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The Faraday Girls
As a child, Maggie Faraday grew up in a lively, unconventional household with her young mother, four very different aunts and her eccentric grandfather. With her mother often away, her aunts took turns to look after her - until, just weeks before Maggie's sixth birthday, a shocking event changed everything.
Twenty years on, Maggie is living alone in New York City when a surprise visit from her grandfather brings a revelation and a proposition to reunite the family. As the Faradays gather in Ireland, Maggie begins to realize that the women she thought she knew so intimately all have something to hide .
Twenty years on, Maggie is living alone in New York City when a surprise visit from her grandfather brings a revelation and a proposition to reunite the family. As the Faradays gather in Ireland, Maggie begins to realize that the women she thought she knew so intimately all have something to hide .
564 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
156 people are currently reading
2155 people want to read
About the author
Monica McInerney
46 books1,126 followerswww.monicamcinerney.com
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Monica McInerney is the internationally bestselling author of twelve novels including The Godmothers, The Trip of a Lifetime, Hello from the Gillespies, The House of Memories, Lola's Secret, At Home with the Templetons, Family Baggage, The Alphabet Sisters and Those Faraday Girls (named General Fiction Book of the Year in the 2008 Australian Book Industry Awards) and a short story collection, All Together Now. Her first children's book, Marcie Gill and the Caravan Park Cat, will be published in Australia/NZ in November 2021.
Monica, 56, grew up in a family of seven children in the Clare Valley wine region of South Australia, where her father was the railway stationmaster and her mother worked in the local library. Before becoming a full-time writer she worked in children’s television, tourism festivals, book publishing, arts marketing, the music industry and as a waitress, a hotel cleaner, a Kindergym instructor and a temp. For nearly thirty years she and her Irish husband have been moving back and forth between Australia and Ireland. They are currently in Australia.
Visit her website at www.monicamcinerney.com
facebook.com/monicamcinerneyauthor
instagram.com/monicamcinerneyauthor
Monica McInerney is the internationally bestselling author of twelve novels including The Godmothers, The Trip of a Lifetime, Hello from the Gillespies, The House of Memories, Lola's Secret, At Home with the Templetons, Family Baggage, The Alphabet Sisters and Those Faraday Girls (named General Fiction Book of the Year in the 2008 Australian Book Industry Awards) and a short story collection, All Together Now. Her first children's book, Marcie Gill and the Caravan Park Cat, will be published in Australia/NZ in November 2021.
Monica, 56, grew up in a family of seven children in the Clare Valley wine region of South Australia, where her father was the railway stationmaster and her mother worked in the local library. Before becoming a full-time writer she worked in children’s television, tourism festivals, book publishing, arts marketing, the music industry and as a waitress, a hotel cleaner, a Kindergym instructor and a temp. For nearly thirty years she and her Irish husband have been moving back and forth between Australia and Ireland. They are currently in Australia.
Visit her website at www.monicamcinerney.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 429 reviews
February 6, 2021
Despite a tendency to make her books too long Monica McInerney knows how to write an enjoyable story. There is always something going on, something the reader wants to discover, and the pages keep on turning over.
Those Faraday Girls is not my favourite of her books but it was entertaining. It travelled from one side of the globe to the other and the time spent in Australia and in Ireland was equally interesting. As with all this author's books the central theme was family dynamics, in this particular case a family of a widowed father and five daughters. Later a grand daughter joins the mix to complicate relationships even further.
This was a light, enjoyable read, perfect beach reading material, could be described as chick lit and there is nothing wrong with that at all.
Those Faraday Girls is not my favourite of her books but it was entertaining. It travelled from one side of the globe to the other and the time spent in Australia and in Ireland was equally interesting. As with all this author's books the central theme was family dynamics, in this particular case a family of a widowed father and five daughters. Later a grand daughter joins the mix to complicate relationships even further.
This was a light, enjoyable read, perfect beach reading material, could be described as chick lit and there is nothing wrong with that at all.
