Helpful Score: 7
OMG, what happened? Cathy Lamb's two previous novels were warm, wonderful, funny and poignant. They were well written and felt so real. Henry's Sisters, however, is nothing like her previous efforts. The story of three sisters (cartoons), a learning disabled brother and the mother from hell. The opening scenes of Isabelle burning underwear on her balcony, sitting outside naked and drinking from a bottle of Kahlua while screaming at the occupants of an office building across from her apartment, and draping herself on her black granite countertops naked while still drinking, were ridiculous. I was rolling my eyes throughout the first 75 pages pages until I'd had enough. Unlike my reaction, the book has generated lots of praise from most reviewers, but I wouldn't recommend this to anyone.
Helpful Score: 4
Three sisters are messed up psychologically because of bad things that happened, but they still love each other, but even more bad things happen, and it's hard to love each other but they do and then more bad things happen....ugh. Over-the-top dysfunctionality gets redundant pretty quickly.
Helpful Score: 4
If it wasn't on cover, I'd never guess this book was by Cathy Lamb. I fell in love with The Last Time I Was Me and Julia's Chocolates - unfortunately, this book was NOTHING like the previous two. Another reviewer said the "over-the-top dysfunctionality gets redundant pretty quickly" and that is a perfect way to describe it. This was one of the worst books I've read. A HUGE disappointment. Fans of Cathy Lamb shouldn't waste their time with this stinker.
Helpful Score: 3
Henry's Sisters by Cathy Lamb is funny, heatwarming, sad, and written with an ease that makes this book a fast read with very interesting characters involved in complicated family relationships and personal difficulties. The trials and tribulations of the Bommarita sisters would be overwhelming to most people. This book has all the emotions, humor, sadness, anger. It is heartbreaking in some places and makes you very angry in other places. Sometimes you laugh, but you will always feel something. What a great story of love, enduring perseverance, extreme patience, and a sense of family even when family was falling apart. This book is about forgivness, healing, love and learning to be yourself and loving who you are in the craziness this world has to offer. If you're looking for a book that reaches down into your soul then this is the book for you.
This was an enjoyable book, nothing terribly deep and it's not the best writing in the world. But it was entertaining. The story moved forward. It's about three sisters and their mother and they all have issues with eachother. They come home to take care of their mother while she is having Open Heart Surgery. They have a mentally retarded brother, a grandmother who thinks she's Amelia Earheart, and they run a dying bakery together. All in all, great for a summer type read.
