The Four Seasons (Paperback) (2001) - Plot & Excerpts
The Four Seasons, by Mary Alice Monroe, narrated by Sandra Burr, produced by Brilliance Audio, downloaded from audible.comThere were four sisters, with the last name of Season. Their father called them The Four Seasons and had nicknames for most of them. Jillian, the oldest, was Jillie. Beatrice, was Birdie. Rose was just Rose, and Meredith was Mary. The daughters and their parents lived an idyllic life of innocence in an old Victorian mansion until the day there was an accident. Mary, only about two years old, followed her sisters into the swimming pool unnoticed, and while she survived, she lost lung function and became developmentally disabled because her brain lacked oxygen for too long. Mary continued to live until she died suddenly of a lung infection at age 26. Rose, the next youngest to Mary, stayed at home and didn’t go to college, first to care for her mother until she died, and then to care for Mary who was legally incompetent, until Mary died. The three remaining sisters were now going to have to get together for Mary’s funeral. No one had talked about the day of Mary’s accident. Jillian, who blamed herself, became the “bad girl” and finally was sent away from home to have a baby at age 17. She hadn’t been back home again since that time. She had become a very successful runway model in Paris. Birdy was the one who always competed and strived for awards. She became a pediatrician, had a thriving practice, a home and husband and a daughter, Hannah. Birdie thought that if anyone wanted something done right they had to do it themselves, so she was a constant irritant to the rest of the family. After the funeral, the lawyer read Mary’s last wishes, which were, in essence, that they find Jillie’s daughter who was adopted and now would be 26 years old. The three sisters set out on a quest to find Jillian’s daughter along with the teenager, Hannah, and they had many moments as they came to know each other and to finally talk about the family secrets and guilt. This was one of those feel-good novels where all three girls end up getting what they want, at least in terms of men.
This is this cover I have but it is not a Kindle edition, but a paperback by Mira.However it doesn't seem to be on the site so rather than fuss around,I have just gone with this so you see the cover.Different moods and times call for different books. Sometimes you just want a book that is not a literary masterpiece, is not heavy or thought provoking but will just let you escape into it for a few hours and get lost in the lives of the characters. I found that with this story of the Season sisters, Jillian, Beatrice, Rose and Meredith, or Jilly, Birdie, Rose and Merry as they are more commonly known. Jilly, Birdie and Rose have gathered at the family home for the funeral of their youngest sister Meredith. It is Merry’s final request that initially sparks anger, but in the end will be the catalyst for a search that will uncover secrets, resentments, guilt and feelings long covered over which have simmered under the surface for a number of years. Over the course of the journey the sisters learn more about themselves and their family. I was happy to go along on this journey with them, even though at times I did find things a little predictable or that they worked out a bit too neatly. I liked the way how, as the story went on, more of the characters and their pasts were revealed and I liked the way the relationships developed over the story. It’s not only the relationships between the sisters but also between Birdie and her husband and daughter that need change. There is a romance element or two in the book but the scene with the massage and rose petals could have been left out. It was superfluous. But all in all I enjoyed the story and laughed and shed a tear or two along the way. Someone had written on the back of my library copy, 'brilliant.' While I wouldn't quite go that far, it was a good escapist read and sometimes that’s all you want.
What do You think about The Four Seasons (Paperback) (2001)?
I just fell in love with all the characters in this story. Monroe has a keen way of bringing her characters to life. I loved the way she developed the relationships between the sisters through flash backs along with what they were going thru present day. She really created a true realness with how everyone related to one another because of everything they had gone thru in their past and then masterfully showed how they were healing right before our eyes. It's a book about loss, relationships, heartache, regrets, healing, support, family ties, and more all rolled into a wonderful plot with real life heroines!
—Kim
How did I just find out about this author???? I loved this book because I am a huge sucker for stories that involve sisters, secrets, and a splash of dysfunction. Each sister is quite different from the other and I truly liked all of them. I identified more with the sister who thought she had to be perfect and had to keep her life in order. They all get their turn to tell their stories which felt real and authentic to me. There was only one small blip towards the end that was sort of "cliche" but when I finished the last page I was truly satisfied!
—Staci
Three adult sisters return to the family home after the death of their youngest sister, Merry, who had been living with complications, both mental and physical from a near drowning incident as a child. This is the event that both ties and strains all 3 of the sisters who are together to see the estate split up and listen to their sisters last request. She wants them to find the daughter that the oldest sister, Jilly, gave up as a teenager. Jilly has led a dramatic life as a fashion model, but unknown to her sisters, she is at the end of her career and broke, thanks to a man who ran off with her money. Birdie is a physician and mother, busy trying to be a superwoman, but finding both her relationship with her daughter and husband to be falling apart. Rose has spent her life caring for Merry and is just making tentative steps to reach out to the world via the internet. After much debate, the sisters agree to begin the search along with Birdie's daughter, and we see their lives in flashback as they retrace the steps and search for the girl. Over the course of the trip, the sisters begin to reconnect and revive their lives and begin to live again. Several complications arise, but a possibly tragic event finally pulls them together and a gift gives them some insight into their mother's feelings on Merry's accident and their lives.
—Michelle
