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Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters

by Natalie Standiford (Goodreads Author)

3.45 of 5 stars 3.45 · rating details · 1,300 ratings · 285 reviews

From the author of HOW TO SAY GOODBYE IN ROBOT, the story of a fractured family and three sisters' secrets The Sullivan sisters have a big problem. On Christmas Day their rich and imperious grandmother gathers the family and announces that she will soon die . . .and has cut the entire family out of her will. Since she is the source of almost all their income, this means th...more

ebook, 320 pages

Published October 1st 2010 by Scholastic Press (first published September 1st 2010)

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Jul 29, 2010 oliviasbooks rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult-fiction, ya-contemporary, read-2010, e-version, christmas-winter, beautiful-writing, laugh-a-little, not-afraid-of-sex-in-ya

This reads like a perfect mixture of Hilary McKay and Jane Austen. (Style-wise and situation-wise. For instance, doesn't "Almighty Lou" remind you of Lady Catherine?) I had a lot of fun with the story, the characters and the writing - especially the effortlessly witty, but natural dialogues - and I want to get my hands on How to Say Goodbye in Robot even more than before now.
As the description already reveals, "The Confessions" are told from different points of view. I love that, but not everybo...more

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Jun 17, 2013 Angel rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, realistic-fiction, fiction, teen

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. First, I would like to take a moment to congratulate myself on finishing this book. I must say that I was very disappointed in the direction this book took. I don't feel the need to take my time writing this review as well as I would for others because the book really doesn't deserve it.
On Christmas Day, the Sullivan sisters' grandmother, Almighty, announces that she has not long to live and their family has been cut out of her will. She demands confessions of each family member because someone...more First, I would like to take a moment to congratulate myself on finishing this book. I must say that I was very disappointed in the direction this book took. I don't feel the need to take my time writing this review as well as I would for others because the book really doesn't deserve it.
On Christmas Day, the Sullivan sisters' grandmother, Almighty, announces that she has not long to live and their family has been cut out of her will. She demands confessions of each family member because someone has deeply offended her. Now this is a huge problem for the Sullivans; without the money they would not be able to continue living as lavishly as they do. So the confessions begin...
Norrie begins with her story. It's rather boring, as they all are. Long story short, she sleeps with this guy seven years older than her, Robertson Pepper, on their third date. Then Norrie runs away with him to New York on the night of her Cotillion and returns three days later with gifts. There are essentially no repercussions. Her parents Ginger and Daddy-o are incompetent parents at best. All three girls say that they don't seem to care much for them.
Jane comes next. She's 16 but the narration makes her seem about 14. She's the "rebellious" one, although the worst Jane does is get her friend to draw a skill and crossbones in pen (PEN, really?) on her neck, and start a blog called myevilfamily.com and basically rants about how awful her family is. It's all very childish.
Lastly, we have Sassy, whom I thought was 9 years old, but it turns out she's 15. Honestly I'd have to say that she's a moron. She thinks she's invincible because she's absentminded and accidentally bounced off a few very slow moving cars. Sassy also seems to think that she has paid for her immortality by causing the death of Wallace, her step-grandfather, who had a blood clot in her heart. And then she wonders why people laugh when she tells them her deluded story.
In the end Almighty just wanted a confession from Takey (what kind of name is that?), who is a little boy that pulled her dog's tail. Almighty is really just a ridiculous old lady.

9 out of 10 would not recommend(less)

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Jun 04, 2013 Brittany Patten rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

:What it this book about?
This book is about three sister that have all done something to upset their grandmother “Almighty” therefore the whole Sullivan family is cut out of her will, and in order for the family to get back in the will.So each sister has to confess to Almighty what they did wrong and bascicly beg for her to forgive them.

:What parts of the book did I enjoy? Why?
The part that I enjoyed the most was the day of the cotillion ball. The day before Norrie one of the sisters had a fi...more :What it this book about?
This book is about three sister that have all done something to upset their grandmother “Almighty” therefore the whole Sullivan family is cut out of her will, and in order for the family to get back in the will.So each sister has to confess to Almighty what they did wrong and bascicly beg for her to forgive them.

:What parts of the book did I enjoy? Why?
The part that I enjoyed the most was the day of the cotillion ball. The day before Norrie one of the sisters had a fight with her boyfriend Robbie, so they weren’t talking for awhile she thought that he forgot about her when in all in reality he couldn't stop thinking about her. So the whole day she was wishing that he would come by and the could run away together. So when she walked down the stairs the whole foyer was filled with a bunch of flowers they were from robbie it had a card with them. The card read
“ Dearest Norrie,
I don’t know why you are ignoring me, but i'm going to ignore the fact that you are ignoring me and take one last stab at reaching you. You talked about running away and I brought up me thesis! What and idiot! Run away with me tonight. I’ll be waiting for you at Penn Station. CWe can take a train to New York. After that, whatever happens, happens. What do you say?
Either way, I'll be waiting.
Your Robbie.”
Just as the Cotillion Ball was just about to start Norrie Ran out the big ballroom doors and flew down the stairs all, she didn’t look back, she just kept running the only thought she had was “Is he really going to be there?”.

