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The Butterfly Sister
"My past was never more than one thought, one breath, one heartbeat away. And then, on that particular October evening, it literally arrived at my doorstep."
Eight months after dropping out of Tarble, an all-women's college, twenty-two-year-old Ruby Rousseau is still haunted by the memories of her senior year-a year marred by an affair with her English professor and a deep depression that not only caused her to question her own sanity but prompted a failed suicide attempt.
And then a mysterious paisley print suitcase arrives, bearing Ruby's name and address on the tag. When Ruby tries to return the luggage to its rightful owner, Beth Richards, her dorm mate at Tarble, she learns that Beth disappeared two days earlier, and the suitcase is the only tangible evidence as to her whereabouts.
Consumed by the mystery of the missing girl and the contents of the luggage-a tattered copy of Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own, the book on which Ruby based her senior thesis, and which she believes instigated her madness-she sets out to uncover the truth, not only about Beth Richards's past but also her own. In doing so, Ruby is forced to reexamine the people from her past: the professor who whisked her away to New Orleans and then shattered her heart and the ghosts of dead women writers who beckoned her to join their illustrious group. And when Ruby's storyline converges with Beth's in a way she never imagined, she returns to the one place she swore she never would: her alma mater.
Eight months after dropping out of Tarble, an all-women's college, twenty-two-year-old Ruby Rousseau is still haunted by the memories of her senior year-a year marred by an affair with her English professor and a deep depression that not only caused her to question her own sanity but prompted a failed suicide attempt.
And then a mysterious paisley print suitcase arrives, bearing Ruby's name and address on the tag. When Ruby tries to return the luggage to its rightful owner, Beth Richards, her dorm mate at Tarble, she learns that Beth disappeared two days earlier, and the suitcase is the only tangible evidence as to her whereabouts.
Consumed by the mystery of the missing girl and the contents of the luggage-a tattered copy of Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own, the book on which Ruby based her senior thesis, and which she believes instigated her madness-she sets out to uncover the truth, not only about Beth Richards's past but also her own. In doing so, Ruby is forced to reexamine the people from her past: the professor who whisked her away to New Orleans and then shattered her heart and the ghosts of dead women writers who beckoned her to join their illustrious group. And when Ruby's storyline converges with Beth's in a way she never imagined, she returns to the one place she swore she never would: her alma mater.
323 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 6, 2013
405 people are currently reading
4585 people want to read
About the author
Amy Gail Hansen
6 books75 followersAmy Gail Hansen is the author of HAPPIER HERE WITH YOU and THE BUTTERFLY SISTER. A former English teacher and journalist, Amy is also a professional food-history lecturer on topics ranging from Midwest sweets to New Orleans cuisine. She is an avid cook, baker, and reader, and never ceases to be amazed by the story of food and the remarkable ways it shapes our lives. She lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband and three children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 566 reviews
June 7, 2015
Finally, another book that I couldn't wait to get back to..I liked how the author drew you in with her descriptive and thought provoking words, so, I'll give it 4 stars since three and a half is not an option, even though, I did NOT like how the "mystery" part of the story was resolved AT ALL.
January 4, 2019
This was a really good book in my opinion, especially for a first time author. It was a mystery that you could not completely follow until the end. And, it did take me until the end of the book to figure everything out. Between some of the chapters there were these letters and you did not know who they were from until you read the very last letter. Very intriguing story with lots of twists and turns.
September 18, 2013
For a first novel this was very evenly paced, and the writing is amazingly reader friendly.Takes place at a small women's college near Chicago and features a college professor who takes advantage of his students, in more ways than one. He is your typical disgusting cad, one readers just love to hate and hope that he gets his in the end. Many twists and turns as we get near to the end of the book, a few I did not see coming.
My favorite parts though featured Plath, Sexton, Woolf and Perkins, the depressed early suicide group that are always fascinating, at least to me. Good debut, interesting, plot could have been a little tighter, but I think this is an author to watch, I have a feeling good things will be coming.
My favorite parts though featured Plath, Sexton, Woolf and Perkins, the depressed early suicide group that are always fascinating, at least to me. Good debut, interesting, plot could have been a little tighter, but I think this is an author to watch, I have a feeling good things will be coming.
April 11, 2016
This story sounded so unique but turned out to be uninteresting and farfetched. I stared to lose interest early on shortly after the suitcase was delivered to Ruby. Most of the plot was about Ruby's past professor-turned-boyfriend Mark from a year before. She goes to a college reunion and we, the reader, get dragged through implausible situations, right until the end. I was really annoyed at all the suicide/attempted suicide attempts revolving around Mark. It's was overkill and made me roll my eyes. No way could one person, in his case Mark, attract that many unstable women.
