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Between Sisters
When sixteen-year-old Gloria fails thirteen out of fifteen subjects on her final exams, her future looks bleak indeed. Her family's resources are meager so the entire family is thrilled when a distant relative, Christine, offers to move Gloria north to Kumasi to look after her toddler son. In exchange, after two years, Christine will pay for Gloria to go to school.
Life in Kumasi is more grand than anything Gloria has ever experienced. She joins a youth band at church, and Christine has even promised to teach her to read.
But Kumasi is also full of temptations -- the owner of a popular clothing shop encourages her to buy on credit, and the smooth-talking Dr. Kusi offers Gloria rides in his sports car. Eventually Gloria is betrayed by the people around her and is disillusioned by her new life. But in the end she decides who she can trust, and draws on her own considerable inner resources to put the bad experiences behind her.
Life in Kumasi is more grand than anything Gloria has ever experienced. She joins a youth band at church, and Christine has even promised to teach her to read.
But Kumasi is also full of temptations -- the owner of a popular clothing shop encourages her to buy on credit, and the smooth-talking Dr. Kusi offers Gloria rides in his sports car. Eventually Gloria is betrayed by the people around her and is disillusioned by her new life. But in the end she decides who she can trust, and draws on her own considerable inner resources to put the bad experiences behind her.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published August 24, 2010
3 people are currently reading
184 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
February 28, 2019
This was a short, easy, enjoyable read. At times it felt like watching a train crash in slow motion but the author’s approach to weaving together the heartbreak and hope in the story was refreshing. I can’t always deal with perpetual sadness and despair. Even though the book was short, I felt connected to the main character - I wanted to hug her and let her know it’ll be ok.
April 27, 2011
I didn't like that this novel didn't explore the relationship between Gloria and her sister, Effie. It's called Between Sisters but it rarely addressed the blood sister relationship. Instead it focuses on the relationship between Gloria and her so-close-they-could-be-sisters, employer, Christine. Effie is basically regulated to the background, we meet her in the beginning and she briefly re-appears in the end. Most of the minor characters are treated the same way, they make brief appearances to move the story along and then disappear. Many storylines are left unresolved or are solved in a hurry towards the end. Also the writing is fairly simplistic and although the story moves quickly, it couldn't hold my attention. This may be due to my lack of patience with people who are more naive when it comes to cities and all the dangers that come with them. It seemed like the book was written solely to educate people about modern-day Ghana.
That being said, I really enjoyed reading about present day life in Ghana. I expected life in the country to be different form life in America, but even the city life was different (although more similar to life in America). The difference between life in Accra (the country) and Kumasi (the city) is striking and most be even more startling than making that transition in America. I also liked how ambitious Gloria was. I also appreciated that she at first, she doesn't seem very smart. People looked down on her for failing her exams, but she is smart. She just doesn't always use her head. However, she knows what she wants and when she receives the opportunity to get closer to her dream, she is happy to seize the chance. The character of Christine is fleshed out well, but Christine is more of a main character anyway. She's a doctor and she's trying very hard to guide Gloria. She encourages her to get an education, work hard and fall her dreams. She's also funny (although it might have been unintentional). "Abroad, they give girls like you condoms to carry in their purses against pregnancy and AIDS. This is Ghana. We don't do such things. Your condom is your mind. Use it when your boyfriends are making suggestions" (pg. 57). I laughed out loud at that line, it makes sense, although I don't think it's the best piece of advice. I do wish we learned more about Christine and the situation with her husband. I didn't understand it because Gloria didn't understand it so the situation is never explained in concise terms.
In all honesty the only reason I liked Between Sisters was because of it's setting. I liked that it took place in modern Ghana and chronicled the transition from small town to city through the eyes of a teenage girl. Gloria is a character that I could relate to on some levels, but not on all. However, this might be due to our different situations and my impatience at her naivety towards frenemies, boys/men, money, etc. I hope to see more books for teenagers set in countries all the world. It is very cool to read about the similar experiences and different perspectives teens in other countries hold. It's a small step towards globalization :)
That being said, I really enjoyed reading about present day life in Ghana. I expected life in the country to be different form life in America, but even the city life was different (although more similar to life in America). The difference between life in Accra (the country) and Kumasi (the city) is striking and most be even more startling than making that transition in America. I also liked how ambitious Gloria was. I also appreciated that she at first, she doesn't seem very smart. People looked down on her for failing her exams, but she is smart. She just doesn't always use her head. However, she knows what she wants and when she receives the opportunity to get closer to her dream, she is happy to seize the chance. The character of Christine is fleshed out well, but Christine is more of a main character anyway. She's a doctor and she's trying very hard to guide Gloria. She encourages her to get an education, work hard and fall her dreams. She's also funny (although it might have been unintentional). "Abroad, they give girls like you condoms to carry in their purses against pregnancy and AIDS. This is Ghana. We don't do such things. Your condom is your mind. Use it when your boyfriends are making suggestions" (pg. 57). I laughed out loud at that line, it makes sense, although I don't think it's the best piece of advice. I do wish we learned more about Christine and the situation with her husband. I didn't understand it because Gloria didn't understand it so the situation is never explained in concise terms.
In all honesty the only reason I liked Between Sisters was because of it's setting. I liked that it took place in modern Ghana and chronicled the transition from small town to city through the eyes of a teenage girl. Gloria is a character that I could relate to on some levels, but not on all. However, this might be due to our different situations and my impatience at her naivety towards frenemies, boys/men, money, etc. I hope to see more books for teenagers set in countries all the world. It is very cool to read about the similar experiences and different perspectives teens in other countries hold. It's a small step towards globalization :)
January 25, 2021
A short and interesting read.
July 24, 2013
I was drawn to Between Sisters the moment I spotted it on the shelves of my local library. The bold red colour of the cover, adorned with a centre piece of a young African woman wearing a scarf in African print is very distinct, but I had no intention of reading it. After I caught up on my academic reading, I decided to spend the last 20mins at the library flipping through it. Unknown to me, 20mins spiralled into a solid hour, because I could absolutely not put the book down. Adwoa Badoe's style of writing makes for an easy read and her trance like descriptions of young Gloria's life takes one back to the nostalgic days of growing up in Africa. From the youth group at the church, to the street vendors who sell everything from rice to kellewelle(Bole if you grew up in Nigeria), to the warnings from fathers to be smart about one's early relationship with boys or to avoid them all together until a certain age. Between Sisters, starts out with Gloria at 16 who is faced with her first significant failure. She failed her JSS exams.Gloria is not from a particularly wealthy home. And early on in life she realizes as she emphatically states "Life seemed to be made up of somebodies and Nobodies." Gloria had lost her first chance of being a somebody by virtue of not being born into a wealthy family, but she is determined to be somebody by going to school and making something out of her life. Gloria's father (Daa as she fondly calls him who is currently unemployed will often reminisce about the days when he drove the somebodies of Ghana around. Daa embraces the church wholeheartedly, as a form escapism from dealing with his job loss. As Daa puts all his focus on church, the rest of the family attempt to do whatever they can to support the family. Gloria's mom(Maa) sells herbs, Effie(Gloria's sister) is studying to be a caterer with the hopes of one day supporting the family and Gloria hawks oranges after school. Gloria is very close to her street smart sister Effie, who always gives her advice about life. In fact all through the book, the most nurturing/unconditional relationships in Gloria's life are her relationships with her sisters. After Gloria fails her JSS, circumstances lead her to become a maid for a relative, something she had sworn she would rather die than do. Gloria leaves her family in Accra to Kumasi, where she experiences a lot of firsts. She gets her heart broken for the first time, and she realizes that her father was right. She also loses her best friend to an abortion. This story is certainly the coming of age story of the African woman. Not just the African woman, but for women in general. I imagine Between Sisters is a book that could potentially be put in the high school curriculum because there is an on going commentary on a lot social issues that teenage girls especially stand to gain from tremendously. I really enjoyed the book, I find it very relatable, not directly, but relatable nonetheless. The book reminds one to be grateful for all the opportunities that one is lucky enough to have. Another recurring theme is hope and preserving in the face of adversity, as Gloria says in the early chapters "Not'ing wonders God," not even the most rigorous obstacle that Gloria faces. The resolution of the book is one I am really pleased with. Gloria finally passes her JSS exam and the future is looking bright in all aspects.
August 11, 2018
You know what you do not see a lot of around here? Books set in contemporary, non-rural Africa. If nothing else, that was eye-opening.
May 31, 2017
Isha’s Review: Between Sisters
The style of the novel’s writing is descriptive but at the same time it is simple. The vocabulary of the novel can be hard to understand because some words are in a different language but the glossary in the last two pages helps to understand the words. Overall the book is short and it is an easy read.
The novel is about a sixteen year old girl, Gloria, who has failed 13 out of 15 subjects in her final exams. Gloria lives in a poor family, Gloria’s father has been unemployed for two years and Gloria’s mother usually has health issues but supports the family by selling herbs. Also, Gloria helps her mother by selling fruits after school and her older sister Effie is studying to be a caterer and hoping to support the family one day. Eventually circumstances occur and Gloria ends up being a housemaid for a relative named Christine.
The conflict in the novel is that Gloria’s mother and father can’t afford to pay for her to re-take her final high school exams again and can’t afford to enrol her into any other programs that can be helpful for her in the future such as a sewing program. So, without any choice Gloria ends up working as a housemaid.
Poverty is the main social justice issue in the novel. Poverty is shown in the novel when Gloria’s mother and father can’t afford for her education and eventually she ends up working as a nanny. Gloria’s sister Effie says, “Only the poor give away their daughters like this” (Badeo 37).
I really enjoyed the book because I got to learn about the Ghanaian culture. Another reason I like the book is because I like how the author talks about hope and not giving up. I recommend this book to the children between the ages of 14-18 because it talks about the struggle in high school, home and life in general.
The style of the novel’s writing is descriptive but at the same time it is simple. The vocabulary of the novel can be hard to understand because some words are in a different language but the glossary in the last two pages helps to understand the words. Overall the book is short and it is an easy read.
The novel is about a sixteen year old girl, Gloria, who has failed 13 out of 15 subjects in her final exams. Gloria lives in a poor family, Gloria’s father has been unemployed for two years and Gloria’s mother usually has health issues but supports the family by selling herbs. Also, Gloria helps her mother by selling fruits after school and her older sister Effie is studying to be a caterer and hoping to support the family one day. Eventually circumstances occur and Gloria ends up being a housemaid for a relative named Christine.
The conflict in the novel is that Gloria’s mother and father can’t afford to pay for her to re-take her final high school exams again and can’t afford to enrol her into any other programs that can be helpful for her in the future such as a sewing program. So, without any choice Gloria ends up working as a housemaid.
Poverty is the main social justice issue in the novel. Poverty is shown in the novel when Gloria’s mother and father can’t afford for her education and eventually she ends up working as a nanny. Gloria’s sister Effie says, “Only the poor give away their daughters like this” (Badeo 37).
I really enjoyed the book because I got to learn about the Ghanaian culture. Another reason I like the book is because I like how the author talks about hope and not giving up. I recommend this book to the children between the ages of 14-18 because it talks about the struggle in high school, home and life in general.
June 6, 2017
So, this novel Between Sisters starts out with 16 year old Gloria who lives in Ghana with her mom, dad, and sister but due to failing 13 out of 15 subjects on her final exams Gloria is offered by her aunty to move to Kumasi with a distant relative. Gloria is not from a particularly wealthy home, she realizes early on in life “life seem to be made up of somebodies and nobodies”. Gloria had lost her chance of being a somebody by virtue of not being born in a wealthy family, but she is determined to go to school to be somebody. Gloria’s dad well (Daa) is what she calls him is currently unemployed, and her mother (Maa) sells medicinal herbs at her shared stall at the Mallam Atta Market.
Not knowing how to read and write caused Gloria to fail her exams and drop out of school, and become a nanny to her distant relative and her son. In order for Gloria to go back to school she must allow her employer, Christine to teach her how to read and write. Because after two years of taking care of Christine’s son Sam, Christine wants Gloria to go to sewing school. Gloria finally passes all of her JSS exams, but she doesn’t get to celebrate with one of her friends because one of her closest friend had passed away from a botched abortion.
The only dislike I have about this novel is that it didn’t explore the relationship between Gloria and her blood sister, Effie. Instead it focuses on her relationship between Gloria and her so-close-they-could-be-sisters, employer, Christine. But on another note, I feel like this story is certainly the coming of age story, of the story of the African women but then again not only African women but women in general. The book reminds one to be grateful for all opportunities that one is lucky enough to have.
Not knowing how to read and write caused Gloria to fail her exams and drop out of school, and become a nanny to her distant relative and her son. In order for Gloria to go back to school she must allow her employer, Christine to teach her how to read and write. Because after two years of taking care of Christine’s son Sam, Christine wants Gloria to go to sewing school. Gloria finally passes all of her JSS exams, but she doesn’t get to celebrate with one of her friends because one of her closest friend had passed away from a botched abortion.
The only dislike I have about this novel is that it didn’t explore the relationship between Gloria and her blood sister, Effie. Instead it focuses on her relationship between Gloria and her so-close-they-could-be-sisters, employer, Christine. But on another note, I feel like this story is certainly the coming of age story, of the story of the African women but then again not only African women but women in general. The book reminds one to be grateful for all opportunities that one is lucky enough to have.
November 8, 2022
Published 2010
Themes : abortion; poverty
This novel is about a 16 y/o girl by the name of Gloria who has failed 13 subjects in her final exams (illiterate) ,lives with family (poor), her dad is unemployed for 2 years & her mother has health issues but supports the family by selling herbs.
Gloria helps by selling after school, has a sister(Efi) who is studying to be a caterer and hopes to support the family one day. Gloria is offered by her aunt to move to Kumasi with a distant relative. Moves in with relatives and becomes their child's nanny. Distant relative helps Gloria to go back to school and mentors her.