:What type of reader would enjoy the book? Why?
People that like drama and like knowing secrets and truth. The reason I say that because this whole Sullivan Family is all dramatic, the have no idea what their daughters do when they're not around. The decisions that each one is faced it really just keeps you reading and wanting to know what happens next.

What parts of the book did you not enjoy? Why?
One of the parts that I didn’t enjoy was when Norries’ brothers came back into town for a funeral, and her parents were telling her brother all about robbie and how old he is, where he goes to school, what’s his major. Like 20 questions. So her brothers St.John and Sully went up to her room and were talking about how bad robbie is bad for her that he only wants one thing and that he’s probably just playing her, and when things get serious that hes just going to break it off. They were filling her head with nonsense. Sully told her

“There’s this guy in my frat that is a senior. Every year when new freshman arrive he goes through the directory and finds the cutest girls. He picks them off one by one. He invites them to a party, gets them drunk, has his way with them , and then checks them off the list.He even has pictures of them on his wall in his room. After he gets one, he draws a red X through their face. Then he goes around telling everybody that he’s seen her naked and she’s fat.”
and I know from previous experience that it makes you really think about the person and makes me feel mad and upset from hearing what that person thinks of them.
(less)

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May 14, 2013 HomeschoolGirl rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I can't be sure about the date of when I finished this, but it's all good. :P

Anyway...

So, I tried How to Say Goodbye in Robot by Standiford and couldn't get into it. The girl's obsession with death creeped me out, and the way it was written just seemed disjointed. If I recall correctly.

But this book. Okay, it was hard to get into. But once I did, (around the middle of Norrie's part??) I couldn't put it down. Sadly, I had to, to do dishes and such, but I revisited it later. I spent an hour or s...more

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Jan 15, 2013 Becky B rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: realistic-fiction

I only actually read the first 1/4 of this book and then skimmed the rest, and read the last chapter. Grandma "Almighty" Beckford has written the Sullivan family out of her will because someone has offended her. A confession must be submitted within a week or they will all remain out forever. Though there are 8 people in the family, fingers are pointed at the 3 teenage girls, Norrie, Jane, and Sassy. The book is mostly comprised of their written confessions to Almighty (I'm serious, they call he...more I only actually read the first 1/4 of this book and then skimmed the rest, and read the last chapter. Grandma "Almighty" Beckford has written the Sullivan family out of her will because someone has offended her. A confession must be submitted within a week or they will all remain out forever. Though there are 8 people in the family, fingers are pointed at the 3 teenage girls, Norrie, Jane, and Sassy. The book is mostly comprised of their written confessions to Almighty (I'm serious, they call her that. They also call their father Daddy-O and mother Ginger.) It turns out Norrie, Jane, and Sassy are all poor little rich girls dealing with various issues of growing up under the pressures of high society and life in general. Norrie fell for a guy all wrong for her in the family's eyes and messed up her debutant ball, Jane is tired of playing the social game and is airing the family laundry on the internet and causing trouble at school, and Sassy has gotten it in her head that she is some kind of invincible being because she keeps getting hit by cars and hasn't been killed.

In the end, all is made right in the family financial affairs, though none of the girls actually gets credit for the family redemption. Almighty does thank the girls for their letters in a secret note and also admits that she has shared some of their flaws in the past and confesses that she may have been a little too harsh and judgmental. While somewhat touching, if this were a real family I don't see that letter doing much good. What is needed is a big ol' open and honest heart to heart with everyone face to face. They spend too much of their time playing high society and hiding behind facades. A secret letter doesn't do enough to crack the facades, but I guess it does go about as far as would be expected of an old crotchety woman who is proud and always gets her way.

I will give Natalie Standiford credit, she knows how to write and draw the reader in. She creates interesting and varied characters. However, I could only take so much of the teenage soap opera stuff before deciding not to waste any more of my life in evaluating this book than was absolutely necessary.

