What do you think?
Rate this book
The Sisters from Hardscrabble Bay
A tale of two sisters over seventy years that recovers the vibrant and unforgettable voice of Beverly Jensen
In 1916, Idella and Avis Hillock live on the edge of a chilly bluff in New Brunswick-a hardscrabble world of potato farms and lobster traps, rough men, hard work, and baffling beauty. From "Gone," the heartbreaking story of their mother's medical crisis in childbirth, to the darkly comic "Wake," which follows the grown siblings' catastrophic efforts to escort their father, "Wild Bill" Hillock's body to his funeral, the stories of Idella and Avis offer a compelling and wry vision of two remarkable women. The vivid cast includes Idella's philandering husband Edward, her bewilderingly difficult mother-in-law- and Avis, whose serial romantic disasters never quell her irrepressible spirit. Jensen's work evokes a time gone by and reads like an instant American classic.
Beverly Jensen died of cancer at the age of forty-nine without publishing her work. Since her death, her fiction has been championed by a dedicated group of supporters, including Stephen King and Joyce Carol Oates.
In 1916, Idella and Avis Hillock live on the edge of a chilly bluff in New Brunswick-a hardscrabble world of potato farms and lobster traps, rough men, hard work, and baffling beauty. From "Gone," the heartbreaking story of their mother's medical crisis in childbirth, to the darkly comic "Wake," which follows the grown siblings' catastrophic efforts to escort their father, "Wild Bill" Hillock's body to his funeral, the stories of Idella and Avis offer a compelling and wry vision of two remarkable women. The vivid cast includes Idella's philandering husband Edward, her bewilderingly difficult mother-in-law- and Avis, whose serial romantic disasters never quell her irrepressible spirit. Jensen's work evokes a time gone by and reads like an instant American classic.
Beverly Jensen died of cancer at the age of forty-nine without publishing her work. Since her death, her fiction has been championed by a dedicated group of supporters, including Stephen King and Joyce Carol Oates.
309 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2010
33 people are currently reading
702 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 274 reviews
Read
January 17, 2011Clearly I'm in the minority here as I just did not *get* this book. The "Sisters from Hardscrabble Bay" are Idella and Avis Hillock. The Hillocks eke out a rough life in Bay Chaleur, New Brunswick. Their mother dies during childbirth and they end up being raised by their father, who most definitely does not win the prize for father of the year. Their story begins in 1916 and finishes in 1986 - although this is more a series of vignettes as the sisters reflect back on their lives and loves, both the good and the bad.
Bah. Unfortunately this one started off depressing as all get out and never really improved. I wasn't able to warm up to any of the characters, they were all rather self-centered and more than a wee bit unlikeable - not to mention the potty mouths on all of them. If this had been a library book I would have bailed around page 50 and returned it, but I did my best to trudge through it to see if anything or anyone improved toward the end. It didn't and they didn't. From looking at the reviews, other readers found this story more engaging than I did, so perhaps it's just me again (it usually is). Library only, then buy it if you love it.
Bah. Unfortunately this one started off depressing as all get out and never really improved. I wasn't able to warm up to any of the characters, they were all rather self-centered and more than a wee bit unlikeable - not to mention the potty mouths on all of them. If this had been a library book I would have bailed around page 50 and returned it, but I did my best to trudge through it to see if anything or anyone improved toward the end. It didn't and they didn't. From looking at the reviews, other readers found this story more engaging than I did, so perhaps it's just me again (it usually is). Library only, then buy it if you love it.
Read
February 14, 2021Abgebrochen - ohne Wertung, da viel zu lange auf dem SUB und diese Art Geschichten reißen mich heute einfach nicht mehr vom Hocker
July 2, 2010
After reading The Sisters from Hardscrabble Bay by Beverly Jensen I felt privileged to have had the opportunity to meet Idella and Avis Hillock. Having been born and raised in New Brunswick, the characters quickly became like old friends known in the distant past. So many young people raised on subsistence farms in New Brunswick escaped to the “Boston States� in search of a better life. Some, like Idella, found one and others, like Dalton, did not. My enjoyment of this book was overshadowed by the realization that readers have been deprived of the great narrative voice of Beverly Jensen.
