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Sisters One, Two, Three
After a tragic accident on Martha’s Vineyard, keeping secrets becomes a way of life for the Tangle family. With memories locked away, the sisters take divergent paths. Callie disappears, Mimi keeps so busy she has no time to think, and Ginger develops a lifelong aversion to risk that threatens the relationships she holds most dear.
When a whispered comment overheard by her rebellious teenage daughter forces Ginger to reveal a long-held family secret, the Tangles’ carefully constructed web of lies begins to unravel. Upon the death of Glory, the family’s colorful matriarch, and the return of long-estranged Callie, Ginger resolves to return to Martha’s Vineyard and piece together what really happened on that calamitous day when a shadow fell over four sun-kissed siblings playing at the shore. Along with Ginger’s newfound understanding come the keys to reconciliation: with her mother, with her sisters, and with her daughter.
At turns heartbreaking, humorous, and hopeful, Sisters One, Two, Three explores not only the consequences of secrets—even secrets kept out of love—but also the courage it takes to speak the truth, to forgive, and to let go.
When a whispered comment overheard by her rebellious teenage daughter forces Ginger to reveal a long-held family secret, the Tangles’ carefully constructed web of lies begins to unravel. Upon the death of Glory, the family’s colorful matriarch, and the return of long-estranged Callie, Ginger resolves to return to Martha’s Vineyard and piece together what really happened on that calamitous day when a shadow fell over four sun-kissed siblings playing at the shore. Along with Ginger’s newfound understanding come the keys to reconciliation: with her mother, with her sisters, and with her daughter.
At turns heartbreaking, humorous, and hopeful, Sisters One, Two, Three explores not only the consequences of secrets—even secrets kept out of love—but also the courage it takes to speak the truth, to forgive, and to let go.
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2017
8919 people are currently reading
10165 people want to read
About the author
Nancy Star
24 books175 followersNancy Star is the bestselling author of Sisters One, Two Three and five other novels including her latest, Rules For Moving, coming this Spring. Star’s novels have been translated into many languages, optioned for television, and chosen as Literary Guild and Mystery Guild Signature Series selections. In addition to her novels, Star’s essays have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Family Circle, among other publications. Before turning to writing fiction full-time, Star worked for over a decade as an executive in the movie business. She now lives with her husband in New Jersey. Visit her website: nancystarauthor.com and follow her on twitter: @nancystarauthor and instagram: @nancystarauthor
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,448 reviews
March 29, 2017
This was the first book that I've read by this author, and I'm still not quite sure what to make of it. 'Sisters One, Two Three' certainly wasn't my usual type of story. It ended up being "okay", but not particularly interesting or compelling - at least, not for me.
I listed to the Audible version of this book and the narration was fine. However, the characters were unappealing and awkward for me. I just didn't like any of them...and boy, did I try.
The story is told from the POV of Ginger and jumps back and forth between her present-day adult life and her childhood. The reader/listener is provided a front row seat to the inner-workings of two generations of strained mother-daughter relationships. There is the present-day relationship between Ginger and her daughter, Julia. Then, there is the relationships between Ginger's mother, Glory, with Ginger and her sisters, Mimi and Callie.
Right from the start, I was appalled by Julia's disrespectful behavior toward her mother. Oddly enough, while it seems that the intent of the author is to portray Ginger as some sort of over-bearing, out of control, worry wart, I didn't find any of Ginger's behaviors to be alarming. In fact, if anything, I found the lack of concern from her husband and the daughter's bratty, entitled behavior to be the source of my outrage. I was with Ginger all the way. Her teenage daughter needed to be reined in and her husband needed a foot in his a$$.
Accordingly I didn't buy into one of the major premises of this story, which was that Ginger's over-bearing nature chased off her daughter. Apparently, when your underage teenage daughter hangs out in her bedroom with her boyfriend, it is going too far to expect her to keep the bedroom door open. Similarly, it should be alright for said teenage daughter to respond in a mouthy, disrespectful manner to her mother if she dares to ask "where she is going", "who she is going with", "what she is doing", etc. I call bullshit! That is called "parenting".
Of course, while I spent most of this book wanting to bitch-slap Ginger's worthless husband, who spent most of this story mentally checked out, I couldn't really jump on the "horrible Ginger bandwagon" that seemed to be driving the storyline. Nope. Nothing was going to convince me that a reasonable parent wouldn't be concerned when their underage teenage daughter decided to run off with her boyfriend to become a...wait for it...STREET PERFORMER! I could definitely understand Ginger, it was every other adult in this book that concerned me. To think that Ginger's husband was actually a counselor of some sort terrified me.
Meanwhile, Ginger's memories provide a glimpse into her own relationship with her mother. If Ginger is overbearing, her mother was anything but. In fact, I'm not sure that her mother had a nurturing bone in her body. Glory was one of the most self-absorbed characters that I've ever encountered. Her children were little more than "accessories" or a "captive audience" to stroke her out of control ego. Toward the end, a little light was shed regarding her motivations for some of her actions. By that point, it made little difference to me. I loathed this woman.
I don't want to give too much away, but there are many lies and secrets that prove to be pivotal in this story. Aside from highlighting some very troublesome mother-child relationships, this book illustrates how lies can be ruinous. There was so much dishonesty and it left destruction in it's wake.
Overall, this ended up being a mediocre read for me. I didn't feel like all of my questions were answered. For example, I still have questions about the nature of Glory's relationship with Casper. I also felt like the "big reveal" was a bit anti-climactic. I guess after all of the waiting, I expected something more. In the end, it just never happened.
I listed to the Audible version of this book and the narration was fine. However, the characters were unappealing and awkward for me. I just didn't like any of them...and boy, did I try.
The story is told from the POV of Ginger and jumps back and forth between her present-day adult life and her childhood. The reader/listener is provided a front row seat to the inner-workings of two generations of strained mother-daughter relationships. There is the present-day relationship between Ginger and her daughter, Julia. Then, there is the relationships between Ginger's mother, Glory, with Ginger and her sisters, Mimi and Callie.
Right from the start, I was appalled by Julia's disrespectful behavior toward her mother. Oddly enough, while it seems that the intent of the author is to portray Ginger as some sort of over-bearing, out of control, worry wart, I didn't find any of Ginger's behaviors to be alarming. In fact, if anything, I found the lack of concern from her husband and the daughter's bratty, entitled behavior to be the source of my outrage. I was with Ginger all the way. Her teenage daughter needed to be reined in and her husband needed a foot in his a$$.
Accordingly I didn't buy into one of the major premises of this story, which was that Ginger's over-bearing nature chased off her daughter. Apparently, when your underage teenage daughter hangs out in her bedroom with her boyfriend, it is going too far to expect her to keep the bedroom door open. Similarly, it should be alright for said teenage daughter to respond in a mouthy, disrespectful manner to her mother if she dares to ask "where she is going", "who she is going with", "what she is doing", etc. I call bullshit! That is called "parenting".
Of course, while I spent most of this book wanting to bitch-slap Ginger's worthless husband, who spent most of this story mentally checked out, I couldn't really jump on the "horrible Ginger bandwagon" that seemed to be driving the storyline. Nope. Nothing was going to convince me that a reasonable parent wouldn't be concerned when their underage teenage daughter decided to run off with her boyfriend to become a...wait for it...STREET PERFORMER! I could definitely understand Ginger, it was every other adult in this book that concerned me. To think that Ginger's husband was actually a counselor of some sort terrified me.
Meanwhile, Ginger's memories provide a glimpse into her own relationship with her mother. If Ginger is overbearing, her mother was anything but. In fact, I'm not sure that her mother had a nurturing bone in her body. Glory was one of the most self-absorbed characters that I've ever encountered. Her children were little more than "accessories" or a "captive audience" to stroke her out of control ego. Toward the end, a little light was shed regarding her motivations for some of her actions. By that point, it made little difference to me. I loathed this woman.
I don't want to give too much away, but there are many lies and secrets that prove to be pivotal in this story. Aside from highlighting some very troublesome mother-child relationships, this book illustrates how lies can be ruinous. There was so much dishonesty and it left destruction in it's wake.
Overall, this ended up being a mediocre read for me. I didn't feel like all of my questions were answered. For example, I still have questions about the nature of Glory's relationship with Casper. I also felt like the "big reveal" was a bit anti-climactic. I guess after all of the waiting, I expected something more. In the end, it just never happened.
February 9, 2017
Nobody talks to each other -Nobody talks about "the accident", "the tragedy" in the
Tangle Family.
Interesting family name, 'Tangle'.
The dictionary definition of the word tangle is.....
to bring together into a mass of confusedly interlace or intertwisted threads, strands, or other parts; snarl.
to involve in something that hampers, obstructs, or overgrown.
And..... that just about sums this story up!!!!!!
The author weaves her storytelling through past and present.
.....Faulty characters....with an unpredictable, turbulent mother.
.....The ramifications from 'the accident' - from staying 'quiet' for years, (decades), affects four children.
.....There were times I definitely needed to suspend belief -- yet, this was a compelling family story --- TANGLED --- COMPLICATED ---DISTURBING-- and at times just
WACKY!!!
Messages galore! A great book club discussion book!!!
Tangle Family.
Interesting family name, 'Tangle'.
The dictionary definition of the word tangle is.....
to bring together into a mass of confusedly interlace or intertwisted threads, strands, or other parts; snarl.
to involve in something that hampers, obstructs, or overgrown.
And..... that just about sums this story up!!!!!!
The author weaves her storytelling through past and present.
.....Faulty characters....with an unpredictable, turbulent mother.
.....The ramifications from 'the accident' - from staying 'quiet' for years, (decades), affects four children.
.....There were times I definitely needed to suspend belief -- yet, this was a compelling family story --- TANGLED --- COMPLICATED ---DISTURBING-- and at times just
WACKY!!!
Messages galore! A great book club discussion book!!!
January 8, 2017
3.75 stars. I really liked Sisters One, Two and Three until the end, and then it got a bit weird for me. The story is told from Ginger's perspective, and moves back and forth in time between the 1970s and today. Ginger is the oldest of four siblings, and in the 1970s a tragic event redefined her family. As an adult, Ginger struggles with her relationship with her own daughter. The story is very much focused on flawed relationships between mothers and daughters. Ginger's mother Goldie is emotionally complicated, and makes a number of odd choices that have a huge impact on her family. Ginger's attempt to overcompensate for aspects of her own upbringing has its own consequences. I liked Sisters One, Two and Three because Nancy Star created flawed characters without making them cartoonish. She also does an amazing job conveying charged complex emotional situations. This is a family that communicates very little, but as a reader I understood and felt a lot, especially when reading some of the scenes involving Goldie in the 1970s. Where the story weakened for me is toward the end when a big secret is revealed. At that point, the narrative seemed to lose some of its emotional subtlety and I'm not sure the secret worked for me. Still, I started reading this one without any expectations, and for the most part I was happily surprised. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy.
March 6, 2017
This book is about the dysfunctional Tangle family. Glory is married with four children. She is not the most maternal of role models and is emotionally void. She is disappointed with her husband’s career and how her life has turned out in general. One summer while the family is away at Martha’s Vineyard a tragedy occurs altering the family dynamic. They all agree to hide the secret but the omission always lurks in the background and negatively impacts their lives.
The book is narrated by the oldest daughter Ginger. Chapters alternate from current day life to the Tangle family back in the ‘70’s. Ginger is a school nurse who like her mother has problems relating with her teenage daughter. As Glory develops dementia, Ginger becomes responsible for her mother’s care.
When Glory passes away, her sister Callie unexpectedly returns home. All of the Tangle sisters travel to Martha’s Vineyard for their mother’s memorial service. The sisters, confronted with their mother’s death, finally open up about the past secrets that have defined them. They share their perspectives which sheds light on their family dynamics.
The mother-daughter relationships in the book were well crafted. The family interactions and emotions were realistically portrayed. It is truly a depiction of how keeping secrets can damage relationships in the long run.
Twitter party on 3/7 - Lake Union Authors - Nancy Star is scheduled from 430- 500 ESt with book giveaway - more info on blog https://www.facebook.com/suzyapproved...
authors at Twitter Party - https://www.facebook.com/suzyapproved...
The book is narrated by the oldest daughter Ginger. Chapters alternate from current day life to the Tangle family back in the ‘70’s. Ginger is a school nurse who like her mother has problems relating with her teenage daughter. As Glory develops dementia, Ginger becomes responsible for her mother’s care.
When Glory passes away, her sister Callie unexpectedly returns home. All of the Tangle sisters travel to Martha’s Vineyard for their mother’s memorial service. The sisters, confronted with their mother’s death, finally open up about the past secrets that have defined them. They share their perspectives which sheds light on their family dynamics.
The mother-daughter relationships in the book were well crafted. The family interactions and emotions were realistically portrayed. It is truly a depiction of how keeping secrets can damage relationships in the long run.
Twitter party on 3/7 - Lake Union Authors - Nancy Star is scheduled from 430- 500 ESt with book giveaway - more info on blog https://www.facebook.com/suzyapproved...
authors at Twitter Party - https://www.facebook.com/suzyapproved...
November 29, 2016
I am going to start my review by stating that I do not think I am the target audience for this novel – there are too many dysfunctional people in the story for me. That being said, I enjoyed the first half of the novel and was curious where the story was headed. The unhappy Tangle family takes a trip to Martha’s Vineyard one summer where a horrific accident occurs (I actually had to look up whether this could actually happen and it can sadly). The various family members react differently, but each in a way that negatively impacts his or her life. About halfway through the novel, various family secrets begin to come to light- some believable and others that were not so realistic. I found it a little hard to swallow that the mother Glory would disappear for periods of time and that neither of her daughters, Mimi or Ginger, would notice when they both regularly visited her and that the secret Glory kept could really be hidden for such a long period of time.
I would not want to spend a single day with any of these characters which definitely impacted my view of the novel. While I felt sorry for each of them, I also really wanted to tell them all to resolve their issues and face the consequences of figuring out what went wrong and why. Sisters One, Two, Three makes the point that choices made by parents can impact children for the rest of their lives; a useful reminder for me as I parent my children. Thanks to Lake Union Publishing for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I would not want to spend a single day with any of these characters which definitely impacted my view of the novel. While I felt sorry for each of them, I also really wanted to tell them all to resolve their issues and face the consequences of figuring out what went wrong and why. Sisters One, Two, Three makes the point that choices made by parents can impact children for the rest of their lives; a useful reminder for me as I parent my children. Thanks to Lake Union Publishing for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
February 7, 2017
Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic ARC of this novel.
(4.5 stars rounded up to 5 for GR.)
“Sisters One, Two Three” is a delightful story by novelist Nancy Star. Three sisters, all very different, must come together after the death of their mother; Ginger, the eldest, the overanxious hypochondriac, Mimi, the laissez-faire soccer Mom extraordinaire and Callie, the youngest and the wanderer whom, as of late, has been on one of her famous disappearing acts. The three finally converge at their Martha’s Vineyard home and, finally, are forced to confront the tragedy from their childhood that has plagued them all for years.
This novel has great style, flow and is very easy to read. I was overjoyed when the format on my E-reader copy was clear (no choppy paragraphs or bad formatting), and I could easily engage. I was also on a severe time crunch with this novel, and was grateful when this novel turned out to be so addicting and enthralling.
All of the characters in this novel are well thought out and unique, as well as realistic and flawed. I loved the main character, Ginger, right from the start! A mother with a (mouthy and disrespectful) teenaged daughter, a push-over for a husband and a mother who’s brain capacity is diminishing, would turn any adult into an anxiety-ridden mess, and Ginger is no different. But Ginger’s flaws work well in juxtapose with her siblings and their relationship is one of the most genuine in the entire novel.
The ending has a bittersweet tang to it, but overall the novel wraps up in a concise and heartwarming way. The mystery is solved, old relationships are rekindled, and old bonds are rebuilt. It is very apparent that Ms. Star is not a novice writer, as her novel starts off well, continues along smoothly to its climax, and ends in a comforting and satisfying way, weaving in the right amount of emotion and charm. I have read a few novels lately that have taken place across two timelines (as this one does), and they have been disjointed and confusing to me as a reader. However this one (even on my E-Reader!) was surprisingly easy to follow and the dual timelines actually added to the plot.
Thanks again to the publisher and NetGalley for this novel. Normally this novel would not be something I would pick up if I happened across it, but I am grateful for the chance to experience this one, and I surprisingly enjoyed it! Nancy Star has the writing chops to convince me to seek out more of her novels and hope they too have the well thought out, creative charm that “Sisters” has.
(4.5 stars rounded up to 5 for GR.)
“Sisters One, Two Three” is a delightful story by novelist Nancy Star. Three sisters, all very different, must come together after the death of their mother; Ginger, the eldest, the overanxious hypochondriac, Mimi, the laissez-faire soccer Mom extraordinaire and Callie, the youngest and the wanderer whom, as of late, has been on one of her famous disappearing acts. The three finally converge at their Martha’s Vineyard home and, finally, are forced to confront the tragedy from their childhood that has plagued them all for years.
This novel has great style, flow and is very easy to read. I was overjoyed when the format on my E-reader copy was clear (no choppy paragraphs or bad formatting), and I could easily engage. I was also on a severe time crunch with this novel, and was grateful when this novel turned out to be so addicting and enthralling.
All of the characters in this novel are well thought out and unique, as well as realistic and flawed. I loved the main character, Ginger, right from the start! A mother with a (mouthy and disrespectful) teenaged daughter, a push-over for a husband and a mother who’s brain capacity is diminishing, would turn any adult into an anxiety-ridden mess, and Ginger is no different. But Ginger’s flaws work well in juxtapose with her siblings and their relationship is one of the most genuine in the entire novel.
The ending has a bittersweet tang to it, but overall the novel wraps up in a concise and heartwarming way. The mystery is solved, old relationships are rekindled, and old bonds are rebuilt. It is very apparent that Ms. Star is not a novice writer, as her novel starts off well, continues along smoothly to its climax, and ends in a comforting and satisfying way, weaving in the right amount of emotion and charm. I have read a few novels lately that have taken place across two timelines (as this one does), and they have been disjointed and confusing to me as a reader. However this one (even on my E-Reader!) was surprisingly easy to follow and the dual timelines actually added to the plot.
Thanks again to the publisher and NetGalley for this novel. Normally this novel would not be something I would pick up if I happened across it, but I am grateful for the chance to experience this one, and I surprisingly enjoyed it! Nancy Star has the writing chops to convince me to seek out more of her novels and hope they too have the well thought out, creative charm that “Sisters” has.
January 1, 2017
All of my reviews can be found on www.novelgossip.com
I love a book with a plot based around secrets, and when it’s a family that has things hidden from each other, I’m even more curious. The Tangle family has skeletons in their closets, and the power of long kept secrets have affected all three sisters in dramatic and very different ways. Told alternately from the 1970’s and present day, all from eldest sister Ginger’s point of view, it’s clear that tragedy will strike when Ginger, Mimi and Callie are young. Present day shows what happens when their mother, Glory passes away and two tragedies set decades apart manage to both devastate and reunite the dysfunctional and broken Tangle family.
I loved how this book made me question how I think I would handle things if I was in the same situation as this family. I kept thinking about secrets, and wondering when is it really ok to keep things from your loved ones? Glory makes some parenting choices for her children that I had a hard time understanding, but I think that she was making decisions and keeping things from her daughters in order to protect them. Seeing how her choices effected the girls as adults was both heartbreaking and interesting. Ginger is such a worrier and her anxiety has a crippling impact on her life and her relationships, especially with her daughter Julia. Mimi is bossy and overbearing, but very much able to function under stress and upheaval. Callie has been damaged the most by the tragedies that she endured, she comes across vulnerable and innocent, I wanted to protect her from any harm. All three were endearing in their own unique way, and they all had quirks based on their upbringing that I found really charming.
I found this book to be a really captivating look at a family shaped by their painful past. Though Ginger, Mimi and Callie were all changed by past events, they all reacted in completely different ways and had wholly separate issues. Even their memories of things that happened when they were young were vastly different, that’s so interesting to me. The day of the original tragedy is remembered vividly and uniquely by each sister. Ultimately this is a story of love, loss, family and healing that I really enjoyed.
I love a book with a plot based around secrets, and when it’s a family that has things hidden from each other, I’m even more curious. The Tangle family has skeletons in their closets, and the power of long kept secrets have affected all three sisters in dramatic and very different ways. Told alternately from the 1970’s and present day, all from eldest sister Ginger’s point of view, it’s clear that tragedy will strike when Ginger, Mimi and Callie are young. Present day shows what happens when their mother, Glory passes away and two tragedies set decades apart manage to both devastate and reunite the dysfunctional and broken Tangle family.
I loved how this book made me question how I think I would handle things if I was in the same situation as this family. I kept thinking about secrets, and wondering when is it really ok to keep things from your loved ones? Glory makes some parenting choices for her children that I had a hard time understanding, but I think that she was making decisions and keeping things from her daughters in order to protect them. Seeing how her choices effected the girls as adults was both heartbreaking and interesting. Ginger is such a worrier and her anxiety has a crippling impact on her life and her relationships, especially with her daughter Julia. Mimi is bossy and overbearing, but very much able to function under stress and upheaval. Callie has been damaged the most by the tragedies that she endured, she comes across vulnerable and innocent, I wanted to protect her from any harm. All three were endearing in their own unique way, and they all had quirks based on their upbringing that I found really charming.
I found this book to be a really captivating look at a family shaped by their painful past. Though Ginger, Mimi and Callie were all changed by past events, they all reacted in completely different ways and had wholly separate issues. Even their memories of things that happened when they were young were vastly different, that’s so interesting to me. The day of the original tragedy is remembered vividly and uniquely by each sister. Ultimately this is a story of love, loss, family and healing that I really enjoyed.
February 7, 2017
Ginger and her daughter do not get along. Ginger has always been trying to avoid the worst from happening even though she is not sure what the worst is. Now her darkest secret has come out and her daughter will not forgive her for keeping it from her. With the death of her mother she must face that past and try to make up for all the years she tried to keep the bad things from happening. This is a heartfelt story of how secrets and events can change a person's life. Good read. I would like to thank the Publisher and Net Galley for the chance to read this ARC.
February 7, 2017
Mothers and and daughters, tragic circumstances with sometimes funny and down right weird family dynamics.The Tangle family(gotta love the name) is a mishmash of emotions.
My heart broke for the young daughters of Glory Tangle. Left cruelly alone to deal with the death of their brother, it is no wonder these three woman turned out as they did. But the family bond is a strong one and there is light at the end of the tunnel however dim.
I enjoyed the story and in the end while I could not empathize with Glory, I at least could understand her a little.
My heart broke for the young daughters of Glory Tangle. Left cruelly alone to deal with the death of their brother, it is no wonder these three woman turned out as they did. But the family bond is a strong one and there is light at the end of the tunnel however dim.
I enjoyed the story and in the end while I could not empathize with Glory, I at least could understand her a little.
April 11, 2017
This book hooked me right in the prologue. I loved the layered characters, particularly Ginger as we watched her grow and wrestle with the difference between being right and being kind. This will be my next book club pick.
December 6, 2016
Don't bother
I couldn't get past the first 50 pages. Went back and reread it to make sure I didn't miss anything the first time around. It just didn't keep my interest.
I couldn't get past the first 50 pages. Went back and reread it to make sure I didn't miss anything the first time around. It just didn't keep my interest.
March 7, 2017
Favorite Quotes:
Ginger cautiously relaxed now that she saw Outside Glory had arrived. That’s how Ginger thought of her mother whenever company was coming. When it was just them, the family home alone, Inside Glory ruled the day. The actual transformation of Inside to Outside was not pleasant to observe. It took about an hour with a makeup kit jammed with so many tools it no longer closed… But Outside Glory was much easier to be around. With plain-faced Inside Glory, there was no telling what might set her off.
This time when Glory stood up, she rose so fast her chair toppled over. For a moment, they all stared at it, the chair on its side on the floor, like some kind of kitchen roadkill.
Glory drove like she was an actress sitting in the chopped-off half of a fake car on an old-time movie set, images of the world whizzing by as if on a screen. It was all, look over there as the car swerved to the right, and look at that, as she overcorrected to the left. Anyone watching would surely assume they were a carload of drunken teenagers, and not a family with a mother who drove, forearms pressed against the wheel, as she inexplicably applied and then reapplied her lipstick every five minutes.
It was odd how often this happened, Ginger and Mimi retaining different slivers of family memory. It was almost as if the recollections had been split down the middle and doled out: you get this, I get that, so no one would be privy to it all.
Mimi is as stubborn as a bloodstain. Came that way straight out of the womb. And Gingie has skin like a peach. Bruises if you look too hard.
My Review:
Sisters One, Two, Three was a compelling, fascinating, and smartly written book. I was completely enthralled and vastly intrigued as the story dug deeper and deeper into this amusingly odd family’s complicated web of secrets, deceptions, manipulations, egocentric tendencies, and tragedy. Every single one of them sported an obnoxious or quirky personality, Ms. Star had to have a massive amount of research to keep their eccentricities and traits consistent and on-point – as she did an excellent job of portraying these well-drawn characters while revealing their deepest of flaws yet also retaining their likeability and endearing qualities by exposing their human frailties and vulnerabilities. The story was artfully presented in an entertaining, cleverly amusing, and heart-squeezing manner. I was captivated, sympathetic, empathetic and embroiled in the children’s’ dilemma as they navigated around each other as well as their mercurial and histrionic mother. Glory was cunning, selfish, smart, witty, grandiose, and full of drama; which kept the oldest daughter, Ginger, anxious, fraught with tension, and constantly on edge while trying to personally stay off her mother’s radar as well as keeping the younger children out of trouble and safe, which of course, was impossible. The storyline was written from a third person POV and followed two timelines, twenty-five years apart. The plot was unique, brilliantly layered, expertly crafted, and enticingly executed. I was an instant fangirl of Ms. Star’s wordcraft and am signing on for life - unless she starts writing about zombies, I truly despise zombies.
Ginger cautiously relaxed now that she saw Outside Glory had arrived. That’s how Ginger thought of her mother whenever company was coming. When it was just them, the family home alone, Inside Glory ruled the day. The actual transformation of Inside to Outside was not pleasant to observe. It took about an hour with a makeup kit jammed with so many tools it no longer closed… But Outside Glory was much easier to be around. With plain-faced Inside Glory, there was no telling what might set her off.
This time when Glory stood up, she rose so fast her chair toppled over. For a moment, they all stared at it, the chair on its side on the floor, like some kind of kitchen roadkill.
Glory drove like she was an actress sitting in the chopped-off half of a fake car on an old-time movie set, images of the world whizzing by as if on a screen. It was all, look over there as the car swerved to the right, and look at that, as she overcorrected to the left. Anyone watching would surely assume they were a carload of drunken teenagers, and not a family with a mother who drove, forearms pressed against the wheel, as she inexplicably applied and then reapplied her lipstick every five minutes.
It was odd how often this happened, Ginger and Mimi retaining different slivers of family memory. It was almost as if the recollections had been split down the middle and doled out: you get this, I get that, so no one would be privy to it all.
Mimi is as stubborn as a bloodstain. Came that way straight out of the womb. And Gingie has skin like a peach. Bruises if you look too hard.
My Review:
Sisters One, Two, Three was a compelling, fascinating, and smartly written book. I was completely enthralled and vastly intrigued as the story dug deeper and deeper into this amusingly odd family’s complicated web of secrets, deceptions, manipulations, egocentric tendencies, and tragedy. Every single one of them sported an obnoxious or quirky personality, Ms. Star had to have a massive amount of research to keep their eccentricities and traits consistent and on-point – as she did an excellent job of portraying these well-drawn characters while revealing their deepest of flaws yet also retaining their likeability and endearing qualities by exposing their human frailties and vulnerabilities. The story was artfully presented in an entertaining, cleverly amusing, and heart-squeezing manner. I was captivated, sympathetic, empathetic and embroiled in the children’s’ dilemma as they navigated around each other as well as their mercurial and histrionic mother. Glory was cunning, selfish, smart, witty, grandiose, and full of drama; which kept the oldest daughter, Ginger, anxious, fraught with tension, and constantly on edge while trying to personally stay off her mother’s radar as well as keeping the younger children out of trouble and safe, which of course, was impossible. The storyline was written from a third person POV and followed two timelines, twenty-five years apart. The plot was unique, brilliantly layered, expertly crafted, and enticingly executed. I was an instant fangirl of Ms. Star’s wordcraft and am signing on for life - unless she starts writing about zombies, I truly despise zombies.
June 27, 2017
Sisters One, Two, Three by Nancy Star is a beautifully written family drama about loss, parenthood, and sisters--and it also happens to be a page turner. Shifting between the past and the present, the novel tells the story of the Tangle family and is narrated by Ginger, the oldest of her four siblings. Early in the novel Ginger reluctantly reveals to her teenaged daughter that she is not one of two children in her family, but four. Ginger's brother died when they were children and she has no idea where her other sister is. The reader is then transported to a fateful summer over twenty years earlier when the family vacationed on Martha's Vineyard. What happened that summer to Ginger's brother Charlie and her relationship with Callie is slowly revealed. As Ginger struggles to make sense of what happened to her original family, she is forced to confront her relationship with her own daughter and Ginger's role in driving her away.
While Sisters One, Two, Three is about a devastating topic--the loss of a child--it is also full of humor, suspense, love, and the intricacies of family dynamics. Star beautifully captures the enchantment of summer on Martha's Vineyard through coupled with Ginger's confusion of her fractured family, all seen through a child's eyes. I'm looking forward to reading more by this author.
While Sisters One, Two, Three is about a devastating topic--the loss of a child--it is also full of humor, suspense, love, and the intricacies of family dynamics. Star beautifully captures the enchantment of summer on Martha's Vineyard through coupled with Ginger's confusion of her fractured family, all seen through a child's eyes. I'm looking forward to reading more by this author.
February 3, 2017
via my blog https://bookstalkerblog.wordpress.com/
“But in the Tangle house, order came and went in fits and starts. Chaos was far more reliable.”
The story starts with three sisters and a little brother. This may well be one of the saddest family stories I have read in a long time. Those looking for a light beach read often pick Women’s Fiction assuming it’s going to be happy endings and baked cookies, as if our literature can’t be disturbing, dysfunctional or raw. This novel is all those things, it is a woman trying to have a better family where chaos isn’t the norm, trying to keep her daughter in a safe bubble because she knows all too well it’s not just the things we see coming that can destroy and kill, it is in the freak accidents too. Ginger is a nurse, she feels it is her mission to keep everyone safe and this turns out to be the very thing causing a distance between her and her teenage daughter Julia. It’s fine and good when our children are young and we are their whole world, but it’s a normal phase for teenagers to grow, to learn to ‘adult’ while still under the umbrella of our protection. The problem is, Ginger’s control issues in the name of safety verge on the obsessive, interfering with normal functioning. As the reader journey’s back to the 1970s and the Tangle family’s ill fated vacation on Martha’s Vineyard it becomes crystal clear why Ginger can’t leave anything in her family’s life to chance.
The tangle family is composed of Ginger (the eldest, the mini mother) , Mimi, Charlie (the only brother) , youngest sister Callie, mother Glory and their father Solly. Solly is the toy king of junk, running a business of overstock toys, as the story tells “Shipments of See ‘n Say where cows went oink. X-Ray Specs with only one lens. Pens with no ink.” To say Glory is disappointed in her husband and the way her life has turned out is an understatement. Beautiful, once on the path to stardom as an actress (if her exaggerations are to be believed) finding herself chained with four children and a lumbering husband is what sets off ‘episodes’, moods like storms that come with debilitating headaches. Mothers throughout time have been the center, she’s the one who fixes everything, our nourishment, who wipes our tears and in some family’s that role doesn’t come naturally. “The Tangle children tried to make themselves good-natured, but no matter how much Glory wished they would become part of the blur of the beach children, racing in and out of water, flushed and happy, bodies glistening with a dusting of damp sand, she was stuck being the mother of Charlie and Callie, who refused to do anything but dig a hole to China, and Mimi, who had come up with a trivial project of her own, building a rock tower to the moon. Ginger irked her the most of all, using her reflector not to improve her tan but as a shield in front of her face, so people would leave her alone.”
Glory was desperate to be a part of that wealthy group of privileged friends, for her own children to be happy and carefree, rather than clumsy and ordinary, neglecting to realize her own stormy moods aren’t the environment sunny children spring from. Glory’s the sort of person whose emotional state is the measure of how everyone else’s day will go. “Glory’s eyes went dull. She could do that, make the light in her eyes flick on or off as if there were a hidden switch.” Parents together form our universe, and when there is mutual respect and balance the home is stable, the calm we look to in keeping us safe from the often chaotic world outside. The Tangle family is the exception, Glory’s desire for something richer than her current state of living, Solly’s gruff manner, the clashing personalities where disagreements can turn into all out war creates an unbearable home-life. Ginger is the little mother who steps in while her mother is finding herself with her theater group or behind closed doors avoiding her children. When an encounter with another man inspires Glory to obtain a rental at Martha’s Vineyard, the children can’t wait to escape the tension of home.
13, Ginger has decided is going to be an unlucky birthday, but it is far worse than she could have conjured in her worrisome mind. As her mother’s ‘bruised little peach’, the tragedy that happens on the trip will create in Ginger an obsessive need to avoid the dangers and risks everyday life imposes upon us. What happened on the beach that day is remembered in fragments that each sister recalls differently. In a silent family, the truth is distorted and what is solid melts beneath children’s feet. Each member walks away with a dose of self-blame, all the Tangle members are broken, and grief that isn’t confronted blackens not just memories but faith, hope, and future happiness.
As an aside, the family and their ‘Tangle Mangling’ of words was a wonderful quirk in the story. Everything comes together in the end, and it’s proof of tenderness in the seemingly emotionally stunted Glory. Callie, the youngest seems to be the only one ever able to win her mother over, simple for being herself. There is an ethereal element in her nature that survives even after tragedy strikes. Callie becomes a tender spot, as the youngest she was always left out and Charlie was her anchor. When he is gone… so too her world.
Glory is more brass as she gets older, but it’s with her death that past tragedies are confronted. Youngest sister Callie returns, but just where was she really? Why is she always disappearing, is it just her nature that causes wanderings? Certainly that day couldn’t have darkened her future as it did both Ginger and Mimi’s lives. What lies did Glory keep to her dying breath and why? Ginger’s own family is falling apart, her daughter flees and it’s a brutal severing but maybe necessary in order for healing to begin. Glory is a cold mother, often bitter and allowing her jaded opinions about love, family to spoil Ginger’s girlish innocence. On the flip side, the things that should have been told were locked away. Was Glory just trying to save her girls much in the same way Ginger wanted to create a safe existence for her own daughter Julia?
Readers will sour on Glory, but the tragedy breeds conflicting emotions. Glory suffers any parent’s worse nightmare, in a double tragedy of sorts. We don’t understand the full picture, much like the puzzles Glory loves to piece together, so too the novel. Was Glory redeemed at the end? No, not anymore than any of us are redeemed in death. She was selfish before she endured loss. Her children needed her far more than she gave, but it may just have been all she had. The reader can feel compassion though, and in her own way she loved all her girls, and her son as well. Some families are tight lipped, some too loose lipped, it’s so hard to find the perfect balance when we are imperfect beings. In this novel though, the Tangles keep tight explanations that could have changed the trajectory of the girls relationships or lack thereof. In hindsight we have all the answers. Glory isn’t forgiven for often treating Ginger as an adult and snipping away any romantic girlish hopes for happiness, we all need doses of reality so we aren’t incapable of facing adulthood, but all children deserve a childhood unclouded by adult disappointments. Things come in due time, anything before is just cruelty. But in truth, in being over protective she is similar to her own mother in the wedge it puts between her and her own child.
This is brutal, sad, and full of family dysfunction which for so many is a reality. Maybe a reader will recognize their own family’s failings or maybe feel lucky they were spared such an upbringing. Either way, it kept me engaged. Of all the characters, what happened to Callie touched me the most. As for Julia’s choices, in breaking free she hurts her mother deeply, but remembering what that age was like and imagining the prison suffocating mothering can be, is it really that shocking?
Available Now
Lake Union Publishing
“But in the Tangle house, order came and went in fits and starts. Chaos was far more reliable.”
The story starts with three sisters and a little brother. This may well be one of the saddest family stories I have read in a long time. Those looking for a light beach read often pick Women’s Fiction assuming it’s going to be happy endings and baked cookies, as if our literature can’t be disturbing, dysfunctional or raw. This novel is all those things, it is a woman trying to have a better family where chaos isn’t the norm, trying to keep her daughter in a safe bubble because she knows all too well it’s not just the things we see coming that can destroy and kill, it is in the freak accidents too. Ginger is a nurse, she feels it is her mission to keep everyone safe and this turns out to be the very thing causing a distance between her and her teenage daughter Julia. It’s fine and good when our children are young and we are their whole world, but it’s a normal phase for teenagers to grow, to learn to ‘adult’ while still under the umbrella of our protection. The problem is, Ginger’s control issues in the name of safety verge on the obsessive, interfering with normal functioning. As the reader journey’s back to the 1970s and the Tangle family’s ill fated vacation on Martha’s Vineyard it becomes crystal clear why Ginger can’t leave anything in her family’s life to chance.
The tangle family is composed of Ginger (the eldest, the mini mother) , Mimi, Charlie (the only brother) , youngest sister Callie, mother Glory and their father Solly. Solly is the toy king of junk, running a business of overstock toys, as the story tells “Shipments of See ‘n Say where cows went oink. X-Ray Specs with only one lens. Pens with no ink.” To say Glory is disappointed in her husband and the way her life has turned out is an understatement. Beautiful, once on the path to stardom as an actress (if her exaggerations are to be believed) finding herself chained with four children and a lumbering husband is what sets off ‘episodes’, moods like storms that come with debilitating headaches. Mothers throughout time have been the center, she’s the one who fixes everything, our nourishment, who wipes our tears and in some family’s that role doesn’t come naturally. “The Tangle children tried to make themselves good-natured, but no matter how much Glory wished they would become part of the blur of the beach children, racing in and out of water, flushed and happy, bodies glistening with a dusting of damp sand, she was stuck being the mother of Charlie and Callie, who refused to do anything but dig a hole to China, and Mimi, who had come up with a trivial project of her own, building a rock tower to the moon. Ginger irked her the most of all, using her reflector not to improve her tan but as a shield in front of her face, so people would leave her alone.”
Glory was desperate to be a part of that wealthy group of privileged friends, for her own children to be happy and carefree, rather than clumsy and ordinary, neglecting to realize her own stormy moods aren’t the environment sunny children spring from. Glory’s the sort of person whose emotional state is the measure of how everyone else’s day will go. “Glory’s eyes went dull. She could do that, make the light in her eyes flick on or off as if there were a hidden switch.” Parents together form our universe, and when there is mutual respect and balance the home is stable, the calm we look to in keeping us safe from the often chaotic world outside. The Tangle family is the exception, Glory’s desire for something richer than her current state of living, Solly’s gruff manner, the clashing personalities where disagreements can turn into all out war creates an unbearable home-life. Ginger is the little mother who steps in while her mother is finding herself with her theater group or behind closed doors avoiding her children. When an encounter with another man inspires Glory to obtain a rental at Martha’s Vineyard, the children can’t wait to escape the tension of home.
13, Ginger has decided is going to be an unlucky birthday, but it is far worse than she could have conjured in her worrisome mind. As her mother’s ‘bruised little peach’, the tragedy that happens on the trip will create in Ginger an obsessive need to avoid the dangers and risks everyday life imposes upon us. What happened on the beach that day is remembered in fragments that each sister recalls differently. In a silent family, the truth is distorted and what is solid melts beneath children’s feet. Each member walks away with a dose of self-blame, all the Tangle members are broken, and grief that isn’t confronted blackens not just memories but faith, hope, and future happiness.
As an aside, the family and their ‘Tangle Mangling’ of words was a wonderful quirk in the story. Everything comes together in the end, and it’s proof of tenderness in the seemingly emotionally stunted Glory. Callie, the youngest seems to be the only one ever able to win her mother over, simple for being herself. There is an ethereal element in her nature that survives even after tragedy strikes. Callie becomes a tender spot, as the youngest she was always left out and Charlie was her anchor. When he is gone… so too her world.
Glory is more brass as she gets older, but it’s with her death that past tragedies are confronted. Youngest sister Callie returns, but just where was she really? Why is she always disappearing, is it just her nature that causes wanderings? Certainly that day couldn’t have darkened her future as it did both Ginger and Mimi’s lives. What lies did Glory keep to her dying breath and why? Ginger’s own family is falling apart, her daughter flees and it’s a brutal severing but maybe necessary in order for healing to begin. Glory is a cold mother, often bitter and allowing her jaded opinions about love, family to spoil Ginger’s girlish innocence. On the flip side, the things that should have been told were locked away. Was Glory just trying to save her girls much in the same way Ginger wanted to create a safe existence for her own daughter Julia?
Readers will sour on Glory, but the tragedy breeds conflicting emotions. Glory suffers any parent’s worse nightmare, in a double tragedy of sorts. We don’t understand the full picture, much like the puzzles Glory loves to piece together, so too the novel. Was Glory redeemed at the end? No, not anymore than any of us are redeemed in death. She was selfish before she endured loss. Her children needed her far more than she gave, but it may just have been all she had. The reader can feel compassion though, and in her own way she loved all her girls, and her son as well. Some families are tight lipped, some too loose lipped, it’s so hard to find the perfect balance when we are imperfect beings. In this novel though, the Tangles keep tight explanations that could have changed the trajectory of the girls relationships or lack thereof. In hindsight we have all the answers. Glory isn’t forgiven for often treating Ginger as an adult and snipping away any romantic girlish hopes for happiness, we all need doses of reality so we aren’t incapable of facing adulthood, but all children deserve a childhood unclouded by adult disappointments. Things come in due time, anything before is just cruelty. But in truth, in being over protective she is similar to her own mother in the wedge it puts between her and her own child.
This is brutal, sad, and full of family dysfunction which for so many is a reality. Maybe a reader will recognize their own family’s failings or maybe feel lucky they were spared such an upbringing. Either way, it kept me engaged. Of all the characters, what happened to Callie touched me the most. As for Julia’s choices, in breaking free she hurts her mother deeply, but remembering what that age was like and imagining the prison suffocating mothering can be, is it really that shocking?
Available Now
Lake Union Publishing
January 10, 2017
SISTERS ONE, TWO, THREE BY NANCY STAR
I am honored to have been granted the opportunity to read this powerful novel which was on my wishlist. I really loved this book and it touched me very deeply. I highly recommend this book to anybody who enjoys reading about family relationships and how our experiences as children affect who we are as adults. This story is about the consequences of keeping secrets from those closest to us. It also explores memories. How different siblings in the same family experience a tragic event and later as adults have very different perceptions and memories. I was profoundly moved by this book and the many themes it explores. Is it harder for us to reveal the truth the longer we have kept something hidden? How certain can we be of our memories of traumatic events that shape who we are.? Different people in the same family remembering different experiences of the same event.
In this story there are four children who go to Martha's Vineyard for a family vacation. Ginger, Mimi, Charlie and Callie. The mother Glory puts a lot of responsibility on Ginger the oldest daughter. I felt that Glory put too much responsibility on her oldest daughter Ginger who is thirteen years old. A tragedy happens that will affect all four children. I don't want to ruin anybody else's experience by saying too much. I feel bad that Ginger thought that what happened was her fault. That in and of itself speaks volumes as to why Ginger acts the way she does. I think it causes harm to tell children that they can never talk or speak about the incident. I think that Glory was a terrible mother. i didn't agree with Glory's decisions regarding Callie, who was the youngest sibling. I want to applaud the author for doing such a great job with her character development of Glory and Ginger. This was excellent storytelling and touches on many complex themes that would make for a great discussion in a book club. I called a dear friend of mine to discuss this book with her after I finished it. Haunting, Poignant, Powerful, this is a novel that I will recommend and I am interested in reading more of this author's work.
Thank you to Lake Union Publishing, Nancy Star and Net Galley for granting me my digital copy for a fair and honest review. .
I am honored to have been granted the opportunity to read this powerful novel which was on my wishlist. I really loved this book and it touched me very deeply. I highly recommend this book to anybody who enjoys reading about family relationships and how our experiences as children affect who we are as adults. This story is about the consequences of keeping secrets from those closest to us. It also explores memories. How different siblings in the same family experience a tragic event and later as adults have very different perceptions and memories. I was profoundly moved by this book and the many themes it explores. Is it harder for us to reveal the truth the longer we have kept something hidden? How certain can we be of our memories of traumatic events that shape who we are.? Different people in the same family remembering different experiences of the same event.
In this story there are four children who go to Martha's Vineyard for a family vacation. Ginger, Mimi, Charlie and Callie. The mother Glory puts a lot of responsibility on Ginger the oldest daughter. I felt that Glory put too much responsibility on her oldest daughter Ginger who is thirteen years old. A tragedy happens that will affect all four children. I don't want to ruin anybody else's experience by saying too much. I feel bad that Ginger thought that what happened was her fault. That in and of itself speaks volumes as to why Ginger acts the way she does. I think it causes harm to tell children that they can never talk or speak about the incident. I think that Glory was a terrible mother. i didn't agree with Glory's decisions regarding Callie, who was the youngest sibling. I want to applaud the author for doing such a great job with her character development of Glory and Ginger. This was excellent storytelling and touches on many complex themes that would make for a great discussion in a book club. I called a dear friend of mine to discuss this book with her after I finished it. Haunting, Poignant, Powerful, this is a novel that I will recommend and I am interested in reading more of this author's work.
Thank you to Lake Union Publishing, Nancy Star and Net Galley for granting me my digital copy for a fair and honest review. .
February 15, 2017
This story relates the negative effects of a terrible tragedy on an already dysfunctional family. While reading this story, I mostly felt devastated and sad. There were times I felt frustrated with a particular character and wanted to shake some sense into them. Later in the story, when I thought I knew everything, more truths were revealed. I felt like I'd been reading about an event that actually occurred. It was too real at times; too much to take. I attribute my strong emotions to the author's writing talent.
There are three sisters in the story, but we only get to know the oldest one up close. I needed to know all three, especially the youngest. Some things don't make sense and I have unanswered questions. Overall I found this to be an interesting story.
I won this ebook in a Goodreads Giveaway!
There are three sisters in the story, but we only get to know the oldest one up close. I needed to know all three, especially the youngest. Some things don't make sense and I have unanswered questions. Overall I found this to be an interesting story.
I won this ebook in a Goodreads Giveaway!
February 9, 2017
It is amazing how families can really damage each other when their intent is exactly the opposite. This novel looks back on a family accident and the impact that keeping secrets about it had on the family from that day forward. Three sisters slowly help each other to unravel the truth after the death of their mother. What they learn about themselves personally, as well as each other is at times tragic and also healing. This is an easy read and I think some book clubs would enjoy discussing it.
November 27, 2021
I would give this 3.5 stars so I am rounding up to 4. I did love the ending but getting there was sometimes painful. Glory was a pip (my nice way of saying batshit crazy) and yet in the end she wasn’t quite as bad as she seemed. And Ginger was a train wreck which was pretty understandable given her mother. Regardless, all of it led to the ending being sweeter than it might have been otherwise. Not my favorite book of all time but overall a good book.
April 12, 2017
Much of Sisters One, Two, Three reminded me of books I have read filled with family drama, dysfunctional, selfish mother, ineffective father, and bewildered, watchful children. Secrets must be kept; talk about confusing, painful things is forbidden and appearances are important. But, bewildered children grow into adults and have children of their own. In the attempt to be provide a very different childhood from their own, these adults make new mistakes and repeat some from their childhood.
Ginger Tangle was the oldest of four children and, consequently, was the most on guard about her mother, Glory's, mercurial behavior. This guarded approach to life caused her to be an overbearing tiger mom whose daughter, Julia, just needs to breathe. Mimi, the second child, was the more defiant one, and as an adult becomes the organizing general in her large family. Charlie, the third child and only boy, tragically dies early in the novel, but the details of his death are not fully disclosed to his sisters. Finally, there is Callie, the youngest child who is somehow lost to her older sisters. Again, in the Tangle family, there are some things you just don't talk about.
What saves this novel from being like so many other family dramas is the truth about Callie. Readers slowly realize that even odd, dysfunctional families have love and everyone is doing the best they can. As adults, many of us vowed to be different from our parents. In reality, we made some of the same mistakes and a few more.
Ginger Tangle was the oldest of four children and, consequently, was the most on guard about her mother, Glory's, mercurial behavior. This guarded approach to life caused her to be an overbearing tiger mom whose daughter, Julia, just needs to breathe. Mimi, the second child, was the more defiant one, and as an adult becomes the organizing general in her large family. Charlie, the third child and only boy, tragically dies early in the novel, but the details of his death are not fully disclosed to his sisters. Finally, there is Callie, the youngest child who is somehow lost to her older sisters. Again, in the Tangle family, there are some things you just don't talk about.
What saves this novel from being like so many other family dramas is the truth about Callie. Readers slowly realize that even odd, dysfunctional families have love and everyone is doing the best they can. As adults, many of us vowed to be different from our parents. In reality, we made some of the same mistakes and a few more.
January 10, 2017
Sisters One, Two, Three was a very emotional story for me. The Tangle family may be dysfunctional but that does not mean that they are not fiercely loyal and love each other immensely. This book is also about secrets but it is not a typical mystery novel. This is more of a melodrama. All families have secrets and things that they don't want to talk about and some of these secrets harm the relationships of the members of the family. The author portrays this perfectly. I really enjoyed this novel and think it would be great for anyone who likes to read books that portray family dynamics and relationships within the family, especially mother-daughter and sister relationships.
I read an advanced copy of this book that was given to me by the publisher.
I read an advanced copy of this book that was given to me by the publisher.
March 19, 2017
What a awesome book about the dynamics of family life. No family is ever perfect. The book centers around Glory and Solly and their four children. One boy and three girls. One day at the beach will change the family forever. How each person is changed by that day. It's also about the secrets that parents hide from their kids hoping to shield them from pain. After Glory dies, join, Ginger, Mimi, and Callie as they search to find out what happened in the past and where they all belong in the present. You will laugh and cry as you join them on their journey. Nancy Star is a huge talent. A must read.
February 7, 2017
Ginger and her teenage daughter Julia aren't getting along. Ginger worries too much and Julia wants a lot of freedom for someone her age. This puts Ginger's marriage under pressure as she and her husband don't always see eye to eye on the situation. Ginger has a lot on her plate. She works as a school nurse, she's looking after her family and she has to take care of her mother, Glory, who keeps losing more of her mind every day. Her mother's illness brings back a lot of memories of Ginger's childhood and most of them aren't happy.
Glory always wanted to be the star of the family and she loved making herself look important in front of the neighbors. She toured with an amateur theatre group, but behaved as if she was an important Hollywood actress. Glory had four children, three girls, Ginger, Mimi and Callie, and a boy, Charlie. One summer they went to Martha's Vineyard where the children spent most of their time on the beach. An awful accident tore their family apart.
Ginger and Mimi see each other regularly. Mimi is the only family Ginger has left now that her mother is fading away. They still don't completely understand what happened in the past. Glory has a lot of secrets and there are many things and people her girls are never supposed to mention. Ginger has no idea what exactly happened on Martha's Vineyard, but by slowly discovering the truth she might learn some very important lessons about life and the relationship she has with her own daughter.
Sisters One, Two, Three is a complicated emotional family story which is set in both the past and the present. Glory has kept so many secrets from her daughter that Ginger lives with a big emptiness inside her. She has plenty of unanswered questions while there's nobody who can tell her what she wants to know. My heart ached for the girl she once was and the influence her mother's actions had on the person she became. Glory has a difficult personality. She's vain and seems superficial, but underneath the perfect exterior is a smart woman who always gets what she wants. Nancy Star writes about her in a fascinating way and I was both compelled and repulsed by her actions and the consequences they had.
Sisters One, Two, Three is a story filled with contradictions. Ginger's life is built on an unsteady basis of lies and secrets. While Mimi has become bossy, Ginger constantly worries and stresses. She's sweet with a heart of gold, but she sees doom and gloom wherever she goes. Nancy Star is very skillful at creating the most peculiar personalities and that's what I loved most about Sisters One, Two, Three. It's a moving story, with a lot of tragedy, but at the same time Glory's absurdness gives it a strange unique vibe. The story definitely surprised me and I think it's fantastic.
Glory always wanted to be the star of the family and she loved making herself look important in front of the neighbors. She toured with an amateur theatre group, but behaved as if she was an important Hollywood actress. Glory had four children, three girls, Ginger, Mimi and Callie, and a boy, Charlie. One summer they went to Martha's Vineyard where the children spent most of their time on the beach. An awful accident tore their family apart.
Ginger and Mimi see each other regularly. Mimi is the only family Ginger has left now that her mother is fading away. They still don't completely understand what happened in the past. Glory has a lot of secrets and there are many things and people her girls are never supposed to mention. Ginger has no idea what exactly happened on Martha's Vineyard, but by slowly discovering the truth she might learn some very important lessons about life and the relationship she has with her own daughter.
Sisters One, Two, Three is a complicated emotional family story which is set in both the past and the present. Glory has kept so many secrets from her daughter that Ginger lives with a big emptiness inside her. She has plenty of unanswered questions while there's nobody who can tell her what she wants to know. My heart ached for the girl she once was and the influence her mother's actions had on the person she became. Glory has a difficult personality. She's vain and seems superficial, but underneath the perfect exterior is a smart woman who always gets what she wants. Nancy Star writes about her in a fascinating way and I was both compelled and repulsed by her actions and the consequences they had.
