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)

Boring and mundane

Would you try another book from Curtis Sittenfeld and/or Rebecca Lowman?

Probably not.

What was most disappointing about Curtis Sittenfeld’s story?

What story? Twin sisters lead divergent lives. Daisy/Kate's life seems humdrum. It revolves around her children (she's always nursing the baby or running errands) and Violet holds herself out as a run of the mill psychic. Predictable and boring dialog. The characters have no depth.

What about Rebecca Lowman’s performance did you like?

She gave a credible performance.

Did Sisterland inspire you to do anything?

It inspired me to look for a different book.

Interesting thread in this story

If you could sum up Sisterland in three words, what would they be?

Thought provoking story

If you’ve listened to books by Curtis Sittenfeld before, how does this one compare?

NA

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

Daisy/Kate

Who was the most memorable character of Sisterland and why?

Vi because she was so multi-faceted. I grew to like her most by the end of the month, and this was from not respecting her much at the beginning of the book.

Any additional comments?

Performance on audible was very good. Loved the various voices in addition to the tenor of the narrator's voice.

Wonderful Book

I was so drawn into the story. The narration is wonderful and the story keeps you interested the entire book.

Reading this book was like visiting dear friends

Would you listen to Sisterland again? Why?

This book was an easy read. There were no real peaks or valleys. No thrills. Very little suspense. It was still good though.

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

I would recommend this book to some of my female friends. Most men would be bored to tears with it. It's a 'chick" book for sure...

Which scene was your favorite?

Favorite scene was when Kate had to tell Jeremy of her betrayal.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No

Holy Mackeral@

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This was a wildly uncomfortable but compelling read

What was one of the most memorable moments of Sisterland?

When Daisy had to admit to her husband that the baby she was carrying wasn't his

Unlikable characters

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

I can't say that I loved the book but I did finish it and was curious to know how it would all end up. Being an identical twin myself, I found some of the situations and dialogue between the sisters to be spot on. Otherwise I thought the twins were generally an unlikable pair.

Slow reading

The book was okay nothing to say wow that was so great. It was a pretty predictable story just nothing that really hooked me.

Loved every minute

I didn’t know what expect going into this book but I loved every minute of it. Great narration and the story line had me guessing the entire time.

Great story, great narrator

What did you love best about Sisterland?

I love how the story was told through a combination of flashbacks and present day events. It was a great way to develop the characters and keep me guessing about what they'd do next.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Vi - she embraced her quirks and stood her ground even when she held unpopular opinions.

What about Rebecca Lowman’s performance did you like?

I loved Rebecca Lowman's performance in "Dark Places," and was equally thrilled with this performance. There's something about her voice that is equal parts soothing and entertaining to me.

Any additional comments?

All siblings have complex relationships, but twins are even more complicated. This is a great story of one family's struggle to embrace their strangeness and hold on to their relationships in the midst of a crazy time in their lives.

Love Curtis Sittenfeld

I love the way Ms. Sittenfeld captures the voice of women. A million secret thoughts I thought only I had in every one of her books. I love love love this author.

I do wish that she had not referred to cis women as “real” women in one of the character’s conversations in this book. It’s not a remark that holds up in 2018, but perhaps it wasn’t something straight cis women considered problematic when this book was published.