August 10, 2010
Initially, I was fully engaged by the occasional melodramatic moments in the “hardscrabble� lives of the Hillock family, especially the mother’s untimely death in childbirth, leaving a distraught and impulsive father with four children.
Overwhelmed by thoughts of daily struggles to eke out what little his barren farm and the sea could produce, the father willingly fosters the infant daughter Emma to extended family, unable to bear this painful reminder of his beloved wife’s death. His futile attempts to preserve a semblance of family life with son Dalton, and daughters Idella (Della) and Avis, require desperate measures.
Numerous failures to engage an appropriate French Canadian housemaid and a female influence for his daughters result in an unannounced candidate with the arrival of Maddie, barely more than a child herself, but one who almost succeeds. This captivating segment of the book ended abruptly with Maddie’s unanticipated and reluctant departure just as she became a pivotal character within this grieving, chaotic family. Soon after, Idella and Avis experience the undeserved sting of what they consider is unwarranted abandonment as they also are forced to leave and live with relatives in Maine, where basic education and female influence is available.
Well into the book, I was confused by the sudden transformation of Della’s somewhat scholarly language into unnatural colloquial speech, especially apparent during her courtship and marriage with Edward Jensen. The meandering prose lacked the depth and potency which infused life into the chapters prior to Della’s first encounter with Eddie. The primary focus now shifted to Della’s sonorous marriage with a clichéd mother-in-law, a docile sister-in-law, a philandering husband and little about her daughters.
Though Avis maintained her meretricious behavior and clamorous decorum, she did offer a few unpredicted surprises by her uncanny ability to study human nature, and when least expected rose to the occasion. I was frustrated by the huge absences of Avis and her far more fascinating adventures coupled with her adamant refusal to conform to conventional standards.
The fundamental focus was upon Idella and Avis as “The Sisters from Hardscrabble Bay,� with the initial rendering of their intimate relationship. Despite distance and diverse lifestyles, they did manage to have “sisterly� moments which sustained remembrance and rekindling of past feelings.
Aside from the awkward imbalance of flowing chapters tumbling into disjointed episodic ramblings, I appreciate the knowledge gained by the locales, the time periods, and seven decades of two sisters� unwavering connection.
August 31, 2010
This is a thoroughly entertaining book spanning seventy years, following two sisters from their motherless childhood in Canada to Boston to Maine. It skips years and is told somewhat like short stories but about the same people. I like that because it means it's not bogged down with irrelevant details and information.
I simply didn't like the characters most of the time. The dad is an alcoholic jerk who bosses his older daughter around. Maddie tho briefly in the book, is a lying thief (can't blame her really, but still didnt' like her). Avis goes from being a perfect child for a pro birth control poster to a total you know what as an adult (I'm thinking 5 letters, first letter B, rhymes with itch). And Idella allows herself to be bossed and pushed around her entire life by her dad, her sister, employers, mother in law, and husband. Edward... good golly, what the heck is wrong Idella marrying a guy like him??
Basically, I didn't love the characters in the beginning, but as the book wore on and the characters grew, I started to like them even less and did not enjoy their stories as much. By the end, I couldn't stand them.
Despite my extreme distate for the characters in general, I was hooked and found myself wondering who was going to end up doing what dumb thing next... and again, it was very well written. It's like a historical soap opera.
I simply didn't like the characters most of the time. The dad is an alcoholic jerk who bosses his older daughter around. Maddie tho briefly in the book, is a lying thief (can't blame her really, but still didnt' like her). Avis goes from being a perfect child for a pro birth control poster to a total you know what as an adult (I'm thinking 5 letters, first letter B, rhymes with itch). And Idella allows herself to be bossed and pushed around her entire life by her dad, her sister, employers, mother in law, and husband. Edward... good golly, what the heck is wrong Idella marrying a guy like him??
