Member Reviews
I usually don't read those kinds of book but the blurb intrigued me and it was a hit! Loved it! Although the subject is touchy and taboo, I found myself unable to stop reading and was rooting for Glory and Luna to escape and be able to reconnect with Ruby and Aurora. It was a suspenseful read that kept me wanting to know what would happen next.
Here's a quick synopsis:
Twelve years ago, Glory abandoned her two young daughters at a fire station to run of to a man who promised her love and protection. She soon finds out the refuge she hoped for turned out to be a sham but she believes her daughters are better off without her.
Now sixteen years old, Ruby loves her adoptive parents but she never forgot her birth mother. With her newly driver's license, she sets out on a search to find her. What she finds is a rundown house full of castaway women who call themselves "The Sisters" and ruled by a charismatic bully who monitor their every move.
Glory would take her 10 year old daughter away from the cult if she had a place to go. Luna is not allowed to venture outside and confined to the attic as a punishment if she doesn't follow the rules. When Ruby makes contact with her birth mother, Glory sees her chance to get away.
The first part of the novel was emotional and difficult to read. Glory, a young widow after her husband was killed in a car accident in Alaska where he worked, abandons her two young girls at a fire station and joins the Sisters. Fortunately, Ruby and Aurora are placed in a good home with loving parents. The story is told in multiple POVs but the most important ones are Glory, Ruby and Luna's.
I've rushed through this book, I couldn't get enough of the characters. My heart was broken over Glory's decision to abandon her daughters to join a cult. I understood her decision to want to give them a better life but still. As for Luna, she was so brave for her age. Always locked in the attic, unable to venture outside.
Overall, this was out of my reading comfort zone but I did enjoy the book. I would definitely recommend it!
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of The Sisters by Rosalind Noonan that I read and reviewed.
This book was just okay for me. I really struggled getting through it because it jumped around so much and I found myself getting lost and I just was not enjoying the book or the characters all that much.
I am giving The Sisters three out of five stars.
I usually don't read these type of books, however the blurb intrigued me enough to give it a try. The first part of this book was very emotional and difficult to read. Glory abandoning her children, which is one of the most difficult decisions any mother can make in her life, was just heartbreaking. She did her best but I still think there were other ways to deal with what she was going through. Fortunately, her daughters ended up with an amazing family. There were POVs of everyone involved in the story, because of this it kind of resulted in me not being able to connect enough with the characters. I was going back and forth, and sometimes I just wanted to get back to one particular POV to see what was going on with them. In my opinion the most important POVs were of Glory, Ruby and Luna. I think the story would've impacted me more if it was focusing only on them.
The Sisters was in a way very suspenseful. It kept me on the edge of my seat and I wanted to find out what was going to happen next. I couldn't put the book down. I have to admit that I did rush through the book a bit, because I was anxious to see what would happen next. This story definitely kept me interested and entertained until the end. Unfortunately, I just couldn't connect enough with the characters. My favorite was Luna, she was such a brave little girl. This was a pretty fast-paced story, which I appreciated. However, everything resolved a bit too quickly in the end. Overall, I enjoyed this story and found it interesting. It was a bit different then what I usually read, but it was nice to mix it up a little bit. I love broadening my reading horizon, and I encourage everyone else to do as well. If this book sounds like something you would enjoy, then make sure to read it.
I loved this book so much!
This was a well written story, the characters were written so well I felt I knew them.
Rosalind Noonan did a great job weaving the events together in a way that kept you interested and made it a book that you didn’t want to put down.
It is not a book filled with twists and turns and a big reveal at the end.....but it was such a wonderful story.....I think you need to run out and pick up a copy.....you won’t be disappointed.
The Sisters is a novel about two children abandoned by their mother. The mother joins a cult and the sisters learn they have an additional sibling. When I first read the summary, I thought this was a book I would like to read. I tired to like it, but the story just didn't resonate with me.
Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington Books for the opportunity to read The Sisters before its release on November 27, 2018 in exchange for an honest, impartial review.
I want to start out and say that this book may trigger more sensitive readers with regard to the topics of miscarriages and sexual abuse. It does not delve in deep to these areas, however, they are here in the book. What saddens me the most is that even though this is a work of fiction, there are innocent children out there today in this situation in this book.
This book is told through the story of 2 families that are connected to each other; Glory Noland and the McCullum family. The book is broken down in to 3 parts; The Last Time I Saw You, The Shape Of Tea Leaves, and Glory’s Ghost. Rosalind Noonan does a tremendous job alternating between the stories of Glory and the McCullum family.
Glory goes from the struggle of being in a biracial relationship to being a widow raising 2 biracial children on her own with no family willing to help her. She meets a group of women at her local mall that call themselves The Sisters and ever so graciously end up taking her in. On the other side, the McCullum family is secretly struggling to conceive and start a family, but, has all the family support in the world.
This book sucked me in and would not let me go. I read this book with tears in my eyes so often, just wanting to jump in and help these women and children. The character development in this book was remarkable and we watch Glory’s young children grow up to be beautiful young women, especially her eldest Ruby. For a sixteen-year-old girl who has so much going on in her own life with her mother, she was certainly raised to do right in the world and is someone to be proud of.
This is a solid 4 star read for me. I had to stop myself from reading at some points in time just so I could get some sleep. I knew if I continued on, more would develop along in the story and the sun would be rising, as it would be time for me to get ready for work. Noonan’s penmanship in this tale is heartbreakingly real and page turning. While I would have wished for a different ending, Noonan does what is right and ends this book on realistic terms, which still please me. Once you pick this book up, you will find it irresistible to put down.
***THIS REVIEW WILL BE PUBLISHED IMMEDIATELY ON GOODREADS AND WILL BE PUBLISHED TO https://bookinthebag.wordpress.com/ ON NOVEMBER 15, 2018 AT 5:00AM PACIFIC TIME. IT WILL ALSO BE FEATURED ON https://www.instagram.com/mrsdmvh/ ON NOVEMBER 15th WITH A LINK TO THE REVIEW IN THE BIO***
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.
It was a tad all over the place. It would have been more clear if the times and/or people would be written out when changing the chapters. It started out with two different couples then just the mom, then the mom and the adoptive family ... its just got confusing sometimes.
The story was quite powerful and upsetting. Things like this actually happen to children all over the world. From being left with others because parents can't take care of them to abuse (of any kind) to "cults".
I would say 3.5 stars... just because i really didn't like the bouncing around. ( i have issues with things being neat and orderly...)
I think I read too much of the blurb as I felt like I knew what was going to happen from the beginning. Yes, it is an engaging story and for the most part, I was invested in the characters. It was just such a sad and heartbreaking tale that I was depressed reading it. Usually that doesn't bother me but this time it did for some reason. I would still read more by this author as I do love a good family drama.
This was a tough one. There’s a story here it’s just a bit muddled. There is character development and some fleshed out plot lines but also some disconnect, at least for me. The story gives you all the emotions - hope, despair, kindness, etc.
The story of a cult always fascinated me. This story does show how easily someone becomes absorbed into that life. Also it shows the manipulation and those that are preyed upon. That’s some sad and scary stuff.
The story ends on a realistic note. It’s hopefully but not sugarcoated. I would read more by this author.
Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Kensington Books for a copy in exchange for a review.
I received a advanced readers copy of this book for a honest review! Day 1 before bed I was already through the book 50 % as it really drew me in. Glory had two daughters from an interracial marriage. Her mom basically disowned her for that fact, she didn’t approve of her swaying from ‘her kind’ and her Husband family was pretty much more of the same. So it was them against the world but when her football husband tore his acl forfeiting a career in sports times got hard and he left to go to Alaska to work and learn a trade so as to be able to take care of his wife and daughter. Unfortunately things went wrong very wrong and Glory was forced to do what no mother should have to. Give up her kids, her babies her girls. For this she was heartbroken.
Got herself caught up with the wrong people and years later when the paths of her and her oldest daughter cross there is no turning back!!!
This is a great read, kept me interested from start to finish. Look for it in November at a book store near you! This is my honest take on this book! Truly enjoyed the read!
I found this book very jumpy and the story like was a little hard to follow. I went into it expecting one thing from the description then got something completely different, not bad per say just not what was expected. Then the more that story got unfolded it was like I jumped into another story line very different and I don't know how any of them connected.I like the concept of the story but I found the execution poor. I think that there was just to much going on that wasn't important to the story line and the bunch of time shifts and main character changes made it a little difficult to follow. Not my favourite read however I did like the concept so I will give the author another shot in a different book I think.
Definitely an emotional rollercoaster from start to finish. This story tore at my heart and made me really think about what really makes someone a mother .
I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review
Hooboy this was some sloppy women’s fiction. The characters and the narrative don’t make sense or follow any logical trajectory. Pretty treacly. 2.5 rounded up
The sisters by author Rosalind Noonan is a gripping and emotional book! The opening chapter literally broke my heart and gave me a mind set of how I felt about the mother. It’s so much deeper than that as the story goes on. This touched my heart and had me gripped at the same time. Fast paced and solid, the sisters is a true work of literature.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC copy of the sisters (pub date November 2018) in exchange for an honest review.