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343rd out of 1,056 books
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2,025 voters
The Geometry of Sisters (Newport, Rhode Island #1)
by
Luanne Rice (Goodreads Author)
New York Timesbestselling author Luanne Rice explores the complex emotional equations of love and loyalty that hold together three pairs of remarkable sisters, in an unforgettable story of loss, redemption, and forgiveness
The storm off Mackinac Island that engulfed Maura Shaw’s husband and elder daughter,Carrie, also swept away the illusion of her life as the perfect midwe...more
The storm off Mackinac Island that engulfed Maura Shaw’s husband and elder daughter,Carrie, also swept away the illusion of her life as the perfect midwe...more
Hardcover, 400 pages
Published
April 14th 2009
by Bantam
(first published January 1st 2009)
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This is my second time reading Luanne Rice. The first encounter I had with this author was listening to The Edge of Winter on CD. And to be perfectly honest, I wasn't that thrilled with it. The story was fine, but the narrator irritated me to death. But I'm not going to hold that against Luanne and when I saw the blurb about her newest book, it sounded interesting so I requested it from my library. I'm glad that I decided to 'read' the book this time instead of listening to it. I enjoyed her wri...more
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Oh it's Luanne Rice. If you like her, do any of her novels suck? The one issue that I did have with this family was feeling the disconnect. I didn't feel the great love that they shared before the accident, and I didn't feel the disconnect they were feeling throughout the novel. And maybe that's because the story was told from multiple points of view - and each point was very focused on them. Not so much any family ties. The Mom thought of her long love affair (and missing her daughter). Travis...more
This is the second audio book I've heard. The readers were just amazing in their performances.
Moira Shaw accepted a teaching position at the famed Newport Academy. She "uprooted" her daughter Beck and son Travis to live. Beck, ever rebellious, plans to return to Columbus so that her missing sister, Carrie, would be able to find them.
Carrie disappeared a year earlier, when her father and she were in a boating accident. Her father drowned; Carried disappeared from the ER. Throughout the year, Moi...more
Moira Shaw accepted a teaching position at the famed Newport Academy. She "uprooted" her daughter Beck and son Travis to live. Beck, ever rebellious, plans to return to Columbus so that her missing sister, Carrie, would be able to find them.
Carrie disappeared a year earlier, when her father and she were in a boating accident. Her father drowned; Carried disappeared from the ER. Throughout the year, Moi...more
This was an amazing book about familie ties. When Beck's family is torn apart by an accident, it is a journey to see how strong the relationships are. Her father dies at sea during a storm. Her sister, Carrie, runs away after she is rescued to try and find her roots. Beck and her brother Travis are left to deal with the fallout with their mother. As the story begins, the family is moving from Ohio to Newport, Rhode Island for a teaching postion so that Maura (the mother) can support her family....more
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This hand-me-down paperback sat on my nightstand for at least a year. I finally decided to pick it up again during a long weekend, figuring that I should be at least somewhat interested since it takes place in Newport, RI, near my hometown.
Although I read the novel quickly and even enjoyed the description of Newport, I wasn't super engaged with the plot. The characters felt incredibly superficial, even though the author was careful to try and build multi-dimensional, flawed characters. I also fo...more
Although I read the novel quickly and even enjoyed the description of Newport, I wasn't super engaged with the plot. The characters felt incredibly superficial, even though the author was careful to try and build multi-dimensional, flawed characters. I also fo...more
A family pulls up stakes following a tragic accident that left a husband dead and a daughter missing. Suddenly the family home in Ohio seemingly holds too much pain and too many bad memories.
Remaining family members are limping along, like injured parties, broken and crippled by the pain. But Maura Shaw is determined to return to her roots in Rhode Island – a place where her own sister Katherine still lives. Katherine, from whom she has been estranged for many years. A secret betrayal divides th...more
Remaining family members are limping along, like injured parties, broken and crippled by the pain. But Maura Shaw is determined to return to her roots in Rhode Island – a place where her own sister Katherine still lives. Katherine, from whom she has been estranged for many years. A secret betrayal divides th...more
There are all kinds of twists and turns in this book, plenty of plots to keep it interesting. About a mother who just lost her husband in an accident, whose oldest daughter runs away just after the father dies, a younger "math genius" daughter with cleptomania, and a son. The mother, Maura, has an estranged sister, and after the accident, moves the remaining two kids back home to be nearer her sister and maybe make amends.
Very good, engaging story.
A quote:
"I think Pell began to develop her own...more
Very good, engaging story.