Sisters One, Two, Three is a story filled with contradictions. Ginger's life is built on an unsteady basis of lies and secrets. While Mimi has become bossy, Ginger constantly worries and stresses. She's sweet with a heart of gold, but she sees doom and gloom wherever she goes. Nancy Star is very skillful at creating the most peculiar personalities and that's what I loved most about Sisters One, Two, Three. It's a moving story, with a lot of tragedy, but at the same time Glory's absurdness gives it a strange unique vibe. The story definitely surprised me and I think it's fantastic.
February 6, 2017
The Tangle family is the focus of this book and how a tragedy which occurred decades before continues to affect each of them differently. Family is a complicated group of relationships that can be messy, tragic, loving, funny and even heartbreaking. But it is never dull.
In her latest book, author Nancy Star shows just how complicated these bonds can be, especially when family members are holding on to long-held secrets. Sisters One, Two Three focuses on the relationships between three generations of family members within the Tangle family. By alternating between present day and flashbacks to their childhood, Star shows how tragedy affects people differently and how influential these familial bonds are in forming who we become in our adult lives - how we view ourselves and relate to spouses, siblings, parents and our own children.
This is a character driven read with a good pace and some hearty twists - one of which reveals a tragic family disaster. The reason for the family disaster was new to me and I applaud the author for bringing this issue, which is more prevalent than I would have thought, into her story line.
The characters are diverse and while they were not always likable I felt that they were well-drawn and interesting. I can't say I was always on board with their decisions but the plot pulled me in enough that I had a hard time putting the book down in my need to find out how things would end for the Tangles. I could relate to some of the characters, to varying degrees, but found Ginger to be a frustrating character initially with her obsessive worrying and some of her decisions as she struggles to be a good wife, mother and daughter. I had similar feelings for Glory who was a very over-the-top character and a hard person to understand initially. But by the end of the book I had a clearer picture of both women giving me a better understanding about the reasoning behind some of their questionable choices.
Overall, this was a good read that will give you all the feels. From anger, to frustration, to sadness to hope, love and resolution Star brings her readers into the nitty gritty of the Tangle clan. And with the Book Club Guide at the back of the book I think this would make a great book club selection.
** Jan 2/17 - I am currently hosting a giveaway of one copy of this book to one Canadian or US resident on my blog. Giveaway open until Jan 9/17. http://thebakingbookworm.blogspot.ca/...
Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to TLC Book Tours for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest reviews.
In her latest book, author Nancy Star shows just how complicated these bonds can be, especially when family members are holding on to long-held secrets. Sisters One, Two Three focuses on the relationships between three generations of family members within the Tangle family. By alternating between present day and flashbacks to their childhood, Star shows how tragedy affects people differently and how influential these familial bonds are in forming who we become in our adult lives - how we view ourselves and relate to spouses, siblings, parents and our own children.
This is a character driven read with a good pace and some hearty twists - one of which reveals a tragic family disaster. The reason for the family disaster was new to me and I applaud the author for bringing this issue, which is more prevalent than I would have thought, into her story line.
The characters are diverse and while they were not always likable I felt that they were well-drawn and interesting. I can't say I was always on board with their decisions but the plot pulled me in enough that I had a hard time putting the book down in my need to find out how things would end for the Tangles. I could relate to some of the characters, to varying degrees, but found Ginger to be a frustrating character initially with her obsessive worrying and some of her decisions as she struggles to be a good wife, mother and daughter. I had similar feelings for Glory who was a very over-the-top character and a hard person to understand initially. But by the end of the book I had a clearer picture of both women giving me a better understanding about the reasoning behind some of their questionable choices.
Overall, this was a good read that will give you all the feels. From anger, to frustration, to sadness to hope, love and resolution Star brings her readers into the nitty gritty of the Tangle clan. And with the Book Club Guide at the back of the book I think this would make a great book club selection.
** Jan 2/17 - I am currently hosting a giveaway of one copy of this book to one Canadian or US resident on my blog. Giveaway open until Jan 9/17. http://thebakingbookworm.blogspot.ca/...
Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to TLC Book Tours for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest reviews.
January 9, 2017
Nancy Star’s SISTERS ONE, TWO, THREE is an intriguing and emotional mystery drama of dark family secrets.
Raising many questions, from why this family kept these secrets and struggles to when to reveal them. From memories, both true and false and versions of each – meet the Tangle family. The consequences of secrets and how they can harm.
A gripping family saga, a story of three sisters, Ginger, Mimi, and Callie. Moving back and forth in time, we are taken back to a tragic accident on Martha’s Vineyard.
If you ever wondered about your family secrets, you will appreciate both sides and why secrets can be toxic.
Ginger has kept a big secret from her daughter. Later, Ginger learns others have kept secrets from her. By keeping secrets are they protecting themselves or others? Desperation, fear, or love?
A brother’s accident, an event someone spent their entire adult life trying to pretend never happened.
From before and after, the author takes us from the 1970s to the present day. Secrets trickle down and harm others in many ways. Consequences.
When Glory dies, Callie returns home and piece by piece the secrets unravel. From mother, sisters, and daughters. With many parallels between the generations and the contrasts between holding on or letting go.
How do we become who we are in adulthood based on events of our past? Some are more profoundly changed than others.
From tragedy, loss, love, and family. The road to healing and forgiveness.
An ideal for book clubs and further discussions (guide included). Enjoyed the inspiration behind the book with the added conversation with the author. I always find hidden family secrets intriguing and often wonder about my own history and those of past generations.
For readers who enjoy complex family dramas and fans of Nancy Thayer and Elin Hilderbrand.
I listened to the audiobook, performed by my favorite, Cassandra Campbell 2016 Best Audio Narrator ), as well as the book review copy.
A special thank you to Lake Union and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
JDCMustReadBooks
Raising many questions, from why this family kept these secrets and struggles to when to reveal them. From memories, both true and false and versions of each – meet the Tangle family. The consequences of secrets and how they can harm.
A gripping family saga, a story of three sisters, Ginger, Mimi, and Callie. Moving back and forth in time, we are taken back to a tragic accident on Martha’s Vineyard.
If you ever wondered about your family secrets, you will appreciate both sides and why secrets can be toxic.
Ginger has kept a big secret from her daughter. Later, Ginger learns others have kept secrets from her. By keeping secrets are they protecting themselves or others? Desperation, fear, or love?
A brother’s accident, an event someone spent their entire adult life trying to pretend never happened.
From before and after, the author takes us from the 1970s to the present day. Secrets trickle down and harm others in many ways. Consequences.
When Glory dies, Callie returns home and piece by piece the secrets unravel. From mother, sisters, and daughters. With many parallels between the generations and the contrasts between holding on or letting go.
How do we become who we are in adulthood based on events of our past? Some are more profoundly changed than others.
From tragedy, loss, love, and family. The road to healing and forgiveness.
An ideal for book clubs and further discussions (guide included). Enjoyed the inspiration behind the book with the added conversation with the author. I always find hidden family secrets intriguing and often wonder about my own history and those of past generations.
For readers who enjoy complex family dramas and fans of Nancy Thayer and Elin Hilderbrand.
I listened to the audiobook, performed by my favorite, Cassandra Campbell 2016 Best Audio Narrator ), as well as the book review copy.
A special thank you to Lake Union and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
JDCMustReadBooks
January 23, 2017
The Tangle family, two parents and four kids, live in New Jersey, in a modest cape with three bedrooms and a small patch of lawn, dad mows every Saturday. Thirteen year-old, Ginger is the oldest, Mimi is known for her Shirley Temple dimples, 8-year old Charlie is blessed with gorgeous eyelashes and the youngest Callie, has a delightful smile.
Life is pretty simple. Dad, Solly works for an overstock company and matriarch, Glory dreams about how it all would be different, if she’d become a stage star. Now she entertains herself doing jigsaw puzzles of places she wants to visit. One summer, the Tangles go on very rare vacation.
After a tragic accident on Martha’s Vineyard, keeping secrets becomes a way of life for the Tangle family. When they get older, with memories tightly locked away, the sisters take very different paths. Callie disappears, Mimi keeps so busy she has no time to think, and Ginger is always so worried something bad is going to happen, that she almost loses her family, the relationships she holds most dear. After Ginger’s daughter, Julia overhears her mother reveal a long-held family secret everything changes.
Nancy Star is known for writing complex and compelling stories about family relationships. SISTERS ONE, TWO, THREE is no different. Once I started reading, I was drawn into the characters and their emotions. Some were universal and easy to content with, others took time to digest. Speaking the truth and receiving truth is not easy for these characters. It’s been said, “you are as sick as your secrets” and the Tangles need time to heal. I love stories about women, particularly mothers and daughters and sisters. SISTERS ONE, TWO, THREE is about love and witty at times, but also explores how we can learn to forgive and let go.
Nancy Star is the author of four previous novels: Carpool Diem, Up Next, Now This, and Buried Lives. Her nonfiction writing has appeared in the New York Times, Family Circle, Diversion magazine, and on the web. Before embarking on her writing career, Nancy worked for more than a decade as a movie executive in the film business, dividing her time between New York and London. She has two grown daughters and a son-in-law and now lives in New Jersey with her husband.
Life is pretty simple. Dad, Solly works for an overstock company and matriarch, Glory dreams about how it all would be different, if she’d become a stage star. Now she entertains herself doing jigsaw puzzles of places she wants to visit. One summer, the Tangles go on very rare vacation.
After a tragic accident on Martha’s Vineyard, keeping secrets becomes a way of life for the Tangle family. When they get older, with memories tightly locked away, the sisters take very different paths. Callie disappears, Mimi keeps so busy she has no time to think, and Ginger is always so worried something bad is going to happen, that she almost loses her family, the relationships she holds most dear. After Ginger’s daughter, Julia overhears her mother reveal a long-held family secret everything changes.
Nancy Star is known for writing complex and compelling stories about family relationships. SISTERS ONE, TWO, THREE is no different. Once I started reading, I was drawn into the characters and their emotions. Some were universal and easy to content with, others took time to digest. Speaking the truth and receiving truth is not easy for these characters. It’s been said, “you are as sick as your secrets” and the Tangles need time to heal. I love stories about women, particularly mothers and daughters and sisters. SISTERS ONE, TWO, THREE is about love and witty at times, but also explores how we can learn to forgive and let go.
Nancy Star is the author of four previous novels: Carpool Diem, Up Next, Now This, and Buried Lives. Her nonfiction writing has appeared in the New York Times, Family Circle, Diversion magazine, and on the web. Before embarking on her writing career, Nancy worked for more than a decade as a movie executive in the film business, dividing her time between New York and London. She has two grown daughters and a son-in-law and now lives in New Jersey with her husband.
December 29, 2016
A deliciously tangled tale of the Tangle family with laugh-out-loud dialogue, an intriguing mystery, and quirky characters you won't soon forget. Highly recommended.
December 19, 2016
Engaging
I really want to give this a 4.75, but Goodreads won't let me. Instead, let me say it was a touching exploration of family and secrets with a not quite stellar beginning. The truth is, I don't know how else Star could have changed the lead, but it still annoyed me. Sorry, Nancy Star, if you're reading this. I promise the rest of the review is positive.
The novel jumps back and forth from the present to a summer in the past that changed the lives of the Tangle family forever. We see the past from the perspective of Ginger, the oldest sister. As an adult in the beginning of the book, she is not a very sympathetic character. I wanted to shake her. Often. Her relationship with her husband and daughter deteriorate due to her hovering and constant worrying. She drove me nuts, and I didn't even know her.
Then we go back to the past and meet Glory, her flaky mother, and Solly, her hard working but unsuccessful father, along with her two sisters and younger brother.
At the crux of the plot is the issue of family secrets, things which the children were forbidden to talk about even to each other. As a result--and I'm trying to say this without spoiling the ending--each has a piece of the truth, but none has the whole truth. The personalities of each is shaped by what they think they know about what happened that summer, about their mother, about themselves.
As the book progressed, I was drawn more and more into the story, reading the last 50 pages at record speed. I probably should go back and read the end again, as I'm sure I missed a lot in my haste to see how it all turned out.
By the end, I felt as if I knew all the characters as people, except perhaps Callie, the youngest, but she wasn't present as much and didn't talk a lot, so that's understandable.
I highly recommend the book.
I really want to give this a 4.75, but Goodreads won't let me. Instead, let me say it was a touching exploration of family and secrets with a not quite stellar beginning. The truth is, I don't know how else Star could have changed the lead, but it still annoyed me. Sorry, Nancy Star, if you're reading this. I promise the rest of the review is positive.
The novel jumps back and forth from the present to a summer in the past that changed the lives of the Tangle family forever. We see the past from the perspective of Ginger, the oldest sister. As an adult in the beginning of the book, she is not a very sympathetic character. I wanted to shake her. Often. Her relationship with her husband and daughter deteriorate due to her hovering and constant worrying. She drove me nuts, and I didn't even know her.
Then we go back to the past and meet Glory, her flaky mother, and Solly, her hard working but unsuccessful father, along with her two sisters and younger brother.
At the crux of the plot is the issue of family secrets, things which the children were forbidden to talk about even to each other. As a result--and I'm trying to say this without spoiling the ending--each has a piece of the truth, but none has the whole truth. The personalities of each is shaped by what they think they know about what happened that summer, about their mother, about themselves.
As the book progressed, I was drawn more and more into the story, reading the last 50 pages at record speed. I probably should go back and read the end again, as I'm sure I missed a lot in my haste to see how it all turned out.
By the end, I felt as if I knew all the characters as people, except perhaps Callie, the youngest, but she wasn't present as much and didn't talk a lot, so that's understandable.
I highly recommend the book.
December 20, 2016
My Amazon Prime reading selection for December.
This book really gets at the heart of family secrets: why we keep them, when we spill them, why we spill them, and the hurt & anger that can result. The story is told in chapters that alternate between present day and the 1970s. We meet Ginger, the eldest child of Solly and Glory. Ginger has three siblings but only one in the present day that she is in touch with. Ginger's home life as a kid is tumultuous and she learns to be extra vigilant about her mom's moods. Then, tragedy strikes the family and everything changes. The chapters that take place in the present day help us see how this tragedy has affected Ginger as well as how she interacts with her immediate family.
There are a couple of nicely done twists and turns in the story. Even though the story is told from Ginger's perspective, we get enough of the other characters to see how the family secrets have impacted them.
The only reason I can't give it 5 stars is that
This book really gets at the heart of family secrets: why we keep them, when we spill them, why we spill them, and the hurt & anger that can result. The story is told in chapters that alternate between present day and the 1970s. We meet Ginger, the eldest child of Solly and Glory. Ginger has three siblings but only one in the present day that she is in touch with. Ginger's home life as a kid is tumultuous and she learns to be extra vigilant about her mom's moods. Then, tragedy strikes the family and everything changes. The chapters that take place in the present day help us see how this tragedy has affected Ginger as well as how she interacts with her immediate family.
There are a couple of nicely done twists and turns in the story. Even though the story is told from Ginger's perspective, we get enough of the other characters to see how the family secrets have impacted them.
The only reason I can't give it 5 stars is that
December 9, 2016
Hard to Follow For a While, Then Wow.
I'm not reading any reviews before writing mine, so I haven't a clue what others are saying, but here's my take. You may find this book hard to follow at times. The mother and the daughter which I feel was the other main character are named Glory and Ginger, and sometimes it was easy to confuse them. As the book switches from the past to the present, no notice is given along with the chapter number, only the setting and character focus is different. I wanted to put this book down many times, but I knew there was a reason the author wrote it. But I wondered what would be redeeming about this sometimes batshit crazy mother, with delusions of her acting career and close to zero maternal instincts. OK , not close to zero. Actual zero. Around 80% through, something changed. It was like a window blind was opened a bit, then more. Then the curtains came tearing down and the windows themselves opened. I had no expectations of the end and yet I simply loved the way it came together. I think this book must have been quite a labor of love, because it was going in so many directions, yet I feel nearly all of it had good closure at the end. Well done.
I'm not reading any reviews before writing mine, so I haven't a clue what others are saying, but here's my take. You may find this book hard to follow at times. The mother and the daughter which I feel was the other main character are named Glory and Ginger, and sometimes it was easy to confuse them. As the book switches from the past to the present, no notice is given along with the chapter number, only the setting and character focus is different. I wanted to put this book down many times, but I knew there was a reason the author wrote it. But I wondered what would be redeeming about this sometimes batshit crazy mother, with delusions of her acting career and close to zero maternal instincts. OK , not close to zero. Actual zero. Around 80% through, something changed. It was like a window blind was opened a bit, then more. Then the curtains came tearing down and the windows themselves opened. I had no expectations of the end and yet I simply loved the way it came together. I think this book must have been quite a labor of love, because it was going in so many directions, yet I feel nearly all of it had good closure at the end. Well done.
December 31, 2016
All families have secrets, some more than others. But keeping family secrets as a child can shape you as an adult, and not in a positive way. Sisters Ginger and Mimi find that a childhood filled with loss and secrets has made them who they are today, and causes them to push away the very people they love.
In Sisters One, Two, Three, author Nancy Star expertly weaves us through the past and the present, following the family as they once were and are today. The characters are colorful and flawed: the erratic, dramatic mother, Glory, the four children, and the father, trying but unable to hold it all together. As tragedy strikes, the losses gnaw away at the family, and unable to deal with them, they simply never speak of them. But as the years go by, the two sisters develop personalities that counter their upbringing, and life isn’t any easier because of it.
Sisters One, Two, Three is a unique, compelling story that you will not soon forget. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading a family drama novel.
In Sisters One, Two, Three, author Nancy Star expertly weaves us through the past and the present, following the family as they once were and are today. The characters are colorful and flawed: the erratic, dramatic mother, Glory, the four children, and the father, trying but unable to hold it all together. As tragedy strikes, the losses gnaw away at the family, and unable to deal with them, they simply never speak of them. But as the years go by, the two sisters develop personalities that counter their upbringing, and life isn’t any easier because of it.
Sisters One, Two, Three is a unique, compelling story that you will not soon forget. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading a family drama novel.
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