The book doesn't explore the relationship between the sister and family, short book.
taught me to be grateful to be what I have.
recommended to children in high school.
Themes : abortion; poverty
This novel is about a 16 y/o girl by the name of Gloria who has failed 13 subjects in her final exams (illiterate) ,lives with family (poor), her dad is unemployed for 2 years & her mother has health issues but supports the family by selling herbs.
Gloria helps by selling after school, has a sister(Efi) who is studying to be a caterer and hopes to support the family one day. Gloria is offered by her aunt to move to Kumasi with a distant relative. Moves in with relatives and becomes their child's nanny. Distant relative helps Gloria to go back to school and mentors her.
The book doesn't explore the relationship between the sister and family, short book.
taught me to be grateful to be what I have.
recommended to children in high school.
Read
August 8, 2022This book! Of course I had to read this after I read and enjoyed Aluta by Adwoa Badoe.
This book gave me nostalgic feel. For me, it was a proper throwback book that reminded me of my teen years.
Between Sisters is Young Adult Fiction that tells the story of Gloria. Gloria failed her Junior High School exam and has been ask to live with a family friend to help out with her new born baby.
In Kumasi, Gloria finds some great friends and a not-so great best friend who brings nothing but trouble. Gloria learns about trust, men and friendship.
I loved Gloria's journey, especially when she started learning and excelled in her Junior High School exam.
The story is easy and simple. I would love to see this book in Ghanaian Libraries and Schools
This book gave me nostalgic feel. For me, it was a proper throwback book that reminded me of my teen years.
Between Sisters is Young Adult Fiction that tells the story of Gloria. Gloria failed her Junior High School exam and has been ask to live with a family friend to help out with her new born baby.
In Kumasi, Gloria finds some great friends and a not-so great best friend who brings nothing but trouble. Gloria learns about trust, men and friendship.
I loved Gloria's journey, especially when she started learning and excelled in her Junior High School exam.
The story is easy and simple. I would love to see this book in Ghanaian Libraries and Schools
July 7, 2025
Cultural immersion, great. Character, compelling. Prose, decent. Storyline, not what I hoped. Ending, disappointing, left some threads unresolved. Content warning, "sugar daddy" relationship. Age level, upper teens.
August 9, 2025
What I admired most about this book is the struggle of sisterhood even if you are not related by blood. Amazing story
February 18, 2017
HIGHLY RECOMMEND. Books like this seem to get overlooked in Canadian literature. It this would make a great read for grade 7-9 English class.
Taking place in Ghana, it gives a glimpse into what life is like for teen girls, the struggle with education, cultural dynamics, and what every teen girl around the world does - try to figure herself out.
That said, it's not so girly of a story that it's not accessible to boys. Likely not one boys would pick up on their own to read, but is a text that they should read and study as part of curriculum.
This was a title I found via a blog article about Canadian women writers writing YA titles for girls. And it is one that should be receiving more acclaim.
Taking place in Ghana, it gives a glimpse into what life is like for teen girls, the struggle with education, cultural dynamics, and what every teen girl around the world does - try to figure herself out.
That said, it's not so girly of a story that it's not accessible to boys. Likely not one boys would pick up on their own to read, but is a text that they should read and study as part of curriculum.
This was a title I found via a blog article about Canadian women writers writing YA titles for girls. And it is one that should be receiving more acclaim.
July 7, 2016
Admittedly, I read this for work and not pleasure. I wound up enjoying it, but didn't care for its lack of depth. I enjoy getting to deeply know characters, and I felt that my knowledge of most of the characters was very superficial. I also felt that the story was far too didactic for my liking. After doing some research on the author and her background, I have a better understanding of the type of story Between Sisters is. I think it has an appropriate audience, but just not my preference.
May 6, 2013
Liked this book and thought it was worth reading. I enjoyed the window into life in modern urban Ghana. Some aspects of the plot were a little predictable () but some other plot elements didn't quite go as I expected. The main character seemed a little overly naive to me.
December 15, 2016
This book is relatable in every single way! Especially being west African. Thus book was so excellent and it is for sure definitely a page-turner! Wonderful job Mrs. Badoe!!! I recommend this book to all my girls out there who are struggling with school, home, boys or life in general. Hang on there, learn how to hold your own and strive to be the absolute best. Totally five star worthy!
March 14, 2011
Interesting look at a teenage girl coming of age, in mid-1990s Ghana.
June 19, 2013
This was a very interesting read. I really enjoyed it a lot about a teenager who gets the opportunity to better herself by working as a nanny for a UK doctor helping people in Ghana.
May 6, 2014
Adwoa Badoe joined us at Kingston WritersFest 2011. You can read more about Adwoa and the Festival here: www.kingstonwritersfest.ca
January 10, 2017
very well done
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews