The Sitting Sisters

by Martha Carr

A forced reunion of four sisters who have gathered to watch their father die becomes a cathartic exercise in finding where each of their pieces lit in the family puzzle. But the puzzle has been thrown into the air and each sister begins to realize she cannot put it back together from childhood memories--too many holes. Told through the eyes of the second of four daughters, Taliaferro Ervin, Tollie,"" ""The Sitting Sisters by Martha Randolph Carr explores the differences in what siblings carry into their adulthood--all from what they ""thought was the same childhood. They slowly begin to realize how their strayed experiences shaped each of their lives in very different ways. As this story of self-discovery begins the three oldest sisters have just come home at the request of the youngest, who chose to stay and care for their father after their mother's death. The sisters are careful not to discuss their father's shocking illness in public or even on the phone. Party lines and eavesdropping are the norm on the fictional South Carolina barrier island of Kelsal, and the sisters know that their father's standing in the community as the Episcopal minister would be in danger if word got out. Returning to the island as adults to face the loss of their father together, they discover many unanswered questions. More holes in their family history force Tollie on a journey she hadn't planned to take. Like many of us, she believes her answers reside just over the horizon. But Tollie discovers that what she is looking for lies closer to the questions than in the dreamy distance. ""The Sitting Sisters come to the realization that their family built on love is covered with so many layers of abandonedemotions and generations of secrets, that the sisters have each come to doubt love in their own ways They ultimately find that redemption comes from within and peace comes in how you manage your memories and draw from them to focus on your future.""

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Okay, I'm a late bloomer who's a big DC comics fan and spent my childhood summers on the Jersey shore but I was born under a wandering star and have lived in different parts of America ever since. That's enough about me. Need to feel inspired today? Looking for something to make you root for an ordinary hero? I'm all about that in everything I write.

I love a good tale that makes me wonder about things and I love a story even more that leaves me feeling inspired or like I'm capable of doing more than I realized. That's my goal with everything I've ever written. Some of the stories I tell involve twisting, turning thrillers and others have a lot of magic.

There's something to be said for getting lost in another world and coming out the other side feeling a little better about yourself or the possibilities in front of you. That's basically the best part of life in a nutshell, no matter what kind of story I'm setting out to tell.

Thank you for checking out my stories!

Reviews

[Brenda Knight · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a really good story. It moves quite slow in the beginning. It seems as though the sisters are all just sitting and waiting for their father to die so they can go back to their own lives. The sister's first names are quite masculine and that takes some getting used to. Once the pace picks up, the book becomes very interesting. The sisters are all so very different but they are very protective of each other. The elders of the family are a bit eccentric which makes them even more interesting. By the end of the story it seems as though all of the characters have figured out their lives and found some answers they had been searching for. By the time I finished the book, I was sorry it had come to an end. I wanted to see more of each character as they moved on. A very good book, though slow moving at first. If you have a sister, or sisters, you will see something of yourselves within these characters. I recommend this book to anyone. I enjoyed it very much.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

For me , the title and the synopsis are very misleading - I totally expected an entirely different read . That's not to say The Sitting Sisters is not a good book , just not what I expected .
I did find the book slow to start . The character developement could have been sooooo much more . It got a little too mushy - romance like for me in parts . I have to say it is slightly predictable as well .
That being said ...I did finish the book, which means it is not all bad ;-) and I adored the last two chapters ! Had the whole book been written as well as the next to the last chapter it would have gotten a 5 star rating from me . It deserves the three I've given it based on that one chapter alone !

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

For being the second book published of this author it was actually a very good read. I liked that it had struggles that people deal with all the time, had a hard time putting down when I picked it up to read because I always wanted to know what was going to happen next. Now I have to try and find Martha's other books and see if they can keep me interested.

[Sana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ending is good but moves too slow for my liking for over 3/4s of the book.