• Once We Were Sisters

  • A Memoir
  • By: Sheila Kohler
  • Narrated by: Sheila Kohler
  • Length: 4 hrs and 52 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (314 ratings)

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Once We Were Sisters  By  cover art

Once We Were Sisters

By: Sheila Kohler
Narrated by: Sheila Kohler
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Publisher's summary

A beautiful, heartrending literary memoir about the tragic death of the author's beloved older sister and a tribute to their bond.

When Sheila Kohler was 37, she received the heart-stopping news that her sister Maxine, only two years older, was killed when her husband drove them off a deserted road in Johannesburg. Stunned by the news, she immediately flew back to the country where she was born, determined to find answers and forced to reckon with his history of violence and the lingering effects of their most unusual childhood - one marked by death and the misguided love of their mother.

In her signature spare and incisive prose, Sheila Kohler recounts the lives she and her sister led. Flashing back to their storybook childhood at the family estate, Crossways, Kohler tells of the death of her father when she and Maxine were girls, which led to the family abandoning their house and the girls being raised by their mother, at turns distant and suffocating. We follow them to the cloistered Anglican boarding school where they first learn of separation and later their studies in Rome and Paris where they plan grand lives for themselves - lives that are interrupted when both marry young and discover they have made poor choices. Kohler evokes the bond between sisters and shows how that bond changes but never breaks, even after death.

©2017 Sheila Kohler (P)2017 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

What listeners say about Once We Were Sisters

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
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  • 4 Stars
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  • 3 Stars
    52
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

An engrossing story

I found The story captivating. I enjoyed hearing the story read by the author. I found the writing to be vividly and delightfully descriptive. I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading others by this author.

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5 people found this helpful

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

tragic, brilliant, heartbreaking, fascinating

Both the voice narration and the writing are high quality. The storytelling is intriguing and compelling because the author is so honest and insightful. Although the story itself is heartbreaking, it’s a relief to hear truth so bravely spelled out. The author’s story is unique, but I believe she is able to connect with others’ lives on so many levels.

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3 people found this helpful

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

Wonderful

Only someone who has lost their beloved sister to a mentally deranged man can truly understand.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Sisterhood

You could really feel her loss. Her sister was like her right hand. She knew something was wrong nut she gave her sister her space and regretted it in the end. To ease her grief she decided to write which was the best therapy.

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2 people found this helpful

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

Just didn't do it for me

It read like it was taken directly from a journal without trying to make it sound like a book. All in present tense. Ouch.
The author does a fair job with the performance.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Haunting, a love story to her sister

This book haunted me, her grief, love, and regret palpable in each memory she shares. I loved hearing the author speak, made her words more real, emotional, lovely. Yet even with the sadness, I wanted more. I’ll be sure to check out the authors other stories.

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2 people found this helpful

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

Simple story made longer with useless details

Story shares a very close sister relationship but for a few parts is relatively an unremarkable story. The narrator did a very good job however.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Truth

Her clear, honesty is admirable. It’s easy to imagine the two sisters spending time together.

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

Enjoyed thoroughly

Enjoyed thoroughly, having a sister, taking me back, missing her not via death but across the miles between us.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Very Poignant…

Beautifully written; I particularly loved how the story moved back and forth in time, marrying memories together.

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