Dust Jacket Description:
The Sullivan sisters have a big problem. On Christmas Day their rich and imperious grandmother gathers the family and announces that she will soon die...and has cut the entire family out of her will. Since she is the source of almost all their income, this means they will soon be penniless.Someone in the family has offended her deeply. If that person comes forward with a confession of her (or his) crime, submitted in writing to her lawyer by New Year's Day, she will reinstate the family in her will. Or at least consider it.
And so the confessions begin....
Characters and Writing: After reading Standiford's How To Say Goodbye in Robot, I honestly didn't know what to assume from Sullivan Sisters. The concept is very clever, but also more main stream than any of the content in Robot. I wondered how much her writing style would change. My answer to that question would be - not much. Fortunately, Standiford has an exquisite writing style that adds pepper to a foray of characters that were in danger of being cliched archetypes.
None of the three girls - Norrie, Sassy and Jane - are original characters. They have very typical personalities. But there's something about how Standiford adds to their emotional arch that deepens each interwoven story, and adds twists for a more interesting perspective. Maybe it was because of Almighty - the girls' grandmother - and her societal expectations that fit a Victorian age mindset but still somehow passed as normal for a high class family. Maybe it's how this story feels almost like a fairy tale in how we get very little detail of why the Sullivan family is so dependent on Almighty, which leaves the story with an almost dream like quality in parts. (The girls also call their father Daddy-o, which I think might be the coolest thing ever). It could also be because after going to Baltimore myself last year I loved reading the descriptions of the city from a posh perspective. But however she manages it, Standiford keeps this story from deviating too far in a mainstream direction. It's the main reason why I enjoyed the book so much. 4 and a half flowers.
Plot: After having the two fun, action lead stories surrounding Norrie and Jane, Sassy's confession lost some of that plot based fun and her story gravitated towards a vibe more fitting of Standiford's debut YA work. I wanted to like Sassy more than I did. 4 flowers.
End: A little bizarre. A little understandable. Generally weird. But Almighty IS an eccentric millionaire. 4 flowers.
Dust Jacket Description: I wish it mentioned more about the actual sisters themselves, but beyond that it certainly focuses on the basis premise in an articulate way. 4 flowers.
Cover: I actually love this cover. Except for how the back of the middle girl's dress isn't sitting correctly between her shoulder blades. It drove me crazy. 4 and a half flowers.
Overall: If you need a gateway book to help ease your way into the amazing world of super fantastic, crazy literature, or if you just like suave characters with lots of hurdles ahead of them, this is the book for you. 4 and a half flowers.
0 comments:
Post a Comment