Between Sisters by Kristin Hannah, is another heartwarming story told by this truly phenomenal author! I have read most of Hannah's books, and I really enjoy her storytelling ability. Hannah truly draws readers in and never lets them go until the novel is over – IT’S GREAT! I loved this book and highly recommend it! You will not be disappointed! 5 stars for sure!Author Hannah starts us on the journey of an intriguing dilemma in which two sisters venture out in completely different directions in life but then they come together again at a crucial point in their lives. Will the sisters reconcile? Or is the past just to difficult to rehash in order to reconcile? That's the question that keeps the pages turning. Sisterly love is one of the strongest bonds I have personally experienced! I would be absolutely lost without my sister! So I was immediately drawn to this story just because of the title. First we meet big sister Meaghan, a hotshot divorce lawyer, being challenged by her highly-paid therapist to actually deal with these past sisterly issues but Meaghan just isn’t having it. She's almost a complete stereotype: wealthy and successful with an unsatisfying, empty personal life. On the flipside we meet the baby sister, Claire, a single mom with a simple happy life, and as luck would have it Claire has just become engaged to a hunky, country singer who is trying to make it BIG. Hannah begins by emphasizing the completely contrasting lifestyles between the sisters by describing Claire as a party-girl who dropped out of college, versus studious Meaghan who got a law degree. Claire who is just a simple girl who lives in the country, good with fixing things and is truly happy just being a mom versus Meaghan who is completely sophisticated as a work-alcoholic in the big city. So when Claire calls with her BIG NEWS…naturally Meaghan's first thought is not to congratulate her, but instead Meaghan offers to help Claire with a pre-nuptial agreement. Meaghan feels guilty about losing touch with Claire all those years ago. As children, they were left alone by a self-centered mother who stumbled into a starring television role. Meaghan had to then step in and take over as Mom to Claire. Meaghan actually did a good deed and saved Claire from a foster home with Social Services because she called Sam, Claire’s biological father, who swooped in and saved the day (for Claire at least). It was then Meaghan who ended up homeless, who put herself through college and law school.Following a traumatic episode with a ‘soon to be ex-husband’ of a client, Meaghan finds herself with all kinds of free time on her hands. Meaghan decides to visit Claire and actually volunteers to help with the wedding. If I have any complaints it would be that after this point the book becomes a little bit predictable but it is still a fantastic read none the less! I truly love Hannah's books, as they are so wonderfully narrated and they are always full of hope and love. Hannah portrays that so well with her latest book showing the true bond of two sisters, broken apart by life, yet love pulls them and those around them closer together. Love heals, as Hannah so clearly shows. LOVED THIS BOOK!! In my opinion, five stars truly doesn’t do this book justice! Ps ladies get your hankies because you will need them! As always, Happy reading my friends
Between sisters by Kristin Hannah is about a girl named Meghann who was not only a sister but a mother to Claire, until Sam came in. “She still remembered the day he told her, Go, just leave. He’d thought she was a bad influence on his daughter. But what she really hated, the one that stayed with her was just like your damn mother” (Hannah 148). After Meghann couldn’t handle to take care of Claire alone anymore, she went to Sam. Until the day Sam told her to leave, so she did, hurting her sister and hurting herself. “Don’t let loneliness consume you” (Hannah 103). Talking to Harriet, Meghann’s Counselor, she had always brought up Meghann’s past. Knowing she went home to an empty apartment everyday and rarely talking to any family members, Harriet told her that quote. Meghann wouldn’t dare talk about her past not to Harriet, not Claire, not her friends, not even herself. A few months later, after her appointment with Harriet where she was told the quote, Meg finally got the courage to go visit Claire. Something terrible happens! “Meg kissed Claire’s screw-marked forehead and whispered, ‘We’re sisters.’ It was answer enough” (Hannah 422). During the incident, Meg and Claire rekindled their bond. They were close again. “Success was a virus everyone longed to catch” (Hannah 111). Meg took over the job of their mother, becoming Claire’s mom, more then their real mom ever was. She dropped Claire off at Sam’s one day, then went out to catch the virus of success. Meg was so focused about not hurting Claire, that she forgot how much it hurt her. In my eyes, Meg was harsh sometimes, but for the right reason, she always had been. She is smart, not afraid to speak her mind no matter how mean, and she is the most caring person someone could ever meet. She was the one who kept fighting, when everyone else started to give up.tIs this a book I would like? You might ask yourself. Well my answer for you is yes. I would say no younger than a high school student should read this though, it is a more mature book with details that younger people shouldn’t quite read yet. This book is romantic, suspenseful, and you won’t be able to put it down. I would say girls would like it better than guys would, because of all the romance. It talks about two sisters who slowly grow apart, only to reconnect at Claire’s, one of the sisters, wedding. In the beginning, the other sister Meghann, gets told “don’t let loneliness consume you.” Many people these days, let that happen all over the world. It starts out small then all of a sudden, you can’t get away from it. Even though this is fiction, this could easily be real. The detail Kristin puts in this book, makes you feel like you are right there with Claire and Meg throughout the book and their stories. That’s one of the main reasons I loved this book and will always remember it. What I get out of this book is that, even though a friendship or bond has died out or just slowly faded away, you can always fix it. No matter how bad things get, you can fix it and prove you’re sorry by staying by someone’s side, when they need you the most.
What do You think about Between Sisters (2004)?
Four stars seems like such a standard rating for me. I think my standard may have to become three stars...maybe it's that a I took a big break from reading so anything I pick up right now that holds my attention is "super-fun" to me! Anyway - between sisters was another great Kristin Hannah book. I'm in - I will now be reading all of her books! I've yet to dislike one. Though I find them all a little heavy in that I'm waiting for the tears to flow once I reach the 3/4 mark of the book, I love her style of writing and how she really draws you into the characters. There don't seem to be any villans or heroines in her books - just ordinary people with ordinary lives who are trying to make it in this world. This book is an exaggerated version of a dysfunctional family, which is something I feel everyone can relate to. The only thing I wish she had done differently was spent more time on the secondary relationship between the older sister and her man (I've already forgotten their names, my memory isn't the best...). I liked that storyline and wished she had better developed it, seeing as though we got so much time as to why the sister was in therapy, etc. Overall - would highly recommend. Bring the tissues (though not as many as you needed for Firefly Lane)!
—Caitlin
Well, I finished it. I did skip parts after about 1/2 way through but I finished. All I can say is ...PLEASE!...I think it had potential to be a great book, I liked the writing style for the most part and it would have been a nice quick read if I wasnt so annoyed. The Joe character was well done I wanted to get to know him - until he met Meg. There was just way too much sap in here for me. There are lines like "as much as I could love anything without you. But yeah". EwwAfter 10 days this woman
—CJC
I really enjoyed Hannah's book Winter Garden, so I wanted to read some of her other work. While Between Sisters was not a poorly written book, I didn't connect with it at the same level as Winter Garden. I enjoyed the emphasis on relationships, particularly the restoration of relationship between the two sisters Meaghan and Claire, but the story as a whole felt too contrived. It was like an adult fairy-tale, where everything works out in the end. That's certainly a lovely sentiment, but it doesn't reflect the reality of the world I live in. Of course, in some respect literature is an opportunity to escape from that real world, but I like to do so in a way that gives more weight to the realities of this fallen world. Despite that, I will admit that Hannah drew some tears from me by the end--so I'm not entirely emotionally calloused. My biggest objection to the novel is that it perpetuates the idea that a woman needs a man to be complete (and, indirectly, vice-versa). Yes, we need relationships with others, but that does not mean we are incomplete until we find that "right one." I may pick up more of Hannah's work someday, but this book left me feeling a bit like I might feel physically if I ate too many sugary donuts in a short period. Yes, there was an emotional rush, but the overall effect was empty.
—Andrew
