Juniper, Gentian and Rosemary are three sisters, but this story is mostly about Gentian, who narrates. Gentian is a teenager who spends her free time being an astronomer - she has progressive parents and a good group of friends including her best friend poet Becky. Things change, but slowly, when a house is built in the empty lot next door and the mysterious new neighbour, Dominic, wants the sisters to help him build a time machine in the attic.
This was kind of weird. Like the author's Tam Lin it spends a lot of time building up the characters, their life and relationships (which I got a bit bored with at times), but the climax of the novel happens in a very short space of time, with little build up to it, and not enough follow through. I liked Gentian, and would have liked to know more about some of her friends, although like in Dean's other novels they just didn't seem like real people to me (way too smart).

I am uncertain whether this is merely characteristic of the author, but like Tam Lin, with Juniper, Gentian and Rosemary I found “when it was good, it was very good” and was it wasn’t good it, well, wasn’t. The book was a partly captivating and nostalgia-inducing, partly a bit mundane and partly confusing. And possibly anti-climatic.

As a look at the life of an astronomy obsessed adolescent (Gentian) and her relationship with her family and her friends, it was wonderful. Gentian and her group of friends are unique, intelligent – weird and nonconformist in many respects – with different interests and strengths. They spend their time quoting, and discussing literature, science, feminism, linguistics and history. They have a childhood’s worth of amusing in-jokes, sayings and traditions – childish enough to be believable, without being corny.
Yet I didn’t feel the group dynamics were romantised or unrealistic – there were still the (very normal) issues of group friendship, just without the bitching, the vapid gossip and the backstabbing. The warmth was genuine. It was enough to make me want to go and join the “Giant Ants” myself.

Most of the story actually lacked a strong plot. (Hence the comment about the mundane, which I do think the story overcame). There are interesting mystery element at the beginning – slight, subtle but enough to keep the interest. A house in the block next door which appears suddenly, a neighbour who speaks only in quotes and wants to build a time machine in Gentian’s attic…
However, when the subtle hints broadened into becoming the plot, it didn’t work so well. The ending was sudden, unexpected, confusing, inadequately explained, not completely believable, confusing, hurried and confusing. It dived into fantasy and out again. It was strange and anti-climatic. I’m not going to delve into specifics (amazon reviewers do a very good job of that.) I’m uncertain whether I just didn’t …get it or whether as a story it did not work. I suspect it was a combination of both.
There is a ballad-fairy-tale-retelling element in it but I mustn’t be familiar with it; I haven’t picked it.

Despite everything, there is still a part of me which wants to rave about this book and recommend it. The final note of the book was satisfying, because it was poignant, and focused on the novel's strongest point. ( )