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Weird Sister
Agnes Samuel is an American, beautiful, witty, cool, the kind of woman people remember. She arrives among the respectable citizens of Warboys like a cat among the pigeons.
Before long she has insinuated herself into the affections of the sleepy Fenland village and into the heart of the ancient Throckmorton family, a family that harbours a dark secret.
Nobody remembers another Agnes Samuel from long ago, a frightened girl betrayed by her wealthy neighbours and hanged as a witch.
Weird Sister is a chilling tale of revenge across generations that will send shivers your spine.
Before long she has insinuated herself into the affections of the sleepy Fenland village and into the heart of the ancient Throckmorton family, a family that harbours a dark secret.
Nobody remembers another Agnes Samuel from long ago, a frightened girl betrayed by her wealthy neighbours and hanged as a witch.
Weird Sister is a chilling tale of revenge across generations that will send shivers your spine.
ebook
First published January 1, 1992
5 people are currently reading
199 people want to read
About the author
Kate Pullinger
41 books84 followersKate Pullinger is an award-winning writer of novels, short stories and digital works. Her most recent book is FOREST GREEN, out in Canada in August 2020. She is Professor of Creative Writing and Digital Media at Bath Spa University.
Born in Cranbrook, British Columbia, Kate dropped out of McGill University after a year and a half of not studying philosophy and literature. She then spent a year working in a copper mine in the Yukon where she crushed rocks and saved money. She spent that money travelling and ended up in London, England, where she lives with her husband and two children.
Kate’s other books include The Mistress of Nothing, winner of the Governor General’s Literary Award for Fiction 2009, Landing Gear, A Little Stranger and The Last Time I Saw Jane, as well as the ghost tale, Weird Sister, and the erotic feminist vampire novel Where Does Kissing End? These four titles have recently been re-released in new ebook editions.
Kate’s digital works include Inanimate Alice (www.inanimatealice.com), an episodic online multimedia novel and Flight Paths: A Networked Novel (www.flightpaths.net)
You can find out more about Kate and her work at www.katepullinger.com
Born in Cranbrook, British Columbia, Kate dropped out of McGill University after a year and a half of not studying philosophy and literature. She then spent a year working in a copper mine in the Yukon where she crushed rocks and saved money. She spent that money travelling and ended up in London, England, where she lives with her husband and two children.
Kate’s other books include The Mistress of Nothing, winner of the Governor General’s Literary Award for Fiction 2009, Landing Gear, A Little Stranger and The Last Time I Saw Jane, as well as the ghost tale, Weird Sister, and the erotic feminist vampire novel Where Does Kissing End? These four titles have recently been re-released in new ebook editions.
Kate’s digital works include Inanimate Alice (www.inanimatealice.com), an episodic online multimedia novel and Flight Paths: A Networked Novel (www.flightpaths.net)
You can find out more about Kate and her work at www.katepullinger.com
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
May 12, 2019
Goodness, what spooky Gothic fun there was to be enjoyed in this one.
July 16, 2021
Wow. I just could not put this down. From beginning to end I felt on edge and enraptured, in the best way possible. I'm left with more questions than answers, but I love the sense of mystery that continues beyond turning the final page... It is exquisitely structured with a captivating plot that is chilling to the bone.
January 31, 2013
It's never a good sign when the person who suggests a book to you, says that it takes more than half the book until you get into the story. For me, I never got into "Weird SIster". Maybe it was because the whole plot, antagonist, and point of the story is given away in the first few pages. Maybe it was because the author flitted around between a million characters, pretended that a whole village in the late 90s in England was as backwater as a small clan of inbreds living in the Ozarks. Either way, even the ending to this book couldn't just put its own self out of its misery. The author leaves just enough room for you to know that the damage isn't done and may not come back for 400 more years. That's how long it felt like this story dragged on for.
Don't read it.
Don't read it.
November 24, 2022
Pullinger’s unique writing style captivated me throughout, She has created such an intriguing plot and set of characters I could barely pull myself away. I would recommend this to anyone looking for something a little creepy and throughly entertaining.
December 13, 2012
This book is a great read. The Shakespeare references are hilarious but the book itself is poignant.
December 17, 2020
A solid 4 stars. Something about this lady's very unique writing style left me wanting more. The story is about the Throckmorton family in the small English village of Warboys: it's wonderfully, amazingly atmospheric. I've finished it but almost immediately want to go back and read it again. Which is the sign of something having left a powerful mark on your imagination.
June 8, 2018
A massive waste of time
October 24, 2018
Interesting tale.
June 20, 2020
Gothic and witchy tale. Two of things i like in a book. Quite a good story. Creepy too. But it’s not that great for me to want to always pick the book up.
November 1, 2016
The summary looked promising, different....
"Not unlike Daphne de Maurier retold by Margaret Atwood... Pullinger's most thrilling novel to date" -Times Literary Supplement.
I'm never reading Kate Pullinger again if this really is her best work!
But who knows? I just might!