February 21, 2024
As always, a lovely cast of characters draw me in to their world spanning continents and generations. I love character driven novels and this author never fails. A rambunctious family of five girls growing up in Tasmania, begins in earnest when Clementine, the youngest of the clan falls pregnant at age seventeen. Already having lost the matriarch of the family, the amazing Tessa who can do no wrong, the family decide to all raise this lovely child Maggie together, deciding on a serious pact for all girls not to leave the nest until Maggie turns 5.
Each aunt has a distinct personality and role within the Faraday family, much banter, teasing, and general sibling rivalry a constant. Leo is the proud patriarch, a man who seems to love and control the clan in equal measure. Never interested in meeting another woman, Tessa was his one and only, beautiful, witty; quite perfect.
Clementine is a remarkably bright woman, who is able to study at university and continue to parent Maggie due to the enigmatic and somewhat disconnected Aunt Sadie, who has willingly stepped up and put her own studies aside. Sadie is the complex aunt, troubled and removed from the others. She has access to her mother’s diaries, which interweaves the narrative thread.
This novel is a tale of family ties, bound and tested, combining very distinctly strong female characters that are distinctively capable and fallible in various ways. Maggie is adored by all, and ‘shared’ around the country when Clementine commits to field trips once a year and the schedule proceeds to a commitment of each aunt to care for her for one fortnight a year.
Leo, determined to hold the family together, with Tessa always in the background of their lives, continues the Christmas in July idea she had on her deathbed. Tension builds as truths eventually blossom, and Maggie is the bearer of many secrets which will affect them all. Much responsibility bestowed on a young woman by her aunts that I was saddened by.
I did really enjoy this one, I always do, but it was too long in the last third, with some aspects of the narrative becoming increasingly unlikely. Making this easier was the audio format, it would have been a long physical read otherwise.
I listened to this via the BorrowBox platform and my public library, increasing the speed was handy toward the end.
Each aunt has a distinct personality and role within the Faraday family, much banter, teasing, and general sibling rivalry a constant. Leo is the proud patriarch, a man who seems to love and control the clan in equal measure. Never interested in meeting another woman, Tessa was his one and only, beautiful, witty; quite perfect.
Clementine is a remarkably bright woman, who is able to study at university and continue to parent Maggie due to the enigmatic and somewhat disconnected Aunt Sadie, who has willingly stepped up and put her own studies aside. Sadie is the complex aunt, troubled and removed from the others. She has access to her mother’s diaries, which interweaves the narrative thread.
This novel is a tale of family ties, bound and tested, combining very distinctly strong female characters that are distinctively capable and fallible in various ways. Maggie is adored by all, and ‘shared’ around the country when Clementine commits to field trips once a year and the schedule proceeds to a commitment of each aunt to care for her for one fortnight a year.
Leo, determined to hold the family together, with Tessa always in the background of their lives, continues the Christmas in July idea she had on her deathbed. Tension builds as truths eventually blossom, and Maggie is the bearer of many secrets which will affect them all. Much responsibility bestowed on a young woman by her aunts that I was saddened by.
I did really enjoy this one, I always do, but it was too long in the last third, with some aspects of the narrative becoming increasingly unlikely. Making this easier was the audio format, it would have been a long physical read otherwise.
I listened to this via the BorrowBox platform and my public library, increasing the speed was handy toward the end.
April 29, 2024
Set in Tasmania, Australia, Ireland and America.
Loved this one so much and it was so amazing until the last few chapters, they were disappointing. Not what I expected of the ending whatsoever. Nope, not happy about that AT ALL. That’s not how it’s supposed to end. I want the ending rewritten. LOL. Therefore it’s a 4 star rating from me rather than what should have been a 5.
Read the first 300 pages then switched to the eAudiobook.
Listened to the eAudiobook via BorrowBox
Published by Bolinda audio
Read by Ulli Birve
Duration: 21 hrs, 27 min. 1.25x Speed
Loved this one so much and it was so amazing until the last few chapters, they were disappointing. Not what I expected of the ending whatsoever. Nope, not happy about that AT ALL. That’s not how it’s supposed to end. I want the ending rewritten. LOL. Therefore it’s a 4 star rating from me rather than what should have been a 5.
Read the first 300 pages then switched to the eAudiobook.
