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The Sisterhood
We all have a dark side… Elizabeth Greene is devastated when her boyfriend of ten years leaves her for someone else. After a night of drowning her sorrows leads to an unexpected one-night stand, Elizabeth finds herself pregnant, alone and vulnerable. Helen has just discovered she has a sister she didn’t know she had. Bored with her privileged life in France and driven by a need to gain her parents’ approval, Helen sets out to find her sister and reunite her with her long-lost mother. When her search leads her to Elizabeth the two women become closely linked. But their connection to one another is founded on a dark deception, with the truth having extreme consequences…
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
16 people are currently reading
508 people want to read
About the author
Emily Barr
42 books582 followersEmily Barr worked as a journalist in London, but always hankered after a quiet room and a book to write. She went travelling for a year, writing a column in the Guardian about it as she went, and it was there that she had an idea for a novel set in the world of backpackers in Asia. This became Backpack, which won the WH Smith New Talent Award. She has since written eleven more adult novels published in the UK and around the world, and a novella, Blackout, for the Quick Reads series. Her twelfth novel, The Sleeper, is a psychological thriller set on the London to Cornwall sleeper train.
In 2013 she went to Svalbard with the idea of setting a thriller in the Arctic. The book that came out of it was The One Memory of Flora Banks, a thriller for young adults, which attracted universal interest from publishers before being bought pre-emptively by Penguin earlier this year. It will be published globally in January 2017.
She lives in Cornwall with her partner and their children.
In 2013 she went to Svalbard with the idea of setting a thriller in the Arctic. The book that came out of it was The One Memory of Flora Banks, a thriller for young adults, which attracted universal interest from publishers before being bought pre-emptively by Penguin earlier this year. It will be published globally in January 2017.
She lives in Cornwall with her partner and their children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
August 4, 2010
I’ve had this book on mount To Be Read for a while now. I found it going cheap at Tesco and liking the sound of it brought it on a bit of a whim. Then I read another of Emily Barr’s novels Backpack which I loved. She’s a terrific writer, at first I thought she was an author of chick lit but her books are much darker than chick lit yet her writing still has that easy going nature to it. Fancying something different to what I’d been reading recently, on a rainy day I decided to finally get this read and I really enjoyed it. Backpacks still my favourite but this one comes in at a close second. This is going to be a hard book to review because it’s got so many twists that there’s not much I can say without giving it all away, so the description may be brief but bare in mind that there’s so much more to this book than just that and I guess if you want to find out you’ll have to pick it up and read it yourself (which I would recommend by the way.) Anyway here it goes.
This book is told from the point of view of two women alternating from chapter to chapter between Liz in London and Helen in France. Liz has just come out of a relationship and has found herself pregnant and alone after a one night stand. Helen bored of her sheltered life in France has just found- after poking around in her mothers things- a birth certificate for another baby a sibling she knows nothing about - Miss Elizabeth Greene. After finding Liz on the internet Helen plans to move to England to get to know her sister more and bring her home to reunite her with their mother - pretty straight forward right? But with Helen things aren’t quiet what they seem. Both sisters are keeping secrets from each other and they find one thing they definitely have in common is their dark side…
I really did enjoy this book. Straight off the bat you know that Helens a bit of an odd young woman but you don’t get to find out the lengths of it until the very end. This book is full of twists and turns that honestly surprised me. The ending however fell a little bit flat for me as I was expecting a much bigger ending which is why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 but the idea for the story itself is original and I very much enjoyed the rest of the book. If you’re looking for something dark but yet easy to read Emily Barr is the author for you. Not quiet girly enough to be called chick lit and not quiet dark enough to be called a thriller her books meet nicely in the middle and the outcome is a rather compelling enjoyable read. I’m very much looking forward to reading some more of Emily’s books. 4 stars.