A quote:
"I think Pell began to develop her own...more
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If you like Luanne Rice's books and style in general, you will love this book. The focus is very much on family relationships, particularly those between sisters. After the death of her husband, Maura returns home from Ohio to Newport after 18 years away, during which she has been estranged from her sister Katharine. Her daughter, Carrie, ran away from home in the wake of her father's death and has missing for a year. This is incredibly painful for the entire family, but particularly hard on Bec...more
Loved this book from page one! Just a great story with a mix of young love, family relationships and secrets set in Newport, RI. Maura Shaw and her children are suffering the loss of two family members: husband/father and daughter/sister. About a year later, they move back to Maura’s hometown of Newport after she accepts a teaching position at a prominent private academy. It’s a bittersweet adjustment for everyone and Maura is haunted by memories of her past. It is also rumored the school is hau...more
This was an easy, quick read that I could not put down. The story revolved around the Shaw family and their struggling to deal with the loss of the father/husband through death and the oldest daughter/sister through running away. Maura, the mother, relocates the family to cope with the grief and start her new teaching career. The book shows the struggles of each family member as they try to move forward with their life while constantly searching for what they have lost. The book does illustrate...more
I used to read Luanne Rice but it has been awhile. I think that I kind of outgrew the easy romantic kind of literature that she usually writes. I did enjoy this book enough to read the sequel. I was drawn to the settings of Newport and Capri and to the family dynamics. The author does a good job of fleshing out the characters, though the situations seem a little improbable at times. The relationship between the sisters Pell and Lucy was interesting. And the memories and love they had for their f...more
This book follows one family as they try to adjust to a different life following a tragic boating accident.
Beck's father died in the accident, her older sister disappeared from the hospital, and then her mother, Maura, accepts a teaching position at a private academy in New England which means a painful upheaval for Beck and her older brother Travis. Beck buries herself in Mathematics while Travis tries to adjust to life in a new place away from his first love.
Maura is harboring a long kept secr...more
Beck's father died in the accident, her older sister disappeared from the hospital, and then her mother, Maura, accepts a teaching position at a private academy in New England which means a painful upheaval for Beck and her older brother Travis. Beck buries herself in Mathematics while Travis tries to adjust to life in a new place away from his first love.
Maura is harboring a long kept secr...more
I was very disappointed in this book. I quit reading it with only about 30 pages to go. One sentence stopped me and I couldn't get past it. When Maura thinks "I always wanted a love like Ana Karenina or Madam Bovary" I thought, "does she know they are adulteress?". This statement unraveled my perception of the mother.
The husband Andy is portrayed in a very flattering light until you find out he is a very unforgiving person. He can't forgive Maura for lying about Carrie's paternity? He was prett...more
The husband Andy is portrayed in a very flattering light until you find out he is a very unforgiving person. He can't forgive Maura for lying about Carrie's paternity? He was prett...more
Maura Shaw has returned to Newport, Rhode Island, with two of her three children. Her elder daughter, Carrie, disappeared from the hospital where she was taken following a boating accident in which her father drowned. Maura’s sister, Katharine, an artist, lives in RI. Maura is to be a teacher at the prestigious Newport Academy and daughter Beck and son Travis will attend as students. A new start is what this family needs to mend. Elder sisters Maura and Katharine need to find their way back to e...more
I was unabashedly crying at the end of this book - it is very emotional but satisfying. Maura Shaw moved her family (son Travis and daughter Beck) to Newport Academy in Newport, Rhode Island to teach English a year after her husband dies in a tragic accident and her daughter, Carrie, runs away on the day of his death. The story is about a lost love, strong connections between sisters, and how secrets can tear a seemingly happy family apart. It is written from several points of view. The title co...more
Sep 18, 2012
Darcia Cowart
added it
Tear jerk er from start to finish. A mom looses a husband and a eldest daughter in a short period of time. So she goes back to her roots to teach school and support her family. As with all of Luanne's books, the story line tells it like it is, with all its glory and all of the behind the scene covered up gut wrenching emotions of the characters. Life is fragile and sometimes ugly, but if we look closely we can see he beauty and awe in all things, you just have to look at it right. this book will...more
:) well it's a nice warm read, made me feel so grateful for having sisters. loved the details and the "small things that matter". it shows the incredibly strong bonds between family members, very nice and friendly characters. however, i was expecting more from it, it started very well and events started to get confusing -in an exciting way!- but then the end was very traditional although i was waiting to reach the end to unravel a secret or a learn smth that would turn everything upside down. bu...more
The bond between sisters is like no other relationship in our lives. What happens when tragic events, or jealousy break the bond between sisters, is the connection between them still present? Carrie and Beck are broken by Carrie running away to escape the tragic death of the man she had always beleived to be her father, and her embarressment over her preganancy. Maura and Katharine split over the love of the same man, and the horrible accident that befell him. Lucy and Pell are bonded together o...more
I read this book during the 2 weeks leading up to Chloe’s Bat Mitzvah – when I sold my house and then bought a new home - and was feeling a little overwhelmed. While this book is not necessarily light, it was easy to read and allowed me to clear my head and fall asleep. After the accidental death of her husband and the flight of her oldest child, Maura and her 2 rmeining children move from Ohio to Newport Rhode Island for a fresh start. Maura teaches at the private school founded by her former l...more
This book was okay- however the love story within was just too hokey for me to be real. The youngest daughter's problems were interesting and she was a little character but everyone else in the book seemed flat. I realize most women rave about these types of novels, I just felt the book could have been a bit darker, more true to life and trauma rather than the unrealistic quick fixes and happy endings. In reality those who suffer trauma don't just snap out of it as if everything is fabulous. May...more
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This is an interesting story about several sets of sisters. They are all connected through life events and each set has issues to overcome. The main story is about a mother, daughter and son who, through the tragic death of the father and the disappearance of the other daughter, are torn from their home in Columbus, OH to move to Newport, Rhode Island. This move unearths the past for the mother and creates new situations with the children as they come to grips with a new school, new friends, and...more
I liked this book. Three different sets of sisters lives are challenged through events that could happen to anyone. Maura and Katherine are set apart after one summer of bad choices by one of them. Beck and Carrie are Maura's daughter's and one of them takes after their mother unknowingly in a very pecuilar way and as a result runs away from home. Pell and Lucy are very close and look after each other because their Mom won't. Although there are lingering issues and problems unsolved by the end o...more
I hate saying bad things about books because I know first hand the amount of work that goes into writing, editing and publishing the damn things.
