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The Sisters of Blue Mountain: A Novel
For Linnet, owner of a Bed and Breakfast in Mountain Springs, Pennsylvania, life has been a bit complicated lately. Hundreds of snow geese have died overnight in the dam near the B&B, sparking a media frenzy, threatening the tourist season, and bringing her estranged sister, Myna, to town. If that isn't enough, the women's father has been charged with investigating the incident. But when a younger expert is brought in to replace him on the case and then turns up dead on Linnet's B&B’s property, their father becomes the primary suspect. As the investigation unfolds, the sisters will have to confront each other, their hidden past, and a side of Mountain Springs not seen before.
Karen Katchur has written a thrilling novel of sisters and the secrets that bind them that is sure to appeal to readers of her acclaimed first novel, The Secrets of Lake Road.
Karen Katchur has written a thrilling novel of sisters and the secrets that bind them that is sure to appeal to readers of her acclaimed first novel, The Secrets of Lake Road.
321 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 4, 2017
115 people are currently reading
1855 people want to read
About the author
Karen Katchur
7 books583 followersKaren Katchur is the Amazon Charts bestselling author of RIVER BODIES and the Northampton County series. She holds a bachelor of science in criminal justice and a master's in education. She lives in eastern Pennsylvania with her husband and two daughters. For more information visit: www.karenkatchur.com
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February 21, 2020
Talented Karen Katchur returns following (2015) The Secrets of Lake Road with another emotional mystery domestic suspense, THE SISTERS OF BLUE MOUNTAIN — two timelines connect for a riveting page-turner of the strong bonds of family.
Set in a fictional tourist town of Mountain Springs, PA, two young sisters Linnet and Myrna grew up in a home with a professor for a dad and a mother who suffers from extreme depression. When the girls were young, the father decided they would turn the large home into a Bed and Breakfast Inn, called the Snow Goose.
True to its name the Snow Goose was the main attraction in the small town, thriving on the snow geese migration. Each year, the birds flock to the dam, and the tourists follow. The geese migrated late winter and early spring, flying over Pennsylvania en route to Canada. Tourists traveled from as far away as Virginia to see the snow geese making their trip north, swimming in the dam, resting in the fields.
The girls are now grown. The mother is deceased, and the father has moved to the guest house and suffered from dementia. He is a retired ornithologist. Linnet (the older sister), now oversees the management of the inn with her husband Ian, and twelve-year-old son, Hank.
The younger sister, Myrna left the small-town life, years earlier and resides in Florida. Why did she want to escape the memories? She is very unsettled in her personal life since Ben wants to get married, and she does not believe in the institution, with no role models from her childhood.
Something happened when the girls were teens. A tragedy. A dark secret. The sisters were once close and now estranged.
As the book opens, it is their busiest season, and the geese are dead. Everywhere. Hundreds of them. How could this have happened? Linnet cannot have dead geese in the yard.
Pop (the dad) is seventy-three and his mind is not what it once was. He is called the “Bird Man.” Pop had taught classes at the university years ago, and the inn was left to the mother. Of course, with her depression (mental illness), a lot of the work was left to the girls. The girls have a lot of guilt from an event in the past.
Of course, the dad is not sure this is a nightmare or reality with the geese.
With another storyline, Jake is a reporter from Leigh Valley and sent to cover the story. He also has ties with this town. His dad died in a car accident years ago, and Jake was still not satisfied with the results of the investigation. He thinks this may be a good time to kill two birds. (no pun intended).
Jake had found an old Nokia cell phone. He was going to have a hacker try and locate the last phone number dialed. The phone was found with his dad’s body at the car crash.
What was his dad doing on a road in this town? How is this family connected to his father’s death?
The town makes national news, and Myrna returns home. There is friction between her and her older sister. In the meantime, the professor who gets called in to investigate the birds' death (helping the father since he is too old), turns up dead. Then more fish.
The father is the prime suspect , and his best friend Charlie is the chief of police, putting him in an awkward position. Pop loved the birds as well as the townspeople. They relied on the birds to bring tourists and money into the town.
With panic from everyone, not only do they have a crisis on their hand, now a murder. They cannot allow their father to be charged with the murder.
In the meantime, the closer Jake gets to solving the case of his father, the more the two sisters fear their long-hidden secret will be unraveled. They are not speaking to one another. Keeping secrets can become deadly and stay with you through life. As the investigation unfolds, the sisters must confront one another and their hidden past.
Karen keeps you hooked from the first page to the last —turning the pages with several different mysteries and suspense going on at the same time. The most intriguing storyline is the mother and the girl’s past and how they are intertwined possibly with Jake’s father.
The author also crosses some moral lines and proposes some thought-provoking questions. As in her first book, the author delves into the complexities of interpersonal relationships, families, and the parallels between land and life. An ideal choice for book clubs and further discussions.
Fans of Mary Alice Monroe and David Bell will enjoy, this well-written complex yet powerful family saga of sisters, combined with nature and lush settings.
Interview with the Author The Big Thrill
A special thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an early reading copy. (cover love)
JDCMustReadBooks
Check out RIVER BODIES Coming Nov 1, 2019 and my Q&A With the Author.
Set in a fictional tourist town of Mountain Springs, PA, two young sisters Linnet and Myrna grew up in a home with a professor for a dad and a mother who suffers from extreme depression. When the girls were young, the father decided they would turn the large home into a Bed and Breakfast Inn, called the Snow Goose.
True to its name the Snow Goose was the main attraction in the small town, thriving on the snow geese migration. Each year, the birds flock to the dam, and the tourists follow. The geese migrated late winter and early spring, flying over Pennsylvania en route to Canada. Tourists traveled from as far away as Virginia to see the snow geese making their trip north, swimming in the dam, resting in the fields.
The girls are now grown. The mother is deceased, and the father has moved to the guest house and suffered from dementia. He is a retired ornithologist. Linnet (the older sister), now oversees the management of the inn with her husband Ian, and twelve-year-old son, Hank.
The younger sister, Myrna left the small-town life, years earlier and resides in Florida. Why did she want to escape the memories? She is very unsettled in her personal life since Ben wants to get married, and she does not believe in the institution, with no role models from her childhood.
Something happened when the girls were teens. A tragedy. A dark secret. The sisters were once close and now estranged.
As the book opens, it is their busiest season, and the geese are dead. Everywhere. Hundreds of them. How could this have happened? Linnet cannot have dead geese in the yard.
Pop (the dad) is seventy-three and his mind is not what it once was. He is called the “Bird Man.” Pop had taught classes at the university years ago, and the inn was left to the mother. Of course, with her depression (mental illness), a lot of the work was left to the girls. The girls have a lot of guilt from an event in the past.
Of course, the dad is not sure this is a nightmare or reality with the geese.
With another storyline, Jake is a reporter from Leigh Valley and sent to cover the story. He also has ties with this town. His dad died in a car accident years ago, and Jake was still not satisfied with the results of the investigation. He thinks this may be a good time to kill two birds. (no pun intended).
Jake had found an old Nokia cell phone. He was going to have a hacker try and locate the last phone number dialed. The phone was found with his dad’s body at the car crash.
