Hermanas

by Danielle Steel, Julieta Rebeca Yelin (Translator)

Candy, Tammy, Sabrina y Annie. Cuatro hermanas que, a pesar de haberse labrado su futuro en ciudades muy distantes, han conseguido mantenerse unidas a lo largo de los años. Uno de sus rituales es la celebración del Cuatro de Julio, para la que siempre se reúnen en la casa familiar. Hasta que en uno de estos encuentros la tragedia sacude su hogar: su madre muere en un accidente de coche y una de las hermanas, Annie, se queda ciega a causa de las heridas.

A partir de este momento deberán aunar sus fuerzas para sobrellevar este amargo golpe del destino. Annie es pintora y ha de asimilar la terrible realidad de que jamás volverá a dedicarse a los pinceles. Su padre, quien parece haber perdido el juicio tras la muerte de su esposa, necesitará a sus cuatro hijas más de lo que jamás había imaginado. Y las otras tres hermanas esconden muchas más debilidades de las que han dejado traslucir en estos últimos años#

Hermanas es una reflexión sobre la fragilidad de la vida, pero también sobre el precioso regalo que esta supone para cada uno de nosotros. En ella Danielle Steel presenta a cuatro personajes que saben enfrentarse con voluntad férrea a sus debilidades y a las trampas del destino, para alcanzar su felicidad y la de sus seres queridos.

«Una novela reposada y agradable sobre los lazos femeninos.»
Kirkus Reviews

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Chick Lit, Contemporary, Adult, Audiobook, Novels

344 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Danielle Steel has been hailed as one of the world's bestselling authors, with almost a billion copies of her novels sold. Her many international bestsellers include All That Glitters, Royal, Daddy's Girls, The Wedding Dress, The Numbers Game, Moral Compass, Spy, and other highly acclaimed novels. She is also the author of His Bright Light, the story of her son Nick Traina's life and death; A Gift of Hope, a memoir of her work with the homeless; Expect a Miracle, a book of her favorite quotations for inspiration and comfort; Pure Joy, about the dogs she and her family have loved; and the children's books Pretty Minnie in Paris and Pretty Minnie in Hollywood.

Facebook.com/DanielleSteelOfficial
Instagram: @officialdaniellesteel

Reviews

[Tory · Rating 1 out of 5]

My kid bought me this book for Valentines Day. Since he's five, we won't really judge him on his lack of literary tastes. Yet. Give him a few years.

Sentimentally, I read it. And then I hated it. Her writing seems to be aimed at the barely literate. She uses small words. Short sentences and repeats things over and over. Then again. And again, just to make sure the point was made.

This book. It made me feel less intelligent, just for having read it.

[Lindsay · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful, couldn't finish.

The characters were "too perfect," and the father absolutely pathetic when he doesn't visit his daughter in the hospital because it's just "too hard." If I could talk to the book I'd tell the girls to get over themselves and to the dad to grow a pair.

Doesn't even deserve one star.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

The reader can almost predict what they will read when you choose a Danielle Steel book. Sisters is about the relationship of four sisters who overcome tremendous loss. The reader knows all will evolve into a happy ever after ending. I did like how the author wove the story together to make it realistic. I also liked the sisters and their bond. 4 stars for this easy, summer read.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty good read, especially if you're on holiday and you're not looking for anything too taxing.

Three stars.

[Sarah ~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

تدور حول أربع شقيقات يعشن في مناطق متباعدة عارضة أزياء تتنقل بين باريس وطوكيو ونيويورك , محامية تعيش في نيويورك , فنانة تشكيلية تعيش في فلورنسا , ومنتجة برامج تلفزيونية تعيش في سان فرانسيسكو ... يعدن معا إلى منزل العائلة للإحتفال بالعيد الوطني الأمريكي يوم الرابع من يونيو
ذلك اليوم الذي سيشكل مفترق طرق لحياتهن ... تلقى والدتهن حتفها وتفقد شقيقتهن آني" الفنانة التشكيلية " بصرها نتيحة حادث سيارة ... ويبدأن بتغيير حياتهن لتوائم ظروفهن الحالية ...لن أحرق عليكم الرواية بذكر جميع أحداثها الهامة .. وما حزَ في خاطري استسلام الأب للحزن وزواجه مرة أخرى >>>>>>إحساس عارم بالقهر وخيبة الأمل ستنتابكم تجاه هذا الرجل ... والذي لم يقم بأي جهد لمواساة بناته ..
ولكن الأجمل فيها عندما يمر عام على المأساة التي مررن بها لنرى كيف أصبحت حياتهن ويكتشفن أنها قربتهن من بعض ربما أكثر مما كن في طفولتهن صحيح أنهن فقدن والدتهن ولكن بالحب و الأمل وكثير من التضحيات جعلن حياة آني الفاقدة للبصر أجمل ...في هذه الرواية ستجدون الحزن والفرح والتضحية لأجل من نحب وزرع البسمة على شفاه أدمنت اليأس والكثير من التحدي والإصرار .. برأيي الرواية الأروع من بين كل روايات دانييل ستيل ....

