The Sisters Sweet

The Sisters Sweet is larger than life, immersive and at times almost overwhelming. It takes place during some of the most interesting, turbulent times in history: the end of a pandemic and a war, the crash of the stock market and a worldwide depression, revivalist religious movements, the transition from vaudeville as center stage to movies taking over. But at heart, The Sisters Sweet is just about family. Family with all its webs and connections between family members, their rivalries and antagonisms, their love and dysfunction.

A cloud of sadness hovers over the Szász family. Both parents, Maude and Lenny, have pasts that shaped – and damaged – them. Their wide-eyed, young, hopeful love present in their early married life is show more short-lived, replaced by tragedy and resentment, low expectations, and often just going through the motions. Their twin daughters, Harriet and Josephine, have that amazing connection twins often have, reading each other’s thoughts and anticipating each other’s’ movements, but they are very different. Josephine is talented and exuberant, and also cunning and cruel. Harriet is less talented, more attuned, or maybe just more caring, to the longings and desires and unfulfilled dreams of her parents and more guilt-ridden if she can’t make those dreams happen. She, too, yearns for more love and affection and goes along in the hopes of getting it, of having a happy family.

The Sisters Sweet is well-written, solidly plotted and the peeks into showbiz and Uncle Eugene’s religion were a fascinating contrast in lifestyles and acceptable behavior. Life is never easy and every step forward seems to be followed by two steps back and a need to regroup. You will find yourself hoping that if everyone can’t get what they want to be happy at least Harriet could just stand up, step back, and claim her own life. But will she? What we are taught as children, what we are guilted into believing is true or necessary, knowing actions we may take will certainly shake things up and not necessarily for the better, are habits that are hard if not impossible to break.

Thanks to Random House for providing an advance copy of The Sisters Sweet in exchange for my honest opinion. It was a hard story to read, but engrossing, enlightening and enjoyable. I recommend it without hesitation. All opinions are my own. show less

Harriet and Josie Szasz are twins, the daughters of a "show biz" couple - dad a set maker and mom a former dancer who was injured while on stage. The father comes up with a scheme to present the five year old girls as conjoined twins and put them on the vaudeville circuit. After several years of this, Josie exposes the fraud and disappears with a man who promises to take her to Hollywood, which he does and Josie becomes somewhat of a star, never keeping touch with her parents or sister.

The story is told from the viewpoint of Harriet, who after the father has had too many failures, leaves the mother and daughter together. Maude, the mother, also as a deep secret which her brother-in-law (who married her sister) knows. Uncle Eugene is a show more fairly successful evangelist and leader of an "institute" of Christianity where he takes in Maude and Harriet. Harriet attempts to become the "good girl," unlike her cousin, Ruby who flaunts every misadventure to her father.

This is a good story about family relationships, times that tried each member and yet they stuck together, dark secrets that were only hinted at. The first chapter begins with Harriet telling her story of her sister who has recently passed to a journalist. The characters are believable and the settings seem true to life. Overall, good story. show less

Josie and Harriet are identical twins born into a vaudeville family that lives hand to mouth until their parents craft an idea. The girls are put into a harness with a dress that makes them appear to be conjoined twins. During the early part of the 20th century, there apparently was a demand for these unique acts in burlesque and vaudeville. Their popularity flourished, and they toured the country. As they grew into adolescence, one of the girls became increasingly disenchanted with the farce, and revealed it in a very public venue, leaving their parents destitute and humiliated. When Josie immediately left the family to pursue a romantic interest and a need for solo fame, Harriet was devastated, and the family was forced to rely on the show more charity of a family member, Reverend Eugene Creggs. His daughter, Ruth, figures prominently in Harriet's life.

Throughout the novel, the poignant history of the girls' parents, Maude and Lenny is recounted. Their own dreams of success in the theater are ended abruptly when Maude is severely injured due to Lenny's carelessness as a set designer. When Josie leaves the family, they are left to find a way to make a living, and it comes at a great cost to Harriet.

This is a beautifully told story that is filled with the challenges of disappointing yourself or those you love. The plot is very engaging, and the characters are fully developed. Highly recommended. show less

Loved this tale of twin sisters, who must succeed on stage to help support their parents. Their father's ingenious solution is to harness them together and pass them off as "Siamese Twins". But being yoked together and shielded from the world whenever they are out of public view is no life, and one twin refuses to accept it, upending the family's life. Beautifully written, these characters stayed with me for a long time.

3.5 stars

Harriet and Josie are twins, and when their family falls on hard times, their parents (having both worked in show business in the past) strap them together to make them appear to be conjoined twins and set about getting vaudeville work for them. They grow up doing this kind of entertainment and manage for years before 15-year old Josie simply gets tired of it, and – on stage – breaks out of the harness and runs off! They are ruined.

Josie is the one who always wanted to be a star, anyway… and she becomes one (this is not a spoiler as we know in the first chapter, before we go back in time, that she became famous). Harriet didn’t crave the limelight like Josie did, but it was all she knew. She and her parents go to her show more mom’s sister and husband for help.

This is told from Harriet’s point of view. I liked it, but I didn’t really find any of the characters particularly likable, including Harriet. The book did a good job of show business and the time period, I think. I definitely did not like the ending – it initially appeared to be going (kind of) where I wanted it to, then suddenly changed course. It is very possible others would like the ending more than I did, however. show less

When one twin sister runs away to Hollywood, the other is left behind to pick up the pieces. Josie and Harriet have posed as conjoined twins to put their act over the edge into profitability. Only allowed to go out together in a carefully constructed harness to keep up the illusion, Harriet doesn't know how to live without Josie. But apparently Josie's great at living without her.

This book brims with larger than life characters, including Uncle Eugene, the charismatic preacher who constantly sets himself up both as the savior of the family and the world. Mama's pulled between two worlds, the show biz career she was forced to retire from after an injury and the pious family who picks her up when she hits trouble. Daddy rotates between show more drinking and dreaming, his unfulfilled ambition leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. Josie craves the spotlight, while Harriet struggles to know what she wants.

This is Harriet's story, as she wades through everyone's expectations to build a life she can be happy with.

Thank you to NetGalley, Goodreads and the publisher for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. show less

When the Szaszes family falls on hard times, twins Harriet and Josie, are made to pretend that they are conjoined twins and sing and dance in a vaudeville act. Known as the Sweet Sisters, the twins live a restricted and hidden life. Josie decides to expose the lie during a show and then runs off to Hollywood, leaving her sister and parents behind.

This was a quick, fun read. Life in a vaudeville act was fascinating to read about. I enjoyed watching the sisters grow and struggle against their parents and their hidden life. Overall, highly recommended.