Notes on content: Where to begin? Language: check, lots of it and at all sorts of varying degrees. Sexual content: several extramarital sexual relationships are included, it is hinted/stated that various people sleep together but no graphic details beyond heavy kissing are included. Drug/alcohol use: There is a LOT of alcohol consumption by minors at various parties, and several times this is condoned by adults/parents. (Two parents even supply the alcohol for a party and join the teens in drinking.) Jane is a smoker, but others do get on her to quit. One father of a friend is reported as supplying Valium to teens, and another girl is drugged on a date.(less)

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Jan 06, 2013 Madelyn Bell rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The book Confessions Of the Sullivan Sisters was a great read and I was eager to keep reading as I got further into it.
The book begins on Christmas day and then goes into the past. The book starts with the Sullivan’s going to they’re rich grandmother’s house that they call Almighty. She tells the family that someone has offended her, and that she will cut the family off of her will unless that person confesses by New Years Day, then she may consider putting them back in the will. If they do not...more The book Confessions Of the Sullivan Sisters was a great read and I was eager to keep reading as I got further into it.
The book begins on Christmas day and then goes into the past. The book starts with the Sullivan’s going to they’re rich grandmother’s house that they call Almighty. She tells the family that someone has offended her, and that she will cut the family off of her will unless that person confesses by New Years Day, then she may consider putting them back in the will. If they do not confess then she says that she will donate the money to a foolish organization, puppy ponchos- to help dogs in need of raincoats. Since she is the major source of their income they will be broke if they do not confess.
The book is told from multiple points of view. It was told from the three sisters, Norrie, Jane, and Sassy. They all talk about the same period of time just in different perspectives. Norrie believes that she could of caused Almighty’s offense because she is a seventeen year old and falls in love with twenty five year old. Sixteen year old Jane tells about her blogging of her family’s secrets of how they got they’re money on myevilfamily.com and believes this may have offended her deeply. And fifteen year old Sassy believes that she could of possibly had something to do with the death of her husband fifth husband Wallance. All of these stories were fun to read through, but my favorite story was definetly Janes’s. I liked her story the best because it was the most humerous out of the three and I thought it was the most interesting. My second favorite story was Norrie’s and then Sassy’s, because it got a tad confusing.
I really enjoyed reading this book because, it kept you thinking about who’s confession they’re grandmother was looking for and if it even was one of those confessions. At the end of the book I was very suprised at who offended her most. My favorite part of the book was definetely the end because of the reveal and the humor, although it got a bit confusing. The author did a nice job with connecting the perspectives, yet nothing seemed too repetitive. As each confession was told, more was revealed about the overall st. I think that this book really hooks the reader and keeps them guessing. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys light conteporary literature, romance, and a little humour. One message that i got from this book was that people don’t always seem as they appear because they were rich they still had many problems and they didn’t get there money fairly, which Jane tells about. I felt like I connected pretty well with this book and really enjoyed reading it.
(less)

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Jun 29, 2012 Lauren rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Decently written book, but all three girls not easy to relate to. I was under the impression that the youngest, Sassy, was about nine years old until near the end of the book when it said she was fifteen. All of the characters treated her like she was nine, with good reason. She had the intelligence level and maturity of a nine-year old.

Jane, the middle daughter, was annoying, hypocritical, and attention-seeking. Norrie, the eldest, was the best by default, even though she was not that bright ei...more

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Mar 11, 2012 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters by Natalie Standiford tells the story of three teenage girls who think they have offended their rich grandmother, nicknamed “Almighty Lou.” She has recently announced that she is dying and is cutting her entire family out of her will unless the grandchild she feels has greatly insulted her confesses her “crime.” Three of the grandchildren—Norrie, Jane, and Sassy—recount what they may have done to anger their grandmother so greatly. Norrie ran away from her gra...more

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Jan 13, 2012 Debbie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: modern-teen

Someone has done Something to seriously disturb the almighty Sullivan matriarch (who is actually called Almighty by her family), and she is threatening to disinherit the whole family unless that person confesses. Because no one knows which crime has brought on this threat, sisters Norrie, Jane and Sassy each submit a written confession to Almighty.

The book begins with Norrie's confession, then goes to Jane's and then to Sassy's. In other books with multiple narrators, I've often become so involv...more Someone has done Something to seriously disturb the almighty Sullivan matriarch (who is actually called Almighty by her family), and she is threatening to disinherit the whole family unless that person confesses. Because no one knows which crime has brought on this threat, sisters Norrie, Jane and Sassy each submit a written confession to Almighty.

The book begins with Norrie's confession, then goes to Jane's and then to Sassy's. In other books with multiple narrators, I've often become so involved with one narrator that I've wished they could finish telling their side before moving to the next person. Sometimes the narrator switch is jarring, and it takes me a second to adjust to the other person's story. But I got my wish in this book and discovered that there are advantages to the other way after all. After starting Jane's story, I missed Norrie, and I didn't get to find out what happened to her until the very end. Aside from that, though, the format works for this book, because each sister can tell her story uninterrupted. Although the girls are talking about the same stretch of time, I didn't feel that there was any repetition, because each sister has such a different perspective.