This book is told from the point of view of two women alternating from chapter to chapter between Liz in London and Helen in France. Liz has just come out of a relationship and has found herself pregnant and alone after a one night stand. Helen bored of her sheltered life in France has just found- after poking around in her mothers things- a birth certificate for another baby a sibling she knows nothing about - Miss Elizabeth Greene. After finding Liz on the internet Helen plans to move to England to get to know her sister more and bring her home to reunite her with their mother - pretty straight forward right? But with Helen things aren’t quiet what they seem. Both sisters are keeping secrets from each other and they find one thing they definitely have in common is their dark side…
I really did enjoy this book. Straight off the bat you know that Helens a bit of an odd young woman but you don’t get to find out the lengths of it until the very end. This book is full of twists and turns that honestly surprised me. The ending however fell a little bit flat for me as I was expecting a much bigger ending which is why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 but the idea for the story itself is original and I very much enjoyed the rest of the book. If you’re looking for something dark but yet easy to read Emily Barr is the author for you. Not quiet girly enough to be called chick lit and not quiet dark enough to be called a thriller her books meet nicely in the middle and the outcome is a rather compelling enjoyable read. I’m very much looking forward to reading some more of Emily’s books. 4 stars.
December 18, 2016
Ik heb getwijfeld tussen drie en vier sterren. Het boek heeft wel iets waardoor je blijft lezen. Toch kreeg ik op een gegeven moment een hekel aan Helen. Daardoor was ik uiteindelijk blij dat ik het boek uit had. Dat heeft me even doen twijfelen aan het aantal sterren. Het verhaal zit echter goed in elkaar en heeft op het einde ook nog een verrassende wending. Vandaar dat ik het boek toch vier sterren heb gegeven. In het begin heeft dit boek meer weg van een chicklit dan een thriller. Dan verandert de sfeer van het verhaal en wordt het wat grimmiger. Het is echter geen standaard thriller. De spanning zit meer op psychologisch niveau. Het is ook origineel. Al kan ik me voorstellen dat het niet iedereen aanspreekt.
October 13, 2016
Spannende thriller die langzaam maar zeker naar een climax toewerkt. In het begin denk je dat het maar een gewoon verhaaltje is, maar gaandeweg begin je toch vermoeden dat er bepaalde dingen niet kloppen en dat er meer aan de hand is. Vlot geschreven, met veel plezier gelezen.
January 13, 2014
A Strange one! The plot was very unrealistic and way more chick-lit than the cover suggested! Liz's situation just wasn't one you could connect with to say the least but still, I kind of couldn't put it down and it improved a bit in the middle..only a bit though!Helens story was sort of enjoyable! Wont be rushin out for more of her books but it passed a couple of days!
June 16, 2018
I like Emily Barr’s style of writing, but I’ve preferred some of her other books. It was very strange, you won’t find similar characters or scenarios in another book! I think 3 out of 5 is fair, but don’t write of the author.
December 6, 2021
Stick with it.
It’s slow, but the ending is brilliant. Took a little effort to keep going with it. But it was worth it,
It’s slow, but the ending is brilliant. Took a little effort to keep going with it. But it was worth it,
September 16, 2009
Elizabeth Greene is devastated when her boyfriend of ten years leaves her for someone else. After a night of drowning her sorrows leads to an unexpected one-night stand, Elizabeth finds herself pregnant, alone and vulnerable.
Helen has just discovered she has a sister she didn’t know she had. Bored with her privileged life in France and driven by a need to gain her parents’ approval, Helen sets out to find her sister and reunite her with her long-lost mother. When her search leads her to Elizabeth the two women become closely linked. But their connection to one another is founded on a dark deception, with the truth having extreme consequences…
Having never read an Emily Barr novel to its finish – I had Cuban Heels once but only got a quarter of the way in until I was fed up. However I saw the beautiful cover of The Sisterhood and the back of the book, the blurb, made me want to read it as soon as I could.
The novel was unputdownable, the way it switched to both girls (and Mary’s, Helens mother) perspective was great. I really wanted to know more about Tom, Helen’s brother) and the revelation about him was a huge surprise. I didn’t see it coming. Both revelations were a huge surprise in fact.
I thought Helens character was great if a little naive and the more she got into Elizabeth’s life the stranger she seemed to act and she got herself out of sticky situations really well, particularly when it looked as if Elizabeth might twig onto what was going on.
Elizabeth was an equally good character, in desperate need of someone when she finds out her boyfriend is gay and then to end up pregnant and alone. It seems that Helen can be the perfect friend for her, the person she needs to help her through her problems.
