Reviews
"Psychologically vivid . . . Sittenfeld's gifts for portraying the inner lives of her heroines [bring Sisterland ] closer, in terms of emotional chiaroscuro, to two classics about pairs of sisters, The Old Wives' Tale by Arnold Bennett and The Easter Parade by Richard Yates . . . Sisterland is a testament to the author's growing depth and assurance as a writer ."-- Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times " Novelists get called master storytellers all the time, but Sittenfeld really is one , a kind of no-nonsense, BabyBjörn-wearing Scheherazade. . . . What might be most strikingly excellent about Sisterland is the way Sittenfeld depicts domesticity and motherhood."-- Maggie Shipstead, The Washington Post "[Sittenfeld's] gifts are in full effect with this novel, and she uses them to create a genuinely engrossing sense of uncertainty and suspense."-- Sloane Crosley, NPR's All Things Considered "In [ Sisterland ] , the accomplished Sittenfeld . . . is as skillful as ever at developing an intriguing premise and likable characters. . . . Sittenfeld's affectionate take on sibling rivalry is spot-on."-- People "The power of [Sittenfeld's] writing and the force of her vision challenge the notion that great fiction must be hard to read. She is a master of dramatic irony, creating fully realized social worlds before laying waste to her heroines' understanding of them. . . . Her prose [is] a rich delight."-- The Boston Globe " Wise and often wickedly entertaining . . . Readers who have siblings--especially women with sisters--will likely come away feeling as if the author really is psychic, able to learn the truth of their own dark secrets, and forgive them."-- USA Today "Full of quiet, surprisingly relatable moments, [ Sisterland is] a thoughtful look at the near-supernatural closeness between sisters. . . . As she did so well in her first novel, Prep, Sittenfeld richly evokes the daily lives of young women who are trying to figure themselves out. . . . Sisterland is a compelling portrait of what it's like to grow up alongside your best--and worst--self."-- Entertainment Weekly "Arresting . . . Captivating . . . Sisterland is a long story of shake-ups: eerie precognitions, seismic shifts, lapses in fidelity. Like life itself, it graphs both the agonizing longueurs of domestic life and the horrific thrill of sudden disasters. . . . Character is [Sittenfeld's] great strength, and the moral complexity of ordinary life her main subject. . . . Sisterland unfolds like a good prophecy--inevitable and shocking ."-- San Francisco Chronicle, Praise for Sisterland "Psychologically vivid . . . Sittenfeld's gifts for portraying the inner lives of her heroines [bring Sisterland ] closer, in terms of emotional chiaroscuro, to two classics about pairs of sisters, The Old Wives' Tale by Arnold Bennett and The Easter Parade by Richard Yates . . . Sisterland is a testament to the author's growing depth and assurance as a writer ."- Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times " Novelists get called master storytellers all the time, but Sittenfeld really is one , a kind of no-nonsense, BabyBjörn-wearing Scheherazade. . . . What might be most strikingly excellent about Sisterland is the way Sittenfeld depicts domesticity and motherhood."- Maggie Shipstead, The Washington Post "[Sittenfeld's] gifts are in full effect with this novel, and she uses them to create a genuinely engrossing sense of uncertainty and suspense."- Sloane Crosley, NPR's All Things Considered "In [ Sisterland ] , the accomplished Sittenfeld . . . is as skillful as ever at developing an intriguing premise and likable characters. . . . Sittenfeld's affectionate take on sibling rivalry is spot-on."- People "The power of [Sittenfeld's] writing and the force of her vision challenge the notion that great fiction must be hard to read. She is a master of dramatic irony, creating fully realized social worlds before laying waste to her heroines' understanding of them. . . . Her prose [is] a rich delight."- The Boston Globe " Wise and often wickedly entertaining . . . Readers who have siblings-especially women with sisters-will likely come away feeling as if the author really is psychic, able to learn the truth of their own dark secrets, and forgive them."