A trenchantly observant novel about the often warring emotions between sisters that threaten to pull apart but sometimes even draw together familial ties. It's at once hilarious, thought-provoking and poignant, this sparkling and devourable debut explores the roles that we play with our siblings, whether we want to or not.
Unlucky in work, love and life, the Andreas sisters return to their childhood home, ostensibly to care for their ailing mother. But each sister has a secret she's unwilling to share -- each has come home to lick her own wounds. The Andreas family is an eccentric one. Books are their passion (a trip to the library usually solved everything), TV is something other families watched. Their father -- a renowned, eccentric professor of Shakespeare who communicates almost exclusively in Shakespearean verse -- named all three girls for great Shakespearean women -- Rose (Rosalind), Bean (Bianca), and Cordy (Cordelia); as a result, the girls find that they have a lot to live up to. With this burden, as well as others they shoulder, the Andreas sisters have a difficult time communicating with both their parents and their lovers, but especially with each other. What can the homebody and shy eldest sister, the fast-living and mysterious middle child, and the bohemian youngest sibling have in common? Why can't Rose leave her hometown for the man she loves? Why has glamorous Bean come home from New York City with her tail between her legs to the small college town she swore she'd leave as soon as she could? And why suddenly has Cordy resurfaced after years of gypsy living? Each sister has found her life nothing like she had thought it would be -- and suddenly faced with their parents' frailty and their own disappointments and setbacks, their usual quick salve of a book suddenly can't solve what ails them. To their surprise, Rose, Bean and Cordy are more similar than they ever imagined. Yet can all three escape their archetypal roots and find happiness in a normal life? As it turns out, the small town of Barnwell and their sisterly bond offer much more than they ever expected.
'Bright, literate debut!the stage clearly belongs to the sisters; Hamlet's witches would be proud of the toil and trouble they stir up.' Publisher's Weekly
'What a joy to read. What a VOICE. The Weird Sisters is family drama dissected by verbal scalpel. If wit and language could protect against growing old, these bewitching sisters might never have to grow up.' Helen Simonson, best-selling author of Major Pettigrew's Last Stand
'Even if you don't have a sister, you may feel like you have one after reading this hilarious and utterly winsome novel. Sarah Blake, best-selling author of The Postmistress
'Eleanor Brown has written a compelling novel about love, despair and birth order-the themes the Bard himself had claimed and burnished. Min Jin Lee, author of Free Food for Millionaires
Author
About Eleanor Brown
Eleanor Brown has lived in many places, including San Francisco, Philadelphia, England, and South Florida. She has had many jobs, including wedding coordinator, freelance writer, executive assistant and teacher. The Weird Sisters is her first novel.