Listened to the eAudiobook via BorrowBox
Published by Bolinda audio
Read by Ulli Birve
Duration: 21 hrs, 27 min. 1.25x Speed
April 10, 2012
I think it is unfair to Monica McInerney to call her books "chicklit", but I also think that is where they best sit in terms of finding a 'label'.
I confess... I like chicklit. I particularly like it because it doesn't demand too much of my over-worked and over-full brain. But sometimes, there are books like this one. It is not entirely "undemanding". It is a complex story and at over 600 pages, it's not a "passing" read. Once I got started, though, I gobbled up the story.
As the title suggests, the story focuses on "Those Faraday Girls" - five sisters whose mother dies when they are all relatively young. They are raised by their father, and soon a sixth "Faraday girl" is added when the youngest daughter has a daughter of her own - Maggie. The story traces the family through the early years of Maggie's life and then jumps ahead twenty years to Maggie as a young woman. As the blurb on my edition says: Maggie begins to realise that the women she thought she knew so intimately all have something to hide..."
My edition also has questions for bookgroups, a Q&A with Monica McInerney and a short article by Monica McInerney called "The Aunt's story". The extra Q&A and article reveal the motivations behind the book and how it explores the themes of mothers, sisters and aunts. The book also looks at the theme of children and why some women become mothers and why some are childless (by choice or otherwise).
I really enjoyed the book. I am loving books that are set in Australia and then 'travel' to other parts of the globe. This story starts in Tasmania and then 'travels' to a variety of locations, including Ireland and New York.
I recommend this book. It's a good read.
I confess... I like chicklit. I particularly like it because it doesn't demand too much of my over-worked and over-full brain. But sometimes, there are books like this one. It is not entirely "undemanding". It is a complex story and at over 600 pages, it's not a "passing" read. Once I got started, though, I gobbled up the story.
As the title suggests, the story focuses on "Those Faraday Girls" - five sisters whose mother dies when they are all relatively young. They are raised by their father, and soon a sixth "Faraday girl" is added when the youngest daughter has a daughter of her own - Maggie. The story traces the family through the early years of Maggie's life and then jumps ahead twenty years to Maggie as a young woman. As the blurb on my edition says: Maggie begins to realise that the women she thought she knew so intimately all have something to hide..."
My edition also has questions for bookgroups, a Q&A with Monica McInerney and a short article by Monica McInerney called "The Aunt's story". The extra Q&A and article reveal the motivations behind the book and how it explores the themes of mothers, sisters and aunts. The book also looks at the theme of children and why some women become mothers and why some are childless (by choice or otherwise).
I really enjoyed the book. I am loving books that are set in Australia and then 'travel' to other parts of the globe. This story starts in Tasmania and then 'travels' to a variety of locations, including Ireland and New York.
I recommend this book. It's a good read.
July 24, 2017
2.5 stars.
It was engaging enough that I kept listening to it. But I kept getting annoyed at some of the characters. And then, it finished. Without any real closure. So, we'll continue to lie/continue to be a selfish brat mother/snarky insensitive person/oblivious of our reality/ and yay, there's also a happy ending. A day since I finished it. Still annoyed.
It was engaging enough that I kept listening to it. But I kept getting annoyed at some of the characters. And then, it finished. Without any real closure. So, we'll continue to lie/continue to be a selfish brat mother/snarky insensitive person/oblivious of our reality/ and yay, there's also a happy ending. A day since I finished it. Still annoyed.
April 17, 2012
I brought this book along on a trip, knowing there would be time to read SOME of it, but probably not all, as it's quite a lengthy book. I enjoy stories about families, and especially sisters, and I'd read some of Monica McInterney's other books about sisters, so I felt I was in a comfortable place.
The book surprised me. I'd be reading along and some kind of event would happen and I'd think, okay, that's how it's going to go, and then realize, oh - no - that's NOT how it's going to go. And then I'd realize how much of the book there was left to read and wonder what else would happen.
I really enjoyed the story itself, the twists and turns of five sisters, all locked together in helping to raise one niece, all held in a continuing lockstep because of their widowed father, and yet each striving to live the kind of life they wanted. In some ways, I've been there, done that. Not the specifics of this story, but in terms of trying to live my OWN life while still surrounded by many siblings, mostly sisters.
