Sister

It was okay, didn't love the narrator, and it just kept going on, and on, and on. JMO

What a difficult novel to read, what a difficult novel to review. And I mean that as high praise for a work that is decidedly difficult to categorize.Beatrice's younger sister, art-student Tess, has either committed suicide (official version) or been murdered (Beatrice's version) after giving birth to a stillborn child, who received a cutting-edge cystic fibrosis cure in utero. Bee flies home to England from New York, where she has been living, to cope with the aftermath of her sister's death. The story is a first-person narrative, delivered as if Bee is speaking across the space of death to her sister: apologizing, holding key facts back, rationalizing, explaining her own behavior, compensating-- in short, running through every human emotion and action that accompanies a severe shock and an immense grief. Bee's own process of self-discovery ties into her investigative process of the truth about her sister's death brilliantly: in finding the truth about her sister, Bee finds the truth about herself. Tess leads Bee to her own person through a twisting, winding path, and the journey is complex and wonderful.As Bee breaks down everything that we supposedly know about her sister and everything she thought she knew about herself, she starts to build up new connections that she never would have thought possible: in the wake of death, Lupton shows us how we can rebuild life. Mothers, fathers, new friends, neighbors: all emerge as solidly-drawn portraits of the new people (or newly-realized) people in Bee's life, each with his or her own distinct personality, style of interaction, and way of dealing with death. Death affects so many, Lupton seems to say, but look how it brings us together, see how we all cope so variously, see how we can never afford to make trite generalizations about what happens when a life is taken away.The literary, mystery, suspense, epistolary: they all combine beautifully here, masterfully mixed by Lupton, who takes the best from each genre as she strings the reader along on a page-turning journey. Highly recommended.

Wow, I dealt with getting car sick just so I could keep reading this baby. Had to read the last pages over again because I couldn't believe the twist.

Beatrice returns to England after hearing that her younger sister, Tess, has gone missing. Before long her body is discovered in a toilet block. But rather than a hunt for her murderer ensuing, Tess's death is ruled a suicide and it's left up to Beatrice to prove otherwise.This story is a narration by Beatrice to her sister outling her emotions as well as her actions leading up to the identification of Tess's killer. I enjoyed this style of storytelling very much. Not only is it well written, but there's enough mystery and suspects to keep readers guessing, if not till the end, at least for a good while. For me some elements of the plot didn't quite gel, but hey, this is fiction and most importantly I want to be entertained, which I was.

I liked the idea, but the execution didn't do much for me. Didn't allow me that many opportunities to suspect anything, not that many smaller hooks keeping my attention high, just the main one, which seemed too weak for such a long book. However, I loved the narrator! She was purely artistic and engaging, maybe, it was only because of her that I kept listening

Another sad book but one I did enjoy and recommend others to read. The twist at the end was unexpected. The writing was beautiful as was the way the author dealt with the relationships between sisters and mother and daughters. Relationships are complex and sometimes not exactly what we think they are.

'My sister would never have killed herself.'When Beatrice hears that her little sister, Tess, is missing, she returns home to London on the first flight available. But Bee is unprepared for the terrifying truths she must face about her younger sibling when Tess's broken body is discovered in the snow.The police, Bee's friends, her fiancé and even her mother accept the fact that Tess committed suicide. But nobody knows a sister like a sister, and Bee is convinced that something more sinister is responsible for Tess's untimely death. So she embarks on a dangerous journey to discover the truth, no matter the cost.My Thoughts:After reading a couple of books that I found a bit a drab and average this book was just what I needed to get me into reading mode.It is a none stop, not be able to put down thriller. Every page that I turned was a good as the last. What did it for me was that I was behind Beatrice all the way egging her on to find out the truth. I have two sisters myself and I would have done exactly the same myself. The book was realistic and it was hard to work out who actually was the baddie and I was guessing then changing my mind , then I didn’t guess correct in the end. I can see that this book would give a good discussion at book group as there is nothing no more important than family. My only negative was the ending and I couldn’t see why it was what it was. I really can’t explain myself here without creating a massive spoiler. The book is still a worthy read all be it a bit muddling at the end and I would recommend this read.

Suspenseful and powerful, with warm characters bonded by family ties and life experiences. A beautiful book.