The Sullivans are an old, rich, Baltimore clan, and they live in a big house with a tower room that has passed from St. John, the oldest brother, to Sully, the next brother, and now to Norrie. The kids call their mother Ginger and their father Daddy-O. The name Daddy-O makes me giggle. Ginger and the girls go to tea at Almighty's every Tuesday.

Conversation topics at recent teas have been Norrie's upcoming Cotillion and Jane's bad behavior in their all-girl Catholic high school. Norrie has been fast losing interest in Cotillion (and in her escort, the eligible grandson of Almighty's bosom friend) because of a happy grad student she's met in a night speed reading class. Jane starts a blog to reveal all the dastardly deeds of her evil family. And Sassy is pondering her newly developed invincibility that has let her walk away with only bruises after being hit by a car. Twice.

The characters in this book, not just the sisters, are delightful. Almighty's current husband (#5) is a quiet, comforting presence throughout the book, even under sad circumstances. Cassandra, a 5th-grader Sassy is tutoring in math despite her admitted ignorance in the subject, is refreshing and matter-of-fact, and although she doesn't believe Sassy's invincibility theory at first, she is willing to hear Sassy out and add her own opinions.

I also liked Robbie, Norrie's new boyfriend, but he was my one big problem with this book. Party pooperish of me this may be, but I think that 25 is way too old to be dating 17. (Unless you're Colonel Brandon, in which case you can be 35 to Marianne's 17, but that was a very different time.) I realize that age is a somewhat arbitrary standard on which to base behavior, but a line must be drawn somewhere, and in this case, I will side with the law and wish they had waited until Norrie was 18.(less)

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Jan 02, 2012 Eileen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I had high hopes, since I had found How to Say Goodbye in Robot really compelling, and so of course this didn't quite live up to them. The plot is reasonably intriguing, albeit a little unrealistic, and the three main characters sufficiently sympathetic and relatable, but there just isn't enough at stake here for me. The whole "losing the family inheritance over nothing" business is not something that practically anyone in the target audience would ever have to worry about; maybe if the conseque...more

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Nov 13, 2011 Rachel rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

We have Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters by Natalie Standiford. The Almighty (what they call their grandmother) has been deeply offended by one of them. She says that if they give her an apology by the New Year she will reinstate them in her will. The family is dependent on her money when she dies, and they don't want the Almighty to give all her money to Puppy Ponchos--an organization that gives dogs ponchos who don't have them. The three girls write confessions to the Almighty. And boy do t...more

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Oct 03, 2011 kate.o.d rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It is Christmas and Lou Almighty is very upset with the Sullivans. One of them has offended her and if she does not receive a written confession and apology by New Year's Day they will all be removed from her will, and therefore cut off from her substantial inheritance. The family - Ginger, Daddy-o, St John, Sully, Norrie, Jane, Sassy and little Takey - get together and decide who it could have been to offend their fearsome grandmother so much. Unanimously, they decide it must be one of the girl...more

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May 09, 2011 Jodi rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I had been reading a lot of dystopian/depressing things lately so I figured it was time for a fun, light read. Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters had caught my eye awhile back so I set it aside in my "want to read" pile. It definitely met my requirements of a light, non-thought provoking read. However, it sadly wasn't as much fun as I thought it was going to be.
The premise had potential - the Sullivan's area a very wealthy, old-money family who have never had to face any sort of financial hard...more

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Apr 05, 2011 Shannon rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I hover between 2 and 3 stars on this one. Three teenage Sullivan sisters are writing letters to their grandmother, a Baltimore society maven nicknamed Almighty, to confess their sins. The confessions are an attempt to apologize for the wrongs the girls have made against Almighty who has threatened to disinherit the family if the one who offended her does not apologize.

The book is told in basically 3 parts - one for each sister's confessional. The first sister was engaging and well developed, t...more

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Apr 01, 2011 Jodi Papazian rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-reads

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Mar 31, 2011 Whatchyareading added it · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, katie, young-adult

Raise your hand if you have a crazy family. No, not the “OMG my Mom drives me bonkers” kind of crazy; I’m talking the about your family is so ridiculous they’re practically caricatures of real people. Yeah, that’s a large contingency of my own kin, so when my sister (crazy in her own right) hands me a book about a grandmother who is called Almighty, brothers named St. John, Sully and Takey, and the parents are known as Daddy-O and Ginger respectively, I knew I had to give this a shot.

Natalie Sta...more Raise your hand if you have a crazy family. No, not the “OMG my Mom drives me bonkers” kind of crazy; I’m talking the about your family is so ridiculous they’re practically caricatures of real people. Yeah, that’s a large contingency of my own kin, so when my sister (crazy in her own right) hands me a book about a grandmother who is called Almighty, brothers named St. John, Sully and Takey, and the parents are known as Daddy-O and Ginger respectively, I knew I had to give this a shot.

Natalie Standiford’s Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters more or less defines what I lovingly refer to as a bat #$% crazy family. The premise is simple- Almighty Lou calls the Sullivan family to her home on Christmas and announces she’s about to die and she’s cutting them out of her will because one of them has offended her. Now since Almighty owns most of Baltimore and the Sullivans’ live predominantly at her behest, the threat of her vast fortune going to a Dog Poncho charity is quite the threat. Fortunately, not all is lost and the Sullivan clan can make it up to her if they confess their sins to her and are sufficiently contrite by New Years Day. All of this occurs within the first four pages, and I literally sat in a restaurant reading this aloud to my mother and sister because it hit so close to home. Seriously, if your family rides the crazy train, pick this book up.

What follows are the confessions of the three Sullivan sisters. Three parts ensue, one from each of the girls as they relay to Almighty what they have done that might cause her to disinherit them. Norrie, the oldest girl in the family (17) tells the tale of how in her Speed Reading class she met Robbie Pepper, a 25 year old John Hopkins graduate film student. She tells how they met and slowly came together all while her debutante ball approaches and all the expectations that follow it. Norrie is caught between the new and exciting world of Robbie and the responsible one of Brooks Overbeck, her grandmother- assigned escort and most likely future husband from the second oldest/richest family in Baltimore. It’s a classic case of a girl caught between familial responsibilities and wanting to live her own life, which I imagine we’ve all felt from time to time.

After we learn of Norrie’s drama, it’s Jane’s turn. I’ll admit to not relating as much to Jane as I did Norrie, her motto after all is “Destroy Everything!” She’s the family rebel who lacks a cause so she routinely makes one. MyEvilFamily.com is her rebellion, her blog in which she reveals all the evil of the Sullivan clan- how they evilly made their money, how hypocritical they are, etc, etc. She swears she’s telling the truth that’s been suppressed for years, but in reality she’s just looking for attention. Her patron saint is Joan of Arc and she relates to her deeply, she too is sticking it to the man, and if she goes down in flames for it, then it just means they could both be misunderstood. Jane’s confession traces her downward spiral into obscene self-absorption, and while I was skeptical she was contrite, the blog entries that are included are really rather hilarious.

Finally we end with Sassy, the youngest Sullivan sister at 15, who is kind of caught in the background of the family. She’s the sweetest and one of the only ones who isn’t raging against the family machine in some way. While her other sisters are rebelling, she’s dealing with issues of life and death. Sassy keeps getting hit by cars and walking away unscathed while bad things begin to happen to those around her making her think she’s “unkillable.” I’ll admit I found it a strange plotline, but at the same time it perfectly summed up the subtle arrogance of being a young teen and quite literally feeling like the world revolves around you. What’s even better is that since Sassy is the nice sister, you don’t quite think of the sheer arrogance of her believing she was special enough to be the only person who couldn’t die. It’s weird but it works.

The end of the book, once the confessions are turned into Almighty, made me snort in the middle of my lunch break at work, so I won’t spoil it for you all, just be prepared to laugh because it’s ridiculous and fantastic. Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters is a quick fun read, that kept me laughing and relating. Naturally it had some overarching messages, but more than anything it was an enjoyable romp and didn’t take itself too seriously, which frankly, too many books do.

So if you’ve got a crazy family or even if you just want to live vicariously through one, pick it up!

Reviewed on WhatchYAreading on November 11, 2010.(less)

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Mar 05, 2011 Lsprouse rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Just finished Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters. It is a good teen read for girls. It is about a very wealthy family from Baltimore that centers around the matriarch, Arden Louisa Norris Sullivan Weems Maguire Hightower Beckendorf, a.k.a. "Almighty." Almighty wields all the power in the family because she has all the money. The story begins on Christmas day when Almighty announces that one of the Sullivans has greatly offended her and she wants a written apology by New Year's Eve or she will d...more

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Feb 20, 2011 Lesley rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: smart-girls

This book had a lot of the things I liked about How To Say Goodbye In Robot: characters that are just eccentric enough without tipping over into cartoons, good mix of humor and sadness, and problems that are not your typical YA book problems. Plus it had something Robot didn't: the kind of big, rich family I loved fantasizing about as a kid that you can join vicariously through fiction. I'm actually not sure if it would appeal to Gossip Girl fans because the girls are (relatively) well-behaved,...more This book had a lot of the things I liked about How To Say Goodbye In Robot: characters that are just eccentric enough without tipping over into cartoons, good mix of humor and sadness, and problems that are not your typical YA book problems. Plus it had something Robot didn't: the kind of big, rich family I loved fantasizing about as a kid that you can join vicariously through fiction. I'm actually not sure if it would appeal to Gossip Girl fans because the girls are (relatively) well-behaved, not into fashion, etc.

My criticisms (and the reason I'd actually give it 3.5 stars) have to do with the stories themselves. I found the first "confession" compelling and was psyched to read the others so I could find out the secrets that had been left out--it's a great premise to tell the same stories from several points-of-view. But then I didn't feel that the other stories revealed much in the way of surprises. The three voices and personalities were definitely distinct, but I wanted more in terms of interpretations of the same events and revelations that shed new light. I also didn't get why a particular character (Shea Donovan, the "slut") kept popping up but never played any role. Norrie gets an urgent message from her that I kept waiting to have explained and it never was. I also just didn't enjoy the second confession as much because I didn't perceive much of an arc and I found the middle sister to be the most immature and spoiled--ironically, since she's the most outwardly rebellious against her family. The third story also had little in the way of an arc. The third sister's eccentricity was the hardest to believe and much of her story focused on tutoring an inner-city girl but then that just sort of ends and I was left wondering what that had to do with everything else. I mean, not every event or relationship has to be laden with meaning, but I do like for things that happen in stories to move you from one place to another. Sorry, Natalie Standiford, if this was symbolic of something and I just totally missed it!

Still, I'd recommend this book as an interesting read to fans of intelligent dramas laced with funny dialogue.(less)

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Jan 29, 2011 Michelle rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters is a story told from multiple points of view. One each for the three sisters and some commentary from their eccentric grandmother Almighty for additional flavor. On the whole the girls live a high-class wealthy lifestyle, the only problem is it’s all by Almighty’s hand. This means that they must tow the company line in order to maintain the life to which they’ve become accustomed to. Of course, Almighty is more than aware of this fact and manages to exert her...more Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters is a story told from multiple points of view. One each for the three sisters and some commentary from their eccentric grandmother Almighty for additional flavor. On the whole the girls live a high-class wealthy lifestyle, the only problem is it’s all by Almighty’s hand. This means that they must tow the company line in order to maintain the life to which they’ve become accustomed to. Of course, Almighty is more than aware of this fact and manages to exert her authority and control over all of the Sullivans at every turn.

I thoroughly enjoyed the concept of this book. The idea that I would see the same events from several different points of view gave me the opportunity to experience different nuances — in that way Confessions excelled quite nicely. Standiford wrote it in such a way that there were several points of all three stories that intersected. The sisters spoke of the same events but the small differences that each brought from their individual experiences enhanced it for the reader.

The strength of this story, however, came from the diverse cast of characters Standiford created. Almighty, the matriarch, was rigid and overbearing and over-compensated for her shortcomings with her money. Her son and daughter-in-law were a bit unconventional with their parenting skills but did take an interest in and very clearly loved their children. Two older sons were off at college so the focus of their participation in the family affairs was limited but appropriately placed and the youngest child brought the cute and cuddly factor. The bulk of the story, however, centered around the three girls — Norrie, Jane and Sassy.

These three sisters, for reasons all their own, were led to believe they had perpetrated some tremendous injustice against Almighty that required an apology. This apology would be the only way that their grandmother would leave the family in her will and keep them from being destitute. All three feared for the eventuality of the Sullivans becoming beggars on the street. It is here that we branch into the stories of all three girls who explain the situations that have brought them to Amighty for their apology.

I freely admit, the beginning of the book was a bit slow. It took me a bit of time to get into Norrie’s story. Her demeanor was so reserved and at times felt emotionless that it was difficult to really find her compelling. I’ll also add that I didn’t feel the spark between she and the boy she fell in love with. While Standiford handled the age difference (it was relatively sizable) with dignity and without any hint of impropriety I still felt it a bit disconnected. It wasn’t until the very end of her story — where all the real action I won’t ruin for you happened — that I was finally able to get into it all.

Jane’s story, on the other hand, was great. As a girl with a more mischievous and rebellious nature she brought a light-hearted and entertaining tone to the book. Having said that, her rebellion against the Sullivans is born of the deeply rooted sadness that appeared as a result of a non-familial event. She’s built up some pretty sturdy walls and uses a very public airing of the family’s dirty laundry as a way to keep everything locked in tight. It was a great ride of ups and downs.

The most tragic (in some ways) story of the three was Sassy’s. She too was keeping a very difficult secret from everyone. A secret that caused much internal conflict and ultimately some revelations about not only her state of mind but Almighty’s as well. It was her story that facilitated the resolution to the story.