- USA Today "Full of quiet, surprisingly relatable moments, [ Sisterland is] a thoughtful look at the near-supernatural closeness between sisters. . . . As she did so well in her first novel, Prep, Sittenfeld richly evokes the daily lives of young women who are trying to figure themselves out. . . . Sisterland is a compelling portrait of what it's like to grow up alongside your best-and worst-self."- Entertainment Weekly "Arresting . . . Captivating . . . Sisterland is a long story of shake-ups: eerie precognitions, seismic shifts, lapses in fidelity. Like life itself, it graphs both the agonizing longueurs of domestic life and the horrific thrill of sudden disasters. . . . Character is [Sittenfeld's] great strength, and the moral complexity of ordinary life her main subject. . . . Sisterland unfolds like a good prophecy-inevitable and shocking ."- San Francisco Chronicle, PRAISE FOR CURTIS SITTENFELD American Wife "A smart and sophisticated portrait . . . Sittenfeld has an astonishing gift for creating characters that take up residence in readers' heads." -The Washington Post "A gripping epic of public and private lives . . . a gem." -Good Housekeeping "The novel is a gift, a sweeping exploration of a woman's odyssey from obscurity to fame and the painful decisions she must make along the way."- The Miami Herald Prep " Prep conveys the inner world of an entirely typical teenage girl with remarkable warmth. . . . One of the most tender and accurate portraits of adolescence in recent memory." -San Francisco Chronicle " Prep may be as addictive as M&Ms, but it's also a tart and complex tale of social class, race, and gender politics." -The Boston Globe "Hilarious . . . a richly textured narrative." -The New Yorker The Man of My Dreams "[Sittenfeld] writes with humor, intelligence, insight and heart. She's also as good at sharp social satire as she is at tender mercies." -The Boston Globe "Pure, elegant prose; true, perfect dialogue; and emotion so searing it might just leave a scar." -The Miami Herald, Praise for Sisterland "Psychologically vivid . . . Sittenfeld's gifts for portraying the inner lives of her heroines [bring Sisterland ] closer, in terms of emotional chiaroscuro, to two classics about pairs of sisters, The Old Wives' Tale by Arnold Bennett and The Easter Parade by Richard Yates . . . Sisterland is a testament to the author's growing depth and assurance as a writer ." --Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times " Novelists get called master storytellers all the time, but Sittenfeld really is one. . . . What might be most strikingly excellent about Sisterland is the way Sittenfeld depicts domesticity and motherhood."-- The Washington Post "In [ Sisterland ] , the accomplished Sittenfeld . . . is as skillful as ever at developing an intriguing premise and likable characters. . . . Sittenfeld's affectionate take on sibling rivalry is spot-on."-- People "The power of [Sittenfeld's] writing and the force of her vision challenge the notion that great fiction must be hard to read. She is a master of dramatic irony, creating fully realized social worlds before laying waste to her heroines' understanding of them. . . . Her prose [is] a rich delight."-- The Boston Globe " Wise and often wickedly entertaining . . . Readers who have siblings--especially women with sisters--will likely come away feeling as if the author really is psychic, able to learn the truth of their own dark secrets, and forgive them."-- USA Today "Full of quiet, surprisingly relatable moments, [ Sisterland is] a thoughtful look at the near-supernatural closeness between sisters. . . . As she did so well in her first novel, Prep, Sittenfeld richly evokes the daily lives of young women who are trying to figure themselves out. . . . Sisterland is a compelling portrait of what it's like to grow up alongside your best--and worst--self."-- Entertainment Weekly "Arresting . . . Captivating . . . Sisterland is a long story of shake-ups: eerie precognitions, seismic shifts, lapses in fidelity. Like life itself, it graphs both the agonizing longueurs of domestic life and the horrific thrill of sudden disasters. . . . Character is [Sittenfeld's] great strength, and the moral complexity of ordinary life her main subject. . . . Sisterland unfolds like a good prophecy--inevitable and shocking ."-- San Francisco Chronicle From the Hardcover edition.
