The Sausage Maker's Daughters

The Sausage Maker's Daughters

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4.05 of 5 stars 4.05  ·  rating details  ·  40 ratings  ·  26 reviews
The sausage maker's youngest daughter is heading for the fight of her battle-scarred life. It's the era of the counterculture and Vietnam. But twenty-four-year-old Kip Czermanksi is nowhere near her home in California. She's in a jail cell in her hometown in Wisconsin awaiting a court appearance in the mysterious death of her ex-lover, who happened to be her brother-in-law...more
Paperback, 400 pages
Published February 7th 2012 by BiblioFile Press (first published January 1st 2012)
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Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 228)
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Judith
I thought this book would be another take on KING LEAR....likeA Thousand Acres..a literate, "moving" take.....Not so...Shakespearian this is not....in tone or telling

Kip Czermanski was the eternal Black Sheep in her family of Breck Blonde sisters...and the strict Catholicism...Needless to say Kip was short and dark haired...Kip was the trouble maker..the wild child...the Counter Culture rabble rouser who loved to terrorize her family by indulging in such "nonsense" as anti-war activities..Femini...more
Jessica
I'm going to start by mentioning this and think I really need to that the title is one I don't like. I was very apprehensive about reading it. Then I actually read the book and had something other than the title to base my opinion on. Suffice it to say the title I still don't care for now, not just because it sounds weird though very fitting as that is exactly what it's about but because I don't think it does the story justice.

This book is one that is perfect if you like good strong in depth rea...more
Patty
The Sausage Maker's Daughters
by
AGS Johnson

Quick Summary...

Kip grows up as the youngest child of a Polish family in a small town in Wisconsin.
She never knew her mother and was raised by a string of Polish nannies and an older sister who doesn't appear to be that fond of her. She comes home to see her oldest sister...a nun...just before this sister dies. While sleeping in her old childhood bedroom...her brother in law is killed...he just happens to be an old college professor and her ex lover. Oh...more
Brittany Rehage
I've got a confession. I tend to judge books by their covers and titles more than I should. And when I first saw this book and its title, I wasn't really interested. And then I read the description and I was a little interested, but my initial judgment of its cover still clouded my vision a bit.

However, the more I read, the more I loved. Kip is a wonderful character that grows throughout the entire novel and starts out a strong character, and ends an even stronger one. My favorite part about thi...more
Diane S.
The title really doesn't do this book justice, although it and the family reputation have a great deal to do with the novel. This book was pure entertainment. Kip, the youngest of four daughters, the only one not blonde, and the daughter of her small Wisconsin town's largest employer, has always been the family misfit. The family is basically considered small town royalty so how does she find herself on trial for the murder of her brother in law? As the trail unfolds and during her interviews wi...more
Kari Anderson
The sausage maker’s youngest daughter is heading for the fight of her battle-scarred life. It’s the era of the counterculture and Vietnam. But twenty-four-year-old Kip Czermanksi is nowhere near her home in California. She’s in a jail cell in her hometown in Wisconsin awaiting a court appearance in the mysterious death of her ex-lover, who happened to be her brother-in-law. Given her father is the small town’s leading citizen; Kip isn’t overly worried, at first. But the personal grudge the DA ho...more
Betty
A murder. Inability to remember. A jail cell. Flashbacks. Court. What a novel!

Kip (born Knavere Priestley Czermanski -- no wonder she changed it legally) finds herself in a jail cell. A man has been murdered, naked, in her bed of all places. She is found standing next to the bed. This dead man used to be her college professor-and-lover, and now (gasp) her brother-in-law. Kip is accused and soon to stand trial.

It is 1972. Kip is the youngest of four daughters of a prominent business man. She is...more
Erika
The Sausage Maker's Daughters is at first everything I was hoping for and then, more than I expected. It follows the murder trial of Kip Czermanski, the youngest daughter of the sausage king in small town Wisconsin. Everyone seems to know everyone else and so the murder trial is a huge event. Kip is well known for her rebellious ways in her youth and the activism in the anti-war movement during her college days. To top it off, she is also feminist and works for a woman's assertiveness group in C...more
Kristin (Kritters Ramblings)
Very rarely does a book completely take me away and this one absolutely did. I was a little put off by this synopsis, but hopefully I will convince you all that this is one to go out and grab immediately.

From the beginning you are introduced to the baby of the family - Kip who is very different from her three older sisters who all have blonde hair and are all praised for their beauty. Kip is the younger sister that has taken on the problems of the family, but after college she escaped to Califor...more
Sarah (Workaday Reads)
This book was not at all what I expected. I'm not entirely sure what I was expecting, but what I got was an intriguing courtroom drama filled with lots of intense family drama.

The Czermanski family is a complex mess. Reading the book and learning their history and relationship dynamics was like watching a train wreck. You couldn't look away, and yet it felt that you were spying on something personal that you shouldn't see.

Kip's personal story was heartbreaking. She had a hard childhood, and comp...more
Shannon
Flashbacks normally bother me, but I like the way the author made it smooth and not at all confusing. I liked how the author used the flashbacks to slowly craft Kip, a necessarily strong but flawed main character who came from a less-than-loving family. In fact, I had a visceral dislike for Kip's family.

There was a part discussing feminism that took a while for me to get through, but I know it was part of Kip's personality.

Not necessarily nail-bitingly suspenseful, but I was caught up in all the...more
Allison
In skimming the other reviews, I see us readers share one concern; the title and cover of the book. It's very deceptive and somewhat of a turnoff (possibly because I'm vegetarian..?) HOWEVER, the book itself is a different story.

We are introduced to Kip Czermanski, a young feminist who is strong headed and not willing to put up with anybody's crap. She is the youngest of four sisters and have relied on them for her upbringing, which they basically failed at.

So the plot of this story has to dea...more
Annie Michelle
just finished the book; "The Sausage Maker's Daughters" by AGS Johnson which I enjoyed very much. Wow, what a dysfunctional family and in some ways reminded me of mine growing up as a child!If we all look closely there are bits of this story in all our childhoods...

It took me awhile to like or have any sympathy at all for Kip but when I realized how much childhood crap she was toting around, I could understand all the anger just bubbling away on
the surface of her personality and all through her...more
PopcornReads
ARC Giveaway & Book Review: The Sausage Maker’s Daughters is pure mystery and courtroom drama but underneath, it is the story of a family, its dynamics and its unwritten rules. It’s about feeling like an outsider in your town and your family, and about going home again when you swore you never would. It’s a universal story that will appeal to a lot of people who don’t normally read mysteries or courtroom dramas. Read the rest of my review & enter our giveaway at http://popcornreads.com/?...more
Kristen
OMG! If I could give this book six stars, I would. The story is set in Wisconsin in the early 1970's. The protagonist is the youngest daughter of the sausage-factory owner. She is accused of murder and the story is framed around her testimony to her lawyers and in the courtroom. For those who love realistic literature, with references to historical events, courtroom drama, and family interactions - READ IT!!! I could not put this book down and I wish I could read it again for the first time.

Julie Schoerke
Jan 18, 2012 Julie Schoerke rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: mystery lovers, feminists, fiction addicts
Back in Wisconsin for the funeral of her sister, a nun, she wakes up to her naked dead ex-lover, now brother-in-law, next to her in bed. Who killed him and why? It took the author years to write this book and for good reason. The twists and turns in this book kept me guessing up to the last pages. A number of people I know have read this book and NOBODY has solved the mystery, but it makes perfect sense by the end.
Katrina
Apr 07, 2013 Katrina rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Wouldn't
Shelves: adult, fiction
A great beginning and ending but the middle sucked. The book just kept dragging on. Maybe it could have been better if it was half the length. Also, Kip's speech annoyed me, "Maaan," "Golly" and random, non-colloquial French wordsphrases. I'm not sure if Johnson did it to convey Kip's immaturity or as a reference to the times, but it didn't do either. Oh, and the ending wasn't surprising in the least.
Sami Jo
Loved this book. AGS uses Music references throughout the chapters (which really hits home with me), and I love the storyline and that it includes such a strong woman protagonist (KIP) and her attorney. You will definitely be kept guessing throughout this book, and probably lose a few nights of sleep for it. Definitely put this on your 'to read' list!
Marissa DeCuir
A well-written, engaging novel that kept me guessing literally until the last few pages. I really enjoyed getting to know the main character and wanted to just scream at her older sister for being such a terrible human being! Great story!
Darleen
I really loved this book. Great character development, the plot located in Wisconsin, and a murder mystery. I was unable to put it down. Don't let the cover mislead, it is a great read.
Anne
I am Polish, was raised Catholic, have sisters, and grew up in the 60s and 70s in a small town in the midwest. I thought I would be able to relate to these characters, but this family was unrelentingly toxic. There is no nuance here in the characters or the writing, and as Judith noted in her review, the tone is annoyingly "preachy-teachy". The dialogue was preposterous and often unrelated to the setting or context.
Cicely
unspeakably bad. If not for my inability to quit books after I've started them, I would not have made it past page 5. I'm not sure I've ever read anything more predictable and cliche. Worst of the worst the writing itself was nail-on-chalkboard bad. Usually I find the average of goodread reviews to be a solid indicator of book-goodness, sadly not the case with this gem!
Kana
Sep 24, 2012 Kana marked it as to-read
Shelves: ebook, e-galley
Susie Johnson
a quick read....not the best....but better than lots
Lee
Apr 22, 2012 Lee added it
Wanted to like it but could not get through it!
Mom
May 08, 2013 Mom is currently reading it
Cindy Schaus
Apr 21, 2013 Cindy Schaus is currently reading it
Oliver Sands
Mar 29, 2013 Oliver Sands marked it as to-read
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The Sausage Maker's Daughters (Paperback)
The Sausage Maker's Daughters (ebook)
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AGS Johnson always intended to be a writer. But raised in a Midwestern family of five girls and no boys, she embarked on a career in the corporate world that would allow her to explore why men were treated differently than women. Armed with a business degree, for over 20 years she was a banker, most often working with international currencies.

Still, writing remained a dream, so she returned to sch...more
More about A.G.S. Johnson...

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