Wow. Really tough book to get into, but I was determined to give it a chance -- and eventually, the pacing picks up a bit... but it is confusing in the beginning. An interesting tale of the bond of two sisters.

A disappointing read for me after really enjoying another of her books, Three Hours. This suspense/ crime novel did not really flow for me and on a few occasions I felt she muddled up her tenses, probably because it was told in a first person narrative. It won’t put me off reading her other books though as she obviously improved after this first one.

Confusing to read, unlikeable self-pitying narrator, unrealistic and disappointing “cop-out” ending. I feel let down. Strike this author as off my list.

The author recounts the events through a letter to her sister; the novel is about the love between sisters, and what an ending, phew. (Translated from Spanish)

Dark, harrowing,sad, and taut suspense. Also, very emotional. At times really hard not to let it get you down because you feel so bad for Bee. But, you also know she is in danger, but can't decide from whom. I love the style of writing.

I don't know when this book came into my hands; it had been waiting for me for several years. It's one of those that you buy and store, and there's always some other that you prioritize over reading it. As a thriller, it doesn't offer anything that hasn't already been read; its structure is passable, with few resources, and it also gives me the feeling of a poor translation, especially in its first part. The author also overuses emotional descriptions to show how much the older sister feels the loss of the younger one, making the reading of certain parts very tedious. Passable but correct. (Translated from Spanish)

I really enjoyed this totally engrossing story about two sisters. Partly a psychological thriller, but also largely a character study, it was a great read, (with a great surprise ending!)

This a bit of a mixed affair. On one level it is a crime novel and on another level it is a book about a sibling relationship. The crime novel has a cheap twist at the end that left me feeling cheated and let down and the relationship between the sisters has been well travelled many times and maybe better. I may be being a bit hard but the twist really pissed me off.

I have read many other novels with a twist at the end but they have always been more a reveal that was obvious after it was revealed and had been there all the way through. This one seems to serve no purpose except as a crutch for the author.

I won’t spoil it in case I haven’t put you off. Other people like it. Whatever.

I really enjoyed this book. It kept my interest, and kept me guessing, the whole time I was reading. The timing of the plot was not rushed and the book as a whole was well written.

Eeeee, the truth is I don’t know what to say, I really enjoyed the book, it’s entertaining, quick to read, with mystery and uncertainty that grabs our attention from the first page just like its writing style.

I wasn't expecting anything; I think that people who have siblings will relate to Bee because we would do anything for our brothers and sisters.

I didn’t expect much from that ending, but when I realized it did leave us several clues for one of the two surprises at the end.

The book makes me want to enjoy life, the present, and not cling to a past that won’t return, or to a future that we don’t know for sure.

I highly recommend this book for anyone looking to start reading mystery or thriller; it’s not a scary thriller, no, it’s not scary at all, it’s just suspenseful, but good. I finished May on a very good note, and it was also the eighth book of the month?.

3.5⭐ (Translated from Spanish)

Not an easy read..very dark and sad. Took me a while to get thru it, but it was worth it. Beautifully written. You can so feel the pain.

Amazing story about family relations, thrilling, leading to an unexpected end. 5 stars!

I don't understand where the great success of this novel comes from. Both the plot and the storyline are clichés from a manual, and the structure, although innovative, proves to be abrupt almost to the point of hindering the reading, but in the end, the conclusion of one of its timelines left me with a bitter taste of being taken for a fool.
Nonetheless, it's a light and entertaining read, but concise, that combines suspense and emotion.
The author has done a laborious job of assembling the plot, which in my opinion, along with her ability to capture thoughts and behaviors, is where her greatest appeal lies.
As I mentioned at the beginning, the book disappointed me due to the expectations I had, but I believe that over time, the author will achieve great things. (Translated from Spanish)

This book was very intriguing. I found myself having mixed feelings about it all the way through, until the very end. In the beginning, I was hooked by the plot and Beatrice's desire to find out how her younger sister died. During the middle chapters of the book, I felt that the storyline was dragging and I had already put my finger on how Tess died and who murdered her. At that point, I was just reading to see if I was right. When I reached the final chapters of the book there was another twist that was so unexpected that it completely changed my entire opinion about the novel. In the end I was impressed with the originality and creativity by Rosamund Lupton. To say the least, I was surprised by the conclusion of this book.

