Angela and Julie Scipioni

Iris and Lily over the next decade of their lives, their 30s, continue to struggle in their marriage, with each finally leaving their husband. These women are the victims in controlling relationships. Iris, in Italy, has a relationship with Max, before and after leaving Gregorio. Max is also controlling. Lily, in NY, suffers under Joe’s abuse, finally leaving him. Their separation is ugly, and he manipulates the children.
Lily is also bemoaning how life isn’t fair and how Iris is the lucky one. Iris doesn’t want to upset Lily by telling her of any successes.
Growing up in a large Catholic family with an Italian mother, I saw some similarities of family life, but the depression and angst on these pages were just boring and awful to read. I had such high hopes for this 3 book series, but I was disappointed.… (more)

Iris and Lily are the youngest daughters in a Catholic family of 12 children. Their father and older brothers are depicted as abusive, and their mother is bitter. They decided to write a book together about their lives. But, this is not a likable family!
Book 1 takes us from their childhood to their early 20s - from school to marriage. It is a bit of a coming of age story, but it took nearly 600 pages to tell the story and it was way too long!
I felt like the book was just recounting events of their childhood, many of which were boring. Iris is an overachiever and Lily seems to be a sorry sort, always moping about how life has been tough for her.
I am going to try Books 2 and 3 and hope they get better.… (more)

Actually more sad than anything, especially in Volume 1, in which the 2 sisters are forced to grow up in a family that is much too large for the parents to handle, and chaotic. The older children are physically and sexually abusing the younger ones. Their mother is far too overworked to take any sort of action. Subsequent volumes improve, so stick with this, as the sisters have to deal with consequences of the poor choices they have made. Their marriages are disasters, for very different reasons. But have they learned from their mistakes? At the end they both meet new men who look promising at first. So did their disasters. We just don't know.… (more)