Sisterland

A Novel

By: Curtis Sittenfeld

Narrated by: Rebecca Lowman

Length: 14 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's Summary

Curtis Sittenfeld, New York Times best-selling 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 a devastating earthquake will soon hit the St. Louis area, Kate is mortified. More 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 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.

©2013 Curtis Sittenfeld (P)2013 Random House Audio

Critic Reviews

"A smart and sophisticated portrait... Sittenfeld has an astonishing gift for creating characters that take up residence in readers’ heads." ( The Washington Post, on American Wife)

"Hilarious...a richly textured narrative." ( The New Yorker, on Prep)

"[Sittenfeld] writes with humor, intelligence, insight, and heart. She’s also as good at sharp social satire as she is at tender mercies." ( The Boston Globe, on The Man of My Dreams)

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.

Disappointing

I love this author's other work and have read it all. The women characters in this book are so shallow and selfish and mean I wanted to stop reading (listening). The story was silly and contrived. The narration was draggy and whiny. Would not recommend.

Waste of 15 hours

I don’t like to not finish books. Usually, I’ll end up liking a book about halfway through, when everything starts coming together. This was not the case.

This books has no storyline. It’s like a meandering journal kept by a boring housewife who isn’t sure who she likes to complain about more: her mom, her twin sister, her husband, or herself.

If you want to hear a privileged housewife complain about her life, by all means, read this book. If you want a book that makes sense, has any kind of interesting beginning, middle, or end, or just a single sympathetic character to care about, skip this book.

PS: Rebecca Lowman is a fantastic reader and her performance is the only thing that kept me going with this book.

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.

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.

Easy to enjoy

Another fun listen from Curtis Sittenfeld. Story centers around female twins who share a psychic ability. It's not all "supernatural thriller" tho; this is a modern story with a dash of the magical. And there's enough relationship strain to keep you interested.

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

There are other fish in the sea

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

A better story

What was most disappointing about Curtis Sittenfeld’s story?

The psychic element being so minimal. Actually--the characters are so unlikeable. Can I just go on and say the story itself was the most disappointing part?

Which scene was your favorite?

I don't want to give away the ending, but I like a scene at the very end with Gabe.

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

The narrator was pretty good. A little inconsistent at first, but it leveled out.

One of my favorites

This is one of my favorite books. The narrator’s voice sounds exactly like I’d imagined.

Great book

I’m really surprised that I liked this book but I really did. I usually don’t like books this long because I get bored with the characters or the plot but this on kept my attention from beginning to end and I liked all the characters, even with their obvious flaws. Highly recommend!