
They Were Sisters
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Narrated by:
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Sara Poyzer
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By:
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Dorothy Whipple
About this listen
When three sisters marry very different men, the choices they make determine whether they will flourish, be tamed or be repressed. Set in 1930’s middle-class England, the classic domestic drama, They Were Sisters, is a compelling but harrowing novel by Dorothy Whipple.
Meet three women with contrasting partners: Lucy's husband is her beloved companion; Vera's husband bores her and she turns elsewhere; and Charlotte's husband is a horrifying bully who turns a high-spirited naive young girl into a deeply unhappy woman. This is the story of how those marriages shape the sister’s lives, the consequences of their decisions, and the sisterly love that hopes to save them from tragedy.
They Were Sisters is part of the Persephone Audiobook Collection, a series of forgotten classics that includes neglected fiction and non-fiction by women writers. This audiobook of a novel first published in 1943 breathes new life into Whipple's work; with a fascinating introduction by novelist Celia Brayfield.
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Critic reviews
'It is the most extraordinary and brilliantly subtle but moving look at three sisters, and the interplay between them as they grow into adulthood . . . such a wonderful character study' (Elizabeth Day)
'Exerts a menacing tone from start to finish. I eavesdropped on the lives of Lucy, Charlotte and Vera, compelled to go on but with a sense of simmering dread' (journalist Charlie Lee-Potter)
'The sparkling achievements of this accomplished novelist, not the least of which is the ability - rarer today than it should be - is simply to entertain' (novelist Sally Vickers)
Characterizations and mastery of complex plot lines
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Wonderful Whipple
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Depressing story, unrelatable characters
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The story is very similar to what I have seen in almost every family, no matter the cultural or geographical background. Whipple completely knows her characters and describes them through the eyes of a person who wants to understand why.
a great read.
(What happened to Stephen?)
vanilla facade, a world of wonder inside
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