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65th out of 144 books
—
156 voters
The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters
An outpouring of cheers, tears, and applause propelled this tender and hilarious first novel onto national bestseller lists immediately upon publication. Telling the story of two sisters-Olivia, a hotshot Hollywood producer whose life is unraveling, and Maddie, an unflaggingly optimistic, seriously ill midwesterner whose idealism has always driven Olivia crazy-The True and...more
Paperback, 352 pages
Published
January 3rd 2005
by Back Bay Books
(first published January 1st 2004)
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I've just finished weeping my way through the last few pages of this wonderful book. It's a beautiful tale of sisters, of course, but much more so of relationships and relating.
This novel counterbalances the falseness and fecklessness of Hollywood with the intensely weighted reality of dealing with cancer in small town middle America. Even more, it blended them into the tapestry of one life, revealing that the frivolity of the one and the despair of the other are intrinsic in every life. Through...more
This novel counterbalances the falseness and fecklessness of Hollywood with the intensely weighted reality of dealing with cancer in small town middle America. Even more, it blended them into the tapestry of one life, revealing that the frivolity of the one and the despair of the other are intrinsic in every life. Through...more
I was soooo ready for the book to end by the end that I just skimmed through the ending. I think what bothered me was how one sided the book was because you had to get the story through letters of one person (which is different, to me, than reading a book that's in first person. And there were no adventures...the title and cover gave me a different impression of what the book is about.
I didn’t finish this book (which hardly ever happens). The letters of a woman whose sister is battling cancer and is trying to get a Don Quixote film done (she is a director, I think). It was boring to me and I lost interest. It’s very simple writing, as if a woman really did just write a letter and I didn’t like her outlook on life.
Back there when this was out and causing the stir however big or small that might have been, I'm sure it crossed the radar here because as anyone can see my radar is hyper-active -- just look at the numbers on my info here -- it's insane! STILL -- it never got picked up, taken home, or read in part or in total until now with Rory and the gang and may I say -- it was a pleasure?
I loved the letters and e-mails and by the backhanded delivery the conversations either in person or via the telephone -...more
I loved the letters and e-mails and by the backhanded delivery the conversations either in person or via the telephone -...more
This book is obviously/probably one of the American best seller, since I noticed it on the bookstores in Canada and USA. It was off course the front cover that made me notice it. And it was definitely worth all the prize on the back cover. The book deals with Hollywood and terminal illness (cancer), and these subjects are obviously quite different from each other, but they are actually quite okay in the same book, in this book. Olivia Hunt is producing her first movie at the same time as her sis...more
More Chick Lit. This one follows some of the major Chick Lit themes: cancer, sisters, relationships, career, kids, marriage…
There were some clichéd themes, but they often work in Chick Lit, so I only roll my eyes when they aren’t well written.
I liked the structure of this one. The entire book is told through emails, faxes, letters and other written correspondence from Olivia. She’s a super powerful Hollywood exec and is infuriated and befuddled by her wide-eyed small town little sister.
Her lette...more
There were some clichéd themes, but they often work in Chick Lit, so I only roll my eyes when they aren’t well written.
I liked the structure of this one. The entire book is told through emails, faxes, letters and other written correspondence from Olivia. She’s a super powerful Hollywood exec and is infuriated and befuddled by her wide-eyed small town little sister.
Her lette...more
This was about a 3-star-er before I hit the midway point, then everything started clicking, and it became one of those books that doesn't leave your side...since it's in letter format, it's easy to grab a page or two here and there.
This book is so thought-provoking--a story of two sisters, both of them whose lives are falling apart, but in completely different ways. One loses her health, but has loving family intact. The other loses her love and her career, while health is intact. Both resent t...more
This book is so thought-provoking--a story of two sisters, both of them whose lives are falling apart, but in completely different ways. One loses her health, but has loving family intact. The other loses her love and her career, while health is intact. Both resent t...more
My sister loaned me her copy of this novel about two sisters. The entire story is told through letters and emails sent by Olivia Hunt, the elder of the two sisters.
She writes to her sister Maddie, her best friend Tina, the Director of the film she is trying to produce, her ex-boyfriend, various Hollywood stars that she wants to work with, her brother, her brother-in-law and just once to her lover.
Olivia also writes to a wig-maker, a renowned leukaemia consultant and a doctor. This is because w...more
She writes to her sister Maddie, her best friend Tina, the Director of the film she is trying to produce, her ex-boyfriend, various Hollywood stars that she wants to work with, her brother, her brother-in-law and just once to her lover.
