The Weird Sisters By Eleanor Brown

“The Weird Sisters” revolves around the lives of the Andreas sisters as they all return to their homestead, when their mother becomes ill.

Rose, the oldest sister likes to control all around her, as her own life is spiralling out of her own control. Her fiancée Jonathan has gone to Oxford to study whilst she stays at home wondering what to do with her life. Unable to control her own life, she takes to controlling those around her.

Bean, the middle sister has a reputation for being a man-eater, returns home from her high powered job in New York under the illusion that she too is also home to help. But the harsh reality is that she was sacked from her job after being caught dipping into office funds. Finally there is young, bohemian Cordy, who after years of travelling, finds herself pregnant and with nowhere else to go, she too returns home after years of rootless travelling.

As the three sisters, come together for the first time in years, they are united in their concern for their mother and their love of reading. But as the days pass and their mother gets sicker, it becomes apparent that their lives are far from perfect as they struggle to keep their secrets hidden.

“The Weird Sisters” caught my eye for two reasons, one was the quirky title and the cover, featuring a girl lying on her back surrounded by books, which reminded me of myself at times. Unfortunately the story of “The Weird Sisters” didn’t turn out to as quirky as I had anticipated. I found the characters terribly frustrating and selfish as they returned home, under the pretence of their mother’s illness but it was only because they had no-else to go. If it was Eleanor Brown’s intention to create such irritating characters, then she was successful as I can’t decide which sister I disliked the most. They are all absorbed in their problems, Rose was particularly annoying with her controlling streak, always picking up after the others, wanting everything in place and Cordy constantly dropping books at her feet, and being the youngest of the three, she has become accustomed to being lifted and laid and Bean didn’t really care about anything apart from drinking and men. The only thing they had in common was their love of books and literature.

Unfortunately “The Weird Sisters” was not for me, but if you enjoy a book about the complicated lives and rivalry of siblings then “The Weird Sisters” is perfect for you.

You can buy [amazon_link id=”0007393725″ target=”_blank” ]The Weird Sisters on Amazon [/amazon_link] and other good bookshops.