Reviews for The Sisters from Hardscrabble Bay

The average rating for The Sisters from Hardscrabble Bay based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2010-07-22 00:00:00 Stephan Keusch Clearly 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.

Review # 2 was written on 2010-06-24 00:00:00 Patrick Cornell 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.