It's strange and odd and you want to stop reading but you need to know how it all ends so you read it to the end. Sounds like a decent read....
Robert became so blinded by his love (lust?) for Agnes that he pushed his best friend Elizabeth away when she tried to get him to see that Agnes may not be as perfect as he thought she was. Karen, his sister-in-law ended up dead because her drunk, bordering on abusive, cheating, lying husband pushed her too hard and she hit her head. Robert refused to listen to his younger sister when she alleged that Agnes was having an affair with his brother. Neglected her even. His sister ended up dead, found hanging in her room. Robert ended up killing his own brother (who loved Karen but went on cheating from time to time. Karen would find out and do nothing because she felt she could mend what was left of him and salvage their relationship.) Karen was portrayed as a zero-ambition housewife that did her job no matter what. It takes time but you get used to her observant but docile nature. But then suddenly she says that she doesn't love her husband anymore and that their marriage is rotten. Maybe she doesn't care about the affairs because she doesn't love him ?
Many people dying, as you may have observed. Lots of stuff in between. Agnes and her "dilating black pupils that just flash with so much hatred and abruptly return to their normal green again" (This line was repeated over and over again)
The plot is just.....EVERYWHERE.
There are miscarriages happening and Agnes is a witch that has returned to avenge her past and maybe or maybe not killing babies and whatnot! People loving her then gossiping then loving her again: love, gossip, fear, hate, love..... Jenny is a weird teen, depressed, loves Agnes, hates Agnes. Elizabeth hates Agnes but ends up befriending her and keeps meddling in their matters which is understandable because they've known each other almost all their lives but to be so persistent even after being dismissed by Robert! Oh! AND ROBERT WAS THE SPERM DONOR AND HELPED KAREN, HIS SISTER-IN-LAW CONCEIVE TWO CHILDREN :) Like, isn't it illegal to allow the identity of the donor to be revealed? Maybe they did it by themselves at home with a dropper or something?....*cringes, apologizes and moves on* Their financial troubles described in detail again and again but Of course! Robert doesn't care! Their father was wheelchair bound and paralyzed but he smoked and laughed and talked with Agnes :)
So much irrelevant description about the grass and the plaster on the ceiling! That was plainly painful to read.
It wouldn't have been so bad but it was all pointless in the end. Robert still loved Agnes but married Elizabeth in the end, now that Agnes was dead? gone? biding her time? He didn't even like Elizabeth that much at first but in the end it worked out I guess ? But Agnes would always be "His beloved. His girl."
WHY THE FUCK DID YOU MARRY ELIZABETH THEN? SO SHE COULD TAKE CARE OF YOUR NEPHEWS WHO ARE BIOLOGICALLY YOUR CHILDREN???????
Moral: Skip this one. Plot is haywire. Pointless. Not worth it...
"Not unlike Daphne de Maurier retold by Margaret Atwood... Pullinger's most thrilling novel to date" -Times Literary Supplement.
I'm never reading Kate Pullinger again if this really is her best work!
But who knows? I just might!
It's strange and odd and you want to stop reading but you need to know how it all ends so you read it to the end. Sounds like a decent read....
Robert became so blinded by his love (lust?) for Agnes that he pushed his best friend Elizabeth away when she tried to get him to see that Agnes may not be as perfect as he thought she was. Karen, his sister-in-law ended up dead because her drunk, bordering on abusive, cheating, lying husband pushed her too hard and she hit her head. Robert refused to listen to his younger sister when she alleged that Agnes was having an affair with his brother. Neglected her even. His sister ended up dead, found hanging in her room. Robert ended up killing his own brother (who loved Karen but went on cheating from time to time. Karen would find out and do nothing because she felt she could mend what was left of him and salvage their relationship.) Karen was portrayed as a zero-ambition housewife that did her job no matter what. It takes time but you get used to her observant but docile nature. But then suddenly she says that she doesn't love her husband anymore and that their marriage is rotten. Maybe she doesn't care about the affairs because she doesn't love him ?
Many people dying, as you may have observed. Lots of stuff in between. Agnes and her "dilating black pupils that just flash with so much hatred and abruptly return to their normal green again" (This line was repeated over and over again)
The plot is just.....EVERYWHERE.
There are miscarriages happening and Agnes is a witch that has returned to avenge her past and maybe or maybe not killing babies and whatnot! People loving her then gossiping then loving her again: love, gossip, fear, hate, love..... Jenny is a weird teen, depressed, loves Agnes, hates Agnes. Elizabeth hates Agnes but ends up befriending her and keeps meddling in their matters which is understandable because they've known each other almost all their lives but to be so persistent even after being dismissed by Robert! Oh! AND ROBERT WAS THE SPERM DONOR AND HELPED KAREN, HIS SISTER-IN-LAW CONCEIVE TWO CHILDREN :) Like, isn't it illegal to allow the identity of the donor to be revealed? Maybe they did it by themselves at home with a dropper or something?....*cringes, apologizes and moves on* Their financial troubles described in detail again and again but Of course! Robert doesn't care! Their father was wheelchair bound and paralyzed but he smoked and laughed and talked with Agnes :)
So much irrelevant description about the grass and the plaster on the ceiling! That was plainly painful to read.
It wouldn't have been so bad but it was all pointless in the end. Robert still loved Agnes but married Elizabeth in the end, now that Agnes was dead? gone? biding her time? He didn't even like Elizabeth that much at first but in the end it worked out I guess ? But Agnes would always be "His beloved. His girl."
WHY THE FUCK DID YOU MARRY ELIZABETH THEN? SO SHE COULD TAKE CARE OF YOUR NEPHEWS WHO ARE BIOLOGICALLY YOUR CHILDREN???????
Moral: Skip this one. Plot is haywire. Pointless. Not worth it...
April 6, 2009
This was a very unique book!! Compelling, thrilling, page turning, a little gothic. I've never read a book quite like it and enjoyed it thoroughly.
I'm not sure who I feel more saddened for, Robert Throckmorton, his sister Jenny, Graeme (Robert's brother) or Graeme's wife Karen. Agnes manages to subtly weave her way into this family and cause, unnoticed at first, discord in the home. My feelings for Elizabeth are paramount. She KNOWS something is amiss with Agnes and she wanted to marry Robert, but lost out to the wicked Agnes. You won't be able to stop turning the pages in this novel!!
From back cover:
"Agnes Samuel is an American, beautiful, witty, cool: the kind of woman people remember. She arrives among the respectable citizens of Warboys (England) like a cat among pigeons. Soon she has insinuated herself into the affections of the sleepy Fenland village, and into the heart and home of the ancient Throckmorton family. Nobody remembers another Agnes Samuel from long ago, a frightened girl betrayed by her wealthy neighbours and hanged as a witch. In WEIRD SISTER, Kate Pullinger has created a modern gothic novel. Sinister and subtle, it is a chilling feast to remember".
(I TOTALLY, TOTALLY WONDERFUL BOOK!!!)
I'm not sure who I feel more saddened for, Robert Throckmorton, his sister Jenny, Graeme (Robert's brother) or Graeme's wife Karen. Agnes manages to subtly weave her way into this family and cause, unnoticed at first, discord in the home. My feelings for Elizabeth are paramount. She KNOWS something is amiss with Agnes and she wanted to marry Robert, but lost out to the wicked Agnes. You won't be able to stop turning the pages in this novel!!
From back cover:
"Agnes Samuel is an American, beautiful, witty, cool: the kind of woman people remember. She arrives among the respectable citizens of Warboys (England) like a cat among pigeons. Soon she has insinuated herself into the affections of the sleepy Fenland village, and into the heart and home of the ancient Throckmorton family. Nobody remembers another Agnes Samuel from long ago, a frightened girl betrayed by her wealthy neighbours and hanged as a witch. In WEIRD SISTER, Kate Pullinger has created a modern gothic novel. Sinister and subtle, it is a chilling feast to remember".
(I TOTALLY, TOTALLY WONDERFUL BOOK!!!)
October 13, 2009
What a very strange book.
I'm not entirely sure this will make sense, but I enjoyed reading the book very much. It was very English in a number of ways, and whilst modern it was also old-fashioned.
I liked the characters and the build of the story. I liked the idea, and the way it was portrayed...
But I really didn't much like the ending, basically. I thought it was predictable and expected.
Having said that, I'd still read something else by Pullinger, if just to see how it ends.
I'm not entirely sure this will make sense, but I enjoyed reading the book very much. It was very English in a number of ways, and whilst modern it was also old-fashioned.
I liked the characters and the build of the story. I liked the idea, and the way it was portrayed...
But I really didn't much like the ending, basically. I thought it was predictable and expected.
Having said that, I'd still read something else by Pullinger, if just to see how it ends.
August 30, 2014
The cover didn't grab me (though browsing about here, I see different editions have much better artwork), so I'm so glad the title did, plus a good friend said it was a great read. I'll say! Slightly offbeat and unusual style-wise, I was hooked right away. The cover describes it as a "modern gothic"--a good description, I think, and why I enjoyed the plot. It was creepy, chilling and imagination provoking, but not in overt or obvious ways. Highly recommend!
June 23, 2014
The Times Literary Supplement description on the cover of this as, "Daphne de Maurier retold by Margaret Atwood" is rather over-generous praise, and probably the reason why I found this book such a disappointment. It's nothing special.
January 3, 2014
I really do like this book. I would love to discuss with someone the meaning of the title.
It's a page turner, not necessarily deep.
It's a page turner, not necessarily deep.
July 12, 2016
I quite liked the first few parts. It was a compelling read but the ending was lacking. Nothing was resolved. The past story wasn't elucidated. The present one was left hanging.
January 28, 2016
bit strange and dark.
May 27, 2018
fantastical plot, quick moving, entertaining
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews