“But in the Tangle house, order came and went in fits and starts. Chaos was far more reliable.”

The story starts with three sisters and a little brother. This may well be one of the saddest family stories I have read in a long time. Those looking for a light beach read often pick Women’s Fiction assuming it’s going to be happy endings and baked cookies, as if our literature can’t be disturbing, dysfunctional or raw. This novel is all those things, it is a woman trying to have a better family where chaos isn’t the norm, trying to keep her daughter in a safe bubble because she knows all too well it’s not just the things we see coming that can destroy and kill, it is in the freak accidents too. Ginger is a nurse, she feels it is her mission to keep everyone safe and this turns out to be the very thing causing a distance between her and her teenage daughter Julia. It’s fine and good when our children are young and we are their whole world, but it’s a normal phase for teenagers to grow, to learn to ‘adult’ while still under the umbrella of our protection. The problem is, Ginger’s control issues in the name of safety verge on the obsessive, interfering with normal functioning. As the reader journey’s back to the 1970s and the Tangle family’s ill fated vacation on Martha’s Vineyard it becomes crystal clear why Ginger can’t leave anything in her family’s life to chance.

The tangle family is composed of Ginger (the eldest, the mini mother) , Mimi, Charlie (the only brother) , youngest sister Callie, mother Glory and their father Solly. Solly is the toy king of junk, running a business of overstock toys, as the story tells “Shipments of See ‘n Say where cows went oink. X-Ray Specs with only one lens. Pens with no ink.” To say Glory is disappointed in her husband and the way her life has turned out is an understatement. Beautiful, once on the path to stardom as an actress (if her exaggerations are to be believed) finding herself chained with four children and a lumbering husband is what sets off ‘episodes’, moods like storms that come with debilitating headaches. Mothers throughout time have been the center, she’s the one who fixes everything, our nourishment, who wipes our tears and in some family’s that role doesn’t come naturally. “The Tangle children tried to make themselves good-natured, but no matter how much Glory wished they would become part of the blur of the beach children, racing in and out of water, flushed and happy, bodies glistening with a dusting of damp sand, she was stuck being the mother of Charlie and Callie, who refused to do anything but dig a hole to China, and Mimi, who had come up with a trivial project of her own, building a rock tower to the moon. Ginger irked her the most of all, using her reflector not to improve her tan but as a shield in front of her face, so people would leave her alone.”

Glory was desperate to be a part of that wealthy group of privileged friends, for her own children to be happy and carefree, rather than clumsy and ordinary, neglecting to realize her own stormy moods aren’t the environment sunny children spring from. Glory’s the sort of person whose emotional state is the measure of how everyone else’s day will go. “Glory’s eyes went dull. She could do that, make the light in her eyes flick on or off as if there were a hidden switch.” Parents together form our universe, and when there is mutual respect and balance the home is stable, the calm we look to in keeping us safe from the often chaotic world outside. The Tangle family is the exception, Glory’s desire for something richer than her current state of living, Solly’s gruff manner, the clashing personalities where disagreements can turn into all out war creates an unbearable home-life. Ginger is the little mother who steps in while her mother is finding herself with her theater group or behind closed doors avoiding her children. When an encounter with another man inspires Glory to obtain a rental at Martha’s Vineyard, the children can’t wait to escape the tension of home.

13, Ginger has decided is going to be an unlucky birthday, but it is far worse than she could have conjured in her worrisome mind. As her mother’s ‘bruised little peach’, the tragedy that happens on the trip will create in Ginger an obsessive need to avoid the dangers and risks everyday life imposes upon us. What happened on the beach that day is remembered in fragments that each sister recalls differently. In a silent family, the truth is distorted and what is solid melts beneath children’s feet. Each member walks away with a dose of self-blame, all the Tangle members are broken, and grief that isn’t confronted blackens not just memories but faith, hope, and future happiness.

As an aside, the family and their ‘Tangle Mangling’ of words was a wonderful quirk in the story. Everything comes together in the end, and it’s proof of tenderness in the seemingly emotionally stunted Glory. Callie, the youngest seems to be the only one ever able to win her mother over, simple for being herself. There is an ethereal element in her nature that survives even after tragedy strikes. Callie becomes a tender spot, as the youngest she was always left out and Charlie was her anchor. When he is gone… so too her world.

