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The Weird Sisters  By  cover art

The Weird Sisters

By: Eleanor Brown
Narrated by: Kirsten Potter
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Editorial reviews

“I have been in such a pickle since I saw you last.” (The Tempest)

One of the ‘weird sisters’ might have said this to another in Eleanor Brown’s debut novel. These three daughters of a Shakespeare scholar possessing vast repertoires of Bardian quotes might have missed this one, or shunned it out of mutual jealousy and need to keep up appearances. But coming home after years apart, they have all been in pickles.

Bookish members of a family where reading is both haven and hideout, the sisters call themselves ‘weird’ after Macbeth’s three witches, but Professor Andreas, their Will-obsessed and spouting father named them: Cordelia (King Lear), Rose (Rosalind, As You Like It), and Bean (Bianca, Taming of The Shrew).

When they receive news that their beloved, artistic mother has cancer, the sisters arrive, each variously adrift in her life, and lugging resentments and insecurities over her siblings’ perceived advantages in love, work, or parental favor. How their happily married and devoted (if thinly drawn) parents spawned these discontented 20-to-30-somethings isn’t clear. But Rose, a math professor and self-appointed (unnecessary) caretaker of her parents, bemoaning her fiancé’s temporary relocation abroad, eagerly reassumes the role of boss/protector to her sisters (also unnecessary). The chic, man-eating Manhattanite Bean fudged the books at work to binge-shop, until she was recently and humiliatingly caught. And Cordelia, the indulged youngest yet sweetest, a hand-to-mouth (and often hungry) nomad, now suddenly finds herself pregnant and unattached. Mom’s illness provides the convenient refuge they all seek.

Brown is a good storyteller. Though not exactly original, her tale is entertainingly chick-lit-ish, with romance, both seedy and princely, serendipity, and lessons learned. Listeners who like their Shakespeare a la Hallmark suitable for every occasion or thought will be especially charmed. As an audio experience, the novel’s communal first-person ‘we’ narration adds immediacy. But, intended perhaps to foreshadow or add irony, it sometimes sounds forced, given the sisters’ chronic disunity. Fortunately, actress Kirsten Potter brings it all elegantly, expertly together. She differentiates the sisters’ personalities and a host of characters from hip priest to (stereotypical) sternly kind librarian skillfully until the very “all’s well that ends well”. Elly Schull Meeks

Publisher's summary

The beloved New York Times best seller from acclaimed author Eleanor Brown about three sisters who love each other, but just don't happen to like each other very much.

Three sisters have returned to their childhood home, reuniting the eccentric Andreas family. Here, books are a passion (there is no problem a library card can't solve) and TV is something other people watch. Their father - a professor of Shakespeare who speaks almost exclusively in verse - named them after the Bard's heroines. It's a lot to live up to.

The sisters each have a hard time communicating with their parents and their lovers, but especially with one another. What can the shy homebody eldest sister, the fast-living middle child, and the bohemian youngest sibling have in common? Only that none has found life to be what was expected; and now, faced with their parents' frailty and their own personal disappointments, not even a book can solve what ails them...

©2010 Eleanor Brown (P)2011 Penguin

Featured Article: 45+ Quotes to Help You Make Peace with—and Take Charge of—Change


Reeling from change? Or ready to make some changes in your life? These wise words from authors just might give you the comfort or boost you need. Their words reflect the nature of change and the swirl of feelings surrounding it—from fear to exhilaration. In this collection, you'll find gentle reminders that change will keep happening and reassurance that you can handle it. When you face it and embrace it, change can enrich your life in unexpected ways.

What listeners say about The Weird Sisters

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Just ok, nothing special

It was a decent book, not much depth really. I would not really recommend it.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

A family of 5 stuck in their stale patterns ....

Meet three unlikeable self-centered sisters in their thirties who have never let go of their petty sibling rivalries or habits and then add in their equally hapless parents - the tribe is living together in annoying disharmony in the small town in which the girls grew up. Nothing much happens in the story yet the writing is overly-dramatic and descriptive. As is the narration. I am not quite there but I think the end will be very predictable. PS the Shakespeare quotations come across as gratuitous.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

I'm Sure I've read this someplace before

When I got to the end of this book (luckily it was so short), I felt extremely ripped off. I was such an uneventful story and cliche to boot. The only thing that was weird about these stories was how boring they were in the end.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

So So

My issue with this book was that I didn't like any of the characters, which is a problem for a character/ family dynamic driven book. I just honestly didn't care what happened to the characters. I expected something a little more quirky and a little less whinny.

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

I did not care for this - it felt LOOOOOONG

I forced myself to finish this. It was not engaging to me - the characters were not particularly interesting and the story was bland.

I don't recommend it.

The voice artist was soothing and I had to fight not to drift off while listening to this.

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Boring and Preachy

I can usually find something good thing to say about a book ... not this time.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Meh. Don't waste the credit.

What disappointed you about The Weird Sisters?

I am half way through this book, and honestly considering ditching it. I find myself dreading listening to it; hoping thought that something, ANYTHING is going to happen that is remotely interesting. The story could have been a good one, if the characters were more likeable, or interesting. And the father quoting Shakespear constantly is annoying.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

She didn't... she did the best she could with what she had to work with.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Boredom

Any additional comments?

Don't waste the credit like I did.

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Hated It !

Whiny grown children moving home. Blah, blah... The only reason I finished it was because I unfortunately bought it.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

BORING!!!!

Would you try another book from Eleanor Brown and/or Kirsten Potter?

Probably not

Would you ever listen to anything by Eleanor Brown again?

Yes

What about Kirsten Potter’s performance did you like?

She was perfectly fine

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

God this was the most boring story ever. I didn't even finish it.

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