SISTERS

Author: Danielle Steel ISBN: 9780440243267 2/2008 CONTEMPORARY Publisher: DELL

Four sisters, a Manhattan brownstone, and a tumultuous year of loss and courage are at the heart of Danielle Steel’s new novel about a remarkable family, a stunning tragedy—and what happens when four very different young women come together under one very lively roof. Candy–it’s the only name she needs—is blazing her way through Paris, New York, and Tokyo as fashion’s latest international supermodel. . . . Her sister Tammy has a job producing the most successful hit show on TV, and a home she loves in L.A.’s Hollywood Hills. . . . In New York, oldest sister Sabrina is an ambitious young lawyer, while Annie is an American artist in Florence, living for her art. . . . On one Fourth of July weekend, as they do every year, the four sisters come home to Connecticut for their family’s annual gathering. But before the holiday is over, tragedy strikes and their world is utterly changed. Suddenly, four sisters who have been fervently pursuing success and their own lives—on opposite sides of the world—reunite to share one New York brownstone, to support each other and their father, and to pick up the pieces while one sister struggles to heal her shattered body and soul. Thus begins an unscripted chapter of their lives, as a bustling house is soon filled with eccentric dogs, laughter, tears, friends, men . . . and the kind of honesty and unconditional love only sisters can provide. But as the four women settle in, they are forced to confront the direction of their respective lives. As the year passes and another July Fourth approaches, a season of grief and change gives way to new beginnings—as a family comes together to share its blessings and a future filled with surprises and, ultimately, hope.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

I must admit I was hesitant to read this book, even though I am a big Danielle Steel fan. The blurb made me wonder if it would be maudlin or overly sad, so I shied away from it. I was pleasantly surprised to find that although the subject is somewhat difficult, the way Ms. Steel portrays life and circumstances in this story is heartwarming and poignant. I enjoyed SISTERS very much, and am glad that I decided to read it.
 
The basic premise is of an annual family tradition of spending a summer holiday together taking a tragic turn, something that could happen in any family. While the four sisters, all with such glaringly different lives, come together for the gathering they somehow remain separate, keeping their protective armor intact. But heartache, family need and loss wears the armor on each of them down and they are able to connect in a way that only families, with their shared history and love, can. Watching each of them struggle to come to grips with the change in the family dynamic is sometimes tough, but that is, I think, one of this author's strongest points. Her characters are never flat, and they pull compassion from the reader. Tammy, Candy, Annie and Sabrina are no exceptions: they made me care. I laughed, I cried, and I loved every minute of SISTERS. And the best part? Even after a rocky year, there is hope and a chance for happily-ever-after.

I was right in that this would be an emotionally gripping story, but it wasn't at all maudlin. Sure, there's death and heartbreak, but there's so much more. While the scenes in the hospital are so well written the reader would do well to have a box of tissues nearby, they are never over-the-top. And there is a point where three of the sisters are going through their mother's things with their dad that made me smile and cry all at once. As I said, I cared for this family, and I think most readers, especially Ms. Steel's fans, will too.

Kay James