The Sunshine Sisters by Jane Green is the perfect blend of poignant and funny, heartbreaking and sweet.
Here’s the synopsis from Amazon:
Ronni Sunshine left London for Hollywood to become a beautiful, charismatic star of the silver screen. But at home, she was a narcissistic, disinterested mother who alienated her three daughters.
As soon as possible, tomboy Nell fled her mother’s overbearing presence to work on a farm and find her own way in the world as a single mother. The target of her mother’s criticism, Meredith never felt good enough, thin enough, pretty enough. Her life took her to London—and into the arms of a man whom she may not even love. And Lizzy, the youngest, more like Ronni than any of them, seemed to have it easy, using her drive and ambition to build a culinary career to rival her mother’s fame, while her marriage crumbled around her.
But now the Sunshine sisters are together again, called home by Ronni, who has learned that she has a serious disease and needs her daughters to fulfill her final wishes. And though Nell, Meredith, and Lizzy have never been close, their mother’s illness draws them together to confront the old jealousies and secret fears that have threatened to tear these sisters apart. As they face the loss of their mother, they will discover if blood might be thicker than water after all…
My review:
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Jane Green tells each of the sisters’ stories expertly, and she weaves them together seamlessly. The book is an excellent portrayal of the complexities of family relationships, and how our childhoods affect us as adults.
Each character was unique and loveable in his or her own way, and they all came together as the perfect cast for a book I couldn’t put down.
Jane Green’s writing flows so well; it’s easy to read while offering surprising word choices that lend tone and emotion.
In one scene she describes a “fat vase,” “stuffed” with flowers.
In another, Ronni Sunshine is thinking about how she’s aged:
“Three years ago she was offered the part of a grandmother in an edgy new series on HBO. She turned it down, horrified. They told her she would be a ‘glamorous granny’; they wanted to portray aging in a sexy, vibrant way. Ronni flounced out of the office, her displeasure clear. The show went on to win numerous awards. The grandmother was played by Betty White. Ronni refused to watch until last year, when season two won every award it was possible to win, then she binge-watched it.”
Overall, reading this book was like eating a fine five-course meal: there were so many tastes and textures and scents, and they all came together to form a deeply satisfying experience.
Bottom line:
Read it! If you enjoy stories about family, finding self, and growing up, you’ll enjoy The Sunshine Sisters.