The Weird Sisters

The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown is one of those books I have heard good reviews about and not so good reviews about. When my mother mentioned a month or two ago that she had read it and liked it, I decided I needed to read it. Ninety-nine percent of the time I am the person who recommends books to my mom. I don't often have her giving me ideas of what to read because she gets busy with other things like quilting and work and taking care of grandkids and keeping her house more picked up, and golf league, and church organizations, and she doesn't get as many books read as I do. When she watched my girls one day they stopped off at the library where I live. The Weird Sisters must have caught my mom's eye, because she got herself a library card to that particular library and checked it out.

There are three weird sisters: Bean (Bianca), Rose, and Cordy (Cordelia), so named because of their father's obsession with all things Shakespeare. Each sister is a unique and interesting character, and while at first it seems that the sisters are not close, the three of them have a bond - a way of understanding each other- that nothing else can rival. Rose has remained at home to care for their mother who is undergoing treatment for breast cancer. She seems unable to break away from her hometown and parents and while she won't admit that perhaps she is afraid of change, there is really no reason for her not to move on with her life. Bean, the middle sister, is returning home from the excitement of New York City after being terminated from her job since she stole from them. Bean has many struggles and works to not make the same mistakes repeatedly. Cordy, the youngest daughter, seems to be a free spirit, travelling around the country. Yet, she, too returns home, pregnant with someone's child, confronted with the idea of becoming a responsible adult.

I loved these sisters who seemed so real. I loved their love of books and literature and the fact that their family seemed a bit off of the norm. The small college town they lived in seemed such a cozy community where people knew each other and helped each other out. While I sometimes shook my head at the choices each sister made, I loved how human these ladies were.

My mother's enjoyment of this book spurred me to read it, and my enjoyment of it will spur me to recommend it to many friends.