Glory is more brass as she gets older, but it’s with her death that past tragedies are confronted. Youngest sister Callie returns, but just where was she really? Why is she always disappearing, is it just her nature that causes wanderings? Certainly that day couldn’t have darkened her future as it did both Ginger and Mimi’s lives. What lies did Glory keep to her dying breath and why? Ginger’s own family is falling apart, her daughter flees and it’s a brutal severing but maybe necessary in order for healing to begin. Glory is a cold mother, often bitter and allowing her jaded opinions about love, family to spoil Ginger’s girlish innocence. On the flip side, the things that should have been told were locked away. Was Glory just trying to save her girls much in the same way Ginger wanted to create a safe existence for her own daughter Julia?

Readers will sour on Glory, but the tragedy breeds conflicting emotions. Glory suffers any parent’s worse nightmare, in a double tragedy of sorts. We don’t understand the full picture, much like the puzzles Glory loves to piece together, so too the novel. Was Glory redeemed at the end? No, not anymore than any of us are redeemed in death. She was selfish before she endured loss. Her children needed her far more than she gave, but it may just have been all she had. The reader can feel compassion though, and in her own way she loved all her girls, and her son as well. Some families are tight lipped, some too loose lipped, it’s so hard to find the perfect balance when we are imperfect beings. In this novel though, the Tangles keep tight explanations that could have changed the trajectory of the girls relationships or lack thereof. In hindsight we have all the answers. Glory isn’t forgiven for often treating Ginger as an adult and snipping away any romantic girlish hopes for happiness, we all need doses of reality so we aren’t incapable of facing adulthood, but all children deserve a childhood unclouded by adult disappointments. Things come in due time, anything before is just cruelty. But in truth, in being over protective she is similar to her own mother in the wedge it puts between her and her own child.

This is brutal, sad, and full of family dysfunction which for so many is a reality. Maybe a reader will recognize their own family’s failings or maybe feel lucky they were spared such an upbringing. Either way, it kept me engaged. Of all the characters, what happened to Callie touched me the most. As for Julia’s choices, in breaking free she hurts her mother deeply, but remembering what that age was like and imagining the prison suffocating mothering can be, is it really that shocking?

Available Now

Lake Union Publishing

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic ARC of this novel.
“Sisters One, Two Three” is a delightful story by novelist Nancy Star. Three sisters, all very different, must come together after the death of their mother; Ginger, the eldest, the overanxious hypochondriac, Mimi, the laissez-faire soccer Mom extraordinaire and Callie, the youngest and the wanderer whom, as of late, has been on one of her famous disappearing acts. The three finally converge at their Martha’s Vineyard home and, finally, are forced to confront the tragedy from their childhood that has plagued them all for years.
This novel has great style, flow and is very easy to read. I was overjoyed when the format on my E-reader copy was clear (no choppy paragraphs or bad formatting), and I could easily engage. I was also on a severe time crunch with this novel, and was grateful when this novel turned out to be so addicting and enthralling.
All of the characters in this novel are well thought out and unique, as well as realistic and flawed. I loved the main character, Ginger, right from the start! A mother with a (mouthy and disrespectful) teenaged daughter, a push-over for a husband and a mother who’s brain capacity is diminishing, would turn any adult into an anxiety-ridden mess, and Ginger is no different. But Ginger’s flaws work well in juxtapose with her siblings and their relationship is one of the most genuine in the entire novel.
The ending has a bittersweet tang to it, but overall the novel wraps up in a concise and heartwarming way. The mystery is solved, old relationships are rekindled, and old bonds are rebuilt. It is very apparent that Ms. Star is not a novice writer, as her novel starts off well, continues along smoothly to its climax, and ends in a comforting and satisfying way, weaving in the right amount of emotion and charm. I have read a few novels lately that have taken place across two timelines (as this one does), and they have been disjointed and confusing to me as a reader. However this one (even on my E-Reader!) was surprisingly easy to follow and the dual timelines actually added to the plot.
Thanks again to the publisher and NetGalley for this novel. Normally this novel would not be something I would pick up if I happened across it, but I am grateful for the chance to experience this one, and I surprisingly enjoyed it! Nancy Star has the writing chops to convince me to seek out more of her novels and hope they too have the well thought out, creative charm that “Sisters” has.

Ginger and her daughter do not get along. Ginger has always been trying to avoid the worst from happening even though she is not sure what the worst is. Now her darkest secret has come out and her daughter will not forgive her for keeping it from her. With the death of her mother she must face that past and try to make up for all the years she tried to keep the bad things from happening. This is a heartfelt story of how secrets and events can change a person's life. Good read. I would like to thank the Publisher and Net Galley for the chance to read this ARC.

I did not like this Mother at all! I cannot fathom keeping children apart and the reason (?) was beyond stupid! The story started out ok but after the "tragic accident", I just couldn't believe how things were handled. These things completely ruined the book for me.

**Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley in exchange of an honest review.**

** spoiler alert ** I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed “Sisters One, Two, Three” by Nancy Star. It is a story of an extremely dysfunctional family. Reading this book is kind of like watching Jerry Springer… if you think you and/or your family has issues, it makes you realize how normal you really are. It explores several relationships: husband/wife, sisters, siblings, etc. It is also a great reminder that keeping secrets is unwise. Secrets can grow and the longer you keep them, the harder they are to come clean about with those you love.

I found most of the characters in this book extremely irritating; you just want to shake them and tell them to wake up (Lolly… get a spine, Glory… quit being so self absorbed and making young Ginger raise her siblings, etc.)! However, the desire to find out why they are that way (especially adult Mimi and adult Ginger) are what keep you interested and continuing to read. I also had to find out about the tragic accident and how it changed their lives. I devoured this book over a 24-hour period.

The chapters in the first part of the book alternate between time periods. Before the accident and much later when the children are grown with children of their own. You learn about the characters and their personalities and how they became the irritating adults that they are.

I did want to know more about the relationship between Glory and Casper. Did anything happen between them? Is that why Casper and his family continued to care for Callie when she was placed in Martha’s Vineyard? Did Casper and Glory have a relationship while she was there caring for Callie after Lolly’s death? I also would have liked to have read what Glory told Callie and how she kept Callie from wanting to see her sisters. And what happened with Julia? Does she ever come back? Does she ever speak to her mother again?

I found it intriguing that Glory (and others) kept this secret for so long. She never gave up her secrets in life, even when she began to deteriorate and was placed in assisted living/memory care.

This was my first book by the author and I am anxious to read her others. Would give 4.5 stars if we could give halves. I must have really been intrigued by the synopsis... I requested on NetGalley and purchased as an Amazon Prime First Reads book. ;)

Genre: Fiction
Stand-Alone: Yes
Part of a Series: No
POV: Ginger's
Steam-Level: Practically non-existent
5:5

Sisters One, Two, Three was very well-written, emotional and powerful. Ginger is a bit neurotic in her worrying, always planning for what ifs and worst case scenarios. The author does it fantastic job in shoeshine Ginger is the way she is. The first part alternates between present day and when Ginger is younger. In the past you meet Ginger and her family. Ginger has learned to adapt and read her mother and is the protector of her siblings. The past shows tragedy and how her family dealt with it which has bled into her adult life and dealing, not so well, with a rebellious teenager and an ailing mom. The revelations that unfold are heart-wrenching. Each sister deals with pain differently and learn that together they are stronger. The messages of how to deal with love and beautifully are written. Just make sure to have plenty of tissues near you

I received this book for free from the author/publisher via NetGalley. I'm voluntarily giving an honest review.

The story and characters were all over the place. Every section felt like "Wait For It" and so I plowed through and ultimately felt that the time spent reading this book was not productive. The characters were unlikeable and unbelievable, the situations so contrived. This was a perfect lesson in how a family comes undone through lies, deception and manipulation. And did I mention that the child is father to the man or more aptly the child is woman to the mother.

What is so disappointing is that this could have been a great book.

I wished for this on NetGalley and was granted an advance copy from Lake Union Publishing.

The Tangle family of six arrange a family holiday of which their father is a part time participant. It is there during their holiday of a lifetime on their popular island of Martha’s Vineyard that a terrible tragedy occurs which blights the life of each family member. This story is narrated mainly by the eldest sister Ginger who is now an adult with a daughter of her own. She is a school nurse, but suffers from anxiety which causes her to be overprotective of her daughter Julia. The middle sister Mimi is grown up with three sons of her own. Ginger and Mimi live within easy reach of each other and share their lives and families with their mother Gloria, now widowed and aging. The third and youngest sister was said to have run away to join a Cult and they have no contact with her at all. Her name is Callie.
As Ginger narrates the story, she moves between her memories of her childhood and that earth shattering holiday and the present day story. Her own daughter Julia has moved out of her family home to go off with her boyfriend and try to make a career out of their love of performing. She could not live at home any longer, she told her mother, feeling overpowered and smothered by her watchful, anxious mother. Julia did not want her mother to contact her, but promised periodic updates of how she and her boyfriend were doing in their lives as travelling street entertainers. Ginger was distraught and even though Julia was technically still a minor, she felt she dare not hold her back, risking permanent estrangement.
Julia also hated her mother’s secrecy; little did she know her mother had been trained by her own mother Glory not to divulge the terrible family secret. I felt sorry for Ginger, even more so as the story developed and at last the secrecy of the past was unwrapped with further shocking unexpected revelations. As Glory succumbed more and more to old age and dementia, it was Ginger who shouldered the daughterly duties of care, almost totally exhausted with worry about both her daughter and mother.
The first half of the story is given over to setting the scene and explaining the complicated back story. This is my least favourite part of the novel as it is slow moving. Once Glory passes away and the three sisters are reunited, the pace escalates considerably and this was my favourite part of the novel. The characters had been well-crafted, the story well prepared and whoosh, out spills the whole truth about that fateful day when six lives were altered beyond belief. It was both shocking and thrilling, but mostly tragic and such a shame for the family. This dysfunctional family was ruled over by Glory who was a drama queen and overpowered everyone with her ideas and philosophies. If only Glory hadn’t created the monsters of secrecy and lies within her family and had been courageous enough to face the truth, with her support her young family would have had a very different and happier future. It’s always the ‘What Ifs’ of life that are known in hindsight that are the details that can alter and even destroy lives and families.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for my copy of 'Sisters One, Two, Three', sent out to me in return for an honest review. I enjoyed reading this novel and thought it was both intriguing and engaging if a little beyond belief.
Secrecy and lies infest this family saga