I did wish to see the sisters develop a bit more. Each one of them, over time (and we're talking about decades here), only became more intensely what they were at the beginning, when they were only teens and adolescents. In my experience, while some of that is always true (the more we change, the more we stay the same!), it's also always interesting and unpredictable the ways people DO change over time.
Ms McInerney certainly did capture the way sisters form and re-form allegiances, and how sometimes one sister seeems to always remain slightly outside the circle - sometimes for no clear reason. she also captured how at one point in our lives, we're the children and cared for by our parents, but later, we are the ones caring FOR our parents, keeping certain secrets, sharing others, and sometimes tacitly denying certain truths.
If you enjoy stories about sisters and don't demand a thriller-esque plot, you might enjoy The Faraday Girls. Among Ms. McInerney's other works, this one has less of the Romance story level (although there IS a romance) and more of the women's fiction level. A great curl-up-and-read story, with lots of colorful settings. My fave, so far, of Ms. McInerney's books is Family Baggage, but this one might come in a close second.
Oh, and by the way, I DID finish this book long before my trip was over. At many places, I simply couldn't put it down.
The book surprised me. I'd be reading along and some kind of event would happen and I'd think, okay, that's how it's going to go, and then realize, oh - no - that's NOT how it's going to go. And then I'd realize how much of the book there was left to read and wonder what else would happen.
I really enjoyed the story itself, the twists and turns of five sisters, all locked together in helping to raise one niece, all held in a continuing lockstep because of their widowed father, and yet each striving to live the kind of life they wanted. In some ways, I've been there, done that. Not the specifics of this story, but in terms of trying to live my OWN life while still surrounded by many siblings, mostly sisters.
I did wish to see the sisters develop a bit more. Each one of them, over time (and we're talking about decades here), only became more intensely what they were at the beginning, when they were only teens and adolescents. In my experience, while some of that is always true (the more we change, the more we stay the same!), it's also always interesting and unpredictable the ways people DO change over time.
Ms McInerney certainly did capture the way sisters form and re-form allegiances, and how sometimes one sister seeems to always remain slightly outside the circle - sometimes for no clear reason. she also captured how at one point in our lives, we're the children and cared for by our parents, but later, we are the ones caring FOR our parents, keeping certain secrets, sharing others, and sometimes tacitly denying certain truths.
If you enjoy stories about sisters and don't demand a thriller-esque plot, you might enjoy The Faraday Girls. Among Ms. McInerney's other works, this one has less of the Romance story level (although there IS a romance) and more of the women's fiction level. A great curl-up-and-read story, with lots of colorful settings. My fave, so far, of Ms. McInerney's books is Family Baggage, but this one might come in a close second.
Oh, and by the way, I DID finish this book long before my trip was over. At many places, I simply couldn't put it down.
October 6, 2025
⭐️⭐️
my 6 year old got me this book for Mother's Day from the school markets.
She is the O N L Y reason I was able to finish this.
my 6 year old got me this book for Mother's Day from the school markets.
She is the O N L Y reason I was able to finish this.
March 15, 2009
grabbed this one from my sister in law when I was in desperate need of something light and mindless. It's perfect :).
UPDATE 3/14
OK so I totally misjudged this book. My tail is between my legs.
I went in expecting a Maeve Binchy lightweight book. Don't get me wrong - I love Maeve Binchy when I'm in the mood. This book turned out to be just a tad bit weightier than Circle of Friends. It explored the hold families have on one another. Sisters in particular. And fathers. And mothers. OK families in general. It was heartbreaking in parts, infuriating in others. And it had its share of sap. I've always known my sisters and I are different, but have always assumed we had the same core, because we had the same upbringing. I'm recently coming to know that's not true at all, and this book talked a lot about that.
Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know The Faraday Girls. I've never read anything by Monica McInerney, but I'll be searching out her other books now.
Again, I wish GR had a half-star system... I'd give it 3.5 if I could. I liked it, but it didn't have any earth-shattering impact on me so I won't say I REALLY liked it. I couldn't put it down at the end, partly because I truly wanted to keep reading, and partly because I just got a new book from the library that I can't wait to start, but I wouldn't let myself get going on that one until this was done... On to my next Good Read!!
UPDATE 3/14
OK so I totally misjudged this book. My tail is between my legs.
I went in expecting a Maeve Binchy lightweight book. Don't get me wrong - I love Maeve Binchy when I'm in the mood. This book turned out to be just a tad bit weightier than Circle of Friends. It explored the hold families have on one another. Sisters in particular. And fathers. And mothers. OK families in general. It was heartbreaking in parts, infuriating in others. And it had its share of sap. I've always known my sisters and I are different, but have always assumed we had the same core, because we had the same upbringing. I'm recently coming to know that's not true at all, and this book talked a lot about that.
Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know The Faraday Girls. I've never read anything by Monica McInerney, but I'll be searching out her other books now.
Again, I wish GR had a half-star system... I'd give it 3.5 if I could. I liked it, but it didn't have any earth-shattering impact on me so I won't say I REALLY liked it. I couldn't put it down at the end, partly because I truly wanted to keep reading, and partly because I just got a new book from the library that I can't wait to start, but I wouldn't let myself get going on that one until this was done... On to my next Good Read!!
March 19, 2010
Another great book by Monica McInerney! This one is a family saga, spanning decades and continents, as the Faraday family (one grandfather, five daughters, one granddaughter) comes to terms with secrets that have been kept hidden for years. The narration jumped from one character to the next, and all were quite distinct, including the deceased grandmother, who definitely came alive on page despite not actually being present. It was very obvious that her presence was deeply felt in everyone's life and influenced the people they all turned out to be.
I really loved the characters in this book and the various issues they had to overcome. Underneath their facade of being a perfect family, each member had something that he/she struggled with, trying to keep it hidden to keep from rocking the family's foundations; past actions caught up to the present, and the effects of these decisions rippled out everywhere. Problems were handled very sensitively, and the author did an excellent job making me sympathize with all the characters. I especially loved the ending of the book, which I think did a wonderful job of tying everything up in a way that was realistic, believable, and hopeful despite the issues that remained.
I really loved the characters in this book and the various issues they had to overcome. Underneath their facade of being a perfect family, each member had something that he/she struggled with, trying to keep it hidden to keep from rocking the family's foundations; past actions caught up to the present, and the effects of these decisions rippled out everywhere. Problems were handled very sensitively, and the author did an excellent job making me sympathize with all the characters. I especially loved the ending of the book, which I think did a wonderful job of tying everything up in a way that was realistic, believable, and hopeful despite the issues that remained.
February 10, 2008
The Faraday Girls is a compelling story, but it is set apart because it has something that little bit different. I quite like Irish novels but usually they can bore me with their predictable stories and usual scandal. The Faraday Girls structure and base is so different that it goes off in all different directions keeping you on your toes.
It is centrally based on Maggie the niece of 4 besotted aunts and of course her mother. Each character has a story we come back to through the course of the book keeping the reader interested.
Great read!
It is centrally based on Maggie the niece of 4 besotted aunts and of course her mother. Each character has a story we come back to through the course of the book keeping the reader interested.
Great read!
December 15, 2017
I've loved so far all of McInerney's novels.
All have been still fresh in my mind.
I think Those Faraday Girls is my favourite. McInerney does a beautiful job of making the different relationships, especially larger families.
The topic of the book, in common with McInerney's other books, all about family.
I think it is a nicely written book that captures the very essence of family life. All of the pages are like so real! In the book, there are five very different sisters, all with very different ideas!
In my opinion Those Faraday Girls ideal for readers who love family stories.
All have been still fresh in my mind.
I think Those Faraday Girls is my favourite. McInerney does a beautiful job of making the different relationships, especially larger families.
The topic of the book, in common with McInerney's other books, all about family.
I think it is a nicely written book that captures the very essence of family life. All of the pages are like so real! In the book, there are five very different sisters, all with very different ideas!
In my opinion Those Faraday Girls ideal for readers who love family stories.
November 29, 2010
This was great. A very real portrayal of the dark skeletons many (most?) families have in their closets, while presenting to the world as fully functional.
I know a book gets five stars when I am looking forward to a flight (I hate flying) because it means I get to read my book.
My five-star books are usually few and far between. Now I've had 3 in 2 months. Not bad.
I know a book gets five stars when I am looking forward to a flight (I hate flying) because it means I get to read my book.
My five-star books are usually few and far between. Now I've had 3 in 2 months. Not bad.
August 12, 2025
I don't know how I feel about this book or how everything turned out in the end?!
I just feel that apart from it being far too long, it was a strange story but I didn't want to dnf because I had invested so much time to it that it would have been a waste.
It wasn't bad but I wanted Sadie to see everyone again and for the other sisters and Leo to know how she felt about what Tessa had said about her and how horrible Tessa was. Also, though, the other sisters didn't need to know that as it would have upset them but they should have been told the true reason why Sadie left at least, even without detail.
This story was full of sadness and lies. It was very unfair for Leo to ask Maggie to be involved and to lie. That was not right of him as a grandfather.
Also, what was that ending where Leo phoned Sadie's business and then left it? Why write that?! It was strange to me.
This was a sad story and has left a strange taste in my mouth. I don't read stories like this usually.
I just feel that apart from it being far too long, it was a strange story but I didn't want to dnf because I had invested so much time to it that it would have been a waste.
It wasn't bad but I wanted Sadie to see everyone again and for the other sisters and Leo to know how she felt about what Tessa had said about her and how horrible Tessa was. Also, though, the other sisters didn't need to know that as it would have upset them but they should have been told the true reason why Sadie left at least, even without detail.
This story was full of sadness and lies. It was very unfair for Leo to ask Maggie to be involved and to lie. That was not right of him as a grandfather.
Also, what was that ending where Leo phoned Sadie's business and then left it? Why write that?! It was strange to me.
This was a sad story and has left a strange taste in my mouth. I don't read stories like this usually.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 28, 2022
You will know the saying 'blood is thicker than water' - well, for the Faraday sisters it is more like the thickest glue you could imagine. Such family bonds would, for many people be excruciating, but somehow, you never really can get away from your family. In 1980s Tasmania, the five Faraday girls, ranging in age from 25 to 17, live with their father in Hobart. Their mother died some years previously, the youngest Clementine not really having much memory of her. Their did leave some diaries, however, with some confusion around where they may be, or if they are even still in existence.
Julia, the oldest at 25, has taken over the 'mother' role - cooking, cleaning, organising etc; Miranda at 23 is totally self absorbed, and with a tongue on her that makes lemons look sweet; Eliza and Sadie are in their late teens, both at university, and Clementine is at school. Dad Leo is an inventor of sorts, desperately mourning his wife, shutting himself away in his shed 'inventing'. Things change dramatically when Clementine announces she is pregnant. The sisters all pledge for the next five years to put their lives on hold to raise this child, ensuring Clementine finishes school and goes to university. And so it happens.
But not without resentments, secrets, inner turmoils and lots of emotion! The child, Maggie, is a darling and slowly it is Sadie who takes on the 'mother' role so Clementine can pursue her studies. This all comes to a head when Maggie is six, and the family is torn apart by one totally unexpected action. We then jump ahead twenty years. The sisters are scattered all over the place, Maggie has fled London for New York, and the annual Christmas gathering is fast approaching, to take place in Ireland. The family has never recovered from the event that took place 20 years ago, leaving a gaping fracture. Leo, now an old man, is determined to gather all his girls in one place for the first time in all those years, and he needs Maggie to help him achieve it.
Perhaps a trifle long, but I really did enjoy this family saga. Like all good families, all the members are flawed, troubled, moving and merging alliances, unable to communicate effectively with each other. There are secrets which continue to control and haunt the sisters and their father. Maggie is the one who has been sheltered from much of this, so naturally becomes the agent to bring them all together. I liked and disliked all the girls, and their father which is what happens in your own family anyway. Full of intense emotion and a reasonably satisfying ending.
