Bittersweet

by Colleen McCullough

Do bonds between sisters ever break? Edda, Grace, Tufts and Kitty didn't think so. The four Latimer sisters, famous throughout New South Wales for their beauty, wit and ambition, have always been close; always happy. But then they left home to train as nurses, swapping the feather beds of their father's townhouse for the spartan bunks of hospital accommodation. And now, as the Depression casts its shadow across Australia, they are bound by their own secret desires as the world changes around them. Will they find the independence they crave? Or is life - like love - always bittersweet? 'As clever, compelling and as down-to-earth as its four heroines' Australian Women's Weekly

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Australia, Historical, Romance, Book Club, Audiobook

528 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2013

About the author

Colleen Margaretta McCullough was an Australian author known for her novels, her most well-known being The Thorn Birds and Tim.

Raised by her mother in Wellington and then Sydney, McCullough began writing stories at age 5. She flourished at Catholic schools and earned a physiology degree from the University of New South Wales in 1963. Planning become a doctor, she found that she had a violent allergy to hospital soap and turned instead to neurophysiology – the study of the nervous system's functions. She found jobs first in London and then at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.

After her beloved younger brother Carl died in 1965 at age 25 while rescuing two drowning women in the waters off Crete, a shattered McCullough quit writing. She finally returned to her craft in 1974 with Tim, a critically acclaimed novel about the romance between a female executive and a younger, mentally disabled gardener. As always, the author proved her toughest critic: "Actually," she said, "it was an icky book, saccharine sweet."

A year later, while on a paltry $10,000 annual salary as a Yale researcher, McCullough – just "Col" to her friends – began work on the sprawling The Thorn Birds, about the lives and loves of three generations of an Australian family. Many of its details were drawn from her mother's family's experience as migrant workers, and one character, Dane, was based on brother Carl.

Though some reviews were scathing, millions of readers worldwide got caught up in her tales of doomed love and other natural calamities. The paperback rights sold for an astonishing $1.9 million.

In all, McCullough wrote 11 novels.

Source: http://www.people.com/article/colleen...

Reviews

[Lili · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't think the writing was terrible...I just felt like it didn't go anywhere. There was no serious development of character or plot, no in-depth description of life during the depression. Everything was described by the narrator in very long, boring paragraphs rather than shown to me through the characters and plots. The characters themselves were 2-dimensional and each felt rather unrealistic and summed-up through 1 facet of their personality (the serious one, the smart one, the pretty one, the whining one). Also, the use of 2 pairs of identical twins was completely unnecessary. There was no play on doppelgängers, or mistaken identity, or identity at all really. None of the characters faced any true adversity, showed any true courage, or made me invested in the outcome.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Edda and Grace were the elder twins by twenty months; their half-sisters Heather (Tufts) and Kitty formed their tightly-knit group of four – different mothers, the same father; they were all destined for different life paths back in the days of 1920s Australia. The fact that their father’s wife; Tufts and Kitty’s mother, Maude was a huge influence on their lives was known, but it was not in a good way. Maude was oppressive and she made no bones about letting everyone know her favourite child was Kitty, who suffered greatly from that smothering and devoted woman.

When their father, the Reverend Thomas Latimer used his influence on the board of the Corunda Base Hospital to gain all four girls traineeships as nurses, their lives took on different meanings – they lived on-site at the hospital, therefore they were out of Maude’s clutches at last. Three of the sisters found they loved the ways of nursing; the fourth was unhappy but continued so she could remain with her sisters. The four girls bloomed as they learned – Edda knew her wishes of becoming a doctor would be unfulfilled but her sights were set high; Kitty loved working with children, with the Children’s Ward becoming her domain; Tufts found working with Dr Liam Finucan in pathology intriguing and Grace just wanted to marry and have children.

In 1929, Dr Charles Burdum from London, but with a grandfather in Corunda, arrived to become the new superintendent of the hospital. With deeply entrenched Britishness, Charles struggled to fit in with the locals – but he was set to change many lives, including those of the Latimer sisters. As the Depression moved across the country people from all walks of life were affected. Times became terrible – the struggle just to eat was a torment…

I thoroughly enjoyed this Australian saga set in the 1920s by renowned Aussie author Colleen McCullough - the lives of four sisters; two sets of twins who were close in age and bond. The love they shared was deep and unable to be broken – the paths their lives took, though different, continued to keep them together, even when apart.

There were many laugh out loud moments, including this one: He asked me to dinner at the Parthenon the other day - caught me doing a message... So I stood there and stared at him, slowly sucked my lips together like a fish, and crossed my eyes. He ran away. P57 - and I loved learning how Tufts earned her nickname! A wonderful story, one I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending highly.

[Na · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh dear. The formidable McCullough seems to have descended to the depths of trashy supermarket fodder. Ok, maybe I'm being a tad harsh. But this book failed to live up to expectations. There's nothing really groundbreaking about a coterie of sisters escaping a domineering mother figure and trying to make their own way in 1920s Australia. And the story of the domineering mother figure was not as well explored as it could have been - in fact, she was dispensed with a convenient disease about mid way through. It was an ok read, but oh Colleen, you can do (and have done) so much better.

[Carol Preston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three and a half for this story, set in Australia between the first and second World Wars, which follows the lives and loves of four sisters, two sets of twins, who enter nursing training, and become embroiled in hospital administration, in politics, in new medical discoveries and the ambitions of men. Throughout the Depression years, the sisters discover their strengths and weaknesses, their aspirations and resources. There's a lot to be learned historically in this story and some things to be enjoyed about these female characters, as they struggle to find a voice and a place in a male dominated world. However, I found the story drawn out in parts. The POV issues were distracting, and while the sisters were interesting, sometimes intriguing, I didn't find any of them endearing. Similarly the male characters were interesting and engaging, but not particularly likeable, and so I missed having a character I could identify with and cheer for.

[Jessica Cutting · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was quite a good story but it only skimmed the surface of the lives of the 4 girls. I would have preferred 4 books - one for each girl, spanning the same time period. That way you could get deeper and experience more of each girls life. So much more could have been told.

[Shosh · Rating 1 out of 5]

A truly woeful book - are all the people giving this book 4 & 5 stars Mills & Boon fans?! If I read one more time about someone's eyes changing colour I'll scream! The idea of the book is good and will probably make a good mini series (with the right writers). It's been a long while since I read Colleens books and remember enjoying them but will now have to review them again to see if they are as bad as this!

[Rita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Austrália! O outro lado do mundo!
Colleen McCullough, uma das minhas escritoras favoritas e este livro não me desiludiu.
Agridoce é uma saga familiar, mas o que achei mais interessante foi a forma como nos é apresentada a situação social, política e económica de um país que foi um dos que mais sofreu com a “grande depressão”.
A história da Austrália é algo que vou querer aprofundar.

[Celia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bittersweet takes place in Australia before and during the Great Depression.

The story centers on 4 girls, 2 sets of identical twins, who live in Corunda, a fictional city in Australia. The girls have different mothers but the same father, who is a rector in the Church of England.

"Edda and Grace, Tufts and Kitty. Two sets of twins, the daughters of the Reverend Thomas
Latimer, Rector of St. Mark’s Church of England in the Shire & City of Corunda, New South
Wales."

The girls decide as a group to enroll at the local hospital to become registered nurses. Some find love, some stay on at the hospital. The Depression occurs with its own set of worries and woes. I found it interesting to know how the Depression affected Australia.

There is politics too in this book, as the loves of two of the girls are also interested in running for a government post.

I found this interesting tidbit on McCullough at the end of the book:
.
Colleen McCullough, a native of Australia, established the department of neurophysiology at the Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney before working as a researcher at Yale Medical School for ten years. She was the bestselling author of numerous novels, including The Thorn Birds. She died at her home on Norfolk Island in the South Pacific in 2015.

Next up - The Thorn Birds, for sure.

4 stars (The book was a slow start, but am glad I stuck with it).

[Sara Jesus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dois pares de gémeas. Todas diferentes entre si mas sempre unidas. Cansadas de serem escravizadas, elas se inscrevem numa escola de enfermagem. Mas os seus caminhos se afastam, quer pelo casamento ou suas próprias ambições.

Edda e Tuffus permanecem como enfermeiras e através do seu grande conhecimento de medicina conseguem atingir o sucesso. Grace e Kitty conformam-se a serem boas esposas. Mas enquanto o marido de Grace é compreensivo, disponível sempre as suas necessidades, o de Kitty é um marido possessivo e controlador.

Em geral é uma obra que demonstra as dificuldades das mulheres no século XX, não podendo ser esposas e ter independência financeira. O casamento era uma "prisão" para estas mulheres, em que deviam ser submissas para os seus maridos. Foi uma boa introdução a esta conceituada escritora australiana, mas faltou algo na narrativa para me envolver por completo. A cumplicidade das irmãs não foi o suficiente para fazer adorar o livro.

[Angela M · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid 3 stars - 3.5 if I could .

I wanted to love this story as much as I did The Thorn Birds but I knew from the start that I wouldn’t. I knew that it wasn’t going to be the multigenerational epic story that I loved, yet I wanted to read it. Having said that upfront, I am glad that I read it and I thoroughly enjoyed this story!

Set in Australia in the 1920's, this is the story of two sets of twins who are half- sisters by blood but sisters by the heart. Only a few pages in and you will know the personalities, the hopes and the desires of Edda, Grace, Tufts, and Kitty. The descriptive writing of McCullough is so precise that you not only know this, you know exactly what they look like. The four sisters, daughters of the Rector of a church in New South Wales leave their home and happily - to get away from their step-mother and mother Maude and they embark on training for careers in nursing.

This is the story of their relationships with each other - they know each other so well and are there for each other no matter what. It's also the story of their individual selves - who they are, what direction they take, and the men in their lives. It is obvious that nothing could come between the sisters; even a husband was an "outsider”. I found that what goes on in the life of this family, the town, the hospital made for an interesting and what seemed like a light read. However, what happens as a result of the stock market crash and the Great Depression, does have implications for Australia, the city of Corunda and this family,

The depression saw the loss of jobs , homes , and an increase in the number of orphans and growth of shanty towns. This family is not immune to the effects.The story touches on many themes – women’s roles in society, independent women, dependent women, family, marriage, and political aspirations.

The story, though, is about how these four women move forward in their lives to be who they are and want to be.



*******************************************
Thanks to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley .

[Tara · Rating 1 out of 5]

Why this book is so well praised I will never know. Only got half way through it because the writing is horrible and the characters are so unlikable!

[Bettie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bettie's Books

[Kandice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want, very much, to give this book five stars. If anyone other than McCullough had written it, I would probably have given it only three, maybe two. I don't care how biased that makes me. I love Colleen McCullough. I crave her books in a way I might crave chocolate on a diet. Making me Jones for her is worth an extra star.

This is the story of two sets of twins only 20 months apart. They share a father, but not a mother. This is Edda, Grace, Kitty and Tufts. I love the name Tufts, by the way, and kudos to myself for thinking of the story behind the name BEFORE McC tells it. :D Claim your victories where you can.

The story takes place in Australia, clearly the land of McC's heart. Every single book she sets there teaches me so much. If you ever wanted to know more about Australia, read Morgan's Run. Or, maybe The Thorn Birds, but anyway, read McC's books. This, like all her others not set in Rome or Cambridge, is a feast for Historical Fictionistas. McC tells us of Australia right before and during the depression. Being an American, the only view I have of that era is the view state side. I didn't know how much impact it had on the rest of the world.

Sometimes McC's history gets in the way of her story, I'll be the first to admit that, but I still love it. She teaches me so much without lecturing. She creates characters (even those as unbelievable as the characters found in this tale), then makes me care about them enough that I care about their environment. Only after she has done this does she tell me everything I could ever want to know about it. History 101 hidden in fiction.

I admit to getting a bit upset at her descriptions of the youths in this novel. They were all, not only years, but decades above their possible wisdom and intelligence, but I can forgive that because of the way she tells it. As I read I believe what she is writing. As soon as I set the book aside, my suspension of disbelief is shattered, but that's ok. I relish it as I read and wish children really were the way McC paints them.

I can't say I will read this over and over as I do some of her other offerings, but it will hold a place in my heart as HERS. A book only she could write in such a way that I would even finish. In anyone else's hands this would have been two, three stars tops.

[T4bsF (Call me Flo) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the first half of this book quite boring and in places unbelievable. Nothing concrete to say that things could not have happened at all, but that they would have been pushing the grounds of credibility. Some things could also have been put down to the differences between life in Australia and life in the UK. For instance, the period was c.1925 and the District Nurse was driving around in a Model T Ford. Here in the UK our District Nurses did their rounds on bikes until much later than this (more like 1950's/60's before our DN's started using cars) and, as I have said, it wouldn't have been impossible for a DN is Australia to use a car on her rounds at this time - but unlikely! Also a terminally ill 2 year old boy was credited with the thinking and terminology of, not only an older child, but more likely an adult. To quote a passage from the book "he saved the (opiate) injections for real need, explaining to Grace (a nurse) in the middle of a wakeful night that if he was sedated all the time, he wouldn't know all his lovely nurses the way he did". Added to this was the fact that this particular child was from a family background of being just a nuisance, who was, for the most part, ignored and pushed away..... hardly the sort that would have used the word "sedated", let alone understand it's meaning! However, putting all this aside the second half of the book was quite good and a lot more interesting, showing how different the lives of 2 sets of twins (same father - different mothers) could be. It showed how apart they were, at the same time showing how together they were, and the different paths of life their choices led them.

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inicialmente fiquei com ideia de que estaria a ler um romance do estilo "Jane Austen" mas pouco a pouco cada uma das irmãs vai descolando deste tipo de heroína. As irmãs Latimer vão conquistando o seu lugar numa sociedade dominada e dirigida por homens.
O livro tem uma escrita simples e agradável, contudo começa a perder um pouco o encanto devido a todas as reviravoltas da vida das personagens principais.

[Lιƈíɳια · Rating 3 out of 5]

Acompanhamos quatro irmãs (dois pares de gémeas, muito próximas na idade), quando iniciam o curso de enfermeiras e depois cada uma segue um percurso bem diferente na vida tanto a nível profissional como pessoal, mas sempre unidas e cúmplices.

[Book Concierge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book on CD performed by Cat Gould.


A mini-series soap opera of a novel, following four sisters (two sets of twins) in early 20th century Australia. The Latimer girls have the same father, but different mothers. Edda and Grace’s mother died in childbirth, and their father later married the housekeeper originally hired to help the young widowed father. Early on their goals and dreams for themselves diverge: Edda wants to be a doctor, Grace to marry and raise a family, Tufts expects to stay single, and Kitty wants more than anything to known for something other than her extraordinary beauty.

McCullough does a great job of crafting this sweeping novel. I was engaged and interested in the story and in exploring life in Australia at this time frame. I really enjoyed learning about the nursing training the sisters underwent, as well as the early limitations and advances in medicine during this time period.

Ultimately, however, I did get frustrated by Grace’s manipulative “woe-is-me, I’m so helpless” attitude. Even Kitty – the extraordinary beauty – showed more gumption and grit. However, Grace did eventually grow up and showed some of the strength of her twin, Edda. I really liked Edda and the way that her story played out. She was the consistently strong one and seemed to naturally take on the mantel of oldest child and leader.

There were a few story lines that McCullough seemed to abandon for a time, and then reintroduce simply to resolve them.

Cat Gould does a fine job of narrating the audiobook. She sets a good pace and has clear diction and enough skill as a voice artist to differentiate the many characters. I was listening during a long road trip and it made the miles fly by! 4**** for her performance.

[Anne OK · Rating 3 out of 5]

I neither hated or loved this journey back in history to Australia during the 1920s. After all the comparisons to The Thorn Birds, I was extremely intrigued, but found it nowhere near comparable.

The story centers around two sets of twins who are half-sisters sharing the same father, but who have different mothers. Kitty, Edda, Tufts and Grace all have their individual hopes and dreams like all girls. In support of each other, they leave home to escape their mothers and enter nurses training. They are a tightly wound group and nothing comes between the loyalty and love of these sisters -- not even a man or a husband.

The story is detail-packaged with entries on the hometown front and hospital work, along with the hard times and sadness brought on by stock market crash during the Great Depression and its effects their family and homeland. Readers get a good look at what life was like for women relating to careers, marriage and their desires, as well.

A new-to-me author, McCullough does a good job portraying this period of time. Some parts were far more entertaining than others. At times, the story moved at a slow pace. Overall, it was an okay read -- but nothing like I had hoped to find.

[Jane Cathleen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Such a disappointment! Not her best work at all . I was not invested in the characters or the plot . I thought it was going to be good when it started but it failed to keep my attention. I finished but this book is getting donated to book library. I do not recommend.

[Dorine · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't finish this and set it aside. Not what I expected. Maybe I'll try again later, but for now it's getting put back on my shelf. LOVED The Thorn Birds, but this book isn't like that one.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Setting: 'Corunda', Southern Tableland, NSW, Australia; 1920's-1930's.
This is the story of four sisters, daughters of the Reverend Thomas Latimer, being twins Edda and Grace (whose mother died in childbirth) and twins Heather (aka Tufts) and Kitty (by his new wife, former housekeeper Maude). The two pairs of twins are quite close in age and have a special bond between them all, so much so that, as the novel starts, all four are about to start training at the local hospital for the relatively new qualification of state-registered nurse.
The book relates the stories of the four girls as they work in the hospital and each pursue their own individual love and career interests from their late teens through to adulthood....
I really enjoyed the authentic sense of time and place - Australia in the post-war years, the way hospitals were, the lack of career opportunities for ambitious women, the political situation of federal versus state governments (didn't realise that Western Australia had been seriously considering seceding from the rest of Australia at this time!) and the effects on Australia of the Great Depression of the early 1930's on employment, exports and the general well-being of the population, including the arguments over whether debts to other countries, notably the UK, should be paid at a time of financial crisis in the country.
What I didn't enjoy so much is that the story as told could have been quite a bit shorter, failing which the opportunities for some more dramatic storylines should have been taken. Thinking back after finishing the book there was never really any 'villain' in the book with any nefarious plots against any of the main characters. Rather you had several main characters, each of which had their own individual flaws and strengths and which were shown as the story progressed.
So, whilst overall it was largely an enjoyable read, I felt that there could have been a bit more drama as in other books I have read by this author - 6.5/10.

[Booknblues · Rating 4 out of 5]

What bittersweet nostalgia it was to read Colleen McCullough's historical fiction Bittersweet. While it isn't The Thorn Birds, it did feel quite familiar in style to books I read in the 1970s and 80s.

Set in Australia in the late 1920s and early 1930s it involves the Latimer sisters who are two sets of near identical twins, Edda and Grace and one year and a half younger half-sister pair, Tufts and Kitty. They are raised by their rector father, who is all goodness and wisdom and their step-mother/mother who is something else entirely. They enroll together in nurses training and we follow them as their paths begin to diverge slightly.

I loved reading this book and I suspect if your long ago reading includes The Thorn Birds, you may like it as well.