Virginia Barnard's letter to her dead sister in the epilogue did make me smile even though the stuff involving Virginia isn't likely to ever happen. Virginia's on a quest to repeat her past in a new setting- a hospital. Sounds like a set-up for a sequel but there's not to be one.
Not a good book and I can't recommend it to anyone. The embossed cover is beautiful though!
I received this from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
August 6, 2013
The ideal summer read.
This author’s debut strikes at the sensitivity often surrounding feminist literary classics. This first person account is an eloquent mix of past indiscretions, present mysteries, and potential future decisions. Ruby’s journey is a fast-paced, emotional, and mysterious. It left this reader with a powerful lasting impression and a deep need to reread the works of Woolf, Plath, and Gilman – something I’ve not felt in years.
Disclosure: This ebook was provided to me free of charge by the author for the sole purpose of an honest review. All thoughts, comments, and ratings are my own.
This author’s debut strikes at the sensitivity often surrounding feminist literary classics. This first person account is an eloquent mix of past indiscretions, present mysteries, and potential future decisions. Ruby’s journey is a fast-paced, emotional, and mysterious. It left this reader with a powerful lasting impression and a deep need to reread the works of Woolf, Plath, and Gilman – something I’ve not felt in years.
Disclosure: This ebook was provided to me free of charge by the author for the sole purpose of an honest review. All thoughts, comments, and ratings are my own.
August 19, 2013
I would prefer to give this book 3 1/2 stars. Somewhere between good and really good. I purchased a copy of "The Butterfly Sisters" on Amazon after seeing it advertised on Goodreads. It's an easy book to read. I liked the author's writing style and the story was well-paced (until the end). I also liked the themes of women's literature, creativity, suicide, madness, New Orleans, ghosts, and the bittersweet angst of college romances. It even reminded me a bit at the beginning of "The Bell Jar," a novel that I'm fairly sure the author hoped to invoke.
However, as other reviewers have noted, there were elements of the story that seemed far-fetched. And the ending was so convoluted and such a disappointment that it spoiled a novel that otherwise had the makings of an excellent read.
About two-thirds of the way through this book, when Ruby meets and attends a lecture of Professor Barnard's, I thought to myself, "Wow, this is really good - a well-written novel of shared female empowerment." And although that theme wasn't completely shattered by the ending, the majority of it was.
I found this novel frustrating because it started so well, got even better, and then fell off a ledge. It's hard not to wonder if some, if not all of the author's friends and editors who read through the manuscript didn't suggest a different ending that would be just as effective, but not so nearly convoluted and far-fetched.
All in all, I hope Amy Gail Hansen continues to write. She shows a lot of promise and with more experience and an excellent editor, Hansen just might be able to create a novel that is an A+, rather than a B-.
However, as other reviewers have noted, there were elements of the story that seemed far-fetched. And the ending was so convoluted and such a disappointment that it spoiled a novel that otherwise had the makings of an excellent read.
About two-thirds of the way through this book, when Ruby meets and attends a lecture of Professor Barnard's, I thought to myself, "Wow, this is really good - a well-written novel of shared female empowerment." And although that theme wasn't completely shattered by the ending, the majority of it was.
I found this novel frustrating because it started so well, got even better, and then fell off a ledge. It's hard not to wonder if some, if not all of the author's friends and editors who read through the manuscript didn't suggest a different ending that would be just as effective, but not so nearly convoluted and far-fetched.
All in all, I hope Amy Gail Hansen continues to write. She shows a lot of promise and with more experience and an excellent editor, Hansen just might be able to create a novel that is an A+, rather than a B-.
April 23, 2015
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I liked this quite a bit. I didn't love it, but Amy Gail Hansen pulled me into her story easily and early. The mystery is intriguing, the characters are well-drawn, and the writing itself is sold. Part mystery, part thriller, the author blends together the various aspects of The Butterfly Sister into an interesting and compulsively readable novel. Fast-paced, with several, unexpected twists and turns, readers will find themselves drawn into Ruby Rousseau's complicated life. This is a short-ish novel, but Hansen packs a lot of punch into her three-hundred pages.
Ruby is a compelling protagonist - she's complicated, a mess, a shadow of her former self. She also believes herself to be mad, and with an attempted suicide in her recent past, it's easy to believe in her confusion and pain. Though the majority of the story is focused on the "now" timeline, there are frequent flashbacks interspersed to a year before, when Ruby was at college, and in a seemingly-better mental state. Both the past and the present narratives are connected in unexpected ways, and as Ruby tries to find Beth and figure out what happened to her a year ago, she comes to realize that life at Tarble was not exactly as she remembered. Her romance with an older man is nicely written and fraught with drama, if a bit squick-imducing when it's revealed her love is only three years younger than Ruby's own parents.
