Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
251st out of 962 books
—
105 voters
What Happened to My Sister
by
Elizabeth Flock (Goodreads Author)
From the author of Me & Emma comes a dazzling novel of two unforgettable families bound together by their deepest secrets and haunted pasts—perfect for fans of The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes and The Book of Bright Ideas.
Nine-year-old Carrie Parker and her mother, Libby, are making a fresh start in the small town of Hartsville, North Carolina, ready to put their turbu...more
Nine-year-old Carrie Parker and her mother, Libby, are making a fresh start in the small town of Hartsville, North Carolina, ready to put their turbu...more
Paperback, 304 pages
Published
August 7th 2012
by Ballantine Books
(first published 2012)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
2,001)
Sep 26, 2012
Mrs Mommy Booknerd http://mrsmommybooknerd.blogspot.com
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Shelves:
favorites,
tiaras-book-club-pick
There was something about the novel Me & Emma that stuck with me. I wondered for so long what happened to Carrie? How was she after all she had been through? How did her story really end? I was craving some closure on the story. So you can imagine how excited I was when I heard that Flock had written a follow up to Me & Emma entitled What Happened to My Sister.
I was so excited to get my hands on an early reader copy of What Happened to My Sister and I devoured it in nearly a day. The sto...more
I was so excited to get my hands on an early reader copy of What Happened to My Sister and I devoured it in nearly a day. The sto...more
I received a copy of "What Happened to my Sister" when I won a Goodreads.com giveaway. I was hooked by the first sentence of the book: "If you're reading this, I must be dead...". This sentence is written by 9-year old Carrie, the principal narrator of the story. As the reader gets to know Carrie we find out how harrowing a life she has lead. We also learn about grief, resilience, survival, and love.
I found some aspects of the story incongruous or hard to believe. For example it seems unlikely...more
3 likes · like · see review
view 2 comments
Aug 26, 2012
Theresa
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
All Adults
Recommended to Theresa by:
Goodreads
I won an ARC of What Happened to My Sister: A Novel by Elizabeth Flock in a giveaway for free on Goodreads First/Reads- This book was amazing*** What Happened to My Sister makes me re-think all of my previous 5 star reviews. I have never been abused as a child, but I almost feel like I have now in a sense which is how amazing Elizabeth's writing is. There were some typos throughout the book but this was an uncorrected proof- The writing made you feel like you were walking in the shoes of this ni...more
Jul 10, 2012
Mandy Magill
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Friends and Family
Recommended to Mandy by:
Good Reads-First Reads
Shelves:
first-reads,
owned-books
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I had high hopes for this book, since I loved "Me and Emma" so much. Right from the get-go the main character, Carrie, didn't even seem like the same character. It's like the author lost Carrie's voice but forced a second novel out of it, anyway. Then there's the whole subplot with the Chaplin's. The story is so unrealistic and unbelievable that I had to take breaks while reading it for fear that my mind would implode on itself. The new "Chaplin-Ford" characters aren't all that likable or even p...more
I was surprised to find this sequel to Me & Emma. Although it had been a while since I had read Me & Emma, it was one of those books that stayed with me. I couldn't wait to read this one, and it did not disappoint! I was taken in from the first page and could NOT put it down! I will try not to include spoilers.
Carrie is the victim of terrible abuse but, sadly, doesn't know it. It is all she has ever known. When she and her mother flee Hendersonville, NC in an old beat up car they are ho...more
Carrie is the victim of terrible abuse but, sadly, doesn't know it. It is all she has ever known. When she and her mother flee Hendersonville, NC in an old beat up car they are ho...more
Carrie is a heartbreaking character. Her mother is so horrible I just wanted to reach through the book and punch her. I found the fact that Carrie still loved her mother even though she abused her terribly, and that she even made excuses for her mother's behavior authentic and real. This is something I've learned about in my foster parent training - the biological tie between a parent and child is very strong and children will still love their parents after almost anything, frustrating as that c...more
Nine-year-old Carrie Parker and her mother Libby Parker leave Hendersonville after the death of her stepdad, Richard. Carrie can't be sorry he's dead. Now he'll never hurt her momma again. She's not sorry to leave Hendersonville either. The people there believe she's crazy.
Libby drives as far as the old car will take them. When it breaks down outside of Hartsville, North Carolina she finds them a place in at the Loveless Hotel and Motor Lodge. Carrie's supposed to stay in their room while her mo...more
Libby drives as far as the old car will take them. When it breaks down outside of Hartsville, North Carolina she finds them a place in at the Loveless Hotel and Motor Lodge. Carrie's supposed to stay in their room while her mo...more
I loved Me & Emma, couldn't get it out of my mind. The ending left me with so many unanswered questions, I was thrilled when I heard there was a sequel. It came in the mail today about one o'clock. It's 10:30 now and I just finished reading it. I took a few minutes out for my family around supper time, but my mind stayed in Carrie's world the whole time. It's Carrie's voice, the voice of a young, innocent, totally lovable little girl that makes Elizabeth Flock's writing stand out. Carrie's v...more
1 like · like · see review
Caroline Parker's life with her stepfather Richard and mother Libby was far from ideal in the town of Hendersonville. So after the death of Richard, Libby decides that she and Carrie need to leave town and start over. Thing is Carrie always believed that she had a sister named Emma, but she has been told that Emma was only a part of her imagination, and her mother forbids her from talking about her ever again. Hoping for a fresh start they settle in the tiny town of Hartsville, North Carolina.
Cr...more
Cr...more
I STRONGLY recommend you read Me and Emma by Flock before this one. If you have not read that first, it is a MUST read. It is one of those that I keep on my shelf to recommend to any adult and have struck up many conversations with those who have read it. It is also a great book club book, as is "What Happened to my Sister?." This book takes up where the last one left off and though it may begin slowly you are quickly drawn back in to Carrie's world. If you thought you had it all figured out aft...more
For those who read “Me and Emma” and laughed and cried along with the characters, “What Happened to My Sister” is a must-read. This stunning sequel achieves the mythical and almost unheard-of status of being even better than the original. At once heartwarming and heartrending, Elizabeth Flock’s new novel follows spirited, nine-year-old Carrie Parker as she and her mother Libby set off to start a new life in the town of Hartsville, North Carolina. Violence has been the only permanent fixture of t...more
This book blew me away. In a very good way. What Happened to My Sister by Elizabeth Flock is the continuation of a story titled Emma and Me, but I did not know that. I had never read anything by Flock, and picked up What Happened to My Sister knowing very little about it.
That did not at all distract from the powerful impact this book had on me.
It always astonishes me when authors are able to really get inside the head of young, abused girls. Carrie, or Caroline, has been abused in nearly every w...more
That did not at all distract from the powerful impact this book had on me.
It always astonishes me when authors are able to really get inside the head of young, abused girls. Carrie, or Caroline, has been abused in nearly every w...more
Aug 14, 2012
Staci
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Staci by:
TLC Book Tours
Shelves:
2012-tlc,
2012-reads
I absolutely loved the author's book, Me and Emma. Knowing that What Happened to My Sisterwas the book that would hopefully bring closure to all my questions from the prior read, I was really excited to accept a review copy. I was captivated by the first paragraph because I could hear Carrie's voice and picture her little emaciated face and bruised body. I was ripping through the pages and then all of the sudden the author introduces a new voice into the story and something changed for me. I was...more
3.0 out of 5 stars - Secrets and lies
In this follow up to Me and Emma, Carrie (Caroline) Parker and her mother are finally leaving Hendersonville in the wake of her stepfather's murder. The plan is for the impoverished pair to make a new start in North Carolina, putting the sensational events of their past behind them. The caveat: Carrie is not allowed to mention the name of her sister, Emma. The sister that her mother says existed only in Carrie's imagination. Otherwise, her Momma says, Carrie...more
In this follow up to Me and Emma, Carrie (Caroline) Parker and her mother are finally leaving Hendersonville in the wake of her stepfather's murder. The plan is for the impoverished pair to make a new start in North Carolina, putting the sensational events of their past behind them. The caveat: Carrie is not allowed to mention the name of her sister, Emma. The sister that her mother says existed only in Carrie's imagination. Otherwise, her Momma says, Carrie...more
After the death of her step father, Carrie and her mother, Libby are getting out of dodge. Lilbby and Carrie end up in the town of Hartsville, North Carolina. Here Libby and Carrie can start over without anyone to judge them.
Cricket has not been teh same since her sister passed away. Cricket's mother noticies the change but has tried everything to get Cricket to make friends with kids at her school or to just smile. Nothing has worked thus far.
When Cricket meets Carrie, they share an instant c...more
Cricket has not been teh same since her sister passed away. Cricket's mother noticies the change but has tried everything to get Cricket to make friends with kids at her school or to just smile. Nothing has worked thus far.
When Cricket meets Carrie, they share an instant c...more
I really liked this book. I have to admit, I struggled with the first 40 pages and after that....I couldn't put it down. Carrie just pulled me in the story so deeply. I couldn't let go of her. I really wanted to dislike Libby, but I think she just needed help and never received it.
When Carrie meets the Chaplins...oh my heart just couldn't believe it. I loved how they took her in and all the "first/new" things Carrie experiences. SPOILER ALERT: Most of all, I loved how they all save each other....more
When Carrie meets the Chaplins...oh my heart just couldn't believe it. I loved how they took her in and all the "first/new" things Carrie experiences. SPOILER ALERT: Most of all, I loved how they all save each other....more
Plain and simple, this sequel to Me & Emma wasn't that good.
One of the biggest no no's in writing is to "tell", instead of "show." I felt at the end of the book, the author had all of her characters scrambling to "tell" what happened instead of enabling the story to unfold by showing. There were still quite a few unanswered questions as well... example; the whole Charlie Chaplin thing which was just downright strange. Maybe there was something about it, somewhere, but since I was skipping p...more
One of the biggest no no's in writing is to "tell", instead of "show." I felt at the end of the book, the author had all of her characters scrambling to "tell" what happened instead of enabling the story to unfold by showing. There were still quite a few unanswered questions as well... example; the whole Charlie Chaplin thing which was just downright strange. Maybe there was something about it, somewhere, but since I was skipping p...more
I was so disappointed with this book. I vividly remember really liking Me & Emma, so I was very excited to read this sequel. It basically picks up not long after Me & Emma ends with Carrie and her mother leaving Hendersonville to start over somewhere else. They end up living in a cheap motel and Carrie has to scavenge for food since her mother drinks away any money she may earn. When Carrie meets Cricket and her mother Honor things start to turn around for her - Honor recognizes how beat...more
This book was on the "What to Read Now" list in the September O magazine, and it was the only one in our library, so I got it. . . and I must say I was taken aback: I don't think it's a very good book. The voices switch, but not really: Carrie is a nine year old who's thought to be crazy or disabled, but her grammar and voice are both pretty sophisticated some of the time, which doesn't sit right. Then there's the whole weird connection of (SEMI SPOILER HERE) a nicey nicey normal family who's ju...more
This is a good, solid effort by the author. I feel she left many things unexplored or unanswered, but perhaps it is meant to be a sequel to her other book, and maybe there will be a 3rd. I found the mystery element intriguing, although I also thought almost all the characters were one dimensional. The focus of this book on an extremely neglectful and abusive parent & the descriptions of Carrie's "meals" (she eats clay from broken clay pots, and meticulously cuts out pictures of things that m...more
1 like · like · see review
I didn't realize until reading a little blurb in the front of the book that this was a continuation of sorts of Flock's previous novel, "Emma and Me" , which I hadn't yet read, but I did have on my bookshelf. So I pulled that one from the shelf, read it, then delved into this one. While this book could be a stand-alone novel, I would highly recommend reading "Emma and Me" first. It will give you a lot of background & definitely add more to the story.
So having read both back-to-back, I'd have...more
So having read both back-to-back, I'd have...more
First, you must read ME AND EMMA. While WHAT HAPPENED TO MY SISTER can stand alone, you'll have a much richer understanding of nine-year-old protagonist Carrie Parker, her relationship with her parents, her pretend or maybe-not-pretend sister Emma, and the family dynamics.