The ending was just brilliant with all the revelations, and the last chapter was just brilliant. It definitely paved the way for a potential sequel. Although that’s probably just my opinion. I would definitely read it anyway.
Rating: 5/5
Helen has just discovered she has a sister she didn’t know she had. Bored with her privileged life in France and driven by a need to gain her parents’ approval, Helen sets out to find her sister and reunite her with her long-lost mother. When her search leads her to Elizabeth the two women become closely linked. But their connection to one another is founded on a dark deception, with the truth having extreme consequences…
Having never read an Emily Barr novel to its finish – I had Cuban Heels once but only got a quarter of the way in until I was fed up. However I saw the beautiful cover of The Sisterhood and the back of the book, the blurb, made me want to read it as soon as I could.
The novel was unputdownable, the way it switched to both girls (and Mary’s, Helens mother) perspective was great. I really wanted to know more about Tom, Helen’s brother) and the revelation about him was a huge surprise. I didn’t see it coming. Both revelations were a huge surprise in fact.
I thought Helens character was great if a little naive and the more she got into Elizabeth’s life the stranger she seemed to act and she got herself out of sticky situations really well, particularly when it looked as if Elizabeth might twig onto what was going on.
Elizabeth was an equally good character, in desperate need of someone when she finds out her boyfriend is gay and then to end up pregnant and alone. It seems that Helen can be the perfect friend for her, the person she needs to help her through her problems.
The ending was just brilliant with all the revelations, and the last chapter was just brilliant. It definitely paved the way for a potential sequel. Although that’s probably just my opinion. I would definitely read it anyway.
Rating: 5/5
August 2, 2011
I always enjoy Emily Barr’s books. They are what could be described as chick-lit with sinister overtones.
Whilst I found that this book was rather predictable, the pace of it and the way it is divided into sections of either Liz’s story or Helen’s story - with the occasional bit about ‘Mary’ - made it quite compelling and I found I had to keep picking it up to find out what would happen next.
My only slight criticism is that I felt the prologue was a bit of a giveaway as to what was coming!
Whilst I found that this book was rather predictable, the pace of it and the way it is divided into sections of either Liz’s story or Helen’s story - with the occasional bit about ‘Mary’ - made it quite compelling and I found I had to keep picking it up to find out what would happen next.
My only slight criticism is that I felt the prologue was a bit of a giveaway as to what was coming!
December 25, 2008
It started off a little slow and I wasn't sure I was going to like it but then it became a real page turner. The twist at the end was totally unexpected.
November 29, 2011
Got better as it progressed.
August 5, 2016
Another superb book by Emily Barr. This is not your typical chick lit, it's a twisty dark intriguing read with an ending I did not expect. Definitely recommended.
July 27, 2018
From a style point of view I wouldn't have bought this had I realised it was written in first person with three viewpoints. I usually prefer first person books to tell the story through a single character. Here we're told the story of two half-sisters: Helen and Elizabeth. Unfortunately, I disliked Elizabeth from page 6 when her thoughts dismiss a homeless person the moment she walks into Waitrose. My opinion of Helen didn't get much better despite her less than perfect parents. She's born into a privileged position she seems to moan about more than take advantage of, although the reasons why are clear by the end of the book. Instead of choosing to do something with her life she makes finding Elizabeth her mission—not terrible in itself except that her motivation is for all the wrong reasons. Neither sister seems to deserve much interest though both could carry the mantle of 'victim of circumstances'. I'm loathed to review this book because though the writing didn't engage me, there's nothing wrong with it, and all the plotting elements are carefully constructed. I failed to identify a protagonist I could root for, and there, for me, the book isn't one to find a permanent place on my bookshelves. Made me think of 'Gone Girl' in vein if that's any help. I could see this as a made-for TV movie or 6-part series, though for me it was a frustrating read.
December 30, 2017
"I've always felt something was missing. And then I found out I had a sister I never knew existed. Elizabeth Greene:I had to meet her"...
...so off Helen goes to find her long-lost sister & what a page-turner that journey is. This gripping novel had me hooked.
