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Nona F. (Evanston, IL)
A page-turner
I very much enjoyed The Sisterhood, which I found to be a real page-turner. The author is skilled at creating individual characters (and there are a lot of them in this book), and I think she was successful in managing her dual narrative structure. This would be a good book for book clubs with its non-preachy examination of women's rights and religious tolerance through the ages. Be warned that there are a few logical disjuncts and at least one mighty fortuitous coincidence as well as some quibbling caveats such as why does the Spanish police officer who attended an university and a police academy in America for
…more five years speak in pidgin English? On the whole, a very enjoyable and fast read. (less)I've been mulling over this review for a week or so now. I couldn't figure out what the problem was for me.
There are several interesting story lines and the author did a good job telling each story. I really enjoyed reading each story for its own sake.
I couldn't figure it out and then it hit me – none of the stories were completed. The author did not tie up the loose ends of each story, and did not weave them together so the reader saw the whole picture.
The story(s) spanned from 1500's through current date. That's a lot of time to cover and there was only one weak thread that went through all of it. It was
…more kind of like saying I am attached to my female ancestors for the past 400 years because we all had brown hair on our head.
The reader (and the author) would have been better served if each story line had been its own book with a beginning, middle and end. They should have been part of a series that clearly the relationship between the story lines and how each impacted the other. I would have bought them all. (less)Having recently begun researching my own family tree I was excited to read this book. I liked it, but not as much as I had hoped. While the author put great detail into the background stories of the girls in the convent, I never felt she fleshed out the main character, Menina very well. I would have liked more of her back story and more about her relationship with Alejandro. For such a long book, the ending felt rushed as if the author was tired of writing and wanted to wrap things up quickly. As I said, I liked it and am glad I read it; however, I'm not sure I would recommend it to my friends.
Julie M. (Minnetonka, MN)
Past and Present
If you liked "The Eight" by Katherine Neville or "People of the Book" by Geraldine Brooks this book will appeal to you with common themes of secrets, the need to know your ancestry and history. This story is not as strong as the above mentioned books, but it did hold my interest to the end.
Jane H. (Prospect, KY)
THE SISTERHOOD by Helen Bryan
Although the content was interesting, I'm afraid I found the writing to tie it all together was just average, resulting in a less than exciting novel. I normally read 3 books a week and this one really slowed me down as I just wasn't motivated to get to the end and find out what happened. I'd give it a weak 3.
Viqui G. (State College, PA)
The Sisterhood
"The Sisterhood" follows the trail of a medallion and of the Chronicle of the Convent of the Golondrinas. This trail crosses more than 5 centuries and 3 continents. The reader is introduced to many characters: nuns, orphans, parents, boyfriends, husbands etc.
With all of the time, place and character changes, I found myself just trying to follow the plot line or story arc. However, there were so many off-shoots of the story arc ( the Inquisition, religious intolerance, Inca culture, Spanish imperialism, feminism, art appreciation) that the novel becomes muddled and even simplistic.
In fairness, Helen Bryan's
…more writing is very readable. The premise of the novel is intriguing, but I think she tried to fit too many themes, characters and sub-plots to make an effective novel. (less)The Sisterhood by Helen Bryan is a good effort but doesn't quite make the grade. The characters are shallow and the story meanders. I found the attempt at interweaving past and present to be tedious and often confusing. While I am compuslive about completing a book, I was sorely tempted to put this one down. I gave it a 3 only because the historical research regarding the Inquisition is noteworthy.
Bink W. (Sopchoppy, FL)
Nothing new
The author is a good story teller, but the theme, prose, ideas have all been done to death. Got about half way through, then went on to better novels that are available.
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