[Lisa Ritzheimer · Rating 1 out of 5]

First of all did anybody else notice all the errors in this book? There were so many contradictions which irritate me to the core! First she says tammy's hair is red like her mothers only curly, then when the sisters are dividing up their mother's clothes Annie puts on a cashmere sweater and looks so beautiful, of course, and just like her mother who "has the same color hair", yet Annies hair is a chestnut. Then when she is describing Tammue's home in the beginning she says that tammy is just too busy with work and hasnt even had the time to unpack all of her nick nacks and decorations let alone decorate the home, then later on when she is deciding to leave it says how beautiful her home is and how well she has decorated it. There is one chapter where abrina somehow becomes serena instead. Also in annies first chapter its talking about how her boyfriend harlue plans to move.back to ew York and her mother secretly hopes that Charlie can convince her to move back and their mother had even discussed it with the sisters, but when nnie and her mother are driving together before the accident somehow her mother doeant know about how Chris wants to move back to New York. There are MANY more contradictions, and I cant even begin to describe how annoyingly this book is written because of how much Danielle repeats herself on how pretty or perfect these girls are. Every detail is repeated over 10 times. The first chapters are just obnoxious in the way she describes each sister and their beauty and perfection. And the word Brownstone, MY GOD! Its as if she just learnes what a Browstone was and was just so excited to use it and show her knowledge of the word. Everything is just PERFECT. She had to make it so clear. Terribly written, boring book, I saw how someone said its padded just to appease her wordcount. I couldnt have said it better, everything gets repeated and its so drawn out. I wad annoyed the entire time, Ive never read a nore poorly written book in my life, 100% FACT! Sorry for all the errors in my review, Im typing from my phone and for some reason it wont let me move my cursor to another area to correct anyhhing :p This book might be good for a very young teenage girl who is still dreaming of what she wants to be when she grows up because all three of the sisters are living every little girls' dream. It might also be good for some who's brains are not fully formed and need things to be repeated over and over and over and then one more time just to make sure they know how conpletely perfect and strikingly beautiful these girls are. They dont have any flaws! And the father is a coward, I saw how someone mentioned how he didnt go to the hospital to see Annie because it would have been too hard on him. What sort of father doesnt go to the hospital for their child who has just been in a fatal car crash and has lost her sight. His book is a complete nuisance! Its as if it was written by a little girl living her dreams thru her writing. The errors and the contradictions are what bother me he most as if Im too stupid to remember what you wanted me to know the first time you mentioned it and then changing it completely later on so that you can make it fot with the story. It was made clear that Tammy and the mother had fiery RED hair and that ANNIE has chestnut brown hair but then whwn Annies trying on her mother's clothes she is just so beautiful and looks just lile their mother because "they had the same hair color" and then its as if she tried to back pedal saying Annie and ammy definitely both resembled their mother very closely. This book is ridiculous. Ive never read a worse book in my life. Im so angry for having paid 2 dollars at a garage sale for it. I would not recommend it to anyone, Im just mot that cruel, other than for the sole purpose of wanting someone, anyone to see the huge mistakes that were made.

[Hannah · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the second book I have read by Steel - well, nearly read, seeing as I couldn't finish it. The first one - Coming Out - was bad. Very bad. But I thought everyone deserves a second chance, and tried this novel. What a mistake that was.
While yes, the accident did bring a small tear to my eye, it soon became pretty apparent that there was no use in crying over this book, as it is completely unrealistic. The sister goes blind - a tragedy yes, but it's amazing how the metal pipes that caused this and the subsequent surgery left no impact on her beautiful green eyes, or her amazing red hair, even 5 days after surgery. And I can remember these small points of her appearance because of how incredibly over explained each and every character is. It leaves NOTHING to the imagination.
Also, it is AMAZING to me how much a person can repeat themselves in one book. I'm not stupid; I have a memory; once I read something once, I do not need it repeated to myself another 16 times!

