring talent for finding the extraordinary moments in our everyday lives, Curtis Sittenfeld is one of the most exceptional voices in literary fiction today.

Praise for Sisterland

“What’s most captivating about Sisterland is the intimate, intense portrayal of identical twin sisters. . . . [The novel] unfolds like a good prophecy—inevitable and shocking.”—San Francisco Chronicle

“The accomplished Sittenfeld . . . is as skillful as ever at developing an intriguing premise and likable characters. . . . Sittenfeld’s affectionate take on sibling rivalry is spot-on.”—People

“The power of [Sittenfeld’s] writing and the force of her vision challenge the notion that great fiction must be hard to read. She is a master of dramatic irony, creating fully realized social worlds before laying waste to her heroines’ understanding of them. . . . Her prose [is] a rich delight.”—The Boston Globe

“Wise and often wickedly entertaining . . . Readers who have siblings—especially women with sisters—will likely come away feeling as if the author really is psychic.”—USA Today

©2013 Curtis Sittenfeld (P)2013 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Psychologically vivid . . . Sittenfeld’s gifts for portraying the inner lives of her heroines [bring Sisterland] closer, in terms of emotional chiaroscuro, to two classics about pairs of sisters, The Old Wives’ Tale by Arnold Bennett and The Easter Parade by Richard Yates . . . Sisterland is a testament to the author’s growing depth and assurance as a writer.” (Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times)

“Novelists get called master storytellers all the time, but Sittenfeld really is one, a kind of no-nonsense, BabyBjörn-wearing Scheherazade. . . . What might be most strikingly excellent about Sisterland is the way Sittenfeld depicts domesticity and motherhood.” (Maggie Shipstead, The Washington Post)

“[Sittenfeld’s] gifts are in full effect with this novel, and she uses them to create a genuinely engrossing sense of uncertainty and suspense.” (Sloane Crosley, NPR’s All Things Considered)

A read meant for all those with siblings

Would you listen to Sisterland again? Why?

Doubtful. The ending was uneventful.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Rosie. She was cute

What does Rebecca Lowman bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The feeling she really had the feelings about her sister

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Every time she realized how brave her sister must have been

Too many minor details and not enough story.

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I am from St. Louis and I grew up during the same time that these girls did. The time and places from the story was a chance to revisit my youth. That part was wonderful, however, if I weren't from St. Louis this book would not have been a much of a listen.

Would you recommend Sisterland to your friends? Why or why not?

I would to someone my age from St. Louis. Anyone else I would say it isn't bad but it isn't anything to go out of your way for.

Which scene was your favorite?

I liked the parts that spoke of the places I have been and things I have done.

Did Sisterland inspire you to do anything?

Yes. It made me tell my husband how much I love him and how I would never ever do something like that to him.

Any additional comments?

I can't believe how many times they mentioned Target and Schnucks. The entire book seemed to be more about running errands than have an actual story. I'm still trying to figure out the point of the book. Don't believe in psychics? Love your sister? Don't love your sister? Ways to waste $15,000? Don't have an affair? It just didn't really seem to have much of a point.

I liked it!

I like this author & I liked this book, unlike others who have written reviews. It was beautifully written & thought-provoking. What if you don't really like your identical twin, or approve of her life choices? The way this author writes maybe isn't for everyone, but I like her writing style.

Disappointed

I was disappointed, expecting a story more about twins and their psychic abilities and the consequences. Instead it is more about the relationship between two sisters, their differences and similarities, somewhat interesting but not exciting.

depressing and not cohesive story

What did you like best about Sisterland? What did you like least?

Sister interactions interesting, thought it was going somewhere, good writing bad plot?most annoying was the whiney, whine then more indecision of main characters and boring mundane narrative most of book very sorry becuase i like this author,

What was most disappointing about Curtis Sittenfeld’s story?

Depressing goig no where, no solid point

Which character – as performed by Rebecca Lowman – was your favorite?

Vi

Was Sisterland worth the listening time?

No

So glad they are making it a movie

What did you love best about Sisterland?

the intimacy of authentic feelings, misgivings, steadfast love and the messiness of real relationships.

Any additional comments?

I imagined Jennifer Jason Leigh as the psychic sister.

Great performance, ho-hum storyline...until...

Any additional comments?

Let me start by saying that I LOVE Curtis Sittenfeld. Prep is one of my all-time favorites. Having said that, Sisterland is just as well written and Rebecca Lowman's performance is excellent. However, the story is so boring for the majority of the book I almost felt like giving up on it. The 1st 80% of the book consists of Kate's flashbacks (most of which are completely irrelevant) and her interactions with Vi/Jeremy/Hank/the kids in present day. A ton of focus is put on Vi's earthquake prediction for the first 80% of the book. But then, it seems as though it was just written off in a few sentences as we moved on to the other big plot development. I almost felt duped--I had built up all of this anticipation for Oct 16th, only to be let down. Then it was like I was reading a completely different story in the last 20%. And the last 20% was the best part! In hindsight, I wish that Oct 16th would have just happened somewhere around the halfway point, so we could have explored the aftermath a bit more fully.

Long

Beautifully written. Wonderfully performed. Frustratingly meandering. At some point, I felt like I was being "messed with."

started out good ....but then ...eh

well the performance was spot on as always ....
the story started out good, and I really liked the characters, not Daisy /Kate so much, but it seemed she was always getting a 'pass ' for her behavior before and after she was married. I also didn't really like how it ended :/ There could have been ...more?

funny and fabulous summer read. the hype is true!

yes, the hype is true. this is one of the best "summer reads" i've listened to...or i've ever encountered, for that matter. after reading multiple (upon multiple) reviews of this book online and in, like, every magazine, i decided to take a dive into a book that is SO not my usual foray. i was utterly impressed and so glad i did.

there are so many mixed reviews of the narrator in this story, Kate/Daisy. i've read so many people who think she's just an awful person. funny, because i really really liked her. i liked her, i liked violet, i liked hank and jeremy. i liked them all. in their different and somewhat horrible ways, i found something in each of them that i really really liked. and even despite that, even if i didnt like these characters...i would have still loved this story. the novel was so well written, so well conceived, so well realized...it's a fantastic book to read.

Kate was such a real narrator. she was funny and honest and real. i love characters in stories that you can see stepping off the page and actually being alive, and this is how she is. i thought violet was hysterical. i laughed out loud quite a few times at her reactions to things...her one liners...her commentary.

look. this is a really great interesting summer read. the characters are extremely well written, and the story is very very captivating. i loved it.