The disappearance of Beth is key to the plot, and as Ruby uncovers more about her former friend, the similarities between the two women become more and more apparent. Both were only children, both lost their fathers, and both made ill-fated romantic relationships. But while Ruby may be metaphorically lost, Beth is literally lost. The theme of feminine depression encompasses both women's lives in surprising ways -- Ruby herself is depressed, and while Beth remains unafflicted, another woman's depression has dire implications for her own life. Hansen handles the theme well, and without prejudice. Her even-handed depiction of depression is forthright and real, and never veers into political incorrectness. It helps that Ruby is shown to be a very smart woman, and a thorough researcher. She is much more than her illness, and it doesn't define her.
The final chapters of the book were weaker than the introduction. The mystery flags as the culprit is revealed and leads the characters on an increasingly hard-to-believe series of events. As it went on, The Butterfly Sister lost a bit of the subtlety that it had maintained earlier in the story, but I still couldn't put the book down. It wasn't perfect, but Hansen's first novel is an easy read that will definitely keep readers turning the page. It's unusual, compelling, and a bit weird -- and absolutely memorable.
I liked this quite a bit. I didn't love it, but Amy Gail Hansen pulled me into her story easily and early. The mystery is intriguing, the characters are well-drawn, and the writing itself is sold. Part mystery, part thriller, the author blends together the various aspects of The Butterfly Sister into an interesting and compulsively readable novel. Fast-paced, with several, unexpected twists and turns, readers will find themselves drawn into Ruby Rousseau's complicated life. This is a short-ish novel, but Hansen packs a lot of punch into her three-hundred pages.
Ruby is a compelling protagonist - she's complicated, a mess, a shadow of her former self. She also believes herself to be mad, and with an attempted suicide in her recent past, it's easy to believe in her confusion and pain. Though the majority of the story is focused on the "now" timeline, there are frequent flashbacks interspersed to a year before, when Ruby was at college, and in a seemingly-better mental state. Both the past and the present narratives are connected in unexpected ways, and as Ruby tries to find Beth and figure out what happened to her a year ago, she comes to realize that life at Tarble was not exactly as she remembered. Her romance with an older man is nicely written and fraught with drama, if a bit squick-imducing when it's revealed her love is only three years younger than Ruby's own parents.
The disappearance of Beth is key to the plot, and as Ruby uncovers more about her former friend, the similarities between the two women become more and more apparent. Both were only children, both lost their fathers, and both made ill-fated romantic relationships. But while Ruby may be metaphorically lost, Beth is literally lost. The theme of feminine depression encompasses both women's lives in surprising ways -- Ruby herself is depressed, and while Beth remains unafflicted, another woman's depression has dire implications for her own life. Hansen handles the theme well, and without prejudice. Her even-handed depiction of depression is forthright and real, and never veers into political incorrectness. It helps that Ruby is shown to be a very smart woman, and a thorough researcher. She is much more than her illness, and it doesn't define her.
The final chapters of the book were weaker than the introduction. The mystery flags as the culprit is revealed and leads the characters on an increasingly hard-to-believe series of events. As it went on, The Butterfly Sister lost a bit of the subtlety that it had maintained earlier in the story, but I still couldn't put the book down. It wasn't perfect, but Hansen's first novel is an easy read that will definitely keep readers turning the page. It's unusual, compelling, and a bit weird -- and absolutely memorable.
May 25, 2016
THE BUTTERFLY SISTER had a strong beginning, but somewhere around the half-way point, the story derailed and had trouble recovering. The book presents an intriguing mystery. The suitcase of a missing woman is delivered to Ruby Rousseau, and it turns out the two lived in the same dorm at Tarble College. Ruby is still shattered by the fact that an affair with her married English professor ended badly, with Ruby being dumped and then trying to kill herself. In the suitcase, Ruby finds clues to what may have happened to the missing woman, and she’s compelled to return to Tarble and face her demons.
I enjoyed the first half of the book as the story alternated between present day and a year ago during her affair with Mark, her English professor. Mark was the charming, smart, and handsome older man, and young, naive Ruby fell for him hard, even though he was married. I think part of it was Ruby trying to fill a void in her life, though it was still a dumb move. During a romantic getaway to New Orleans, some strange things start happening to Ruby, like seeing the ghosts of dead writers following her. The Gothic elements were nice and creepy, and I only wish they had been a bigger part of the story. In present day, Ruby is searching for the link between what happened to her and Beth Richard’s disappearance.
The second half of the book didn’t live up to the first. Some of what happened was downright unbelievable, like the reason behind Beth’s disappearance and how it happened. I also thought it was unlikely that a college professor could get away with such unethical conduct with students as long as Mark did. I wasn’t happy that the women characters were so unstable and for the most part, unlikable. THE BUTTERFLY SISTER had its memorable moments and surprising twists, though overall it was just an okay read. I give it 2.5 stars.