What I learned from this book? Never attempt to read a Danielle Steel novel again.

[Suzzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good story about four sisters whose lives vastly change in a matter of one day. I loved that Steel built upon how different the sisters were from each other and developed a story about how they come together regardless of the differences. Had enough drama to weave some intensity but overall it’s the emotions of this read that readers will grip. Really good book.

[Readaholic Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Does Danielle Steel get paid for by the word?
A good story with good characters but she repeated herself A LOT.

[Jean Miernik · Rating 1 out of 5]

The best part about this book is how awful it is. Hilarious! My favorite part is when the artist sister gets in a car accident, which does no damage to her pretty face or green eyes on the outside, but the doctor can see on the X-ray that her brain is like totally broken and she is going to be blind forever. Oh, and she will have extra brain damage if they don't operate. Immediately. "Oh no!" her sisters think. One says, "She would totally hate that." (She meant about being brain-damaged.) <--actual parenthetical clarification

For a great laugh, try reading this or any other Danielle Steele book out loud with a friend. (As seen on The Colbert Report!)

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the way the book opens for you. There are four sisters in the book and the first four chapters are dedicated to introducing you to them and their current lives. Sabrina(a successful lawyer in Manhattan), Tammy (a successful t.v. producer in Hollywood) , Annie (an aspiring artist living in Florence, Italy), and Candy (a globe-hopping supermodel). Their family ties are very strong and always drop their own lives to celebrate family holidays together with their parents in Conneticut.

They all come home for their family's annual 4th of July party when tragedy strikes and their lives are turned upside down forever. I just got to the tragedy and I must admit it made my eyes water, but I am now vested in the book and the characters in it. No turning back...I must continue to read.

So I finished the book and I must say it was a really good read. I became attached to the characters and the storyline and I feel that it is a beautiful story of a family who has its shares of ups and downs and in the end the true meaning of family is what helps them prevail.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not a huge Danielle Steel fan but this book's title, "Sisters" and blurb on the back caught my eye (I am one of three girls so ya, I have sisters). Interestingly enough, I didn't completely hate it. It had the makings of a good story. However, there were some serious turnoffs about it. The major one being the author's characters are almost, in a sense, overcooked. For me, I prefer to have the characters remain a bit pink so they retain some flavor! I, also like to develop my own opinion of them and see them in my own mind (the way I picture them). She saturated almost the entire beginning by describing each and every one of them in painstaking detail that if you were walking down the street and they happened to be real, you say "oh hey, there goes so and so..." anyway, I read it all the way through because I am an optimist at heart and kept thinking the "wow" is coming. It never did. This book was just luke warm. It's an okay filler but nothing to rave about.

[Suz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now I’m getting to ones I remember. Love reading about towns near New York, and the (unimportant but interesting to me) things like a brownstone.

Family dynamics, and possibly sisters, because I don’t have any, I do love to read about.

Thos was a sweet story, wholesome and without stress. DS has the knack of quick and easy observation mixed with plain and simple story telling.

Admittedly in much of her writing there is forced and unnecessary ‘telling’ and excessive repetition, but her work is always easy to leave quickly and return to just as easily. These were great girls to read about.

[Taghreed Jamal El Deen · Rating 1 out of 5]

القراءة الأولى والأخيرة للمدعوة دانيال ستيل.

[Emily (Fractured Mirror Publishing) · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is about four sister who decide to move in together for a year after a horrible family tragedy. It covers a year in their lives as they struggle to regain the lives they had previously.

My grandmother picked this book out for our book club. I had read Danielle Steel a long time ago and had, admittedly enjoyed the book I had read, so while I wasn't looking forward to this, I was expecting much, much better. At the very least I expected to like the characters being the eldest of four girls.

To begin with, Steel's writing is bland and repetitive. In the first fifty pages we are put in 4 different locations. New York City was no different from Paris and Florence was no different from Los Angeles. Those chapters could have been detailed and rich but instead they were flat, cookie-cutter cities. Steel also had a habit of telling the reader the same things over and over again--that Candy was so beautiful, that Candy preferred a glitzy lifestyle while Annie was more free-spirited, etc. We were not allowed to discover this; we were told. Constantly.