What was his dad doing on a road in this town? How is this family connected to his father’s death?
The town makes national news, and Myrna returns home. There is friction between her and her older sister. In the meantime, the professor who gets called in to investigate the birds' death (helping the father since he is too old), turns up dead. Then more fish.
The father is the prime suspect , and his best friend Charlie is the chief of police, putting him in an awkward position. Pop loved the birds as well as the townspeople. They relied on the birds to bring tourists and money into the town.
With panic from everyone, not only do they have a crisis on their hand, now a murder. They cannot allow their father to be charged with the murder.
In the meantime, the closer Jake gets to solving the case of his father, the more the two sisters fear their long-hidden secret will be unraveled. They are not speaking to one another. Keeping secrets can become deadly and stay with you through life. As the investigation unfolds, the sisters must confront one another and their hidden past.
Karen keeps you hooked from the first page to the last —turning the pages with several different mysteries and suspense going on at the same time. The most intriguing storyline is the mother and the girl’s past and how they are intertwined possibly with Jake’s father.
The author also crosses some moral lines and proposes some thought-provoking questions. As in her first book, the author delves into the complexities of interpersonal relationships, families, and the parallels between land and life. An ideal choice for book clubs and further discussions.
Fans of Mary Alice Monroe and David Bell will enjoy, this well-written complex yet powerful family saga of sisters, combined with nature and lush settings.
Interview with the Author The Big Thrill
A special thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an early reading copy. (cover love)
JDCMustReadBooks
Check out RIVER BODIES Coming Nov 1, 2019 and my Q&A With the Author.
April 3, 2017
The beautiful cover and the intriguing blurb made me curious about the book. I love reading books about estranged sisters, secrets in the past and I especially I love books set in small towns. The title The Sisters of Blue Mountain also intrigue me very much.
I took me, to be honest, quite some time to get into the book. It just didn't feel that intriguing as I had hoped it to be and first did I have a hard time connecting with the characters. However, I did not give up and I'm glad to say that the book got better. Still, the story is a bit predictable, the secret not so surprising and the conclusion on the death of the professor was predictable. Still, I did come to like the book more and more as the story progressed.
What made the story interesting was the bond between the sister, Linnet, and Myna, and the shared secret that in the end came to drive them apart. Growing up with a mother that was depressed was hard on them, and Linnet did in many ways become Myna's mother. And, now with the death of the snow geese's is Myna returning home for the first time in five years and it's interesting to see how the sisters because of everything that's going on have to deal with the past. I loved both the present story on how they have to cope with everything that's going on as through flashbacks the past is revealed.
The Sisters of Blue Mountain did not start off strong, but in the end, it was a book that I came to enjoy reading!
I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review!
I took me, to be honest, quite some time to get into the book. It just didn't feel that intriguing as I had hoped it to be and first did I have a hard time connecting with the characters. However, I did not give up and I'm glad to say that the book got better. Still, the story is a bit predictable, the secret not so surprising and the conclusion on the death of the professor was predictable. Still, I did come to like the book more and more as the story progressed.
What made the story interesting was the bond between the sister, Linnet, and Myna, and the shared secret that in the end came to drive them apart. Growing up with a mother that was depressed was hard on them, and Linnet did in many ways become Myna's mother. And, now with the death of the snow geese's is Myna returning home for the first time in five years and it's interesting to see how the sisters because of everything that's going on have to deal with the past. I loved both the present story on how they have to cope with everything that's going on as through flashbacks the past is revealed.
The Sisters of Blue Mountain did not start off strong, but in the end, it was a book that I came to enjoy reading!
I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review!
March 19, 2017
Linnet grew up in the small town of Mountain Springs, Pennsylvania where she now lives with her husband and continues to run the family bed and breakfast. Linnet's father was always known as the bird man around town since he spent his life studying birds as a ornithology professor. Now retired and starting to suffer from dementia Linnet's father still lives in the guest house with Linnet caring for him.
One day they awaken to find that hundreds of geese have fallen from the sky and the town turns to the former professor to help solve the mystery of why they died. A current professor is sent out to collect samples and run tests but is found on the property dead the next morning and Linnet's father is suddenly a suspect having been the last to see the man.
With reporters circling and police investigating Linnet calls in her sister Myna to come visit. The sisters however have somewhat of a strained relationship due to family secrets that have been buried for years but now it's time for them to come together for the sake of their father.
The Sisters of Blue Mountain by Karen Katchur is a bit of an emotional suspense read. There is a lot of family issues between the sisters along with some buried secrets to uncover all the while dealing with the mystery of the dead geese and then the mystery of what had happened to the young professor that had been brought in to help.
This one was quite touching to me having dealt with dementia with my own grandmother I immediately became attached to Linnet's father as he had his good times and bad during the story. With so much going on in this story it never became dull and always had my attention as the characters grew on me more and more. Both the past and present mysteries were not too terribly hard to figure out but the answers still somewhat crept up on me as I was also involved in the characters lives and emotions.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....
One day they awaken to find that hundreds of geese have fallen from the sky and the town turns to the former professor to help solve the mystery of why they died. A current professor is sent out to collect samples and run tests but is found on the property dead the next morning and Linnet's father is suddenly a suspect having been the last to see the man.
With reporters circling and police investigating Linnet calls in her sister Myna to come visit. The sisters however have somewhat of a strained relationship due to family secrets that have been buried for years but now it's time for them to come together for the sake of their father.
The Sisters of Blue Mountain by Karen Katchur is a bit of an emotional suspense read. There is a lot of family issues between the sisters along with some buried secrets to uncover all the while dealing with the mystery of the dead geese and then the mystery of what had happened to the young professor that had been brought in to help.
This one was quite touching to me having dealt with dementia with my own grandmother I immediately became attached to Linnet's father as he had his good times and bad during the story. With so much going on in this story it never became dull and always had my attention as the characters grew on me more and more. Both the past and present mysteries were not too terribly hard to figure out but the answers still somewhat crept up on me as I was also involved in the characters lives and emotions.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....
April 23, 2017
A longer review is available on my blog:
http://reviewsofbooksonmynightstand.b...
This really didn't read like a mystery for me. I would categorize it more as women's fiction than a true mystery. There are some questions that are raised in the book but it moved so slowly that it felt more like women's fiction or literary fiction. There were also not too many shockers in the book, either. The reader is kind of led to the answer to what the secret that Linnet and Myna have kept from the very beginning and there were a lot of hints dropped about who killed the professor. The characters were not that interesting, with the exception of Dr. Jenkins. He is such a likeable character and the only shocker in the end is who Dr. Jenkins is and what he really understands about the world. The story was an interesting one but the story just moved too slowly and the writing was not suspenseful enough to make me want to put this one on my list of favorite books. It is not a bad book, I was just a bid bored by it. I think it would be enjoyed by a reader who frequently reads women's fiction and some lighter, less suspenseful mysteries.
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
http://reviewsofbooksonmynightstand.b...