I enjoyed the first half of the book as the story alternated between present day and a year ago during her affair with Mark, her English professor. Mark was the charming, smart, and handsome older man, and young, naive Ruby fell for him hard, even though he was married. I think part of it was Ruby trying to fill a void in her life, though it was still a dumb move. During a romantic getaway to New Orleans, some strange things start happening to Ruby, like seeing the ghosts of dead writers following her. The Gothic elements were nice and creepy, and I only wish they had been a bigger part of the story. In present day, Ruby is searching for the link between what happened to her and Beth Richard’s disappearance.
The second half of the book didn’t live up to the first. Some of what happened was downright unbelievable, like the reason behind Beth’s disappearance and how it happened. I also thought it was unlikely that a college professor could get away with such unethical conduct with students as long as Mark did. I wasn’t happy that the women characters were so unstable and for the most part, unlikable. THE BUTTERFLY SISTER had its memorable moments and surprising twists, though overall it was just an okay read. I give it 2.5 stars.
May 6, 2025
”The past is a funny thing, Ruby. It is nature’s most underestimated ghost. It is still very much alive. It’s heart still beats. It haunts.
3.5 out of 5 stars
A truly bonkers final reveal and a WTH villain overshadow what could have been a wonderful tale of feminism, friendship, and consent in this watershed #MeToo movement.
3.5 out of 5 stars
A truly bonkers final reveal and a WTH villain overshadow what could have been a wonderful tale of feminism, friendship, and consent in this watershed #MeToo movement.
August 19, 2013
Amy Gail Hansen and her leading character, Ruby Rousseau, spin in a tale that hooks you after the first sentence and doesn’t let loose until you have turned the last page. This is a twisted, dark tale of a girl and an old college acquaintance of her hers that goes missing. Ruby had an awful experience at Tarble, the women’s college that she attended all the way up until her senior year. Ruby had a horrifying experience there and is now suffering the depression and aftermath of it; a broken affair with one of her college professors and a failed suicide attempt left her crushed and irreparable. When Ruby learns a secret about Beth’s past, the missing girl, she feels compelled to investigate what could have happened to her, and in turn ends up playing Nancy Drew in a story that is sure to have you on the edge of your seat!
I was fascinated by Ruby Rousseau. I’m was an English major just like her, and I became completely enraptured by her words, especially when she started talking about Virginia Wolfe, Anne Sexton, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and Sylvia Plath. Ruby had some strange tendencies and her obsession with death does not go unnoticed. However, all of these odd or strange characteristics are what make her so completely interesting. Ruby is an incredibly intelligent character, and being able to get a perspective on her present as well as her past affair with Mark Suter only sweetens the deal. The story of what happened to Ruby plays out slowly, and readers have to stay invested to get all the juicy details!
The writing style is exquisite and I honestly feel that Amy Hansen is going to be an author that I always watch for! I cannot wait to see what she comes up with next. From the first line I was so mesmerized by Ruby and all the other characters in this book. Hansen does an excellent job of not giving too much away, but giving just enough to keep readers invested and ready to read for the long haul. I kept hoping that with each coming chapter I would find out a little more about Ruby’s affair and why she dropped out of college, or why Beth Richards had gone missing. Hansen delivers, and when she does it comes with a big BANG!
***A copy of this book was provided to me by the publishers at William Morrow in exchange for my honest review***
I was fascinated by Ruby Rousseau. I’m was an English major just like her, and I became completely enraptured by her words, especially when she started talking about Virginia Wolfe, Anne Sexton, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and Sylvia Plath. Ruby had some strange tendencies and her obsession with death does not go unnoticed. However, all of these odd or strange characteristics are what make her so completely interesting. Ruby is an incredibly intelligent character, and being able to get a perspective on her present as well as her past affair with Mark Suter only sweetens the deal. The story of what happened to Ruby plays out slowly, and readers have to stay invested to get all the juicy details!
The writing style is exquisite and I honestly feel that Amy Hansen is going to be an author that I always watch for! I cannot wait to see what she comes up with next. From the first line I was so mesmerized by Ruby and all the other characters in this book. Hansen does an excellent job of not giving too much away, but giving just enough to keep readers invested and ready to read for the long haul. I kept hoping that with each coming chapter I would find out a little more about Ruby’s affair and why she dropped out of college, or why Beth Richards had gone missing. Hansen delivers, and when she does it comes with a big BANG!
***A copy of this book was provided to me by the publishers at William Morrow in exchange for my honest review***
April 30, 2013
As usual I paid nothing for this book but also as usual I'll review it candidly anyway. I received this book through the kind consideration of a GoodReads giveaway just as I have so many others.
Our protagonist is a broken woman, the victim of a spurned and ill-advised love. She revolves in her sad and wounded orbit until one day a suitcase shows up on her doorstep that belongs to an old acquaintance from her former college. From there the story twists mercilessly and unexpectedly to its whiplash-inducing ending.
Hansen's novel is certainly full of surprises. I expected a romance (I never read the back of the book) but instead ended up with a full-fledged murder mystery. The author is masterful at painting characters in a way that makes them easy to relate to and gets the reader attached. They have lives of their own with histories that jive well with their actions in the here and now. She spends three quarters of the book building up background like a roller coaster tick, tick, ticking its way to the top of the hill. When finally the last quarter arrives the whole thing comes together in an almost dizzying hurry that is full of surprises and rushes by in what is guaranteed to be one sitting. Once the last 70 pages or so are begun, do not expect to put them down for any reason not related to Emergency Medical Services.
For all the drama of the last part, however, the author does seem to take her time. I found myself skimming mercilessly through the middle third of the book and when the end arrived I didn't really felt like I'd missed much. Our author paints a wonderfully vivid picture of her protagonists but it can wind on for almost too long and tread on the reader's patience. Ultimately though a well-crafted, if wordy, story.
In summary, this is a grand and very timely (ripped from the headlines as it were) murder mystery full of intrigue. Fans of the mystery genre should be advised, however, that this is one from the emotional side rather than the clinical one. No forensics, no evidence, no blood splatter patterns, just surprising twists and turns and eventually lucky cops. That said, it's still entertaining.
Our protagonist is a broken woman, the victim of a spurned and ill-advised love. She revolves in her sad and wounded orbit until one day a suitcase shows up on her doorstep that belongs to an old acquaintance from her former college. From there the story twists mercilessly and unexpectedly to its whiplash-inducing ending.
Hansen's novel is certainly full of surprises. I expected a romance (I never read the back of the book) but instead ended up with a full-fledged murder mystery. The author is masterful at painting characters in a way that makes them easy to relate to and gets the reader attached. They have lives of their own with histories that jive well with their actions in the here and now. She spends three quarters of the book building up background like a roller coaster tick, tick, ticking its way to the top of the hill. When finally the last quarter arrives the whole thing comes together in an almost dizzying hurry that is full of surprises and rushes by in what is guaranteed to be one sitting. Once the last 70 pages or so are begun, do not expect to put them down for any reason not related to Emergency Medical Services.
For all the drama of the last part, however, the author does seem to take her time. I found myself skimming mercilessly through the middle third of the book and when the end arrived I didn't really felt like I'd missed much. Our author paints a wonderfully vivid picture of her protagonists but it can wind on for almost too long and tread on the reader's patience. Ultimately though a well-crafted, if wordy, story.
In summary, this is a grand and very timely (ripped from the headlines as it were) murder mystery full of intrigue. Fans of the mystery genre should be advised, however, that this is one from the emotional side rather than the clinical one. No forensics, no evidence, no blood splatter patterns, just surprising twists and turns and eventually lucky cops. That said, it's still entertaining.
May 21, 2016
I got a little past half way through listening to this book but I just can't take it anymore. Ruby is such an unlikeable, self-centered, bundle of issues that if this were a physical book - I'd hurl it at the wall in disgust.
But apparently she's "so special" and has "secrets" and "people won't understand" so she won't tell anyone anything - even though someone's life may be at stake.
*bleh
Miscommunication - my least favorite trope or plot device - EVER. Books should come with a warning label so I know to avoid them and read something else.
Also, I feel like the allusions to famous women authors like Sylvia Plath and Virginia Wolf are cheap plot tricks to make this book seem edgy and thoughtfully insightful. It's neither.
But apparently she's "so special" and has "secrets" and "people won't understand" so she won't tell anyone anything - even though someone's life may be at stake.
*bleh
Miscommunication - my least favorite trope or plot device - EVER. Books should come with a warning label so I know to avoid them and read something else.
Also, I feel like the allusions to famous women authors like Sylvia Plath and Virginia Wolf are cheap plot tricks to make this book seem edgy and thoughtfully insightful. It's neither.
October 29, 2013
This is one of the better debuts I have read this year.
I could not put the book down I started it yesterday morning and finished it early this morning.
It was dark but not overly dark, it also had a gothic feel to it
and major twist at the end that kept me reading. add in the way she used Virginia Woolf, Sylvia Plath and Charlotte Perkins with the main character Ruby and you have the makings of a good book. She kind of lost me at the end and I am wondering how she will feel about it after she has written a few more books. 4 stars for the book and 5 stars for a debut author that will be worth watching and reading in the future.
I could not put the book down I started it yesterday morning and finished it early this morning.
It was dark but not overly dark, it also had a gothic feel to it
and major twist at the end that kept me reading. add in the way she used Virginia Woolf, Sylvia Plath and Charlotte Perkins with the main character Ruby and you have the makings of a good book. She kind of lost me at the end and I am wondering how she will feel about it after she has written a few more books. 4 stars for the book and 5 stars for a debut author that will be worth watching and reading in the future.
September 10, 2013
From the second I picked this book up, I couldn't put it down. It's rare that I finish a book in less than 48 hours, but this one, I did! Amy Gail Hansen's writing flows effortlessly and every chapter leaves off with a cliffhanger that propels you onto the next page. There were so many mysteries to untangle throughout the pages of this amazing debut novel, and the ending was certainly one I'd never expected. Kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. Must read! My only regret... my cat left teeth marks in my autographed copy of The Butterfly Sister... so sad. Clearly I was paying much more attention to the book than her!
September 13, 2013
An utterly predictable and incredibly light read. In the author's notes, she mentioned writing this book because she finished reading a novel that had just been released as a major motion picture and thought, "I could have written that." I had the same feeling reading this book.
August 19, 2022
WOW! This book caught me completely off guard! I did not expect to like it as much as I did. The twist came out of nowhere and punched me in the face, which is always awesome! I love when I’m surprised. I would definitely read more by this author
April 16, 2014
** [This review contains plot hints and quotes but no spoilers.] **
I started "The Butterfly Sister" at 11:30pm Saturday and finished it at 3am Sunday. I simply was unable to put it down. I even felt guilty about a bathroom break. The writing was smooth and comfortable, the story compelling, and the themes all too close to home. I'd call this one a "light literary thriller for women" but wouldn't banish it to the labels of "chick lit" or "beach books" as some reviewers have. Sure, it's a story about love and loss, but it's much more than that.
"The Butterfly Sister" (Amy Gail Hansen's debut novel) is about a young woman who recently dropped out of a women's college during her senior year after a failed love affair and an attempted overdose. She had become overwhelmingly obsessed with brilliant, troubled female writers who committed suicide: Virginia Woolf, Sylvia Plath, Charlotte Perkins Gilman [at this point in my reading I took a mental inventory of my own life - an entire shelf devoted to each of these ladies, their biographies and criticism (check), suicide attempts (check), hmm, this plot is a little close to home...intrigued, I continued...but decided to put it down if it turned "too dark"]. Ruby has a mystery thrust upon her by an odd mix-up with luggage, and is forced to revisit the college and the ghosts of her past. She uncovers secrets that are much bigger than herself, while also facing down her own paranoia and delusions.
She revisits painful memories: "They say time heals all wounds, but I beg to differ. It seems time only deepens the scars."
She travels back to the intoxication of an all-encompassing love affair: "His world was his own creation. Mine was, too, until I fell in love with him. And then my world became a collection of the places we went to together ... If he wasn't with me, I wasn't alive. I could not drift into foreign lands beyond the pages of our love story."
She relives the pain of love lost: "How could he make love to me one day, and the next, tell me it's over? How does he sleep at night? Does he ever think of me? ... He has erased me from his memory to the point where he could pass me on the street or see me across a crowded room, and not even recognize me. Then again, I don't recognize myself."
She experiences tripping over the boundaries of sanity: "Reading, taking notes, constructing theories, and supporting those theories with concrete information from concrete materials made me feel rational. It made me feel sane. And if I stopped my mind from this cerebral process, I worried I'd see another dead woman writer in time. The irony did not escape me. In order to keep myself from going crazy, I had to study women of questionable sanity."
The back cover blurb asks: "But will finding the truth set Ruby free ... or send her over the edge of sanity?"
This book contains strong themes of depression, suicide, emotional abuse and manipulation of women, but also has an affirming message of women regaining their voices and power, an unexpected and meaningful twist, and a satisfying yet realistic conclusion. It leaves questions for you to ponder -- have you ever loved that deeply? how much of yourself would you give to a lover? could you lose yourself so totally that you couldn't find your way back? how do we manipulate others with the power of our affection? how much of our lives are guided by the demons of our past? It would make an excellent women's book club book, and the edition that I read has some nice extras in the back (Q&A with the author and discussion questions). William Morrow/HarperCollins "PS" trade paperback - Copyright 2013.
I'm delighted that this book randomly chose me in a small local bookstore that I spent less than five minutes browsing (because my husband was waiting in the car). I was just glancing at the shelves when I automatically kicked in to former-bookseller-mode and reshelved another book that had been carelessly left on the wrong shelf. "The Butterfly Sister" fell into my hands as I shifted books to make room ... I noticed the gorgeous antique lock on the cover, along with a glowing review calling it a "literary thriller" and "dark mystery" with a young female protagonist -- neatly describing my favorite genre. Coincidence? Who knows. I'm an impulse buyer of books, but have learned to trust my impulses, it lead to a lovely read, and for that I'm grateful. I'll be eagerly awaiting Hansen's next novel.