Aside from those two annoying writing habits, I couldn't feel for the characters. The four sisters were too perfect. All were unnaturally beautiful and all were extremely successful (with the exception of Annie, although her parents payed for everything so she got to live the life of a free spirited starving artist while knowing that there was money at easy reach).

Tragedy did strike, unfortunately, and while I wanted to cry and feel something for Annie and her family, I found myself dry-eyed. The accident and following matter in the hospital were rendered in such dry prose that it barely seemed Steel really cared what she was doing. When tragedy did seem to strike a second time with Candy's rape, she miraculously escaped without memory. No PTSD, no anything. Furthermore, of the two older sisters, one takes a job at what should be a kiss of death reality show and manages to get on a major show at the end of the novel and the other? Oh, she almost messed up her wonderful relationship but don't worry--they get back together at the end.

Steel delivered a neatly wrapped up tale of four perfect sisters. While what they experienced was tragic and I cannot even begin to imagine the pain they must have suffered, the story was marred by Steel's lack of skill (or at least her lack of time and care).

[Alex (Alex's Version) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Will this book receive any awards? No.
Is this book well-written? no
Is this book realistic and thoroughly researched? Absolutely not.

Is this book enjoyable? yessssss
Is this book helpful during difficult times in your life? Yessssss



One of the highlights is when the artist sister gets into a car accident. Surprisingly, her beautiful face and captivating green eyes remain unharmed on the outside. However, the X-ray reveals severe brain damage, which will result in permanent blindness unless she undergoes immediate surgery. Her sisters are devastated by this news and one of them remarks, "She would absolutely despise being brain-damaged."

The most delightful aspect of this book is Tammy's beloved dog, Juanita. Seriously...

[Jenmitchell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ah, what it must be like to live in Danielle Steel's world - where are the main characters are beautiful, perfect, and happy. And if you forget, you'll be reminded of it several times. My favorite part of this book is when, after a family tragedy, the family doctor gives one of the sisters a bottle of Valium to distribute at her pleasure. Hello! Isn't that illegal? What if she then subsequently sold them, was caught, and then hauled off to jail? Who would be responsible - the sister or the doctor? Now THAT plot might be more interesting than the plot of "Sisters". Oh, did I mention all the sisters are BEAUTIFUL? Don't forget!

[Ena u zemlji knjiga · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

Razočarenje. U suštini dobro osmišljena radnja ali slabo razrađena. Previše patetičnih opisa svakodnevnice bez bilo kakve dinamike osim u prvih 50ak strana. Noviji roman ove spisateljice, 2007.godina kada joj je, očito, ponestajalo ideja...

[Rawan Mohder · Rating 2 out of 5]

لم تكن رواية،وانما قصة سرد أحداث يومية في المنزل أو في العمل ﻷربع شقيقات اضطررن للعيش سويا" بسبب حادث ألم بأسرتهن أدى إلى فقدان إحداهن بصرها ووفاة والدتهن..
لا تحوي ﻷي عنصر تشويق أو إثارة،ومن يقرأ لدانييل ستيل يجد اﻷسلوب نفسه وتشابه الحبكة في كل ما تكتبه،ولا أدري إن كان المجتمع الأمريكي يحوي على ذلك النوع من الترابط اﻷسري أم لا.وإتمامي لهذه الرواية على الرغم من أنها أخذت وقتا طويلا وقد شعرت بالملل كثيرا منها لم يكن إلا لعدم رغبتي في أن أبدأ شيئا" دون أن أنهيه،ومتأملة في أن تشدني إحدى صفحاتها التي كان بإمكان الكاتبة ان تنهي روايتها هذه بنصف عدد الصفحات الحالي.
قرأت لدانييل ثلاث روايات ولا أرغب أن أقرأ أكثر لها.
النجمتان كانت لتقديري لصبرها وهي تلم بكل تلك اﻷحداث اليومية والتفاصيل التي ذكرتها عن حياة أشخاص من good morning الى good night..

[Rihab · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was with my mother in the traumatic bus accident. I lost my mother but I survived. I used to have the same feelings of Annie that I feel guilty for surviving. After reading this book, I realized that I was not thankful enough to God for not having any impairment - it was a miracle. The challenges faced in this book are realistic and reflect the same challenges faced in real life after going through the same situation.

[Ram · Rating 3 out of 5]

Four sisters with various careers, bind together when a disaster hits their family.
An easy read, I found it entertaining, inspiring in some cases , sad, happy…… all the range of emotions.

[Noella · Rating 3 out of 5]

De vier zussen Sabrina, Tammy, Annie en Candy brengen zoals elk jaar 4 juli door bij hun ouders. Maar helaas slaat het noodlot toe: bij een ritje naar de winkel krijgen Annie en haar moeder een verkeersongeluk. Moeder is op slag dood, en Annie is in levensgevaar. Gelukkig spartelt ze er doorheen, maar ze is wel blind.
Om hun zus bij te staan, besluiten de 3 anderen om een appartement in New York te huren waar ze alle vier kunnen in wonen, voor een jaar. Daartegen zou Annie voldoende geleerd moeten hebben om terug op eigen benen te staan.
Het wordt een jaar vol emoties en beproevingen voor de zussen, maar ze groeien ook nog meer naar elkaar toe. En elk van hen heeft ook nog met haar eigen problemen te maken, zowel op relationeel als professioneel vlak.

Het begin van het boek vond ik niet zo goed, wat vooral te wijten was aan de vele herhalingen. Maar naargelang het verhaal vorderde, raakte ik gewoon aan deze schrijfstijl en kon ik me meer inleven in het leven van de zussen. Ik wilde echt weten hoe het verder ging. Daarom ook vond ik het einde een beetje onbevredigend, het was nog te open, we zijn niet te weten gekomen hoe het verder ging met het nieuwe huwelijk van hun vader, en de reactie van de zussen, en de relaties van Sabrina met Chris, en van Candy met Paul zijn ook nog te onzeker om het boek zo af te sluiten, IMO....
Al met al toch aangenaam leesvoer.

[J Jahir · Rating 4 out of 5]

éste es uno de esos libros que toca el tema de una discapacidad en su trama, la visual. En cierta manera me identifica un poco, le agradezco a danielle que no haya puesto clichés de ciegos en su libro y que lo haya afrontado de una forma realista, apuesto que se debió haber documentado al respecto. aquí la historia va de cuatro hermanas: sabrina, una abogada exitosa en Nueva York; Tamy como productora de televisión en los ángeles; Anny pintora en Florencia, Italia, y candy, la menor, es modelo. Cada una lleva su propia vida, pero cada 4 de julio, las 4 se reúnen con su familia para celebrar el día de Independencia. Sin embargo, en uno de esos días, mientras anny iba de paseo con su madre, ocurre un accidente terrible en el cual la madre muere, y ella pierde la vista.
A partir de hoy será un cambio drástico para toda la familia, en especial porque el padre no hace otra cosa que estar deprimido, y todo esto es un revés para ellas porque deben ayudar a su hermana ahora en su nueva situación, mientras ella se adapta a su ceguera.
Digo que Steel no puso los clichés con que se nos etiqueta a los ciegos comúnmente, porque la forma en que anny afronta su ceguera es paulatina, no la pintan como la ciega superwoman que todo le sale bien, se evoca mucho a la realidad de cómo es vivir con esta nueva discapacidad; por si fuera poco, cada una vive sus propios problemas, y en particular uno que ocurre con candy...
de las que mejor me cayeron de las hermanas, fue tammy. Hizo un sacrificio que no cualquiera haría. en serio recomiendo esta novela.

[Delaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sisters by Danielle Steel was actually recommended to me by my mom. She thought this book would be enjoyable for me and she was right! I gave this 4 stars because while reading this book there was many times when tears actually started to fill my eyes. This is the story of 4 sisters, all completely different from each other but extremely close with one another. Their mother and one of the middle sisters, Annie, get into a horrible car accident. Their mother unfortunately does not make it, however, Annie does. Annie is an artist which is all about visualization. After this tragedy, she becomes blind and no longer is able to live on her own or pursue her career. "They kissed her and held her hands and told her how much they loved her. All 3 of her sisters and Chris had come to visit her" this quote is from the beginning of chapter 8. After the tragedy occurred, all of Annie's sisters rushed to the hospital and stayed by her side. In class recently, we took a personal quiz that shows what our intellectual way of learning best is. I got logical-mathematical. This story completely relates to logical-mathematical due to the fact that problem solving/finding a solution is the main goal for this family. I would recommend Sisters to anyone who likes young-adult stories and has a bit of a mushy side. Especially someone who can truly feel for the characters as they are reading and imagine these events happening in their life.

[Ohood Natsheh · Rating 2 out of 5]

كِتاب الشقيقات محتوياته بعيدة تماماً عن عاداتنا في الشرق الاوسط والعالم العربي، فقد كُتب ليُناسب العادات والمجتمع الغربي..
بالإضافة إلى الكثير من الفصول التي من وجهة لم يكن لها أي داعٍ فقد كانت عبارة عن صفحات تزيد من حجم الكِـاب

الكِـتاب لم يُكن له صدى كبير في أرجاء نفسي، فهُناك اختلافات كبيرة بين الواقع في الرواية وما بين الحاصل في عالمنا العربي فلا الأجواء اجوائنا وعلى الافكار تُناسبنا..

لكن هُناك بعض النقاط التي قد أعجبتني في الرواية ومنِها، التعلق الشديد في العائلة والتماسك الأُسري رُغم المسافات التي تُباعد بين الاشخاص.

التضحية في سبيل العائلة، فبعض شخصيات الكتاب قد أولت أهمية كبيرة لعائلتها وضحت بما تُحب من أجل العائلة والبقاء بِقربها لمُساعدتها على الصِاعب التي التي واجهتها .

وأيضاً لم يخلُ الكِتاب من جانب الأمل، فكان عامل الإصرار على اتحسين النفس، وقول أن ُفقدان شيء مُهم في حياتنا، قد يكون أساسي لكنه لن يكون سبب في دمار العالم..

[Angela · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm about half-way through this book. I haven't read a DS novel in about 15 years. This book has reminded me why I really don't like her. How repetitive can a person be? Seriously, the central issue is that the mom dies in a car accident is the sister is blinded from a head injury. Do you SERIOUSLY need to repeat that over and over and over. I think we know WHY everyone is feeling “sad.” If I ever wrote that a previous book I read was the worst book ever, I was wrong. Sisters is truly the worst book ever written. I just cannot believe how bad it is.

[نورة عبدالله · Rating 3 out of 5]

نعيش في هذه الرواية الدرامية مع الشقيقات الم ومعاناة الفقد المفاجىء
نعيش مع البطلة التغيرات التي طرأت على حياتها أثرٍ حادثًا مفجع، خلال سنة تاخذنا الرواية في احداثها عن شقيقات الآتي يعشن سويًا بعد سنوات من الاستقلال في بلدان مختلفه ماهي التحديات التي ستواجهن وكيف سيتأقلمن مع هذا الوضع الجديد المؤلم المبهج في الوقت ذاته، وجدت نفسي في جوانب عديده من كل الاخوات رواية قريبة للقلب.

[Yankeecountess · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's sad when you build up such high expectations for something and then come to the reality that no, you set the bar far, far too high, this doesn't even come close to meeting those expectations.

That's how I felt about this book.

I have never read anything by Danielle Steel before, and I highly doubt I will read anything by her again after this. Though to be fair, this was the first and only time I had ever been interested in pursuing a book of hers.

I liked the premise of Sisters, it sounded like it could have been a really interesting story, and I think it would have been...if placed the right hands. It tells the story of (surprise, surprise) four sisters: Candy is the youngest, is 21, and she's a high fashion model. Annie is an artist living in Italy (mid 20's). Tammy is a television producer out in Hollywood, getting ready for the big 3-0. And Sabrina, the oldest, is in her mid 30's and is a New York City lawyer. Only Sabrina and Annie have boyfriends, and Sabrina's has been with her for years and years; he'd like to get married, but Sabrina has a phobia when it comes to marriage (I should mention this is because she's a divorce lawyer). Every year, the four sisters gather in New England with their parents for 4th of July, and that's when "stuff happens". After said "stuff", the sisters have to figure out how they will move forward, both separately and together.

So right there, it sounded like an interesting premise to say the least (it's not necessarily "original", but it sounded interesting at least to me). It's probably easiest for me to split this review in half and explain what I liked, and what I didn't:

**SPOILERS**

What I Liked
While I've noticed some reviewers complaining about this, I really liked the fact that the book began with each sister having her own "introduction chapter". It helped me understand the differences of these four women and where they were coming from.

I also really liked that the book focuses a great deal on the sisters relationship and interactions with one another. While yes, there is romance in the story, it is not your typical romance novel in the sense that the romance is not center-stage. Their relationship is what this story is about, so I liked that *that* remained true to its core.

...And sadly, that's about it, when it comes to the stuff I liked.

What I Didn't Like
*sigh* Where do I start?