This really didn't read like a mystery for me. I would categorize it more as women's fiction than a true mystery. There are some questions that are raised in the book but it moved so slowly that it felt more like women's fiction or literary fiction. There were also not too many shockers in the book, either. The reader is kind of led to the answer to what the secret that Linnet and Myna have kept from the very beginning and there were a lot of hints dropped about who killed the professor. The characters were not that interesting, with the exception of Dr. Jenkins. He is such a likeable character and the only shocker in the end is who Dr. Jenkins is and what he really understands about the world. The story was an interesting one but the story just moved too slowly and the writing was not suspenseful enough to make me want to put this one on my list of favorite books. It is not a bad book, I was just a bid bored by it. I think it would be enjoyed by a reader who frequently reads women's fiction and some lighter, less suspenseful mysteries.
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
December 17, 2024
GNAB I received a free electronic copy of this novel from Netgalley, Karen Katchur, and St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all, for sharing your work with me.
This is a very interesting novel, a fast read with subplots that include elder care and dementia, the world of Canadian Snow Geese, life in Pennsylvania's Pocono mountains, and the tendency of oldest sisters to micromanage everything, especially younger sisters. I am the oldest sister of four.... I understand that part very well. The mystery here is quite interesting but not necessarily the focus of the story. I loved the way the personalities were portrayed, flaws and all. This is a book I thoroughly enjoyed, and will watch for more from Karen Katchur.
pub date April 4, 2017
St. Martin's Press
Reviewed on Goodreads, Netgalley, and AmazonSmile on December 3, 2016, at Goodreads, Netgalley, Barnes&Noble, and AmazonSmile.
REREAD - April 24, 2024, Still love it.
This is a very interesting novel, a fast read with subplots that include elder care and dementia, the world of Canadian Snow Geese, life in Pennsylvania's Pocono mountains, and the tendency of oldest sisters to micromanage everything, especially younger sisters. I am the oldest sister of four.... I understand that part very well. The mystery here is quite interesting but not necessarily the focus of the story. I loved the way the personalities were portrayed, flaws and all. This is a book I thoroughly enjoyed, and will watch for more from Karen Katchur.
pub date April 4, 2017
St. Martin's Press
Reviewed on Goodreads, Netgalley, and AmazonSmile on December 3, 2016, at Goodreads, Netgalley, Barnes&Noble, and AmazonSmile.
REREAD - April 24, 2024, Still love it.
April 5, 2017
“Spring came early the year the birds fell from the sky.”
That’s the opening line of Karen Katchur’s new novel, THE SISTERS of BLUE MOUNTAIN (ThomasDunne/St.MartinsPress). Suddenly, hundreds of snow geese migrating from Pennsylvania to Canada, are dropping dead all over the property of Linnet Jenkins’ Bed and Breakfast and washing up on the dam. This is at the height of the season when tourists come to stay at the B&B, specifically see the birds, tens of thousands of them fly overhead, creating a snow globe appearance.
Soon the media is all over the small town. Her father, Dr. Henry Jenkins, a well-respected bird expert, past his prime is being hounded by reporter’s questions he has no answers to. A young, ambitious professor from the University is brought in to take over for him. The story goes national and after seeing it in Florida on TV, estranged sister and daughter, Myna comes to town.
In addition to facing the current turmoil in their lives, the sisters are forced to look back and reconcile with a serious mistake that they made together as teenagers. Did they commit a crime? Was it morally wrong? Does the fact they were teenagers make it okay? Was the way they grew up a cause?
Writing a novel about sisters always poses a unique set of possibilities (and potential landmines) for the writer. There’s the shared intimacy, the potential for jealousy, envy, the list goes on, but what I find most interesting is, what is not spoken or communicated. Sisters have a distinct way of “just knowing” that no one outside that bond understands. It’s subtle, but Karen creates it between Linnet and Myna. She walks a fine line, but is able to capture the reconciliation, which I really didn’t think was going to be possible and it’s real.
A lot goes on in THE SISTERS of BLUE MOUNTAIN but the focus for me was the relationship between the sisters and the takeaway was don’t let anything come between sisters.
*****
Karen Katchur holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from West Chester University and a Masters of Education degree from East Stroudsburg University. She is an active member of International Thriller Writers and Mystery Writers of America. She lives in Eastern Pennsylvania with her husband and two children. She enjoys running and tennis and playing with her flat coat retriever, Tucker and her cat, Carly.
That’s the opening line of Karen Katchur’s new novel, THE SISTERS of BLUE MOUNTAIN (ThomasDunne/St.MartinsPress). Suddenly, hundreds of snow geese migrating from Pennsylvania to Canada, are dropping dead all over the property of Linnet Jenkins’ Bed and Breakfast and washing up on the dam. This is at the height of the season when tourists come to stay at the B&B, specifically see the birds, tens of thousands of them fly overhead, creating a snow globe appearance.
Soon the media is all over the small town. Her father, Dr. Henry Jenkins, a well-respected bird expert, past his prime is being hounded by reporter’s questions he has no answers to. A young, ambitious professor from the University is brought in to take over for him. The story goes national and after seeing it in Florida on TV, estranged sister and daughter, Myna comes to town.
In addition to facing the current turmoil in their lives, the sisters are forced to look back and reconcile with a serious mistake that they made together as teenagers. Did they commit a crime? Was it morally wrong? Does the fact they were teenagers make it okay? Was the way they grew up a cause?
Writing a novel about sisters always poses a unique set of possibilities (and potential landmines) for the writer. There’s the shared intimacy, the potential for jealousy, envy, the list goes on, but what I find most interesting is, what is not spoken or communicated. Sisters have a distinct way of “just knowing” that no one outside that bond understands. It’s subtle, but Karen creates it between Linnet and Myna. She walks a fine line, but is able to capture the reconciliation, which I really didn’t think was going to be possible and it’s real.
A lot goes on in THE SISTERS of BLUE MOUNTAIN but the focus for me was the relationship between the sisters and the takeaway was don’t let anything come between sisters.
*****
Karen Katchur holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from West Chester University and a Masters of Education degree from East Stroudsburg University. She is an active member of International Thriller Writers and Mystery Writers of America. She lives in Eastern Pennsylvania with her husband and two children. She enjoys running and tennis and playing with her flat coat retriever, Tucker and her cat, Carly.
June 16, 2017
I was excited to start this book. It had a nice cover and a good blurb. However, I thought it was too slow and predictable. The ending left me with a feeling of incompleteness.
The book narrates the story of two close siblings who were each other's best friend until an event separated them for decades.
Linnet is the one that stayed home. She's in charge of the family's B&B. She took it over after her mother's passing. Linnet also takes care of her dad who's suffering from dementia. Linnet is married and has one child and her marriage seems solid.
Myna lives in Florida. She's a teacher and she's dating Ben. She's happy with her life and her job. She has not been back home for a while. She has lost contact with her sister. Their bond is missing.
When hundred of dead snow geese fall in the dam close to the B&B's property, Linnet and Myna's father who's a retired ornithologist is asked to help in finding the cause of the event. Soon after, a man's body is found and the clues are all point to their father's involvement. Linnet and Myna will have to find a way to work together to help their dad. They will also have to deal with Jake a reporter who's more interested in the past than in the current story.
I liked Myna. She was the younger sister and she had distanced herself from Linnet for a reason. I can understand why she did it but I don't think it was fair to their father. Linnet, on the other hand, was pushy, selfish and at times unreasonable. I felt sorry for Jake. He was hurting. I do know I wouldn't be as forgiving as he was.
Cliffhanger: No
2.5/5 Fangs
MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
The book narrates the story of two close siblings who were each other's best friend until an event separated them for decades.
Linnet is the one that stayed home. She's in charge of the family's B&B. She took it over after her mother's passing. Linnet also takes care of her dad who's suffering from dementia. Linnet is married and has one child and her marriage seems solid.
Myna lives in Florida. She's a teacher and she's dating Ben. She's happy with her life and her job. She has not been back home for a while. She has lost contact with her sister. Their bond is missing.
When hundred of dead snow geese fall in the dam close to the B&B's property, Linnet and Myna's father who's a retired ornithologist is asked to help in finding the cause of the event. Soon after, a man's body is found and the clues are all point to their father's involvement. Linnet and Myna will have to find a way to work together to help their dad. They will also have to deal with Jake a reporter who's more interested in the past than in the current story.
I liked Myna. She was the younger sister and she had distanced herself from Linnet for a reason. I can understand why she did it but I don't think it was fair to their father. Linnet, on the other hand, was pushy, selfish and at times unreasonable. I felt sorry for Jake. He was hurting. I do know I wouldn't be as forgiving as he was.
Cliffhanger: No
2.5/5 Fangs
MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
February 4, 2019
Maybe 2.5- I thought this book was so S-L-O-W moving and very predictable...... others seemed to really have liked it with all the 4 and 5 star reads..... oh well.....
April 7, 2017
This is a quick and enjoyable read, just what I was looking for and why I like to mix some women’s fiction into my mystery/thrillers reads. Kutcher pulls the reader in from the first moment a snow goose falls from the sky and lands in the dam near Linnet’s B&B. With the spring migration come tourists to this sleepy mountain town. A dam filled with dead snow geese will have a huge economic impact on the community. Answers are needed and the town turns to Linnet’s father, retired ornithologist Henry Jenkins. The professor is struggling with early signs of dementia, and Linnet and her husband call for help to the nearby college for assistance. Events will lead to the arrival of Myna, Linnet’s estranged sister and a reporter with connections to this part of Pennsylvania he intends to follow up while following this unusual event for his newspaper.
I enjoyed the foreshadowing the author uses throughout the story. She draws the reader in wondering what the reasons are for Myna’s inability to commit to a relationship and what horrific event(s) in the past led to the riff in this family. The reporter, Jake, carries a lot of unresolved grief of his own and a need to find out the true story behind his father’s death.
I didn’t have to think too hard about the reasons behind a good portion of the drama and that was fine with me. Events from the past shape the people and their relationships in the present. I enjoyed watching the story unfold.
An author to add to my must-read list. I’m on a roll in 2017.
ARC received from publisher in exchange for an honest and fair review.
I enjoyed the foreshadowing the author uses throughout the story. She draws the reader in wondering what the reasons are for Myna’s inability to commit to a relationship and what horrific event(s) in the past led to the riff in this family. The reporter, Jake, carries a lot of unresolved grief of his own and a need to find out the true story behind his father’s death.
I didn’t have to think too hard about the reasons behind a good portion of the drama and that was fine with me. Events from the past shape the people and their relationships in the present. I enjoyed watching the story unfold.
An author to add to my must-read list. I’m on a roll in 2017.
ARC received from publisher in exchange for an honest and fair review.
November 6, 2016
Suspense that squeezes the heart!
Karen Katchur's second novel is superb! Excellent writing that kept me on the edge of the cliff throughout the story of tragedy and secrets. The secrets that separates Linnet and Myna are heart wrenching but were made while young in attempt to keep their family together as they watched their mother's decline into the dark reaches of depression.
Karen Katchur's second novel is superb! Excellent writing that kept me on the edge of the cliff throughout the story of tragedy and secrets. The secrets that separates Linnet and Myna are heart wrenching but were made while young in attempt to keep their family together as they watched their mother's decline into the dark reaches of depression.
August 3, 2018
Linnet and Myna haven’t seen each other in years. The sisters were really close when they were children, but something in their past changed their relationship and now they hardly speak. Linnet is still living in their hometown Mountain Springs, where she’s running a bed and breakfast. She's crazy about her husband and son and is looking after Pop, her increasingly forgetful father. Myna has left and never wants to live in the small town again. She hasn’t visited in years, but an incident makes her come back home for a short while. How will the sisters take seeing each other again?
The bed and breakfast is near a dam and each year the dam attracts large flocks of geese, which is a popular attraction that fills Linette’s rooms. Pop used to be an ornithology professor, but his failing mind forced him to stop working at the university he loved so much. When dead geese are being found by the dam, Mountain Springs is hot news all of a sudden. Why did the birds die? A professor is there to research the case and a journalist shows more than just a regular interest in the sisters. A murder destroys the balance even more. Especially since Pop seems to be the only one who knows what happened. When the truth is coming to light Linnet and Myna need each other more than ever, will they be able to set their differences aside?
The Sisters of Blue Mountain is a gripping story about family, deceased birds, a terrible death and secrets of the past. I was immediately intrigued by everything that’s happening in and around Linnet’s bed and breakfast. I loved how Karen Katchur makes the past and present come together. There’s a lot going on in the lives of Linnet and Myna and spending time with each other for the first time in years, doesn’t make it easier for the sisters to overcome their problems. There’s a lot of pain and there are plenty of unresolved issues that they have to deal with, while also trying to find a way out of their present situation. The dead birds are bad for business, they gather a lot of unwanted media attention and the situation gets out of hand completely when the area close to the dam becomes a crime scene. I loved this amazing chaos, especially since Karen Katchur is in complete control all the time. She’s written a story that kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end.
Karen Katchur has a fabulous descriptive writing style that completely captivated me. She knows how to work with suspense and the result is a fantastic thrilling story with many surprising twists and turns. I enjoyed reading about Mountain Springs and the beauty nature has to offer. Unfortunately sometimes gorgeousness can turn into ugliness and that is an excellent basis for a story. The combination of a natural process that has somehow failed, together with a suspicious death and plenty of tension in one family makes the experience complete. I absolutely loved The Sisters of Blue Mountain, it’s a terrific compelling story.
The bed and breakfast is near a dam and each year the dam attracts large flocks of geese, which is a popular attraction that fills Linette’s rooms. Pop used to be an ornithology professor, but his failing mind forced him to stop working at the university he loved so much. When dead geese are being found by the dam, Mountain Springs is hot news all of a sudden. Why did the birds die? A professor is there to research the case and a journalist shows more than just a regular interest in the sisters. A murder destroys the balance even more. Especially since Pop seems to be the only one who knows what happened. When the truth is coming to light Linnet and Myna need each other more than ever, will they be able to set their differences aside?
The Sisters of Blue Mountain is a gripping story about family, deceased birds, a terrible death and secrets of the past. I was immediately intrigued by everything that’s happening in and around Linnet’s bed and breakfast. I loved how Karen Katchur makes the past and present come together. There’s a lot going on in the lives of Linnet and Myna and spending time with each other for the first time in years, doesn’t make it easier for the sisters to overcome their problems. There’s a lot of pain and there are plenty of unresolved issues that they have to deal with, while also trying to find a way out of their present situation. The dead birds are bad for business, they gather a lot of unwanted media attention and the situation gets out of hand completely when the area close to the dam becomes a crime scene. I loved this amazing chaos, especially since Karen Katchur is in complete control all the time. She’s written a story that kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end.
Karen Katchur has a fabulous descriptive writing style that completely captivated me. She knows how to work with suspense and the result is a fantastic thrilling story with many surprising twists and turns. I enjoyed reading about Mountain Springs and the beauty nature has to offer. Unfortunately sometimes gorgeousness can turn into ugliness and that is an excellent basis for a story. The combination of a natural process that has somehow failed, together with a suspicious death and plenty of tension in one family makes the experience complete. I absolutely loved The Sisters of Blue Mountain, it’s a terrific compelling story.
April 4, 2017
Hundreds of geese falling dead from the sky, a mysterious death of a professor, and fish discovered floating dead in the waters of a dam, all of these strange occurrences take place in the small town of Mountain Springs, Pennsylvania by a popular family-owned B&B called the Snow Goose. Linnet, now the owner of the Snow Goose, and her younger, estranged sister Myna, are reunited due to these surprising happenings. The sisters, having once been very close, share a secret from their past that they now find they must reveal. Will the revelation of this secret bring them close once again? What is that secret and how do these unusual events suddenly make them realize that they must come clean about this hidden secret? These are questions that kept me captivated. Had it not been for my own personal happenings, I would have read this in one day. Great writing and believable characters!! A very good read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.
November 20, 2016
Having read The Secrets of Lake Road by Karen Kutchur, I was thrilled to receive an ARC of this book and knew I was going to love it and I did! Karen has a unique way of pulling you right into her characters and feeling all the emotions they do, just as if you were right there with them. Her beautiful descriptions made me hold my breath many times, especially when they were of the snow geese, my heart soared with joy and sadness as they brought a mystery to be solved. The two sisters, Linnet and Myna had unresolved issues and secrets from their past and had been estranged, but needed to come together to help their aging father with dementia, and the fear with him being charged with a crime surrounding the geese. At times I wished Linnet would have more patience, and acceptance, and that Myna would speak up more...but true to life these were the ways sisters had to be and you will want to find out how this book ends, it tugged on my heart and wanting more. It will hold you wondering what will happen to the very last page.
March 21, 2017
Katchur excels at making setting a character and the B&B and the town of Mountain Springs was both creepy and insular. The relationship between the sisters is what really drives this character-driven mystery: what happened in their past to split them apart? There is a current and a past mystery and they're woven together seamlessly.
April 10, 2017
SUMMARY
Linnet and Myna are two sisters who have grown apart over the years. They used to be best friends--they were like birds of a feather. But something happened to change that. They have a family secret that keeps them apart. Neither wants to talk about it.
Myna left Mountain Springs to go off to college and never came back. She's never spent much time in one place, but she's been living in Florida for three years now.
Linnet runs the family business, The Snow Goose Bed and Breakfast in Mountain Springs, Pennsylvania. Each year snow geese flock to the nearby dam on their migration north to Canada. Tourists come to see the snow geese and to fish, keeping the bed-and-breakfast busy. But one morning everything changes.
The snow geese are dead! Some fell from the sky, falling on the lawn of the bed and breakfast. Hundreds of geese are floating facedown in the water. Tourist are calling canceling their plans to visit. The media descends on the town in a frenzy, including a certain journalist who has an ulterior motive.
Linnet and Myna's Pop, was a bird expert, known as the bird-man. He is a retired professor of Ornithology from the nearby University. He's 73, and his mind wasn't quite what it once was. The media are pressuring for his opinion on what happened to the snow geese. He has no was of knowing, unless he can get into the university lab. Instead, the university sent a new young Ornithology professor to gather samples and collect specimens. The young professor winds up dead. It looks like he was murdered. Pop is the primary suspect.
Myna rushes back to Mountain Springs when she learns about the geese and Pops condition. Mynas' return brings back memories for the sisters. Memories of their difficult childhood and the secret that has torn them apart.
REVIEW
Karen Katcher had me when the first snow goose fell from the sky. The Sisters of Blue Mountain was an immensely captivating and enjoyable book. It is full of interesting family dynamics and dilemmas that kept me rapidly turning pages.
The Sisters of Blue Mountain is a robust book with multiple storylines. It's about how Linnet and Myna's difficult childhood upbringing and one rash decisions impacted their life forever. It's about a dead professor, and it's about the environmental issues in the Mountain Springs community.
The characters are nicely developed. You get an excellent understanding of Linnet and Myna by a timeline from both the past and present. Your heart goes out to them, as they valiantly try to take care of Pop as his memory fades.
Highly recommend this emotionally compelling book for a quick read. Would be a good beach read!
Thanks to Saint Martin's Press, Karen Katcher and Netgalley for an advanced reading copy of The Sisters of Blue Mountain.
Linnet and Myna are two sisters who have grown apart over the years. They used to be best friends--they were like birds of a feather. But something happened to change that. They have a family secret that keeps them apart. Neither wants to talk about it.
Myna left Mountain Springs to go off to college and never came back. She's never spent much time in one place, but she's been living in Florida for three years now.
Linnet runs the family business, The Snow Goose Bed and Breakfast in Mountain Springs, Pennsylvania. Each year snow geese flock to the nearby dam on their migration north to Canada. Tourists come to see the snow geese and to fish, keeping the bed-and-breakfast busy. But one morning everything changes.
The snow geese are dead! Some fell from the sky, falling on the lawn of the bed and breakfast. Hundreds of geese are floating facedown in the water. Tourist are calling canceling their plans to visit. The media descends on the town in a frenzy, including a certain journalist who has an ulterior motive.
Linnet and Myna's Pop, was a bird expert, known as the bird-man. He is a retired professor of Ornithology from the nearby University. He's 73, and his mind wasn't quite what it once was. The media are pressuring for his opinion on what happened to the snow geese. He has no was of knowing, unless he can get into the university lab. Instead, the university sent a new young Ornithology professor to gather samples and collect specimens. The young professor winds up dead. It looks like he was murdered. Pop is the primary suspect.
Myna rushes back to Mountain Springs when she learns about the geese and Pops condition. Mynas' return brings back memories for the sisters. Memories of their difficult childhood and the secret that has torn them apart.
REVIEW
Karen Katcher had me when the first snow goose fell from the sky. The Sisters of Blue Mountain was an immensely captivating and enjoyable book. It is full of interesting family dynamics and dilemmas that kept me rapidly turning pages.
The Sisters of Blue Mountain is a robust book with multiple storylines. It's about how Linnet and Myna's difficult childhood upbringing and one rash decisions impacted their life forever. It's about a dead professor, and it's about the environmental issues in the Mountain Springs community.
The characters are nicely developed. You get an excellent understanding of Linnet and Myna by a timeline from both the past and present. Your heart goes out to them, as they valiantly try to take care of Pop as his memory fades.
Highly recommend this emotionally compelling book for a quick read. Would be a good beach read!
Thanks to Saint Martin's Press, Karen Katcher and Netgalley for an advanced reading copy of The Sisters of Blue Mountain.
April 3, 2017
THE SISTERS OF BLUE MOUNTAIN by Karen Katchur is a deeply emotional tale with elements of suspense and mystery sprinkled throughout, that will keep you hooked to the very end. Linnet and Myna used to be close but when family secrets were forged, they became more distant. Now as adults, Myna lives wherever the breeze takes her, while Linnet runs the family B&B business while looking after her ageing father, a retired Professor who was always known locally as the Bird Man. When the graceful snow geese that draw tourists to the area, start to fall dead from the sky, Linnet knows that something awful is happening, and realises that the town will look to her failing father for answers. But when a younger Professor who came to help discover the cause of the strange phenomena, is found dead, it will force Linnet and Myna to confront their past, as the two mysteries converge.
With an expert setting and well-developed characters, we are immersed in the relationship of Linnet and Myna, two sisters forced apart by their secret past, who struggle to reconnect at a time when they need each other most. While not always likeable, the characters are more realistic for their flaws. THE SISTERS OF BLUE MOUNTAIN by Karen Katchur is a story of family in all of its shades and depths and I enjoyed reading it.
*I voluntarily reviewed this book from Netgalley.com
With an expert setting and well-developed characters, we are immersed in the relationship of Linnet and Myna, two sisters forced apart by their secret past, who struggle to reconnect at a time when they need each other most. While not always likeable, the characters are more realistic for their flaws. THE SISTERS OF BLUE MOUNTAIN by Karen Katchur is a story of family in all of its shades and depths and I enjoyed reading it.
*I voluntarily reviewed this book from Netgalley.com
April 13, 2017
When hundreds of snow geese fall dead from the sky, the community of Mountain Springs is concerned with how it will affect their tourism. Linnet is the daughter of a local ornithologist and owner of a B&B when the catastrophe strikes. Her estranged sister Myna returns home amidst a flurry of reporters speculating about the dead birds and protesters warning of the apocalypse. One journalist arrives in Mountain Springs on assignment, but Jake also seeking answers regarding his father’s death. Little does he know, Linnet and Myna carry a devastating secret that drove them apart. When a local researcher is murdered on the B&B property, the plot thickens.
Despite everything that’s going on, I found the book relatively predictable. Linnet annoyed me more than anything with her defensiveness, suspicion, excuses and contradiction. Despite wanting to mend her relationship with her sister, she treats Myna terribly and talks down to her. The rest of the characters were one-dimensional and I thought they could have been fleshed out better. Overall, it wasn’t an addictive, page-turning mystery, but there was just enough momentum to keep my interest.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.
Despite everything that’s going on, I found the book relatively predictable. Linnet annoyed me more than anything with her defensiveness, suspicion, excuses and contradiction. Despite wanting to mend her relationship with her sister, she treats Myna terribly and talks down to her. The rest of the characters were one-dimensional and I thought they could have been fleshed out better. Overall, it wasn’t an addictive, page-turning mystery, but there was just enough momentum to keep my interest.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.
September 24, 2018
I received a free copy of this book through the GoodReads FirstReads program.
"The Sisters of Blue Mountain" centers on an incident in which the snow geese in a tourist town suddenly start dropping dead for no clear reason, in masses. Linnet, who runs a B&B that relies on these snow geese as a draw for customers, has to contend with what this means for her family and her business, as well as what it means for her father, who had been a leading researcher on the birds in the area but in his old age is battling dementia (Alzheimer's, likely, though it's never explicitly stated in the novel). The story makes national news, drawing her somewhat estranged sister home as well. With the attention of more than just local reporters on the events with the geese, a younger researcher comes to investigate, and is shortly thereafter found dead on the B&B property, drawing more scrutiny to the family, including attention from a journalist in town to cover the geese but also covertly investigating a mystery in his own life decades old.
I'd give this book a 3.5 or 3.75 out of 5 stars. It was interesting but took a few chapters to really suck me in, and even once I was invested, I didn't really like many of the characters (not that they were necessarily unlikeable), and didn't have any real interest in how things turned out for them. The author did lay out some clear direction, though, in assessing what the mysteries were and how the characters connected beyond the obvious ways.
"The Sisters of Blue Mountain" centers on an incident in which the snow geese in a tourist town suddenly start dropping dead for no clear reason, in masses. Linnet, who runs a B&B that relies on these snow geese as a draw for customers, has to contend with what this means for her family and her business, as well as what it means for her father, who had been a leading researcher on the birds in the area but in his old age is battling dementia (Alzheimer's, likely, though it's never explicitly stated in the novel). The story makes national news, drawing her somewhat estranged sister home as well. With the attention of more than just local reporters on the events with the geese, a younger researcher comes to investigate, and is shortly thereafter found dead on the B&B property, drawing more scrutiny to the family, including attention from a journalist in town to cover the geese but also covertly investigating a mystery in his own life decades old.
I'd give this book a 3.5 or 3.75 out of 5 stars. It was interesting but took a few chapters to really suck me in, and even once I was invested, I didn't really like many of the characters (not that they were necessarily unlikeable), and didn't have any real interest in how things turned out for them. The author did lay out some clear direction, though, in assessing what the mysteries were and how the characters connected beyond the obvious ways.
July 14, 2017
This book was just what I needed yesterday -- an easy, fast-paced, escape from the doldrums. The story line was detailed and fairly complex, but I could not give it more than 2 stars because the characters were wooden and the grammar errors were unacceptable and distracting: sentence fragments and misuse of commas, and also incorrect usage of "longtime"... when what the context intended was "long time." If the author can't catch these things, where are the editors and proofreaders???
May 7, 2017
This book was just ok for me but it did keep my interest. I was able to predict who "dunnit" before the end.
November 20, 2017
All my reviews can be found at: http://jessicasreadingroom.com
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The Sisters of Blue Mountain was the first book I have read from Karen Katchur. It is a well done mystery that keeps you wondering what’s going to happen up to the end. The whole time I wondered what happened to the geese and will the B&B be ok after this whole situation is over or will their guests never want to return? You can see how the whole town changed due to the situation with the geese. I felt for Linnet and her family as I became fully involved in her life and I connected with these characters.
There are multiple mysteries and those are what keep you going. Katchur is a very good story teller. You wonder what happened in the past to make these characters be estranged and then you find out! The Sisters of Blue Mountain helps you to see how small our world really is by how connected we are all to each other. Katchur makes you think about relationships and family as dysfunctional as they can be. You really see how a small town is with this novel.
The Sisters of Blue Mountain is recommended.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for sending me an ARC print copy. I wish I had been able to get to it before now.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Sisters of Blue Mountain was the first book I have read from Karen Katchur. It is a well done mystery that keeps you wondering what’s going to happen up to the end. The whole time I wondered what happened to the geese and will the B&B be ok after this whole situation is over or will their guests never want to return? You can see how the whole town changed due to the situation with the geese. I felt for Linnet and her family as I became fully involved in her life and I connected with these characters.
There are multiple mysteries and those are what keep you going. Katchur is a very good story teller. You wonder what happened in the past to make these characters be estranged and then you find out! The Sisters of Blue Mountain helps you to see how small our world really is by how connected we are all to each other. Katchur makes you think about relationships and family as dysfunctional as they can be. You really see how a small town is with this novel.
The Sisters of Blue Mountain is recommended.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for sending me an ARC print copy. I wish I had been able to get to it before now.
March 21, 2025
I am a sucker for a good sister story and this definitely was a good story. I loved the premise of the snow geese migration and the bed and breakfast, the sisters and the mystery of their past. The plot was nicely paced and it was an enjoyable easy read. Only 3 stars though because the characters were flat, one sided and predictable. I want to cry and laugh with my sisters. The oldest sister was written very typical oldest sister with little room for nuance. Seriously, you don't see your sister for years except for one vacation and when she comes in town, you just escort her to the guest room. Definitely needed more intimacy between characters and nuance in conversations.
July 11, 2024
Cute book, easy read, enjoyed it. Love the relationships in this book.. Sisters, husband and wife, son and Aunt, son and mom & Dad, son and Grandad, daughters and dad, boyfriend girlfriend. I liked it took place close to home ( Pa.). The suspense was lacking a bit and kinda predictable but still enough to keep me interested.
November 1, 2016
This story held promise - a mystery that brings a woman, estranged from her family, home and the sisters will have to confront each other, their hidden past, and a side of Mountain Springs not seen before.
Unfortunately, the book did not deliver.
The story moved back and forth in time, trying to give readers a taste of what life was like for Myna and Linett when they were younger, but without a clear delineation - or break in the text - I found myself confused and lost when the story suddenly jumped to a conversation with their now-deceased mother.
There was too much going on - birds dying, a murder, fish dying, a parent with dementia, the family business declining, protesters who believed the End of the World was upon them, an affair, the arrest of an innocent man, and the mystery of an accident from almost 20 years ago -and it all just seemed too convoluted. Add in an unwanted marriage proposal and relationship problems, and it was over the top, as if the writer was trying to write this huge family saga, but fell short and so no story-line was well done. There was no natural flow.
The author wrote a line that made me laugh out loud, but not for the reason you'd think. She wrote: Linett 'just wanted to pinch him'. Seriously? A grown woman wants to 'pinch' an adult man because she didn't approve of his behavior? While this book was clean with no sex (allusion to it in the first chapter but it was very chaste), romance (hardly any physical touching by anyone) and no foul language, the line about pinching someone was just ridiculous. She wanted to slap him? Sure. Wanted to punch him? Absolultely. But pinch? Not happening.
I did not enjoy this book, but I thank Netgalley for the early copy in exchange for my honest review.
Unfortunately, the book did not deliver.
The story moved back and forth in time, trying to give readers a taste of what life was like for Myna and Linett when they were younger, but without a clear delineation - or break in the text - I found myself confused and lost when the story suddenly jumped to a conversation with their now-deceased mother.
There was too much going on - birds dying, a murder, fish dying, a parent with dementia, the family business declining, protesters who believed the End of the World was upon them, an affair, the arrest of an innocent man, and the mystery of an accident from almost 20 years ago -and it all just seemed too convoluted. Add in an unwanted marriage proposal and relationship problems, and it was over the top, as if the writer was trying to write this huge family saga, but fell short and so no story-line was well done. There was no natural flow.
The author wrote a line that made me laugh out loud, but not for the reason you'd think. She wrote: Linett 'just wanted to pinch him'. Seriously? A grown woman wants to 'pinch' an adult man because she didn't approve of his behavior? While this book was clean with no sex (allusion to it in the first chapter but it was very chaste), romance (hardly any physical touching by anyone) and no foul language, the line about pinching someone was just ridiculous. She wanted to slap him? Sure. Wanted to punch him? Absolultely. But pinch? Not happening.
I did not enjoy this book, but I thank Netgalley for the early copy in exchange for my honest review.
September 16, 2020
The two sisters in Karen Katchur's new book are worlds apart, but still deeply connected to their childhood home, a bed and breakfast that depends on snow goose migration. Linnett still lives in the B&B, taking care of their father, an ornithologist whose dementia is progressing. Myna flew the coop years ago and hardly ever comes back--though it's not until much later that Katchur lets us in on why. When wildlife starts dying in droves, Myna, the end-times protesters and the journalists descend, and the guests start leaving. When another ornithologist comes to help unravel the mystery and turns up dead, it all gets worse, because suspicion falls on Myna and Linnett's father, who can't remember anything.
Add into this mix Jake, a reporter who has his own reasons for feeling connected to this town. As he interacts with the sisters, the trio get closer and closer to the moment when their hidden histories will intersect.
I like books without "bad guys," books that make it clear that good people all have their reasons for doing what they do and feeling how they feel--and which show us how those actions exert influences on the other people in the book in a neverending ripple effect.
I received this book from a Goodreads giveaway.
Add into this mix Jake, a reporter who has his own reasons for feeling connected to this town. As he interacts with the sisters, the trio get closer and closer to the moment when their hidden histories will intersect.
I like books without "bad guys," books that make it clear that good people all have their reasons for doing what they do and feeling how they feel--and which show us how those actions exert influences on the other people in the book in a neverending ripple effect.
I received this book from a Goodreads giveaway.
July 30, 2017
Birds fall from the sky and the small town of Mountain Springs is left in confusion. Linnet, the owner of The Snow Goose B&B, is shocked when first the birds fall and then later a professor is found dead on her property. Dealing with her family, canceling B&B guests, an ailing father, and the return of her distant sister, Linnet is in a very stressed state. As secrets unravel the town and the sisters may never be the same.
I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I liked this book, but it started off a bit slow. It did pick up quickly and was filled with mystery. A mysterious death of the birds, a mysterious death of a man, and so many other aspects of this book make this a very interesting read. I really loved the storyline of Jake, as he is on the hunt to answer questions of his father's death. It lends a bit of a chilling aspect to the book. The story has a lot of secrets and sister bonding that also makes this book quite interesting. The secrets that bind the sisters together really provide intrigue.
Overall this book was written very well and was an intriguing read with likable characters and mystery around every corner.
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I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I liked this book, but it started off a bit slow. It did pick up quickly and was filled with mystery. A mysterious death of the birds, a mysterious death of a man, and so many other aspects of this book make this a very interesting read. I really loved the storyline of Jake, as he is on the hunt to answer questions of his father's death. It lends a bit of a chilling aspect to the book. The story has a lot of secrets and sister bonding that also makes this book quite interesting. The secrets that bind the sisters together really provide intrigue.
Overall this book was written very well and was an intriguing read with likable characters and mystery around every corner.
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March 6, 2017
I'm well aware it's an ARC but the flashbacks are difficult to keep up with and make the story quite confusing.
Please edit the chapters properly. Past and present are way too confusing the way they are written at the moment. And sometimes, two different scenes are written without any space between them, if you are tired, you can't keep up. It's just too messy. And I still don't understand the last sentence, no matter how many times I read it...
I don't like Linnet. She's too hard to be lovable and her jealousy toward her sister is so petty... But one character I liked is Pop. He looks so soft even in his 'craziness'. It did redeem the story a little to me.
Another thing I like is the cover. Don't change it. It's beautiful as it is.
As for the story in itself, it kept my interest throughout the pages but it is not a story I would have read if I had known more about it. There is something in it that put me off a little bit, I can't put my finger on it but it is a feeling that accompanied me until the last page.
Please edit the chapters properly. Past and present are way too confusing the way they are written at the moment. And sometimes, two different scenes are written without any space between them, if you are tired, you can't keep up. It's just too messy. And I still don't understand the last sentence, no matter how many times I read it...
I don't like Linnet. She's too hard to be lovable and her jealousy toward her sister is so petty... But one character I liked is Pop. He looks so soft even in his 'craziness'. It did redeem the story a little to me.
Another thing I like is the cover. Don't change it. It's beautiful as it is.
As for the story in itself, it kept my interest throughout the pages but it is not a story I would have read if I had known more about it. There is something in it that put me off a little bit, I can't put my finger on it but it is a feeling that accompanied me until the last page.
July 5, 2018
I expected this book to be more… intense. It kind of fizzled thanks to the bulk of the motivating factors (i.e. random dead animals) being unrelated to the actual plot of the story. The plot itself was relatable, in that I have a sister and we don’t always communicate well but we love each other more deeply than can be defined with words, but these sisters had questionable morals and ethics and a shared secret that threatens to pull them apart.
I received a copy of The Sisters of Blue Mountain through NetGalley and Thomas Dunne Books in exchange for an honest and original review. All thoughts are my own.
I received a copy of The Sisters of Blue Mountain through NetGalley and Thomas Dunne Books in exchange for an honest and original review. All thoughts are my own.
November 16, 2020
You protect those who belong to you, whom you love. But sometimes you pay the price.
The natural phenomena of dead geese falling out of the sky starts the process of two sisters returning to each other's side - solid B&B owner Linnet with a loving family, who takes care of their beloved Pop with his onset of dementia; and younger carefree Myna, uncapable of committing to a guy. They once were like twins, dealing with the unspoken burdens of their mother falling down into depression and their professor father obliviously and blithely in his own world of ornithology. Then something had happened and as a result, their relationship has changed.
There are all kind of reporters in the city for the phenomena - and among them Jake, who has one more reason to visit - there was an old mobile phone in his late father's things, with only one number - the local number.
Can the phenomenas be explained? Can the healing happen?
I would not call this a mystery novel, even if there are deaths involved, but a human drama kind of novel - this is a novel about sisters and all kinds of bonds and abysses between them; a story about love, loss, responsibilities and burdens. And a possibility of a change.
The story is well played and the nature and the human side are nicely combined unto one big picture, where the human angles are intertwined unto the mosaic. You do not need to like the characters, but you can understand their choices, now and then. I have sisters myself, so I can attest that the sisterly bond is strong - and difficult.
I have enjoyed reading this novel, got into the plot quickly and was sorry to see this world go. Luckily, there are more novels from this intelligent and sensitive authoress!
The natural phenomena of dead geese falling out of the sky starts the process of two sisters returning to each other's side - solid B&B owner Linnet with a loving family, who takes care of their beloved Pop with his onset of dementia; and younger carefree Myna, uncapable of committing to a guy. They once were like twins, dealing with the unspoken burdens of their mother falling down into depression and their professor father obliviously and blithely in his own world of ornithology. Then something had happened and as a result, their relationship has changed.
There are all kind of reporters in the city for the phenomena - and among them Jake, who has one more reason to visit - there was an old mobile phone in his late father's things, with only one number - the local number.
Can the phenomenas be explained? Can the healing happen?
I would not call this a mystery novel, even if there are deaths involved, but a human drama kind of novel - this is a novel about sisters and all kinds of bonds and abysses between them; a story about love, loss, responsibilities and burdens. And a possibility of a change.
The story is well played and the nature and the human side are nicely combined unto one big picture, where the human angles are intertwined unto the mosaic. You do not need to like the characters, but you can understand their choices, now and then. I have sisters myself, so I can attest that the sisterly bond is strong - and difficult.
I have enjoyed reading this novel, got into the plot quickly and was sorry to see this world go. Luckily, there are more novels from this intelligent and sensitive authoress!
March 28, 2019
Disclaimer: I received this for free through a Goodreads' giveaway.
2.5/5
What I liked: Good pace, interesting overall premise, and enough development to keep me entertained.
What I disliked: Story line that isn't completely fleshed out, unlikable characters, and a disappointing ending.
This novel centers around two estranged sisters, Myna and Linnet, and disruptions to their lives because of their father's failing health and strange occurrences in their hometown. During the week Myna is home visiting, the sisters are forced to face the consequences of a decision they made as teenagers and their family's troubled history.
The ending of this novel is too tidy and unrealistic, as no one actually faces consequences for their actions. Yes, people have to come clean about their actions, but everything is brushed over and treated as misunderstandings or accidents rather than real crimes. And, despite what some of the characters say, real crimes were committed. Also, the strained relationship between the two sisters, Myna and Linnet, is odd to me. It's as if their relationship is stunted, because they haven't been able to grow and mature into having an age appropriate relationship as adults. Instead, there is resentment because they are no longer the best friends they were as children (you're adults now - grow up!).
Overall, this is an ok read. There are parts that are interesting and it is relatively fast-paced. As such, it is best suited for travel or vacations, where reading interruptions are expected.
2.5/5
What I liked: Good pace, interesting overall premise, and enough development to keep me entertained.
What I disliked: Story line that isn't completely fleshed out, unlikable characters, and a disappointing ending.
This novel centers around two estranged sisters, Myna and Linnet, and disruptions to their lives because of their father's failing health and strange occurrences in their hometown. During the week Myna is home visiting, the sisters are forced to face the consequences of a decision they made as teenagers and their family's troubled history.
The ending of this novel is too tidy and unrealistic, as no one actually faces consequences for their actions. Yes, people have to come clean about their actions, but everything is brushed over and treated as misunderstandings or accidents rather than real crimes. And, despite what some of the characters say, real crimes were committed. Also, the strained relationship between the two sisters, Myna and Linnet, is odd to me. It's as if their relationship is stunted, because they haven't been able to grow and mature into having an age appropriate relationship as adults. Instead, there is resentment because they are no longer the best friends they were as children (you're adults now - grow up!).
Overall, this is an ok read. There are parts that are interesting and it is relatively fast-paced. As such, it is best suited for travel or vacations, where reading interruptions are expected.
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