Olivia also writes to a wig-maker, a renowned leukaemia consultant and a doctor. This is because w...more
Browsing through the used and clearance section of Barnes and Noble, I came upon a book with the interesting title of The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters. The short book blurb and author bio on the cover did nothing for me, but I was drawn in by a comment by Jay Mcinerney on the book jacket and decided to give it a whirl.
::: The Plot :::
The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters is a fictionalized version of Elisabeth Robinson, a former producer and screenwriter....more
::: The Plot :::
The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters is a fictionalized version of Elisabeth Robinson, a former producer and screenwriter....more
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By the time I was 19 my grandmother had broken her neck and was told that she would never walk again, she did;I sat in an ICU unit while the doctor told us that my dad would not make it through the night, he did (only to bravely face a horrible disease for 30 years);I sat on my mom's lap hearing that my sister may not be coming home from Children's Hospital ICU , but she did (for 17 more years). There were many more times that I learned that illness is a part of life. It is something that you fi...more
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This book, recommended by Darlene, reminded me of a Nick Hornby novel--light & yet dealing with serious issues with some apparent depth but not as much as it seems. It's another good sister/bad sister story. The older sister, in her late 20s, is trying to get a movie produced--an adaptation of Don Quixote for which she has landed John Cleese (Quixote) & Robin Williams (Sancho Panza). [What a good idea!:] She's struggling with her love life. In both cases, her problems are due largely to...more
A pretty good read. Keep a box of kleenex nearby, especially near the end!
I didn't like the main character/narrator at first, but the seeds of her change and growth were there in the beginning, so I stuck with it. The author uses a unique narrative style of letters written from the main character, Olivia Hunt, to others exclusively to tell the story. E Robinson handles this very well, and the voice of the main character rings true as she shifts to write to a best friend, a boyfriend/ex-boyfriend...more
I didn't like the main character/narrator at first, but the seeds of her change and growth were there in the beginning, so I stuck with it. The author uses a unique narrative style of letters written from the main character, Olivia Hunt, to others exclusively to tell the story. E Robinson handles this very well, and the voice of the main character rings true as she shifts to write to a best friend, a boyfriend/ex-boyfriend...more
I don't know what made me pick up this book- maybe the sentimentality of sisterhood...but I really liked it and read it almost straight through in one evening. I couldn't put it down, which surprised me because I normally do not like stories written entirely in letters. It resonates deeply for those who have sisters, and I laughed and cried along with Olivia. I was surprised to learn that the story was based on the author's experiences with her own sister.
1 like · like · see review
Aug 26, 2009
Jodi
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Shelves:
sibling-relationships,
california,
epistolary,
family,
addiction,
human-relationships,
ohio
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Even though this book took me about a month to read, I have to say, overall, I really enjoyed it. It's not really the type of book I would usually read and, when I picked it up, I didn't realise that it was written in the form of letters - something I ended up liking. The book is written from the perspective of a woman named Olivia, a troubled film maker who writes letters to her friends, family and different colleagues. Although the book is written from just one perspective, and the other chara...more
I had mixed feelings about this book. I liked the letter format but I sometimes found it tiresome that the letters were always going in one direction - from Olivia to someone and we never got to read anything going to Olivia. Everything was purely from her point of view which occasionally seemed a little unbalanced. Since it was the story of the Hunt sisters, I would have liked to hear Maddie's point of view from Maddie herself instead of through Olivia. On the other hand, I grew to understand O...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Jan 17, 2009
Tina
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
everyone
Recommended to Tina by:
found in rented apartment in Paris
As everyone moves to embrace Facebook as their primary mode of communication this novel is seemingly out-dated in its epistolary style, but it was all the more appealing to me for just this reason. It captures family dynamics and personal crises in an especially sensitive and provocatively humorous manner.
It may be that I was especially tuned to the sister-hoodness of this novel because of my recent move which has taken me farther and more permanently away from my family than ever before and so...more
It may be that I was especially tuned to the sister-hoodness of this novel because of my recent move which has taken me farther and more permanently away from my family than ever before and so...more
I really wanted to like this book, having received it as a gift from someone who knows the author personally and with whom I share the drama of much of the story's themes (sisterhood, close relative with cancer.) But I have to say overall I was disappointed. The writing itself is better than I expected from a book of its type (chick lit?) but sometimes even that is hard to believe coming from the voice of a Hollywood movie producer. But ok, i guess it's possible. But really, does it all have to...more
Although the story itself was okay, I gave this book a lower rating because I couldn't stand the way the author wrote it. In a series of letters written by the main character Olivia, she tells her life story of life with her sister Maddie, her job as a Hollywood producer and Maddie's subsequent illness and death.
I firmly believe this novel would have been both a whole lot better and enjoyable had the author written it as a "novel" not a long series of letters. I did not enjoy this method of wri...more
I firmly believe this novel would have been both a whole lot better and enjoyable had the author written it as a "novel" not a long series of letters. I did not enjoy this method of wri...more
I find that I normally really enjoy epistolary novels. I like me some character development, and maybe there is no quicker way to learn who someone is than to read their own thoughts and self-expression. But...
I enjoyed learning about the main character's life events, but I just couldn't seem to care about her job and boyfriends. I know they were supposed to complicate and enrich her experience with her sister, but I found myself skipping huge chunks (and the entire middle) of the book. There, I...more
I enjoyed learning about the main character's life events, but I just couldn't seem to care about her job and boyfriends. I know they were supposed to complicate and enrich her experience with her sister, but I found myself skipping huge chunks (and the entire middle) of the book. There, I...more
Written in the form of letters, emails and faxes from film producer Olivia Hunt, "The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters" tells the story of Olivia's struggling career...and her sister Maddie's subsequent diagnosis of leukemia. Olivia flies back and forth between LA (where she attempts to get a film version of Don Quixote on the silver screen) and her hometown in Ohio (where Maddie undergoes chemotherapy). The letters are mainly to her best friend Tina, her ex-boyfriend Michael,...more
Interesting. I didn't expect the entire book to be a "collection" of letters, e-mails and faxes from one person. The first two or three letters had me thinking "this is kind of cute". Then I flipped forward through the book, wondering when the story would pick up, only to find that it would never dissolve into a "traditional" storyline.
Once I got past that, I was able to concentrate on the story, which was mildly entertaining. I wasn't really fond of Olivia, the lead character (and the one writ...more
Once I got past that, I was able to concentrate on the story, which was mildly entertaining. I wasn't really fond of Olivia, the lead character (and the one writ...more
Extraordinarily funny! I laughed all the way through. However, leukemia takes hold one of the sisters, and I felt the pain of what that would be like. She explains everything in such a way that makes you realize just how much you should hold onto others--the relationship with her sister was beautiful. The book is a complilation of the main character's letters to others. She is part of Hollywood and helps to make famous movies. As you read her letters, you follow her life professionally and roman...more
After the first 50 pages I still wasn't sure if I was into this book. But... I kept reading and by the end of the book I couldn't put it down. It is a quick read, cute story about 2 sisters who lead completely different lives and are brought back to each other because of one sister's illness. The whole novel is letters written by the sister who does not have cancer. I think this book would've been a little better had it not been letters. Because personally I thought it was a little hard to belie...more
I chose this as my companion on a tortuous international flight, and it was perfect for the confined uncomfortable space. Not making too demands on the reader, the novel is a collection of letters the protagonist pens to all the significant people in her life during a stressful period.
The writing was easy and entertaining in an intelligent way unlike many fun reads out there. There are all kinds of pokes at Hollywood and even an interesting connection to Don Quixote woven in.
The best part for m...more
The writing was easy and entertaining in an intelligent way unlike many fun reads out there. There are all kinds of pokes at Hollywood and even an interesting connection to Don Quixote woven in.
The best part for m...more
Un-e-ven.
Good story but the scene changes between a leukemic sister and the madness of Hollywood movie making required some emotional leaps that I couldn't make. At a certain point I stopped investing in the characters because I had to work too hard to vacillate between the laughs and the sobs.
It's clearly heartfelt and autobiographical but the writing is all over the place. Sometimes the emotional distance of the letter writing works for the subject matter but other times it feels contrived a...more
Good story but the scene changes between a leukemic sister and the madness of Hollywood movie making required some emotional leaps that I couldn't make. At a certain point I stopped investing in the characters because I had to work too hard to vacillate between the laughs and the sobs.
It's clearly heartfelt and autobiographical but the writing is all over the place. Sometimes the emotional distance of the letter writing works for the subject matter but other times it feels contrived a...more
I liked some aspects of this book, others not. The format, of all letters written by the protagonist with none of the return correspondences felt odd and kind of diary cliche. However, about midway through the book the story lines became so interesting I got over the telling type of the tales. I personally was just very interested to get a glimpse of what a producer of a movie actually does on a day by day basis. Additionally, I felt the relations she had with her family and her lovers were rela...more
Wonderful! Really couldn't put it down. Olivia, the older sister by several years, is a Hollywood producer trying to make a movie about Don Quixote. Her younger sister Maddie is married to Bobby and still lives in the small town in Ohio where they grew up. When Maddie is suddenly diagnosed with leukemia, Olivia is determined to keep her alive. She writes letters, faxes, emails to everyone, to her best friend from high school, her director, former boss at Universal Studios, Robin Williams, the bo...more
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Sep 19, 2008 11:17am
Cheers!
Sep 20, 2008 12:25am