It's written from Helen & Liz's viewpoints & this works really well as it means we, the reader, not only know the reasoning behind Helen doing what she does but we also learn the consequences that her actions have on Liz's life....& of the lives of those around her.
It's a sinister tale & a compelling read, I couldn't put it down for wondering what would happen next - although I did spot one "twist" coming there was another I certainly hadn't predicted! Highly recommended.
...so off Helen goes to find her long-lost sister & what a page-turner that journey is. This gripping novel had me hooked.
It's written from Helen & Liz's viewpoints & this works really well as it means we, the reader, not only know the reasoning behind Helen doing what she does but we also learn the consequences that her actions have on Liz's life....& of the lives of those around her.
It's a sinister tale & a compelling read, I couldn't put it down for wondering what would happen next - although I did spot one "twist" coming there was another I certainly hadn't predicted! Highly recommended.
September 9, 2023
I found myself with a couple of days and nothing pressing so thought I' allow myself a couple of easy reads. This was the second Emily Barr book I picked up.
I found myself easily pulled along by the story and, although I really wanted to strangle Helen very early on, I was intrigued as to the twists alluded to on the book cover - which I managed to pick up on fairly early on.
I enjoyed the book as a good chick-lit with a twist and it whiled away a sunny day in the garden. Good for relaxing but not a literary masterpiece!
I found myself easily pulled along by the story and, although I really wanted to strangle Helen very early on, I was intrigued as to the twists alluded to on the book cover - which I managed to pick up on fairly early on.
I enjoyed the book as a good chick-lit with a twist and it whiled away a sunny day in the garden. Good for relaxing but not a literary masterpiece!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 28, 2018
The coincidences sometimes were too unrealistic, and Helen's character is so out of the ordinary that I could picture her as a real person, to some extent we've all meet a person like her at some point. Random enough, I read 2 books before this where the main characters, if blended together, would produce Helen exactly. It was overall quite fascinating and found the three points of view somewhat convincing.
January 10, 2018
This book was very good. I felt that I was invested in a lot of the characters and the detail and complexity was superb. There was so much dramatic irony and the excitement really did start to build nearer the end. I just wish that the excitement had started a bit earlier!
January 6, 2019
It was quite a good book, I did find it a bit confusing and weird in places though. I liked Liz but found Helen slightly odd ! (I’m sure I read it when it was published as some of it seemed familiar)
Anyway, Any Emily Barr book is good to revisit ! 8/10 !
Anyway, Any Emily Barr book is good to revisit ! 8/10 !
February 10, 2020
A run of the mill “thriller” that didn’t really keep me engrossed. Took longer to read than this type of book usually would as it just wasn’t a page turner. Had really good potential but a fairly bland ending let it down.
June 7, 2020
The Sisterhood of Emily Barr is a so and so book . When l read the cover it looked like a story with lots of suprises and thrilling moments . To bad it didn't work like that . A lot of things you got see coming . The story never go tf the thrill l was waiting on .
March 19, 2017
Loved this book Did not expect that about Tom
June 5, 2017
This book is unusual but I was unable to put it down. A good plot twist towards the end of the novel.
March 21, 2018
Weird book.
Read
June 22, 2019I just couldn’t put this book down. It kept me spellbound all the way through.
April 11, 2021
Just awful
This book has no redeeming qualities. Its full of hateful characters. Im sorry that I even finished it.
Don't bother
This book has no redeeming qualities. Its full of hateful characters. Im sorry that I even finished it.
Don't bother
August 27, 2021
I have had this book on my shelf for years and have never read Emily Barr. but I really enjoyed it some of it was a bit farfetched but it had a dark side that kept me turning the pages
September 26, 2022
Emily Barr is so inconsistent!!!!! I’ve read a few of her books, the latest being “The Life You Want” (which was fab) and this was so disappointing
June 12, 2023
Enjoyable psychological thriller
August 7, 2024
Didn’t enjoy so didn’t finish
December 4, 2024
HB Read - Not suitable for CB
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 14, 2024
Not that great of a story but I enjoyed reading it. It was an easy read. The characters were interesting. The plot twist in the end was not too predictable however it wasn’t as shocking or surprising either.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews