The Other Shepards

by Adele Griffin

In a house full of dark memories, two sisters try to escape the pastHolland Shepard is a responsible teenager who spends her life trying to keep her feelings inside. Her sister Geneva is the opposite—a bundle of nerves who dreads sentimentality, but suffers so acutely from nervous disorders that a ride in an elevator is enough to send her into a fit. The girls are like summer and fall—close, yet utterly distinct—but in their parents’ house, they are growing up almost as ghosts. Because this home belongs to John, Kevin, and Elizabeth—Holland and Geneva’s siblings, who died before the girls were born. Burdened by grief, their parents cannot bond with the daughters who replaced their original family, and so it is left to Holland to look out for herself and her sister. When a mysterious artist comes to paint a mural in their house, the girls get a glimpse into their family’s past and a chance to find themselves a place in its future. This ebook features a personal history by Adele Griffin including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author’s own collection.

Genres: Young Adult, Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction

218 pages, ebook

First published September 28, 1998

About the author

from Wikipedia:

Adele Griffin is the author of over thirty highly-acclaimed books across a variety of genres, including Sons of Liberty and Where I Want to Be, both National Book Award Finalists.

Her debut adult novel The Favor explores themes of friendship, surrogacy, and nontraditional family building.

Find her on TikTok at @adelegriffinbooks and Instagram at @adelegriffin or www.adelegriffin.


website: www.adelegriffin.com


Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/adelegriffi...

Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Adele-G...


Open Road Media interview
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSa3P...

Reviews

[PinkAmy loves books, cats and naps · Rating 4 out of 5]

GRADE: B

Eighth-grader Holland and her younger sister Geneva are the Replacement Shepards, replacements for there three elder siblings who died twenty years ago. One might think their parents would be overly protective and demonstrative, but the opposite is true. The girls are woefully unsupervised.

Adele Griffin's middle grade novel, THE OTHER SHEPARDS, is a quick, heartfelt story. Both sisters suffer from anxiety disorders. Holland appears to have mild OCD and Geneva is often in a state of panic. The family has a psychiatrist, Geneva is on medication, but neither girl is in therapy. Holland is left to manage her little sister's symptoms.

Griffin's writing style is engaging. She's given narrator Holland a mature, yet believable voice. While not always believable, middle graders will love the independent adventures the sisters encounter.

[Colette! · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like to think of this book as a litmus test for whether or not you'll enjoy Wes Anderson movies as an adult.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holland and Geneva Shepard live in the shadow of three older siblings (Elizabeth, John & Kevin) who died several years before the girls were even born. Their parents are reserved and almost too removed from their lives. It's like they are afraid to care too much again. But then Annie comes into their lives. Annie, the artist who encourages the girls to live a less-reserved life. She encourages Holland to invite her crush, Louis Littlebird, over to the house; encourages them to paint the wall in the kitchen as a mural. Then, when airplane tickets mysteriously appear, the girls take a trip to the vacation home they've never seen (except in photographs of the other Shepards) and learn how to deal with the past. The question is: what's happened to Annie? And why had no one else ever seen her?

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book repeatedly as a kid and it's no less magical as an adult. I love Holland and Geneva, their relationship with Annie, and their dedication to each other. The Other Shepards gorgeously paints a story of love, loss, and the complexity of being left behind.

"The language of loss is hard to speak, but thankfully there is always plenty to say about the weather."

[lucky little cat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like an E.L. Konigsburg book with a generous gothic streak added. Absolutely lovable, from the days before Griffin started specializing in mean girl stories.

[Kailey (Luminous Libro) · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars
Sisters Geneva and Holland are constantly living in the shadow of their deceased siblings, who died before they were born. Everyone they meet has a story about the siblings, and the girls can't seem to grow up in their own way without everyone comparing them to their deceased older siblings. Annie is a painter who comes to their home to help them paint a mural in the kitchen. Geneva and Holland find a freedom in her company, and she encourages them to express themselves and begin to heal.

This is an interesting exploration of grief. How do you grieve for family members who died before you were born? How do you move on with your life when everything around you reminds you of them, but you have no actual memories of them? The girls find it difficult to deal with their parents' grief, and they are curious about the past because people compare them to their older siblings.

The youngest, Geneva, has developed severe anxiety and OCD, and Holland feels that she has to be the perfect daughter and take care of her younger sister. As they begin to heal and find their own way, Geneva finds more courage and confidence, and Holland feels like she has the freedom to be imperfect and express her anger. I really loved their character development.

There isn't much to the plot though. They just kind of wander around town and meet people and go to school and have dinner. There is a mystery surrounding Annie. Nobody seems to know who she is or where she comes from. But it's pretty obvious from the beginning that she is... well, spoilers. But it's obvious. No plot twists there.

The writing is thoughtful and well-developed, but I found myself skimming the descriptive paragraphs. It is a good story and well-written, but I think this is just not my type of book, so it didn't really grab my attention.

[Pamela Bronson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book deserves five stars for prose and plotting, which are excellent. But I don't want to read it again - I found it rather sad, though it ends "happy". It's so poignant, I don't think I will ever forget it.

It's about two girls born long after the death of their three older siblings, the "Buggies", who were very close and very fun and very close to their parents. The Buggies died in a car accident while one of them was driving. Their parents seem never to have recovered. They didn't get very close to the two daughters they had later.

I think that last bit is true to life. My husband's parents lost two little boys in two or three years to sudden onset diseases in the 1950s. (They also had two other children who lived.) My husband is the younger of two "replacement babies" and never felt close to his parents. He also felt that all the fun happened before he was born, but maybe a lot of last-borns feel that way.

I am especially intrigued by the younger girl in the book, Geneva, who has the sort of OCD where her anxiety is relieved by washing rituals. "Water fixes me," she says. Apparently this motto also applies to visiting the ocean.

It's unclear what is really happening - it's a magic-or-not, ghost-or-not story - but there is definite healing going on, if not for the parents then at least for these two girls. And they learn that their parents care for them very much, even if they have a hard time showing it.

Parts of it are really beautiful.

I think the main part I don't like are the hints that Heaven is a pleasant illusion.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book once, as a young teenager, and the story stayed with me for YEARS. Every now and then, I would remember it, and be entranced by recalling the plot. It was a source of inspiration and pleasure to just walk around my neighbourhood and think about this novel.

So finally, after more than half my life thinking about how good it was, I decided to re-read it. And it was even BETTER than I remembered. Seriously, this book is incredible. Thoughtful, wise, original. An ending you can debate and think about forever. Unique, interesting characters. Witty, real dialogue and observations that feel rooted in an authentic adolescent experience.

If I could, I would make every kid between 10 - 14 read this book. And then re-read it as adults.

[Shanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Teenager Holland and her pre-teen sister Geneva are living in the shadow of their siblings, who all died in a car accident when they were teens 18 years ago, before both girls were born. The parents are distant from Holland and Geneva, and as a result Holland takes on the parental role for Geneva. The parents never came to terms with their loss, and aren't able to fully give to their youngest daughters. Holland and Geneva are left to themselves, and each are a bit maladjusted. Then Annie appears, shaking up the girls' lives. The reader is left to decide whether Annie is the ghost of the eldest daughter, or a figment of Holland's imagination. I chose the latter.

[Francesca]

Read in the Italian translation "La ragazza che sognava i fantasmi" (Battello a Vapore, Banda Rosa)

[Lisa Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit strange, but an interesting YA read. Sisters Holland and Geneva are the much-younger siblings of 3 older children killed before the younger 2 were born.

[Marwa Abdullah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heart warming

[Kricket · Rating 2 out of 5]

holland & geneva are their parents' second family; their first three children died in a car accident eighteen years before. mr. & mrs. shephard are still paralyzed by grief. mr. shephard is immersed in his work, mrs. shephard expects holland to take care of geneva's episodes of panic and OCD- yet does not keep geneva in continual therapy- and accuses her children of being "ick" whenever they show emotion or love. the parents leave their children alone for long periods of time, yet become controlling when holland meets a boy. they refuse to talk about their dead children, yet leave their portraits hanging on the wall. finally, the sister comes back from the dead to help holland & geneva loosen up, learn to be brave and independent and confront their parents. who change a little bit. but not much.

the sister should have haunted the parents instead. they totally suck. as characters and as parents, they didn't make any sense, and also had no personalities. and geneva was really annoying. BOOOO.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an important book. It's the kind of book you'll want to read every once and a while throughout your life. It's appropriate for middle school all the way up through wherever it is life takes you from there. The voice is perfect, the story is moving and uplifting. From dealing with loss to managing the regular tough stuff of growing up, Griffin has created unforgettable characters for us. If it can be said that readers owe for work like this, then we owe Griffin. She explores the human heart and in so doing, touches ours. Yeah. I really like this book. Can you tell?

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is really good. It's very ironic at the ending.

[Sonja · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall, it is a sweet book about a family overcoming mental illness and death, but it just didn't resonate with me.

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the twists and turns of this book; how you never really know if it was a ghost story or not. :D

[danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

well written

[Beth/Sr. Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the book better once the girls stopped being passive and took action!