Henry's Sisters

By: Cathy Lamb

Narrated by: Xe Sands

Length: 13 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

Ever since the Bommarito sisters were little girls, their mother, River, has written them a letter on pink paper when she has something especially important to impart. And this time, the message is urgent and impossible to ignore - River requires open-heart surgery, and Isabelle and her sisters are needed at home to run the family bakery and take care of their brother and ailing grandmother.

Isabelle has worked hard to leave Trillium River, Oregon, behind as she travels the globe taking award-winning photographs. It's not that Isabelle hates her family. On the contrary, she and her sisters Cecilia, an outspoken kindergarten teacher, and Janie, a best-selling author, share a deep, loving bond. And all of them adore their brother, Henry, whose disabilities haven't stopped him from helping out at the bakery and bringing good cheer to everyone in town. 

But going home again has a way of forcing open the secrets and hurts that the Bommaritos would rather keep tightly closed. Working together to look after Henry and save their flagging bakery, Isabelle and her sisters begin to find answers to questions they never knew existed, unexpected ways to salve the wounds of their childhoods, and the courage to grasp surprising new chances at happiness.

©2018 Cathy Lamb (P)2018 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Wait a moment

Some adored this book. I am not in that group. I couldn't get beyond a few chapters because these are messed up people who don't want to get better and seem to revel in their twistedness. Theyre truly horrible.. What I find so surprising is that people actually enjoyed it.

Dark Depressing Drama

I couldn’t finish this book. I hope they got a lot of therapy. There are thousands of better things in which to devote even half attention when listening. The narrator was a little off for me, as was the writing, especially as depicting the brother with disabilities. Repetitive. This book could have been half as long. The torturous story (mental and emotional rather than physical) is drawn out, bringing on that feeling - like being done with a friend who is perpetually morose and self pitying.

Horrible / Sick - Violent - perverse

I feel that I wasted one of my credits. With so many glowing praises, I thought I was about to listen to a great book. I guess there is a large audience out there who enjoy this type of depravity. YUCK!!!!

Excellent book!

I've listened to this book three times now and. I wish someone would make a movie based on it!

Just No

There is a fine line between reading with energy and being so over the top that the quirkiness of the performance distracts from the content. The narrator's choices for this book cross that line for me. Part of the blame lies with the writing, which is trying too hard to present the protagonist Isabel as a wry wit and free spirit to cover for the traumas of her life. In real life, I have never heard someone called fat to her face so often, and none of the women I know with trich ever do their pulling in front of others, and I've never met a person with dementia who is capable of talking *only* about their delusions. These are caricatures. As part of my ongoing campaign to get Audible to include content warnings on their books for those like me who are highly sensitive: contains THREE rapes, neglect, domestic violence, torture, fistfights and beatings, suicide completed and attempted, murder completed and attempted, and derogatory insults against fat people (the bigotry is relentless), mentally ill people, and intellectually disabled people. I don't know why I finished this book. I kept hoping the end would redeem the rest.

Best Book I've Ever Listened To.

I'm not sure where to begin. I've listened and read a lot of books over my lifetime. Most were very good and some were excellent. This was outstanding. The narration was incredible. The characters were so real, you felt like you knew them in real life. This story had such depth to it. I've listened to many of this author's books and I'm not sure where she goes or what her experiences have been for her to create the stories that she does, but they all possess a brokenness and a traumatic theme. Fortunately, her books also focus on the healing and growth of the characters. This book forces you to experience all of your emotions, from sadness and anger, to laughter and while not joy, a move towards something akin to it. As you experience this book, you will definitely be affected by it and the characters in it. You will be emotionally drained as you move through it and will not wish for it to end. This book was make an amazing movie. I challenge you to pick out a favorite character, because you will love almost all of them. If I could, I would give it more than 5 Stars, because this book
deserves it.

best book I have listened too all year.

This book needs to be the uplifting movie of the year. XE Sands was fabulous as always. I often pick books just because she has narrated. I love the amazing sence of family that is missing from society and the humor is spirit lifting. thank you for such a fabulous listen.

XE Sands shines again....

This story is great, but XE Sands could make a phone book sound great. Love, love, love this book.

Fantastic!

WOW Life and hardship kindness and compassion. I am finding myself glued t o every book that Cathy Lamb writes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The characters will capture you!

Superb character development and a narrator with performance skills that will blow you away. What a beautiful story.

Persevere

Nearly stopped listening after the first 5 Chapters, so glad I persevered, brilliant book, made me smile and really cry. I lost my disabled son who like Henry made our lives so much richer. I loved this book and the auditor was fantastic, loved Amelia and the fact that all the lose ends were tied!

Moving, funny, beautiful

One of the best books I've read or listened to, a sometimes horrific, tragic and traumatic tale told with love, compassion, humour and heart. The characters will stay with me, as will the story itself. Highly recommended

Spectacular and very clever

Clever, funny, smart, deep. Made me cry a bit, and I NEVER evercry... But made me laugh too🙂

Beautiful

Great story, really well read, but have the tissues ready because it’s a real tear jerker and once I started crying I cried till the end. I loved Henry.

Love .. laughter and lots of tears

Love the narrator for this book, you knew who everyone was and it’s a very beautiful story of a family 3 sisters and their brother Henry… hard at times but balanced with beautiful moments and love

A heartbreaking, heartwarming story

This book made me laugh and cry, sometimes back to back. It told the tale of a family who went through difficulties and found their strengths together. The narrator was brilliant and told the story well.
I loved it so much that I've listened to it twice.

Amazing

I have never laughed cried been in the same situation as some of it such a fab book

Beautiful, painful and hopeful

A heart breaking, heart warming story of complicated family love. Have your tissues close by

loved. it.

beautifully narrated by Xe Sands, one of the best books I've listened to this year

Brilliant

I was not sure when I started the first two chapters but boy was I pleased I carried on. What a wonderful story. Very sad in some parts and very funny in others. The characters in the story were amazing and such characters. The narrator brought the whole thing together brilliantly. All in all this is a definite must read i just loved it