This is a simple tale of sibling rivalry. Take two sisters: Caroline, tall, skinny and beautiful becomes supermodel Cleo at 16, and the younger Abigail, plain, slightly dumpy but clever, constantly over-shadowed by Cleo, goes off to university, and becomes a single mum working part time in a library.Move the action forward 20 years and Cleo invites Abi to spend the summer with her and her family, apparently in order to rekindle their sisterly relationship. Cleo lives in posh Primrose Hill with perfect husband, Jonty, and their two children: Tara (aged 10), tall skinny, beautiful and obsessed with the idea of becoming a supermodel, and Megan (aged 7), pretty but slightly dumpy, dominated by Tara. Abi quickly realises she has been invited simply to act as unpaid nanny for her two nieces whilst Cleo, whose star has faded over the years, tries a comeback. It also becomes obvious that Cleo is still the self-centred witch she was 20 years earlier, and has no interest in renewing the sisterly bond. Abi, however, finds herself smitten with extremely attractive brother-in-law Jon(ty) and fantasising about a life together, whilst at the same time becoming genuinely fond of Tara and Megan; Abi is also attracted to the owner of a bookshop where she eventually lands a part time job. It all sounds quite complicated, but it isn't really, just a little farcical, and quite predictable.None of the characters is particularly likeable, in fact Cleo is perfectly horrendous, and I began to feel intensely irritated with Abi's spineless behaviour. In fact I had to keep reminding myself that this was a 38-year old woman, not a love-struck teenager. Jon is, of course, handsome and perfectly-mannered; Tara and Megan, won over by Auntie Abi, eventually change from being horrid spoilt brats into adorable children, and Cleo remains the self-centred witch. There is absolutely nothing demanding about this novel; the opening line should really be:"Once upon a time........" as it reads like a fairy story, and why the Guardian describes it as "Irresistibly dark...." is beyond me, as there's nothing dark about it. It's deckchair reading in it's simplest form, and is the first Jane Fallon book I've read; I doubt I'll rush out to read any more. Finished listening to this on my ride in to work. Loved it! The "less attractive" sister of a top model goes to stay with that sister and her family for the summer hoping to rekindle the fun relationship the sisters had before the model was "discovered".I loved the narrator of this book. Wonderful voice! British, but not Downton Abbey type accent.Highly recommend this book and it has a great ending!
What do You think about Tussen Twee Zussen (2012)?
Good read for diverting myself, not a masterpiece of character development or social commentary.
—kalium
Light entertainment.. Not bad for a bit of escapism not bad at all!
—Steve
Frothy, enjoyable book. Not Jane Fallon's best work.
—MKR