The biggest character on any page, without a doubt, was Almighty herself. More than being the main focus of everyone’s ire and consternation she was the character in the story that showed the most change. She started out as a very proper woman who closed herself off to her family but over the course of the three girls apologies she recognized qualities in herself that she wanted to change. It is her transformation by the end of the story that is most compelling.

Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters is good for young girls and women interested in a story that shows depth and change of character. There aren’t loads of twists and turns and there aren’t any grand sweeping to die for love stories but this quiet book about family is a lovely read.(less)

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Dec 26, 2010 Valerie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is about an extremely rich family. The grandmother, Almighty, learns she isn't long on this world, and she has been hurt by someone in the Sullivan family. She is changing her will so that the whole family is written out of it. The Sullivans include Almighty's son, his relatively lazy wife, and their 6 children, 3 boys and 3 girls. They decide that it must be one of the girls, ages 15, 16, 17, who caused her to write them out of the will, so each of the girls writes a confession to the...more

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Dec 08, 2010 Reader rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-read-november-2010

The Sullivan family is at the top of the Baltimore social ladder. Sisters Norrie, Jane and Sassy attend an elite private school, and enjoy all the privilege and freedom that their almost absentee parents Ginger and Daddy-o provide, until a Christmas dinner at their grandmother's ("Almighty Lou") could change everything. Almighty announces that one of the sisters has offended her, and unless one of them confesses and apologizes, the whole family will be cut from her inheritance, and all her wealt...more

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Dec 06, 2010 Kelly Hager rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Norrie, Jane and Sassy Sullivan are trust fund kids. Their grandmother–known to everyone as Almighty–gathers the family (the girls, their parents and three brothers) and says that one of them has offended her so much that they’re all going to be cut out of her will. She refuses to say who or why, but says that if the guilty party writes a confession, she’ll consider reinstating them. Each of the sisters is convinced that she’s the one responsible and the book is made up of their confessions.

I fi...more

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Oct 16, 2010 Hayden rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: chick-lit, teen

I didn't realize until my hold for this book came in that it was by the author of How to Say Goodbye in Robot. Yay!

Each of the three Sullivan sisters has committed a crime against Almighty, their rich and powerful grandmother. She threatens to cut the entire family out of her will, leaving all of her vast estate to Ponchos for Puppies (the most ridiculous charity on earth), if the offending culprit does not make a full confession. Each of the sisters assumes her own guilt and writes a lengthy ex...more

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Oct 14, 2010 Kari rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arc-or-review-from-publisher-author, books-i-own, read-teen

The Short Version:
With three different, well written voices, a flamboyant and entertaining family set up, and confessions that are both amusing and surprising, Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters lays everything of this rich family out for the reader, holding nothing back. Despite the few qualms I had with the ending, the overall feel is a great read with a smooth mixture of depth and lightheartedness. This is not just rich brats throwing a fit, but teens muddling through and balancing a few dif...more The Short Version:
With three different, well written voices, a flamboyant and entertaining family set up, and confessions that are both amusing and surprising, Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters lays everything of this rich family out for the reader, holding nothing back. Despite the few qualms I had with the ending, the overall feel is a great read with a smooth mixture of depth and lightheartedness. This is not just rich brats throwing a fit, but teens muddling through and balancing a few different things thrown at them, handling it both with fumbles and brawn.

The Long Version:
Quirky and funny, Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters blends a rich lifestyle with humor and teenage realism. With three different perspectives, a certain flamboyance throughout, and an amusing, simplistic premise, it is easy to get into and engaging from the start. Which sister has offended Almighty to the point of no inheritance? What did they do that was so heinous the entire family has been cut out of the will? Interest in piqued from the start and the ultimate answers are not revealed until the end.

Norrie is the oldest of the three, and the first to confess. Many of the family and setting introductions are made in her section, but are blended smoothly and come from her voice, making it more realistic. With an upcoming debutante cotillion looming over her head, pressure to use a grandmother approved escort, and her own fiery romance starting, Norrie has plenty to confess about. She is kind and funny, perceptive and able to piece things together. Norrie thinks things through, and takes her family into consideration often, but she also feels a strong urge to do things her way.

Jane is the middle of the three girls, and the black sheep of the family, so to speak. Her basic reason for confessing is hilarious and plays out in a fantastic way, and her growth as things progress plays out tremendously well. She struggles with her religion and beliefs, struggles with her family, and struggles with her friends. Jane was incredibly authentic, and stood out the most to me.

Sassy had an interesting voice and some amusing beliefs. She has a huge, kind heart, is selfish in the most selfless of ways, and wears many of her feelings right out on her sleeve. Her confession was the most surprising, even if a bit predictable by the time her story came around. She makes her own growth strides, but I felt of the three, hers was the least notable and clear.

The interactions between the sisters was one of the most notable aspects of this book. They got along well, spent quite a bit of time together, and clearly cared deeply for each other, but all three still had their own hobbies and secrets. Another unique aspect of this book was the perspective shifts, getting first all of Norrie's story, then Jane, and finally Sassy. The same time period was told from the different viewpoints, with some variations according to memory of the same events, and new things thrown in that were specific to each girl. This did lead to some repetition and predictability, but it was also interesting to see it in different lights.

Each of the three confessions are both surprising and interesting, making the reader question which one would really upset Almighty that much. The actual confession is unpredictable, and not given until the last few pages of the book. While I did feel the very last little bit was rushed and unexpected, overall, the flow and tie ins were well paced. There are subtle but clear differences in voice between the three girls, and the three sections are written in a way that really does make it seem like the girls have written it, rather than a typical narrative voice.

(less)

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Sep 27, 2010 K rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: library

My favorite part of a Natalie Standiford book (okay, sure, there’ve only been two) is the kooky characters. They feel completely authentic, like they exist outside of these pages. Not in an I-recognize-that-caricature kind of a way, but in a way that feels like the books are just glimpses into their everyday lives. This is just one story of many from them, they’ve had adventures before and they’ll continue having adventures after. Not every quirk is explained and scrutinized for the reader or us...more

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Sep 02, 2010 Jennifer Rayment rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Good Stuff

* The style of writing is perfectly suited for the story. It sounds like it is actually being written by teenage girls
* Delightfully eccentric and lovable characters
* Nothing stereotypical about the characters (The rich people are not horrific like in most stories)
* Reminded me of the books I read as a teen
* Light, optimistic and downright funny at times
* The sisters are delightful and would love to be friends with them
* Absolutely wonderful ending
* Love the relationships b...more

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Aug 29, 2010 Jaclyn rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I thought I loved How to Say Goodbye in Robot, but this was even more my kind of story. At first I was a little dubious...rich people, yawn. But I quickly realized these were not just rich people. These were ECCENTRIC, FUNNY rich people. Which is a whole other matter. If you've ever read Nancy Mitford's stunning and hilarious novels, that will give you an idea of what you're in for. Except this is Baltimore, not England. (And of course it's not as witty as Nancy, NO ONE IS, but that is okay.) Th...more

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Jun 01, 2011 Annie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Overall: A charming, eccentric and observant read. A gem of a book.

THE STORY AND ITS CHARACTERS

This book focuses on the lives of 3 sisters, who live in a huge old Baltimore house. We meet their friends, their brothers, their parents (Ginger and Daddy-O) and their vices. Yes, each sister has a confession, one confesses to love, one to pride and one to murder.

You’d think this novel would be darkly dangerous, another Pretty Little Liars, but it’s not. It’s much more soulful, it’s the story of a fa...more

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Jul 13, 2010 Mark rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Having *loved* Standiford's last book (_How to Say Goodbye in Robot_), I was anxious to read this one, about the inner workings of one of Baltimore's richest and most powerful families. Almightly Lou, grandmother to the Sullivan children, and head of the family, calls the Sullivans together to let them know that someone in the family has wronged her, and must make amends immediately. The consequences will be dire: the entire family will be cut out of Almighty's will, if there is no apology. The...more

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Jun 22, 2012 Stephanie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary-fiction-read, my-library, romance, young-adult-read

3.5 out of 5 stars

My Summary: The Sullivan family is anything but normal, and they know it. Their grandmother, Almighty, is a rich socialite that demands respect from her grandchildren. But her granddaughters seem to have gone astray, and Christmas morning Almighty announces that unless one of her grandchildren - whom she claims offended her deeply - writes a written apology & confession and delivers it to her by New Years Day, she will cut the entire family out of the will and they will be...more

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About Natalie Standiford

Natalie Standiford, author of "How to Say Goodbye in Robot," "Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters," and the popular "Space Dog" and "Dating Game" series, has written picture books, nonfiction, chapter books, teen novels, and even horror novels for young adults. Standiford also plays bass in the rock band Tiger Beat, with fellow YA authors Libba Bray, Daniel Ehrenhaft, and Barnabas Miller.
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Breaking Up Is Really, Really Hard to Do (Dating Game, #2)

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“I had to admit he looked nice. He has very regular features and straight teeth. I'd just read that even, regular features are universally recognized as beautiful. So no matter what I think of Brooks as a person, I'm genetically programmed to find him attractive. I resent that.” — 5 people liked it

“Throughout history, big changes always start with a girl meeting a boy."
"No they don't," Jane said. "They start with somebody being assassinated.” — 5 people liked it

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