Julia, the oldest at 25, has taken over the 'mother' role - cooking, cleaning, organising etc; Miranda at 23 is totally self absorbed, and with a tongue on her that makes lemons look sweet; Eliza and Sadie are in their late teens, both at university, and Clementine is at school. Dad Leo is an inventor of sorts, desperately mourning his wife, shutting himself away in his shed 'inventing'. Things change dramatically when Clementine announces she is pregnant. The sisters all pledge for the next five years to put their lives on hold to raise this child, ensuring Clementine finishes school and goes to university. And so it happens.
But not without resentments, secrets, inner turmoils and lots of emotion! The child, Maggie, is a darling and slowly it is Sadie who takes on the 'mother' role so Clementine can pursue her studies. This all comes to a head when Maggie is six, and the family is torn apart by one totally unexpected action. We then jump ahead twenty years. The sisters are scattered all over the place, Maggie has fled London for New York, and the annual Christmas gathering is fast approaching, to take place in Ireland. The family has never recovered from the event that took place 20 years ago, leaving a gaping fracture. Leo, now an old man, is determined to gather all his girls in one place for the first time in all those years, and he needs Maggie to help him achieve it.
Perhaps a trifle long, but I really did enjoy this family saga. Like all good families, all the members are flawed, troubled, moving and merging alliances, unable to communicate effectively with each other. There are secrets which continue to control and haunt the sisters and their father. Maggie is the one who has been sheltered from much of this, so naturally becomes the agent to bring them all together. I liked and disliked all the girls, and their father which is what happens in your own family anyway. Full of intense emotion and a reasonably satisfying ending.
January 13, 2013
I thought this was your typical chick-lit made slightly better as it takes place in colorful and interesting locations, and tells the story of a complex family of sisters, and spans several decades. I liked the premise. It was pleasant reading as the characters of the sisters were developed from childhood to adulthood. There were secrets,lies, and a few twists here and there. But I finished the book feeling underwhelmed. It just didn't keep my attention like I wish it would have over 600 long pages.
I do think that the author did a great job of describing how complex sister relationships can be and describing how alliances form and reform in different configurations throughout the years...and how there is always usually one sister slightly outside the circle at different times. I just wish that she would have shown that to the readers instead of just telling us. Show us sisters calling other sisters, visiting sisters, and having private conversations about other sisters or Leo. That was completely lacking. I didn't feel like any of the sisters in the book were particularly close to each other as they had no idea what was really going on in any of their lives. I guess I was just hoping for more realism. Sisters fighting, making up, pulling together, fighting, making up and pulling together again when they have to...that is real. I also didn't love the lackluster way that motherhood was portrayed by Tessa and most especially Clementine. All of the Faraday girls were somewhat unlikeable and that took away from the story.
The book gave me pause about keeping a journal or more particularly what I would write in a journal. It made me appreciate all the more my own sisters who I don't feel are at all like any of the Faraday girls...thank goodness...and appreciate being a mother who actually finds joy in mothering.
My Rating: Okay
I do think that the author did a great job of describing how complex sister relationships can be and describing how alliances form and reform in different configurations throughout the years...and how there is always usually one sister slightly outside the circle at different times. I just wish that she would have shown that to the readers instead of just telling us. Show us sisters calling other sisters, visiting sisters, and having private conversations about other sisters or Leo. That was completely lacking. I didn't feel like any of the sisters in the book were particularly close to each other as they had no idea what was really going on in any of their lives. I guess I was just hoping for more realism. Sisters fighting, making up, pulling together, fighting, making up and pulling together again when they have to...that is real. I also didn't love the lackluster way that motherhood was portrayed by Tessa and most especially Clementine. All of the Faraday girls were somewhat unlikeable and that took away from the story.
The book gave me pause about keeping a journal or more particularly what I would write in a journal. It made me appreciate all the more my own sisters who I don't feel are at all like any of the Faraday girls...thank goodness...and appreciate being a mother who actually finds joy in mothering.
My Rating: Okay
February 13, 2020
Its a warm and beautiful book. You find yourself rooting for all of them but also getting angry at them, as we tend to do with family :).
July 16, 2023
Nix voor mij.. helaas.. Romans zijn nix voor mij..