I enjoyed this one.
I thought the narrative was interesting. sister kept me interested all the way through, and the end surprised me.

Sometimes its good to have a page turning thriller. This one was pretty easily predictable from about the 1/2 way point. But it was still gripping enough to have me continue through the end to see how everything fit together. It did suffer from one of my greatest pet peeves of first person narratives - the protagonist (especially at the beginning of the book) keeps promising that things will reveal themselves in good time. Yes. Yes. We know that otherwise we wouldn't have a whodunit. Anyway - a good airplane / beach read.

Fascinating structure as Beatrice relates her story to Mr Wright, and ultimately her sister, so that events range back and forwards.

When her sister goes missing, spiky, self-possessed, superior Beatrice flies over from her adopted America to discover the truth. Annoying her fiancé, the police and the medical profession, she nevertheless, terrier-like keeps asking questions. And in the process she grows as a human being.

Terrific who-&-why-done it, that kept me guessing, the last few chapters I couldn't put down. And a great characterisation of a complex, difficult woman who finds herself having to reevaluate her beliefs and certainties.

Tough one to review without spoiling:Not a typical 'thriller,' psychologically or otherwise. It's minimally-suspenseful. Along the lines of Kate Atkinson with a good measure of Jodi Picoult. In spite of a couple big 'twists,' the ending struck me with more 'huh,' and less 'wow.' While there is a whodunit - or more accurately - a wasanythingdun, the book is really an expository on the bonds between sisters. There's also a subplot involving cystic fibrosis and genetic engineering that adds, well, really nothing.Reasons for the rating:- I never connected with either sister. That's a problem because the entire premise revolves around an attachment bordering on obsession with the younger. The older sister has no personality or identity of her own separate from her relationship to the younger. Maybe that's intended to be a profound revelation in itself, but...thud.- The older sister is the book's narrative voice and it's written in second person. It's a choice that makes logical sense, but the observing and reporting doesn't make a compelling story experience. - The older sister (who is only five years senior?!) acts as if she's a Miss Marple spinster-type, not an older 20-something. Instead of anchoring the story, that just weighs it down further. Bottom line: this is a thriller without the thrill, it doesn't get the blood pumping. The story is mechanically sound, I guess; but, I don't read thrillers for their mechanical soundness. This was all head, no heart. In what purports to have something to say about sisterhood, I didn't get any feels at all.I don't resent reading it, but I'm not sure who I'd recommend it to either.

It took me awhile to get used to the style of writing in this book as it is written the second person. Once I got past that, I thoroughly enjoyed the story. The main character finds out her sister is missing and then ultimately is dead. Her journey to find the truth of how her sister died was convoluted and heart breaking but eventually lead her to discover the truth. During her investigation she finally begins on the path to acceptance and healing. Very well written with many twists and turns. Great whodunnit novel.

This was a very interesting read. An unusual type of book for me but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Beatrice or Bee gets a call to tell her that her pregnant sister is missing. Bee lives in New York and gets the first flight home to London. A few days later she finds out her sister is dead.

A verdict of suicide is recorded but Bee refuses to believe that this is the case and goes on the hunt for her sisters murder. This book is what happens in the lead up to find a murderer. And its very, very good.

I could empathise with Bee, she has been very close to her sister so knows that her sister is not someone who would commit suicide. She loved life. She finds out that her sisters baby died 2 days before her death. Her sister was treated with a new gene therapy as her baby had cystic fibrosis and it was deemed to cure CF in the womb. She wonders if this has anything to do with her sisters death. Everyone believes that the verdict of suicide is correct including, Bee's mother, fiancé and the police. The relationship between Bee and Tess is somewhat beautiful. You get to know Tess, even though she has died.

Its rather difficult to elaborate more on this book without spoiling it for future readers. But the ending was very good and felt left open to interpretation. I'll looks for more books by this author.  

I found that the author of this book just droned on and on without getting to the point. The ending was a total letdown and unbelievable .

I think I was supposed to find this creepy or chilling or thought-provoking, but I mainly found it melodramatic and preposterous.