It's hard to know how to rate this book. It's essentially a story of two sisters who aren't terribly close but do often come together in times of personal stress. They don't, however, share the depths of their thoughts and emotions. They are both somewhat detached from each other, and therefore the reader (me!) also feels that detachment. I was kind-of expecting a great emotional involvement, but I got distance instead. That surely is the point of the story, and hence you'd have to say that Julia Glass has done a very good job of conveying that condition. I think she's trying to say that the relationship between two people, sisters in this particular case, has the potential to make life meaningful, but it's not automatic and there's a lot of obstacles in the way of such a redeeming connection. I think she's saying that obstacles might even be *more* substantial in the case of two sisters?
The relationships of both women with a variety of men are also explored to some extent. That made me feel somewhat uncomfortable, as the sisters described inadequacies which I recognized in myself. Maybe these relationships could have been examined in greater detail...but this would require a significantly larger novel and a dilution of the focus on the sibling relationship.
The last chapter is really excellent. ( )

The story is about two sisters, Louisa and Clem. Louisa is the eldest by a few years. She's more reserved, creates pottery, and edits art magazines. She wants to find "the one" guy and have a family. Clem, on the other hand, is young and reckless. She always has a guy or two in the reserve. She studies wildlife and has exotic adventures in Patagonia, Alaska, and other places.

The story spans twenty-five years, from 1980 to 2005, with each chapter alternating perspectives from the sisters. It's usually during some crisis or another when we pop into their lives.

Honestly, I thought the writing was amazing...well usually. Sometimes her descriptions blew me away and her words just carried the novel. But it took me at least half of the book to get a somewhat good grasp on the sisters. I honestly liked both sisters but they both had faults. Louisa has a love/hate relationship with Clem, mainly stemming from jealousy. Clem always had it easy with guys and was always their mom's favorite. Clem seemed freewheeling but she always appeared to be running away from her jobs, her boyfriends...just constantly moving. And while the sisters are never truly close, they always seem to drift back together during a crises.

Something was missing that made me love this book. I think it was how slippery the characters were. I don't feel like I ever really knew them. And sometimes the writing was a bit confusing. For instance, she'd describe things with animal terms but during the chapters with Louisa, the art person, narrating. And it would sometimes take me a while into a chapter to realize it was about Clem or Louisa, so that made it a bit confusing.

But all in all I liked it. I have a sister so I sort of understand that love/hate/competition/support thing that sisters do. I'd recommend it for the writing which was usually just wonderful, the odd side characters, and the last few chapters which are just heart-wrenching. ( )

I love the way Julia Glass writes. I like the way she draws her characters and builds her story lines. This is my third Glass and she has yet to disappoint me. The ending of this one broke my heart but I truly liked the novel. It's a "sisters" book and both of mine are gone now so when I find a good book about sisters I grab it and hold tight. I hated when this one ended. ( )

I think everyone who has had "sibling" issues should read this...and everyone who loves great writing ( )

I read this in two days. I really adore Julia Glass' writing style.It's so smooth and full of beauty. I was surprised to see that the pieces in the book had originally been published as stories in other places, because they feel so cohesive. The only peeve I have with it, which is why it doesn't get 5 stars is that the first chapter has these really annoying POV shifts between the two sisters, both are in first person and the name of one of the characters is, bothersomely, Clement. So it is really, really distracting. But don't let this put you off. The rest of the book is a beautiful account of what it's like to be sisters. ( )