I desperately wanted to like this book. It sounded so romantic in it's way. The story of three bookish sisters raised apart from main stream culture in a small college town by their eccentric parents (including a sick mother and a Shakespeare obsessed father)- I feel like I should have liked it. There was nothing wrong with it that I can precisely pick out- though the ending left much to be desired (no one's life get's tied up with a pretty bow now, does it?) It had interesting characters, occasionally relatable family dynamics, but ultimately it fell flat. It boils down to Eleanor Brown (for me) being a beautiful writer, but substandard storyteller. Just because you can string a beautiful sentence together doesn't mean that you have a captivating story. I mean hell- Twilight was some of the worst writing in history- but we all kept reading, right?
I'm sure that the estrogen charge and Shakespeare quotes will keep this book a popular pick for suburban book clubs, but a literary gem it is not. The water is lukewarm at best.
C+
**Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers
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