[Julija · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didelės apimties daugybės įvykių, keleto istorinių faktų ir nepatrauklių veikėjų kratinys.

[Vilma · Rating 4 out of 5]

...toks ir yra gyvenimo skonis...sakdžiai kartus...

[-Vilma- · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nuobodi, banali, neįtraukianti. Jei ne knygų klubo išrinkta mėnesio knyga, tikrai nebūčiau pasivarginusi jos užbaigti. Vienintelis įdomesnis momentas visoje knygoje - apie ligoninių ir visos medicinos sistemą tuometinėje Australijoje. Daugiau nieko.

[Elisa Santos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Depois de 2 livros que não consegui acabar, sendo um deles o Pássaros Feridos, foi com alguma apreensão que trouxe este livro comigo, meio querendo muito ultrapassar o obstáculo meio a meio de não gostar de novo.

Não poderia estar mais enganada! A história fluiu como n´O Toque de Midas ou em As senhoras de Missalonghi, para nomear alguns.

Este livro segue 4 irmãs, 2 pares de gémeas, filhas de 2 mães diferentes e cujo pai é um Reverendo da Igreja Protestante, numa cidadezinha do interior da Austrália. Elas vão pertencer á primeira geração de enfermeira registadas e diplomadas, ou seja com uma carreira estruturada e reconhecida. Todas as dificuldades para singrarem, para se encaixare, num mundo que até agora via as enfermeiras apenas como quem faz os trabalhos mais baixos de um hospital, sitio onde se iapara morrer e não para se curar.

Acompanhamos Edda, Grace, Heather e Kitty na sua jornada profissional, misturada com a sua vida pessoal. Há situações que nunca vi descritas num livro antes, ainda para mais começando o enredo em 1926, mas penso que dada a sua natureza, até fazem sentido. Curiosos? Pois vão pegar no livro hahaha

Só posso dizer que este livro me agradou tanto (4* e meia) que me restaurou a fé nesta autora e que irei continuar a ler, certamente. Para quem gosta de uma boa saga familiar com personagens marcantes, passada na Grande Depressão, aconselho. Sem ser lamechas, retrata o declinio da sociedade á medida que a Depressão provocada pelo Crash de 29 se instala até naquele canto recondito da Autrália.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thornbirds a tough act to follow for this author. 'Liked' 'Enjoyed' this book, but it certainly did not grip me as the Thornbirds had. 'Bittersweet' is set in New South Wales, Australia during the depression of the 1930's and 1940's, and I totally appreciated the historical value of this story. Dealt with the coming of age of two sets of twin sisters born to two different mothers and one father, a church rector. And of course two of the girls had an ugly stepmother! The main interests for me were the social mores of that period of Australian history, and was delighted with the integration of medical history into the story. Had heard many stories of the evolving role of nurses during that period in Canada from both my mother and an aunt who were 'trained' as nurses during the same time frame, so could relate to the development of those roles in Australia. Discovered later the author, Colleen McCullough, was trained as a neuroscientist and was a professor in the field at Yale for a time; the medical history in the book was an important factor in my interest in this novel and I thought excellent. The scope of the novel covered so much territory, and so many stories were involved, may have had too large a range to have developed the characters as thoroughly as might have done. Overall, I appreciated and this is a book I will remember. Recommend for the medical history and the development of women's roles in society.

[Vicky · Rating 2 out of 5]

Colleen McCullough is a great writer and many of her books are the masterpieces. She is famous, venerated and well-known around the world. This last book unfortunately is not on the same page.

[Jane La Fifi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely, cosy read but needed a bit of tightening up as it plodded along a little. I was disappointed that such supposedly strong females ultimately achieved their dreams due to rich, generous men.

[Michelle Keane · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmmm not my favourite McCulloch book. Can't say I enjoyed this one that much. Very simplistic and matter of fact style of storytelling which didn't really make you get "involved" with the characters