Book Review-Between Sisters by Kristin Hannah

As like all Kristin Hannah books, I haven’t found one I don’t like. It’s the same with “Between Sisters”.

Two Sisters Meghan Dontess and Claire Cavenaugh, while growing up they lived in a run down trailer because their mother worked at jobs that didn’t pay much or brought home men to entertain. She was gone often, for days and Meghan who is the oldest took care of Claire who was younger. The sisters were four years apart, probably 9 and 13 years old at the time. They had a very close relationship because they just had to depend on each other. One day their mother left to go to California to try out for a part and nailed the lead roll. The girls had run out of food and had no money, so Meghan called Claires father to come and take her. Meghan did not know who her father was but did go with Claire and her father. Two or three years went by and it did not work out Meghan had a chip on her shoulder and was not a happy person at that time and she left not knowing where she was going to go.

In the book there is also a man named Joe, who when first introduced, was also wandering and walking, dirty, shaggy hair, smelled bad. Stopped at restaurants to get food, asked where he could get some work. The waitress told him where he could get a shower and possibly work. We can tell by his thoughts that he was running from something, had been gone for three years, was debating whether to make his way back home, and scared to make a phone call back there.

Now a Country singer named Bobby comes into Claire’s life. She was on an annual vacation with her friends. They would go to a resort by a lake and bring their kids for a week. Each woman had their own story from just getting a divorce or being happily married another having a child after finding out the father was already married and lastly one of them had died four years before. One of the friends had a 14 year old son and he watched the rest of the kids while the women went to listen to music and dance in town. Bobby and his band were the music that night.

Meghan had ended up going to college and became one of the most well known divorce lawyers in Seattle. She charges $400.00 per hour and is quite wealthy. She lives in an apartment that is in a high rise and overlooks the city. She meets with a Psychiatrist weekly and she has done this for many years. Her apartment was decorated by an interior decorator and really has no personal items in it, it’s beautiful but feels very cold. She was married once but got divorced and is bitter over that afraid to commit to other relationships and just meets men to have sex with no strings attached. She very rarely talks about anything important with Claire but has the obligatory call at holidays and birthdays. Neither girls like to talk with Mom who is a big star now and it is always about Mom when they talk to her.

So I have set up the book, there are so many interesting stories with each person. It makes you think and try to decide how this all will come together. At times I had to go back and reread a few areas to get it to work in my mind. It started out slow but 1/4 into the book it became a page turner. By the end you will need your tissues as usual.

This book was Copywrite in 2003 and I noticed with very recent books like The Four Winds or The Nightingale how Kristin’s writing has evolved. She does more historical research and the books are good and the reader learns from them. I read those two books last year and just was up to writing book reviews for them. Please read them, you won’t be able to put them down.

Between Sisters was very good. It definitely brings to the for front family interactions.

2 thoughts on “Book Review-Between Sisters by Kristin Hannah

  1. Alice Waskey says:

    I don’t understand what Joe did that was so terrible that he doesn’t want to show his face in town. He love his wife and she died. . I don’t know if they had gotten a divorce, but it seems there’s something beneath the surface of his feeling guilt.

    • Robin says:

      Hi Alice, Joe was a very respected radiologist and he wasn’t able to save his wife who had cancer. Her condition was going down hill and she was in a lot of pain. She died through euthanasia. Joe was found not guilty from the trial and he left town right after the trial ended for three years. He felt guilty, he was broken hearted and missed his wife. When I do a book review, I only do half of the book and hope that the reader wants to get the book and read it too. I hope you do and will enjoy it. Thank you so much for reaching out. Warmly, Robin

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