November 17, 2012
The five Faraday sisters live in Hobart, Tasmania. Having lost their mother, they've had to grow up before their time. Their dad Leo spends most of his time in his backyard shed, leaving the girls to run the house and look after each other. When the youngest sister Clementine gets pregnant at just 17, the baby Maggie becomes another element of the sometimes chaotic household.
Loved by her aunts and used to being babysat by each of them at various times, Maggie unwittingly becomes the cause of a huge family rift just before her sixth birthday. The shocking event sends ripples through the family dynamic that spread far and wide, scattering the sisters in various directions. But it is Maggie, through a request from her grandfather Leo, who seeks to reunite the sisters many years later.
I thought The Farraday Girls captured the dynamic of a family of sisters really well, including the "black sheep". It also explored the often complex elements of jealousy, insecurity and dealing with long-buried hurts and fears.
Told in Monica McInerney's usual engaging style, it was a compelling and enjoyable read.
Loved by her aunts and used to being babysat by each of them at various times, Maggie unwittingly becomes the cause of a huge family rift just before her sixth birthday. The shocking event sends ripples through the family dynamic that spread far and wide, scattering the sisters in various directions. But it is Maggie, through a request from her grandfather Leo, who seeks to reunite the sisters many years later.
I thought The Farraday Girls captured the dynamic of a family of sisters really well, including the "black sheep". It also explored the often complex elements of jealousy, insecurity and dealing with long-buried hurts and fears.
Told in Monica McInerney's usual engaging style, it was a compelling and enjoyable read.
March 3, 2012
This was a pretty good read, if a bit too long. A complicated story of three generations of the same family. Leo is the patriarch, who has lost his wife Tessa. Their five daughters are the second generation. The youngest daughter, Clementine, winds up pregnant at age 17. Maggie is the third generation. They all live together under one roof until Maggie turns five. At that point the sisters all start going their own way. You get some of the back story, then it skips ahead to Maggie at age 26. There's been a huge falling out and one of the sisters is completely out of the picture. Again, it gets complicated. There are lies. Family secrets. More lies. There were so many lies that people were telling and secrets that were being kept that it really felt a bit silly. But ultimately, you want to see what becomes of the Faraday Girls and their father. If you have time for a 500 page book, go for it!
April 14, 2013
Ah the twists and turns of a family. The loyalties, fragilities, secrets and love. Another easy reading Monica McInerney book involving the trials and tribulations of a family. Very similar to Lola's Secret in lots of ways with bountiful sibling rivalry and a parent trying to hold everyone together in one big "lets be happy" family, whilst manipulating to make it so.
Not my usual read but in saying that it made for easy, light reading.
Not my usual read but in saying that it made for easy, light reading.
August 21, 2017
OMG! Waaaaay too long and boring! After Part 1, I no longer cared about the characters. Don't know why I stuck with it and finished it. The secrets that came out were really not secret and entirely predictable. The writing was uninspired. I feel like I wasted 4 days reading it.
NOT recommended!
NOT recommended!
June 30, 2019
I have been wanting to read this book for quite a while now and I am so happy I did! I love stories about sisteres and family secrets. I was expecting a different ending, one where all secrets would be exposed but I actually like that the author took the other route and decided not to make the whole family aware of the secrets and lies they have been telling themselves all these years.
March 5, 2017
good read - reminds us of what makes families both so irritating and amazingly wonderful
August 6, 2017
It started out a bit slow for me. However, I did enjoy it and didn't think that was how it would end. We don't really know even the people whom are close to us do we?
August 15, 2017
This was a fun read. Great for summer.
August 27, 2017
A good novel about a family. A bit long, but enjoyable. I hope to read more by Monica McInerney.
February 23, 2018
The Faraday Girls
A lovely book about a complicated family. It kept me busy during a 7 hour plane trip. That takes a really good book.
A lovely book about a complicated family. It kept me busy during a 7 hour plane trip. That takes a really good book.
March 3, 2018
A very long but nicely written book about family relationships. There is sadness, fun, romance and conflict all rolled together into a nice read.
July 3, 2018
Yes. Good summer trading from one of my favorite authors
November 19, 2021
The story of a family of daughters. I found it fascinating the way that Sadie was so much a part of the story until she wasn't. That was the twist that fueled the remainder of the story for me.
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