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC of this book.

The synopsis for Sisters One, Two, Three sounded like your typical Womens Fiction drama; family secrets, reconciliations, and of course a family tragedy. These elements usually make for a pretty heavy book, maybe some tears, and definitely some soul searching but this book was really just depressing. There were almost too many secrets and tragedies in the book that it really overwhelmed the plot. By the end of the book I was emotionally exhausted and I really just wanted to get to the last page. Now does that mean the book was bad? Not at all. Nancy Star is a very beautiful writer. There were times in the book I felt I was standing on the beach on Martha's Vineyard or sitting in their living room while Solly and Glory bickered around me but that wasn't enough for me to give this a 4 or 5 star writing.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me. I just didn't like any of the characters.

SISTERS ONE, TWO, THREE BY NANCY STAR

I am honored to have been granted the opportunity to read this powerful novel which was on my wishlist. I really loved this book and it touched me very deeply. I highly recommend this book to anybody who enjoys reading about family relationships and how our experiences as children affect who we are as adults. This story is about the consequences of keeping secrets from those closest to us. It also explores memories. How different siblings in the same family experience a tragic event and later as adults have very different perceptions and memories. I was profoundly moved by this book and the many themes it explores. Is it harder for us to reveal the truth the longer we have kept something hidden? How certain can we be of our memories of traumatic events that shape who we are.? Different people in the same family remembering different experiences of the same event.

In this story there are four children who go to Martha's Vineyard for a family vacation. Ginger, Mimi, Charlie and Callie. The mother Glory puts a lot of responsibility on Ginger the oldest daughter. I felt that Glory put too much responsibility on her oldest daughter Ginger who is thirteen years old. A tragedy happens that will affect all four children. I don't want to ruin anybody else's experience by saying too much. I feel bad that Ginger thought that what happened was her fault. That in and of itself speaks volumes as to why Ginger acts the way she does. I think it causes harm to tell children that they can never talk or speak about the incident. I think that Glory was a terrible mother. i didn't agree with Glory's decisions regarding Callie, who was the youngest sibling. I want to applaud the author for doing such a great job with her character development of Glory and Ginger. This was excellent storytelling and touches on many complex themes that would make for a great discussion in a book club. I called a dear friend of mine to discuss this book with her after I finished it. Haunting, Poignant, Powerful, this is a novel that I will recommend and I am interested in reading more of this author's work.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing, Nancy Star and Net Galley for granting me my digital copy for a fair and honest review. .

When I started reading this book I thought I would struggle with it, but the opposite happened. I really enjoyed it. At first I didn't understand why Glory, the mother could be so offhand with her children and husband. By the end I actually felt really sorry for her. I'm glad the book finished as it did. I would love to read more about Ginger, Mimi and Callie.

Thanks to Netgalley for my copy.

Nancy Star’s SISTERS ONE, TWO, THREE is an intriguing and emotional mystery drama of dark family secrets.

Raising many questions, from why this family kept these secrets and struggles to when to reveal them. From memories, both true and false and versions of each – meet the Tangle family. The consequences of secrets and how they can harm.

A gripping family saga, a story of three sisters, Ginger, Mimi, and Callie. Moving back and forth in time, we are taken back to a tragic accident on Martha’s Vineyard.

If you ever wondered about your family secrets, you will appreciate both sides and why secrets can be toxic.

Ginger has kept a big secret from her daughter. Later, Ginger learns others have kept secrets from her. By keeping secrets are they protecting themselves or others? Desperation, fear, or love?

A brother’s accident, an event someone spent their entire adult life trying to pretend never happened.

From before and after, the author takes us from the 1970s to the present day. Secrets trickle down and harm others in many ways. Consequences.

When Glory dies, Callie returns home and piece by piece the secrets unravel. From mother, sisters, and daughters. With many parallels between the generations and the contrasts between holding on or letting go.

How do we become who we are in adulthood based on events of our past? Some are more profoundly changed than others.

From tragedy, loss, love, and family. The road to healing and forgiveness.

An ideal for book clubs and further discussions (guide included). Enjoyed the inspiration behind the book with the added conversation with the author. I always find hidden family secrets intriguing and often wonder about my own history and those of past generations.

For readers who enjoy complex family dramas and fans of Nancy Thayer and Elin Hilderbrand.

I listened to the audiobook, performed by my favorite, Cassandra Campbell 2016 Best Audio Narrator ), as well as the book review copy.

A special thank you to Lake Union and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

JDCMustReadBooks

This story is a telling tale of what happens after a family suffers a great loss. I liked the way the first half of the book was told from before and after "the event". The "before" portions helped me understand Ginger and her actions better, as it also revealed what broke the Tangle family. However, the first half of the book was also quite sad and painful, and I found it difficult to like any of the characters during the first half of the book.

In part two, Star untangled the lies that the family had been living behind for so many years. As the truth came to light, I found I cared more and more. I was also very thankful for the small things Star gave me. I am an unapologetic HEA girl. I wouldn't say this was an HEA, but I would say it was hopeful. Beautiful pieces of Glory were revealed through video, and there were snippets of moments between Richard and Ginger, and Ginger and Julia. Heck, even Mimi had a moment that made her seem like there was a heart deep down inside. These small interactions made me optimistic for this family, and at least I had that.

3.75 stars. I really liked Sisters One, Two and Three until the end, and then it got a bit weird for me. The story is told from Ginger's perspective, and moves back and forth in time between the 1970s and today. Ginger is the oldest of four siblings, and in the 1970s a tragic event redefined her family. As an adult, Ginger struggles with her relationship with her own daughter. The story is very much focused on flawed relationships between mothers and daughters. Ginger's mother Goldie is emotionally complicated, and makes a number of odd choices that have a huge impact on her family. Ginger's attempt to overcompensate for aspects of her own upbringing has its own consequences. I liked Sisters One, Two and Three because Nancy Star created flawed characters without making them cartoonish. She also does an amazing job conveying charged complex emotional situations. This is a family that communicates very little, but as a reader I understood and felt a lot, especially in some of the scenes involving Goldie in the 1970s. Where the story weakened for me is toward the end when a big secret is revealed. At that point, the narrative seemed to lose some of its emotional subtlety and I'm not sure the secret worked for me. Still, I started reading this one without any expectations, and for the most part I was happily surprised. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy.

I love a book with a plot based around secrets, and when it’s a family that has things hidden from each other, I’m even more curious. The Tangle family has skeletons in their closets, and the power of long kept secrets have affected all three sisters in dramatic and very different ways. Told alternately from the 1970’s and present day, all from eldest sister Ginger’s point of view, it’s clear that tragedy will strike when Ginger, Mimi and Callie are young. Present day shows what happens when their mother, Glory passes away and two tragedies set decades apart manage to both devastate and reunite the dysfunctional and broken Tangle family.

I loved how this book made me question how I think I would handle things if I was in the same situation as this family. I kept thinking about secrets, and wondering when is it really ok to keep things from your loved ones? Glory makes some parenting choices for her children that I had a hard time understanding, but I think that she was making decisions and keeping things from her daughters in order to protect them. Seeing how her choices effected the girls as adults was both heartbreaking and interesting. Ginger is such a worrier and her anxiety has a crippling impact on her life and her relationships, especially with her daughter Julia. Mimi is bossy and overbearing, but very much able to function under stress and upheaval. Callie has been damaged the most by the tragedies that she endured, she comes across vulnerable and innocent, I wanted to protect her from any harm. All three were endearing in their own unique way, and they all had quirks based on their upbringing that I found really charming.

I found this book to be a really captivating look at a family shaped by their painful past. Though Ginger, Mimi and Callie were all changed by past events, they all reacted in completely different ways and had wholly separate issues. Even their memories of things that happened when they were young were vastly different, that’s so interesting to me. The day of the original tragedy is remembered vividly and uniquely by each sister. Ultimately this is a story of love, loss, family and healing that I really enjoyed.