The Sisters is a multi-generational novel that begins in the 1920s and extends to the present day. The sisters in the earliest generation are Mabel and Bertie, who are being "cared for" by an abusive stepfather. The older sister, Mabel, crafts a rather stupid plan for escaping from the stepfather, and the result is a permanent separation of the two sisters. Mabel never marries but becomes a successful photographer with an adopted daughter she saved from an abusive father. Bertie marries, although she never gets entirely over her adolescent love, another casualty of Mabel's escape plan, and has two daughters--Alma and Rainie--who take very different paths, neither of which results in a life that is very rewarding. Rainie has two daughters--Lynn and Grace--who, you guessed it, also share little in the way of sisterly closeness.
I'm not sure why I even finished listening to this book (although I must admit I did fall asleep a couple of times and didn't bother backtracking to listen to what I missed)--the story is ridiculously contrived, the characters one-dimensional (and irritatingly dense), the "surprise" at the end predictable. So not recommended.
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