I started "The Butterfly Sister" at 11:30pm Saturday and finished it at 3am Sunday. I simply was unable to put it down. I even felt guilty about a bathroom break. The writing was smooth and comfortable, the story compelling, and the themes all too close to home. I'd call this one a "light literary thriller for women" but wouldn't banish it to the labels of "chick lit" or "beach books" as some reviewers have. Sure, it's a story about love and loss, but it's much more than that.
"The Butterfly Sister" (Amy Gail Hansen's debut novel) is about a young woman who recently dropped out of a women's college during her senior year after a failed love affair and an attempted overdose. She had become overwhelmingly obsessed with brilliant, troubled female writers who committed suicide: Virginia Woolf, Sylvia Plath, Charlotte Perkins Gilman [at this point in my reading I took a mental inventory of my own life - an entire shelf devoted to each of these ladies, their biographies and criticism (check), suicide attempts (check), hmm, this plot is a little close to home...intrigued, I continued...but decided to put it down if it turned "too dark"]. Ruby has a mystery thrust upon her by an odd mix-up with luggage, and is forced to revisit the college and the ghosts of her past. She uncovers secrets that are much bigger than herself, while also facing down her own paranoia and delusions.
She revisits painful memories: "They say time heals all wounds, but I beg to differ. It seems time only deepens the scars."
She travels back to the intoxication of an all-encompassing love affair: "His world was his own creation. Mine was, too, until I fell in love with him. And then my world became a collection of the places we went to together ... If he wasn't with me, I wasn't alive. I could not drift into foreign lands beyond the pages of our love story."
She relives the pain of love lost: "How could he make love to me one day, and the next, tell me it's over? How does he sleep at night? Does he ever think of me? ... He has erased me from his memory to the point where he could pass me on the street or see me across a crowded room, and not even recognize me. Then again, I don't recognize myself."
She experiences tripping over the boundaries of sanity: "Reading, taking notes, constructing theories, and supporting those theories with concrete information from concrete materials made me feel rational. It made me feel sane. And if I stopped my mind from this cerebral process, I worried I'd see another dead woman writer in time. The irony did not escape me. In order to keep myself from going crazy, I had to study women of questionable sanity."
The back cover blurb asks: "But will finding the truth set Ruby free ... or send her over the edge of sanity?"
This book contains strong themes of depression, suicide, emotional abuse and manipulation of women, but also has an affirming message of women regaining their voices and power, an unexpected and meaningful twist, and a satisfying yet realistic conclusion. It leaves questions for you to ponder -- have you ever loved that deeply? how much of yourself would you give to a lover? could you lose yourself so totally that you couldn't find your way back? how do we manipulate others with the power of our affection? how much of our lives are guided by the demons of our past? It would make an excellent women's book club book, and the edition that I read has some nice extras in the back (Q&A with the author and discussion questions). William Morrow/HarperCollins "PS" trade paperback - Copyright 2013.
I'm delighted that this book randomly chose me in a small local bookstore that I spent less than five minutes browsing (because my husband was waiting in the car). I was just glancing at the shelves when I automatically kicked in to former-bookseller-mode and reshelved another book that had been carelessly left on the wrong shelf. "The Butterfly Sister" fell into my hands as I shifted books to make room ... I noticed the gorgeous antique lock on the cover, along with a glowing review calling it a "literary thriller" and "dark mystery" with a young female protagonist -- neatly describing my favorite genre. Coincidence? Who knows. I'm an impulse buyer of books, but have learned to trust my impulses, it lead to a lovely read, and for that I'm grateful. I'll be eagerly awaiting Hansen's next novel.
August 16, 2013
WOW...Complex....and Twisted
The past,to quote the book, " Nature's most underestimated ghost." Within this book most individuals will find someone from their past that is replicated with one of these characters. It seems everyone Hansen's characters has a flaw that holds them at bay. Ruby is smart creative, and seemed to be adjusted (when her first entered college) then come the albatross around her neck. Mark,(albatross), flawed from the get go, brings out the insecurity within Beth. Beth's downfall with Mark is brought on by an element that does not show its face until the reader continues reading at the end.
This is a very deep book, but one I really enjoyed. I can see a lot of me in this book, not the situation, but the getting lost part in your own passions. Hansen chose some of my favorite classical female authors to demonstrate the feeling of inner loss with the strong creative females. Ruby writes a thesis paper on the assertion that the creativity within Virginia Woolf, Charlotte Perkins,and Sylvia Plath gave way to their madness. This lead to one of the discussion questions in the back of the book, why do so many creative minds end up being diagnosed with depression?
The past,to quote the book, " Nature's most underestimated ghost." Within this book most individuals will find someone from their past that is replicated with one of these characters. It seems everyone Hansen's characters has a flaw that holds them at bay. Ruby is smart creative, and seemed to be adjusted (when her first entered college) then come the albatross around her neck. Mark,(albatross), flawed from the get go, brings out the insecurity within Beth. Beth's downfall with Mark is brought on by an element that does not show its face until the reader continues reading at the end.
This is a very deep book, but one I really enjoyed. I can see a lot of me in this book, not the situation, but the getting lost part in your own passions. Hansen chose some of my favorite classical female authors to demonstrate the feeling of inner loss with the strong creative females. Ruby writes a thesis paper on the assertion that the creativity within Virginia Woolf, Charlotte Perkins,and Sylvia Plath gave way to their madness. This lead to one of the discussion questions in the back of the book, why do so many creative minds end up being diagnosed with depression?
August 14, 2013
I honestly don't believe that this book deserves the three-star ratings that I saw on here. It's not my thing, really. Most of my personal collection is comprised of fantasy, steampunk, horror, and the like. Maybe that colors my opinion but I don't think this was a bad book, I wouldn't say it was watered down as I read in one of the reviews. All in all, I liked it. It was sad, it kept me reading, and I did really like it. I also wouldn't have guessed the end until I finally came to it. So I really did like this book. It's a good dose of something realistic when my taste tends to rush headlong into the fantastic and utterly surreal and I have enough room in my world of criticism for something purely fictional without monsters or dragons, or princesses or queens to be saved. It was a good book. I liked it and I will probably read it again.
I would have liked to see Ruby's ending hit a higher optimistic note but I know that I'm kind of addicted to the words "and they lived happily ever after," mostly because you so rarely see it in life. That is why I'm probably giving it one less star than it probably deserves, but there it is. My opinion.
I would have liked to see Ruby's ending hit a higher optimistic note but I know that I'm kind of addicted to the words "and they lived happily ever after," mostly because you so rarely see it in life. That is why I'm probably giving it one less star than it probably deserves, but there it is. My opinion.
September 6, 2014
I'm giving it 5 stars - I loved it! This was the best suspenseful mystery I have read in a very long time. I devoured it in three days, staying up way past my bedtime :) - aren't those always the best books? I thought the pacing was perfect, never slow or dull and the main character was done to perfection. The writing/thoughts of Ruby were so smooth and fluid it felt almost like I was hearing my own thoughts. A little of the end did wrap up maybe a tad too neatly but, if you like to put the pieces of the puzzle together as you read along then definitely try this book - I highly recommend it.
August 7, 2013
Ruby Rousseau can't seem to get past the memories of Tarble. Even with counseling she is still struggling with the events that had her leaving the college ten months earlier. When an unexpected delivery of a suitcase from a former classmate arrives, everything around Ruby shifts. Ruby is thrust into a mystery surrounding Beth and forced to face everything she ran away from. In a journey that reroutes Ruby's life, you are swept into a mesmerizing story about betrayal, a puzzle that needs to be solved, and finding yourself again. Wonderfully written and hauntingly beautiful.
September 24, 2024
3.5 seems accurate. I keep referring to this book as interesting.
July 28, 2013
The story is relevant, professor dating students. I was very intrigued through most of this novel. Then the last few chapters....ugh. Terrible ending. Sorry. Just thought it did not live up to the great beginning. If it could of kept going with the great mystery of the suitcase and the missing girl it would have been great. Just "eh" for me.
September 18, 2013
One character attempting/committing suicide over a broken heart is sad. Two is pushing it. Three? The same guy? Please. From about half-way through, the book just got silly and contrived and not worth finishing, but I did anyway. It didn't change my opinion. This writer has potential and if she writes another novel I might give it a try, but I really couldn't recommend this book to anyone.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 5, 2017
I enjoyed this book! It is the story in a nutshell of a suitcase, a college, a professor, ghosts, vulnerable girls and vengeance. The story was very predictable however. I figured many things out way before they happened.
I think it is worth reading for people who like romance with a bit of thriller ride, also for people who like Contemporary Fiction.
I think it is worth reading for people who like romance with a bit of thriller ride, also for people who like Contemporary Fiction.
December 28, 2017
Oh my, this book is really stupid. But it’s not *not* entertaining. The author’s portrayal of women is rather pathetic and depiction of academics hysterically silly. It’s not dull, I’ll give it that.
November 8, 2013
I've had a run of books that start very interesting but get boring pretty quickly. This was one of them
May 12, 2014
The ending really went off the rails, but it was entertaining up until that point.
October 23, 2022
I can't believe this was a debut novel - it was so good! If life hadn't gotten in the way I would've read it in one sitting. As it was, I read the second half in one sitting. Great characters, super interesting story line and plenty of twists and turns. I will definitely read more books by this author!
October 31, 2021
An enjoyable read that kept my interest and had likeable characters. One problem that I have with mysteries, why is it that the villains always explain their rationale and entire thought process to their intended murder victim before actually committing the crime? Does this ever happen in real life?
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