Luanne Rice is one of my favorite authors when it comes to an easy, uncomplicated read. The problem is I think she tried to get a little too complex in exploring the dynamics between sisters. The math metaphor fell flat for me.
My sister and I always had a decent although not necessarily super close relationship. She passed away rather quickly from lung...more
Luanne Rice is one of my favorite authors when it comes to an easy, uncomplicated read. The problem is I think she tried to get a little too complex in exploring the dynamics between sisters. The math metaphor fell flat for me.
My sister and I always had a decent although not necessarily super close relationship. She passed away rather quickly from lung...more
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This novel revolves around 4 sets of sisters- 1 set in the past, 2 sisters along with their mother and aunt, and 2 sisters that are friends of the girls. Carrie and her mother and brother are moving back to her mother's hometown after her father's death in an accident and her sister's subsequent disappearance. They will attend a private school where her mother will work. Beck is having a hard time adjusting and delves into the world of mathematics which she loves. She becomes friends with Lucy w...more
I absolutely loved this book. I started reading The Deep Blue Sea for Beginners first, and came to Goodreads to document it. I learned then that this was the first book. That was the only thing that irritated me a little bit, as there was not any indication that this was a series.
The book is a story about two separate familes, each with their own turmoils. It follows the relationships of three sets of sisters: Maura and Katherine, Carrie and Beck, and Pell and Lucy. There's also a good helping...more
The book is a story about two separate familes, each with their own turmoils. It follows the relationships of three sets of sisters: Maura and Katherine, Carrie and Beck, and Pell and Lucy. There's also a good helping...more
The Geometry of Sisters was actually good. It just wasn't for me.
I think...
The Geometry of Sisters starts with Maura Shaw moving away to Newport, with her two children, Beck and Travis. Maura's daughter, Carrie, is missing and the detective on the case has failed to find any trace of her. Maura is the only one looking forward to the change to Newport. Travis misses his girlfriend, Ally, while Beck is antagonistic to moving away from home, where Carrie could be.
As the story progresses, Maura's pe...more
I think...
The Geometry of Sisters starts with Maura Shaw moving away to Newport, with her two children, Beck and Travis. Maura's daughter, Carrie, is missing and the detective on the case has failed to find any trace of her. Maura is the only one looking forward to the change to Newport. Travis misses his girlfriend, Ally, while Beck is antagonistic to moving away from home, where Carrie could be.
As the story progresses, Maura's pe...more
Beck Shaw, age 14, has lost her father, and for all intents and purposes, her sister Carrie who ran away from home the day their father died. Her mother Maura has moved them from their home in Ohio to a posh private boarding school in Newport, RI where she's taken a job as an English teacher. Beck copes with the trauma by burying herself in mathematics and kleptomania. A family secret is uncovered that explains much of what troubles Beck, and each member of the family discovers what love really...more
I listened to this book. It was barely believable in many places. A widow with a son and two daughters moves to Newport, RI to take a teaching job at a posh private school. One of her daughters had run away a year earlier right after the drowning death of her father. Her reason for running away seems odd in this day. Her son is nearly perfect and quite one dimensional. The youngest daughter displays some problems as a result of losing both her sister and father. There isn't much drama and it dra...more
I was intrigued by the title; being rotten at geometry and having no sisters I thougth I might learn something. This was an involved story of several sets of sisters, and so many connections both secret and public that it was at times hard to belive, but I kept reading because the descriptions of vacations in Michigan and private school in Newport RI were the stuff of my childhood fantasies. I have no better understanding of geometry, but do wish I'd had a sister to share this kind of bond with.
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Luanne Rice is the author of thirty-one novels including the forthcoming THE LEMON ORCHARD (Viking/Pamela Dorman Books.) Five of her books have been made into movies and mini-series, twenty-two have been consecutive New York Times bestsellers and two of her pieces have been featured in off-Broadway theatre productions. Born and raised in Connecticut, she divides her time between New York City and...more
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“Goodbyes were impossible, unless you didn't realize you were saying them.”
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