I cannot say enough positive words about this book. I enjoyed WHTMS even more than M&E, which is so rare for a sequel. Elizabeth Flock has created a masterful voice for Carrie that's both heartbreaking and inspiring. The ot...more
I cannot say enough positive words about this book. I enjoyed WHTMS even more than M&E, which is so rare for a sequel. Elizabeth Flock has created a masterful voice for Carrie that's both heartbreaking and inspiring. The ot...more
I received this book through a First Reads giveaway.
I just finished the book, wow. I read it almost straight through without putting it down. I absolutely LOVE the book that came before this one, Me and Emma. It is on my all time favorites list. What Happened to My Sister ended up answering things that I didn't even realize were questions from the first book. I absolutely loved the book the entire way through but I did have questions at the end which is the only reason I am rating this a 4 and...more
I just finished the book, wow. I read it almost straight through without putting it down. I absolutely LOVE the book that came before this one, Me and Emma. It is on my all time favorites list. What Happened to My Sister ended up answering things that I didn't even realize were questions from the first book. I absolutely loved the book the entire way through but I did have questions at the end which is the only reason I am rating this a 4 and...more
Seven years ago I read Me & Emma, a book that broke my heart and I often thought about what happened to Carrie Parker and her younger sister Emma. Now comes What Happened to My Sister, which picks up shortly after the events in the first book. I strongly recommend reading Me & Emma prior to this book.
Carrie and her mother have moved on, but Emma is a subject not to be mentioned at all.
Unfortunately for Carrie much in her life hasn’t gotten any better. Her mother is an alcoholic and is b...more
Carrie and her mother have moved on, but Emma is a subject not to be mentioned at all.
Unfortunately for Carrie much in her life hasn’t gotten any better. Her mother is an alcoholic and is b...more
I loved 'Me & Emma' & was so excited to find this follow up to that book. And although I didn't like the back & forth between Carrie & Honor, I suppose Ms. Flock had to write it that way to get both sides of this tragic story. Carrie is believable as an abused child who loves her mother no matter what & we are given just enough hints about the abuse so that our imaginations can fill in the blanks.
I loved the book right up to the end, which I just did not find believable for r...more
I loved the book right up to the end, which I just did not find believable for r...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I wish I had known before I read this that it's a sequel to "Me & Emma." No where on the front or back cover is that mentioned. I read the book and liked it; then read the questions for discussion at the back of the book and discovered that these characters are from a previous book.
Carrie is a nine-year-old girl who shot and killed her abusive stepfather (maybe that happened in the previous book?) and is making a new start in a new town with her mother. They have little money, no job, no fo...more
Carrie is a nine-year-old girl who shot and killed her abusive stepfather (maybe that happened in the previous book?) and is making a new start in a new town with her mother. They have little money, no job, no fo...more
Sep 04, 2012
Mary Ellen
added it
I really enjoyed this book. Watching Carrie going through what she did for a girl of such a young
age. Everything her mother did she was able to find reasons for her doing those things.
My heart went out to her when she had nothing to eat & WHAT She would do for food. How she was told about her sister & believing she was imagined.
I want to hug her so mant times during the reading of this book, I enjoyed the surprise ending won't say what it was don't want to spoil it for others I think any...more
age. Everything her mother did she was able to find reasons for her doing those things.
My heart went out to her when she had nothing to eat & WHAT She would do for food. How she was told about her sister & believing she was imagined.
I want to hug her so mant times during the reading of this book, I enjoyed the surprise ending won't say what it was don't want to spoil it for others I think any...more
It is difficult to read a story about child abuse and neglect, but the author does an amazing job of capturing the innocent voice of the main character, young Caroline. Two families suffer almost unbearable loss and grief and there is much tragedy and pain. However, there is also hope and healing and justice in the end. What Happened to My Sister is engrossing and well-written. I fell in love with little Caroline just as the Fords did. Her brave struggle to survive and her optimism in the face o...more
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Former print journalist Elizabeth Flock reported for TIME and PEOPLE magazines before becoming an on-air correspondent for CBS News. Her acclaimed debut novel, BUT INSIDE I'M SCREAMING, chronically the psychological struggles of a young television reporter in New York, was released in 2003. Her second novel, ME & EMMA, became a New York Times bestseller and was an Indiebound (formerly Booksen...more
More about Elizabeth Flock...
Share This Book
13 trivia questions
More quizzes & trivia...