I didn't like how *perfect* all the sisters were, in terms of their looks. They're all gorgeous, and Steel is quick to remind you every. other. paragraph (or so it felt). Even when one of them is having a horrible day, even after one of them is in a horrific accident, they still come out looking beautiful with every hair in place and not a blemish or scar or mark on their body.

I have no idea if this is something Steel does in all her books, but one thing I was quick to notice was how *repetitive* she became, repeating things over and over, just to make sure you hadn't forgotten this sister's profession, or this sister's boyfriend, or this sister's condition, and so forth. I found it insulting, as if the author didn't think her readers had brains to make sense of what she had written. Very "dumbed-down".

One little thing that I found annoying was how vague certain descriptions were. For example (MAJOR SPOILER) Annie loses her sight as a result of a car crash which also kills their mother. Annie is the artist living in Italy. All of the sisters think this is absolutely devastating that their sister is blind...because she's an ~*~*artist*~*~. We are told this many times throughout the book, "oh the tragedy of Annie being blind, because she's an artist". I wanted to shout "WHAT KIND OF ARTIST?" Is she a painter? A photographer? A sculptor? Does she sketch? It's never really explained, just that vague "artist" term used over and over.

Also, in regards to Annie's blindness, her family NEVER TELL HER about their mother's death, *or* the fact that she's blind (she has bandages over her eyes) until *AFTER* the funeral, and *AFTER* the bandages are removed. WHAT THE HELL KIND OF "sisters" DO THAT?!? If I were Annie, I'd be pissed as hell on both counts.

But the book's biggest sins are the sisters slut-shaming another woman (they throw the word "slut" around willy nilly to describe someone they don't like, someone who they haven't seen in nearly twenty years) *and* (major spoiler/trigger warning) Candy is drugged and raped, but the book treats it like it's no big deal (she has no memory of the rape, so it's ok, she's perfectly fine) WTF???

There are a few other things, but after mentioning those two, really, does one need others?

Yeah, major disappointment, I really wanted to like this book, I even wanted to give it at least a 2 star rating, but while writing this review, the flaws just built and built to the point where I just don't feel I can justify giving this book more than a single star rating.

The reason I "finished" it was because I was listening to the audio book on a long cross-state road trip. If I were reading this in actual book format, I doubt I would have managed.

[Heba · Rating 4 out of 5]

رواية شيقة في موضوعها واستمتعت بقراءتها نظراً لأنها تدور حول 4 شقيقات ولكل منهن قصتها وهكذا
ولكن على الرغم من إحتوائها على أحداث ومشاهد مؤثرة ولكن ربما طريقة الصياغة لم تجعلني أتأثر أو أتعاطف كما يجب مع الأحداث
أنصح بها

[caractere · Rating 2 out of 5]

دانيال كاتبة مشهورة الجميع يقرأ لها لبساطتها في التعبير وشرح الموضوع المتناول في رواياتها. قرأت الشقيقات فعرفت هذا الأسلوب في الكتابة الغير متكلف. لا عجب أن كتبها لاقت شهرة واسعة وأظن أن كل من يريد أن يقرأ فليبدأ بدانيال .. لن يواجه صعوبة في اللغة والمحصلة جميلة في النهاية فمواضيعها اجتماعية عاطفية .. تدعو للتفاؤل والتضحية وترتيب الأولويات وغيرها من السمات التي تقوم كالبلسم للكل .. لأن مامن أحد إلا وتعرض لمشكلة وإحتاج لمن يفهمه .. وطبعاً لن يشعر بوجود شخص يعي تماماً ما الذي يتحدث عنه إلا بعد أن يقابل نماذج مروا بحجم مشكلته وربما أسوأ .. وها هم استمروا بالعيش وكافحوا حتى مرت الأزمة وتلونت الحياة من جديد. هذا ما كان في الشقيقات ..
أحببت المحاضرة الأولى لتعلم لغة البرايل كانت آني تبوح - بكل عفوية - تقبلها لصديقها من أول لقاء وهو بادلها ذات الشعور وأعترف لها أيضاً .. كان العمى كالستار لطالما كان التعبير عن المشاعر يسبب الحرج. وددت لو أتمكن من الحصول على ذات السكن الذي اسأجرنه لأكثر من عام .. فقد كان وصفه في الرواية جميل وحميمي. شخصية كاندي كانت رائعة وكريس رجل مذهل ونادر .. لكن المصادفات كانت كثيرة لدرجة كانت تذكرني بأني مازلت أقرأ رواية!.