Basically, I didn't love the characters in the beginning, but as the book wore on and the characters grew, I started to like them even less and did not enjoy their stories as much. By the end, I couldn't stand them.
Despite my extreme distate for the characters in general, I was hooked and found myself wondering who was going to end up doing what dumb thing next... and again, it was very well written. It's like a historical soap opera.
August 3, 2017
I wasted time reading the first half of this book. The first few chapters were very promising. Then it would abruptly end a period of time in the story and jump ahead to another time (frankly less interesting). It had me saying--Well, wait! Go back and finish what happened after that! I do not like fragmented stories that try to span several years. I prefer a story that flows smoothly and breaks time when it makes sense to do it.
The chapter which was devoted to Avis receiving a baby cow just struck me as a boring non-story that my elders used to tell me that had no beginning middle or end and no point to it. (Chris Farley used to have a skit where he would interview people and his "questions" were just "Remember the time you ______, yeah that was cool" ) I'm wondering if the late author wrote the book based on family anecdotes and didn't take the time to construct a real full-bodied story. Can you tell I didn't like this book?
Update*If it is what other reviewers are saying, a book of short stories, then it should plainly state that in the synopsis or on the cover. It was marketed as a novel by the publisher, which it is not. I do not like short stories and especially weak short stories that are not strong enough to stand alone. That is all.
The chapter which was devoted to Avis receiving a baby cow just struck me as a boring non-story that my elders used to tell me that had no beginning middle or end and no point to it. (Chris Farley used to have a skit where he would interview people and his "questions" were just "Remember the time you ______, yeah that was cool" ) I'm wondering if the late author wrote the book based on family anecdotes and didn't take the time to construct a real full-bodied story. Can you tell I didn't like this book?
Update*If it is what other reviewers are saying, a book of short stories, then it should plainly state that in the synopsis or on the cover. It was marketed as a novel by the publisher, which it is not. I do not like short stories and especially weak short stories that are not strong enough to stand alone. That is all.
February 4, 2013
I loved this book. The author passed away before any of her work was published and her husband and friends published her writings.
This is a book about Idella and Avis Hillock, who live it Hardscrapple Bay, New Brunswick. When the girls are 8 and 6 their mother dies in childbirth and they get sent to live with relatives after their father figures out that he can't raise the girls. When he gets shot in the leg, the girls return to take care of him. As sooon as they are old enought they leave and make lives for themselves. Idella becomes a cook, housekeeper, marries and raises a family. Avis is a charmer who can't settle and gets involved in things that are less than legal.
The book tells their story from childhood, thru adolescence and adulthood. The writing is excellent. There is never a boring page in the whole thing. It is an excellent barometer of the times the ladies grew up in: 1902-1980's.
thank goodness someone published this!
This is a book about Idella and Avis Hillock, who live it Hardscrapple Bay, New Brunswick. When the girls are 8 and 6 their mother dies in childbirth and they get sent to live with relatives after their father figures out that he can't raise the girls. When he gets shot in the leg, the girls return to take care of him. As sooon as they are old enought they leave and make lives for themselves. Idella becomes a cook, housekeeper, marries and raises a family. Avis is a charmer who can't settle and gets involved in things that are less than legal.
The book tells their story from childhood, thru adolescence and adulthood. The writing is excellent. There is never a boring page in the whole thing. It is an excellent barometer of the times the ladies grew up in: 1902-1980's.
thank goodness someone published this!
August 5, 2018
The first chapter is rip your heart out sad but the writing is so good I can't stop reading it. Excellent story so far. I highly recommend this book that was handed to me by a friend.
Reread this great little book, read it first in 2011. Very good, gritty and real.
Reread this great little book, read it first in 2011. Very good, gritty and real.
August 20, 2012
The first half of the book was interesting and a daily story of the sisters. The second half was horrible vignettes of different people, doing unbelievable happenings that did not go along with first half of book.
December 24, 2013
Gave up about 50 pages til the end.....zzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Really zero story or character development. Only read as much as I did because I was sure something HAD to happen soon!
Really zero story or character development. Only read as much as I did because I was sure something HAD to happen soon!
May 23, 2018
wow wow wow wow wow !!! Was ein Buch! Definitiv eines meiner liebsten Bücher dieses Jahr 💙
Ich habe nicht mit so einer emotionalen Geschichte gerechnet, vor allem das erste und das letzte Kapitel gingen mir unglaublich nahe. Der Höhepunkt des Buches war für mich auf jeden Fall der Anfang, da er unglaublich stark ist und so viele Gefühle in sich trägt.
In der Mitte wurde es für mich ein bisschen ... fad? Nach diesem Einstieg habe ich auf mehr gewartet und wurde nicht direkt enttäuscht aber ich war doch verloren. Hat man sich an die neue Situation gewöhnt, macht es sehr viel Spaß immer mal wieder in das Leben von Idella & Avis rein zu schauen. Man verliert sein Herz an beide gleichermaßen.
Die letzten Kapitel sind so typisch für diese Familie und es ist einfach toll einige Figuren wieder zu sehen, auch, wenn man sie nur flüchtig kennt. Die knapp 500 Seiten erzählen die Geschichte von zwei Mädchen, von ihrem Leben und ein bisschen von ihrer Familie. Das klappt so unglaublich gut, weil man nicht alles weiß oder gar alles erlebt aber man sieht genug um zu wissen, was wirklich wichtig ist.
Mein einziger Kritikpunkt wäre, dass ich es schade finde, dass man so wenig von ihrem Dad oder Bruder mitbekommt. Gegen Ende wird es ein wenig besser, aber ich hab mich immer gefragt was ist mit Kanada? Ich habe definitiv mein Herz an ihren Dad verloren, genauso wie er ist. Man sieht ihn durch die Augen seiner kleinen Kinder und später aus den Augen erwachsener Frauen mit all seinen Fehlern. Obwohl er nur eine Randfigur ist, so werde ich ihn hoffentlich nicht vergessen.
Edit: Es fühlt sich null wie historical fiction an und geht ein wenig in contemporary über. Trotzdem merkt man Idellas Leben an in welcher Zeit das alles spielt. Es hat definitiv seinen charme.
Ich habe nicht mit so einer emotionalen Geschichte gerechnet, vor allem das erste und das letzte Kapitel gingen mir unglaublich nahe. Der Höhepunkt des Buches war für mich auf jeden Fall der Anfang, da er unglaublich stark ist und so viele Gefühle in sich trägt.
In der Mitte wurde es für mich ein bisschen ... fad? Nach diesem Einstieg habe ich auf mehr gewartet und wurde nicht direkt enttäuscht aber ich war doch verloren. Hat man sich an die neue Situation gewöhnt, macht es sehr viel Spaß immer mal wieder in das Leben von Idella & Avis rein zu schauen. Man verliert sein Herz an beide gleichermaßen.
Die letzten Kapitel sind so typisch für diese Familie und es ist einfach toll einige Figuren wieder zu sehen, auch, wenn man sie nur flüchtig kennt. Die knapp 500 Seiten erzählen die Geschichte von zwei Mädchen, von ihrem Leben und ein bisschen von ihrer Familie. Das klappt so unglaublich gut, weil man nicht alles weiß oder gar alles erlebt aber man sieht genug um zu wissen, was wirklich wichtig ist.
Mein einziger Kritikpunkt wäre, dass ich es schade finde, dass man so wenig von ihrem Dad oder Bruder mitbekommt. Gegen Ende wird es ein wenig besser, aber ich hab mich immer gefragt was ist mit Kanada? Ich habe definitiv mein Herz an ihren Dad verloren, genauso wie er ist. Man sieht ihn durch die Augen seiner kleinen Kinder und später aus den Augen erwachsener Frauen mit all seinen Fehlern. Obwohl er nur eine Randfigur ist, so werde ich ihn hoffentlich nicht vergessen.
Edit: Es fühlt sich null wie historical fiction an und geht ein wenig in contemporary über. Trotzdem merkt man Idellas Leben an in welcher Zeit das alles spielt. Es hat definitiv seinen charme.
June 12, 2017
This book did a real job on me emotionally. It really really upset me. I loved Idella, and got quite a kick out of Avis Mavis, she was a piece of Work! My great grandfather was from Van Buren Maine, take a right on Main St. Over the bridge, the St. Johns River, and you in New Brunswick.....
I'm pretty Canuck! I went there once and then drove down through New Brunswick. They have a fascinating Patons. I loved Beverly Jensen's writing. Avis , I pictured when she was little, a little like Scout, from to kill a mocking bird, gone awry. She was impish, and her own kind of smart. I felt more for Ideĺla, Avis made her own bed, and didn't whine about it.....neither did Idella, whiners, but certainly trapped.
I'm pretty Canuck! I went there once and then drove down through New Brunswick. They have a fascinating Patons. I loved Beverly Jensen's writing. Avis , I pictured when she was little, a little like Scout, from to kill a mocking bird, gone awry. She was impish, and her own kind of smart. I felt more for Ideĺla, Avis made her own bed, and didn't whine about it.....neither did Idella, whiners, but certainly trapped.
July 5, 2010
The Sisters from Hardscrabble Bay, is a poignant novel which spans a period of some 70 years. Beginning in 1916, the story follows the lives of two sisters Idella and Avis Hillock, who live on a seaside bluff in New Brunswick Canada. When the novel begins, they are just young girls whose lives are forever changed when their mother dies after giving birth to their sister Emma. The girls also have an older brother Dalton, but the essential focus of the novel is on Avis and Della.
After their mother dies, their father brings in a young French girl in to care for the children, but when that doesn't work out, he sends the older girls to live with relatives in Maine. It isn't long before the girls are back home (1921), to care for their father when he is seriously injured. Once they are back home, it is Della takes on the majority of the responsibility around the house. She resents the fact that her sister Avis is out having fun, while she is stuck at home.
As the girls become women they move from Canada to Maine, where Della gets work as a maid. She later marries Edward Jensen and inherits his difficult mother as well. Avis goes from one relationship to another, and never really settles down. In 1966 the children reunite to plan their father's funeral in a fashion that would have made their father smile.
There were several things that I liked about this novel, especially the way that it was more like a series of stories that followed the life of these two sisters from childhood to old age. The characters were memorable, and sense of place vivid, but what really made this novel memorable was the way The Sisters of Hardscrabble Bay came about.
Like my mother and my brother, the author Beverly Jensen died of pancreatic cancer; she in 2003. She was only 49 when she passed away, leaving behind her husband and two children. The author spent years writing this novel, chronicling the lives of her relatives within these stories. What a lovely lasting tribute to her short life. You can read more about the author's life, her family, and how her novel came to be published after her death HERE.
February 27, 2012
‘Seemed like we lose so many things. It all gets taken ways, fades away.�
Idella and Avis Hillock are the sisters from Hardscrabble Bay, and this book is a collection of six vignettes from their lives from 1916 until July 1987. Hardscrabble Bay is a chilly bluff in New Brunswick, Canada: potato farms and lobster traps; isolated natural beauty and hard work.
Three of the stories stand out for me: ‘Gone� which opens the book with the tragedy of their mother’s death in childbirth and the events immediately following; the ‘Holdup� which showcases Idella in her small Maine general store; and ‘Wake� which relates to their father’s funeral some fifty years later. As Idella (Della) and Avis grow from childhood to adulthood it is clear that Idella is the more responsible and conventional of the two. Both suffer as a consequence of their mother’s death, as does their brother Dalton and their father ‘Wild Bill�.
These are gritty stories: despair and the darker side of life are seemingly ever present, and yet Idella and Avis make their separate ways through their lives without succumbing to self-pity. There is tragedy, and also humour.
I enjoyed these stories, this sharing of life events and experiences and wondered at times about the choices each sister made. I wondered, too, how much was fiction and how much drew on family history.
‘Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal� (quoted by Idella from ‘A Psalm of Life� by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)
Beverly Jensen died in 2003: this book was published posthumously.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Idella and Avis Hillock are the sisters from Hardscrabble Bay, and this book is a collection of six vignettes from their lives from 1916 until July 1987. Hardscrabble Bay is a chilly bluff in New Brunswick, Canada: potato farms and lobster traps; isolated natural beauty and hard work.
Three of the stories stand out for me: ‘Gone� which opens the book with the tragedy of their mother’s death in childbirth and the events immediately following; the ‘Holdup� which showcases Idella in her small Maine general store; and ‘Wake� which relates to their father’s funeral some fifty years later. As Idella (Della) and Avis grow from childhood to adulthood it is clear that Idella is the more responsible and conventional of the two. Both suffer as a consequence of their mother’s death, as does their brother Dalton and their father ‘Wild Bill�.
These are gritty stories: despair and the darker side of life are seemingly ever present, and yet Idella and Avis make their separate ways through their lives without succumbing to self-pity. There is tragedy, and also humour.
I enjoyed these stories, this sharing of life events and experiences and wondered at times about the choices each sister made. I wondered, too, how much was fiction and how much drew on family history.
‘Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal� (quoted by Idella from ‘A Psalm of Life� by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)
Beverly Jensen died in 2003: this book was published posthumously.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
November 15, 2010
This is a story about 2 sisters and their family who live on a farm trying to live their lives as best they can under difficult circumstances.
I found a quote from this book that I liked�
“She guessed eyes don’t lose their color. Seemed like we lose so many things. It all gets taken away, fades away. She was surprised eyes keep hold of their color.�
On the back jacket cover, I find it interesting that Stephen King praised this book. Kudos to you Stephen King for enjoying this book. One of the comments he writes is�.”Read this! It will fill you up and make you glad you’re alive.� I just love that comment from him. He goes on to say that the sisters stole his heart.
Only 300 pages long, this book spans 70 years, and I so wished it was a much longer book. There was so much more that could have been explored. The author died of cancer at the age of 49 before this book was published, which breaks my heart. Thank you Beverly Jensen for this amazing novel. I will never forget Idella and Avis.
I found a quote from this book that I liked�
“She guessed eyes don’t lose their color. Seemed like we lose so many things. It all gets taken away, fades away. She was surprised eyes keep hold of their color.�
On the back jacket cover, I find it interesting that Stephen King praised this book. Kudos to you Stephen King for enjoying this book. One of the comments he writes is�.”Read this! It will fill you up and make you glad you’re alive.� I just love that comment from him. He goes on to say that the sisters stole his heart.
Only 300 pages long, this book spans 70 years, and I so wished it was a much longer book. There was so much more that could have been explored. The author died of cancer at the age of 49 before this book was published, which breaks my heart. Thank you Beverly Jensen for this amazing novel. I will never forget Idella and Avis.
July 8, 2013
I really, really enjoyed this book. It is a series of short stories which collectively tell the tale of two sisters who endure a difficult childhood in Canada to eventually make lives for themselves in America. There is feisty Avis, the younger sister, and the more level-headed Idella, two years older. We meet them when they are 5 and 7 and their lives are forever changed by a heartbreaking event. We see them through young adulthood to the challenges of relationships and marriage and eventually to old age. The stories are sometimes sad and sometimes funny and always poignant. It is a shame that Beverly Jensen was taken so soon from this world, but this book is a beautiful legacy.
October 20, 2017
Two stars is, "it was okay." I liked the first part of the book, but then I'm not sure what happened. The author bounced around from pov to pov and I got kinda of bored. I really wish she'd stuck with Idella's pov. I think the story would have been much stronger and more compelling. As it is, I didn't have much sympathy for any of the characters. I began to skim...
July 9, 2018
I enjoyed the setting, partly in New Brunswick and the short story style of this book. Each chapter was a story about an event or time in the girls' lives. It was a light but enjoyable read with one disappointment in that a character who made quite an impact with the family in the beginning of the book was never mentioned again.
June 22, 2014
I lost my copy a couple of years ago and only recently thought to borrow it from the library. It isn't a very cheery book about a Canadian family but I suspect it is fairly accurate. Just read the note on the author and learned she died. What a shame, she was a good story teller.
May 16, 2018
This book started out as a promising read, but then faltered. Too many gaps in the story line and poor character development. It was more a series of anecdotes that really had no depth. I found it a drudgery to get through it. Too many good books out there to bother with this one.
July 24, 2016
Loved this book....funny, heartwarming, tragic! So easy to read and hold your attention. Unfortunately this appears to be Ms Jensen's only novel...what a shame!
July 11, 2024
This was the single saddest, most heartbreaking book I have ever read, and I’ve read more books than most people will ever see in their lives. There were a couple of good comic moments at the beginning-cruel, heartless hookers that made me want to keep reading. I did and I regret having done so. I wish I had never opened this book. It was naught but heartbreak and it gave neither hope nor redemption. Save yourself from pain and leave it on the bookshelf, and rejoice that the author didn’t pen another prolonged exercise in sadism.
February 19, 2018
Read by Bernadette Dunne. 2010. The story begins in 1916. Idella and Avis, sisters, are shooed away as their mother gives birth to another sister, Emma. Their mother dies in the process. Living in rugged potato country in Canada with a father distraught over the death of his wife and 3 girls to raise is no picnic. The story spans the 1900s telling of the hard lives and lessons the sisters endured.
March 26, 2022
Two young sisters lose their mother during childbirth. The story follows them as their lives veer and branch off throughout the following decades. The story starts out in a small Canadian lobstering town before both girls, at separate times, migrate south to the US and Boston in particular. I really liked the final chapters because they were divided between the perspective of both sisters and others in story. These chapters helped fill in some holes and even had a surprise or too.
May 19, 2025
Can't believe I just discovered this book. I could not put it down. Where other reviews said they couldn't get into the characters, I felt opposite! I loved all of them. What a tough life. Stories like these that expand through the decades, consume me. I wish Ethel (Eddie's sister) would have appeared more towards the end to see what became of her.
A shame the author passed away so young and at beginning of her writing. I feel she would have been quite a success in the field : (
A shame the author passed away so young and at beginning of her writing. I feel she would have been quite a success in the field : (
July 10, 2017
Usually, I stay away from books that take place before the 1950's, however, I chose to take a chance with this one because the setting starts in New Brunswick, Canada, I place we have enjoyed visiting many times. I really liked this book! At first it was very easy to get into, and putting the places & times on chapters kept my interest throughout.
May 15, 2020
I enjoyed this book, in fact, I read it over a period of 2 days! I liked the way it was written and the descriptions of the area in Canada where the characters grew up.
I would have liked to know what became of the French Canadian maid and the older brother. Also, a bit more about the youngest sister. But, still a good read.
I would have liked to know what became of the French Canadian maid and the older brother. Also, a bit more about the youngest sister. But, still a good read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 16, 2018
I enjoyed the story, the language and description of the era really brought the whole book to life. The droning, drawn out dialogue always turns me off. There were a couple times I was reluctant to continue reading because of it.
May 15, 2018
Entertaining novel that is really a collection of short stories about two sisters who struggle with life after their mother dies in childbirth during the early 20th century. I enjoyed the settings in Canada and Maine and found the story interesting and compelling. A good summer read.
October 1, 2020
This started as an interesting story from a different time when life was crude and death came suddenly. However, as the book continued, the crude grew larger until I couldn’t take it any more. I didn’t finish it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 274 reviews
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get help and learn more about the design.