- Hardcover: 384 pages
- Publisher: David Fickling Books; 1st edition (4 Sep 2003)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 038560470X
- ISBN-13: 978-0385604703
- Product Dimensions: 20.8 x 13.6 x 3.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,158,568 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Sisterland
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Product Description
Elaine Williams, Times Educational Supplement, November 21st, 2003
"... an outstanding novel ... one of this year's most compelling "crossover" reads for teenagers and adults."
Jonathan Douglas, The Financial Times
Newbery writes wonderfully.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Having read 'The Shell House', I was looking forward to reading the author's next offering. Half way down the first page I was hooked. 'Sisterland' is incredible, a true masterpiece that deals with the issue of prejudice honestly and cleverly.
Hilly is the main character. There are many different storylines in the entire novel, all a type of prejudice. Hilly's grandmother, an Alzheimers victim, comes to live with the family and her racist comments prompt Hilly to look deeper into her family's history. She soon discovers that there is so much that her grandmother has kept secret.
I would recommrnd this book to anyone who enjoyed 'The Shell House' as it is quite serious, but is well worth persevering with. A true heartwarmer.
Hilly is the main character. There are many different storylines in the entire novel, all a type of prejudice. Hilly's grandmother, an Alzheimers victim, comes to live with the family and her racist comments prompt Hilly to look deeper into her family's history. She soon discovers that there is so much that her grandmother has kept secret.
I would recommrnd this book to anyone who enjoyed 'The Shell House' as it is quite serious, but is well worth persevering with. A true heartwarmer.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The way in which Newbery wraps two stories into one is incredible, finally in the end bringing them together in a very satisfying way. Newbery also manages to fit many diffrent issues into one book, such as alzheimer's disease, sexuality and racism, without making 'sisterland' feel too overwhelming.
The begining of the book starts off a little slowly, however, if you persaveer you will find a brilliant book. After half way through i couldn't put this book down, even though i should have been revising for exams, this definately outweighed that need.
25 of 28 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
‘Sisterland’ is a book which deals with many complex issues – Alzheimer’s disease and its effect on the family, the holocaust, homosexuality and briefly, teenage pregnancy. Unless you feel ready to confront these issues, save this book for later. If you do decide to read it, you’ll find it very rewarding and thought provoking.
We are introduced quickly but sketchily to the main characters. Hilly, a sixteen year old pre-A level student, with ambitions to go on to university, Zoe, her sister, a fifteen year old rebel, Reuben, Hilly’s closest friend who is gay, Hilly’s parents who have a minor but important role and lastly, the initially mysterious Heidigran.
Knowing that the book dealt with the holocaust and alzheimer’s, I had guessed that Heidigran would be a Nazi sympathiser. My assumption was based on knowledge of Linda Newbury’s other works on which she sometimes likes to wrong-foot her readers. Most books which deal with the holocaust do so from a Jewish point of view so I wondered if she would try the opposite angle. She doesn’t, but the effects of Heidigran’s alzheimer’s offer an insightful perspective on the still raw emotions of holocaust survivors and their families.
Why should you bother reading this book? The holocaust is a frequently digested subject and we all have a perspective on it. So, what relevance does it have for young people today? Linda Newbury has some answers. She uses the relationship between Reuben, Hilly and Reuben’s boyfriend who is a Muslim, to explore something of the modern tensions in the Middle East. This is very challenging as it isn’t as mediated and rehearsed as our attitude to the holocaust. You will find yourself questioning your own view and possible behaviours in certain situations. You may not like some of the answers. However, if you are ready to examine yourself, and history and its relationship to the present, take up the challenge. I did and I’ve certainly grown from it.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Oh dear!
Another politically-correct book for teenagers, full of 'issues'. Especially I didn't like the scornful attitude towards the neighbour who called herself a 'housewife'. Read more
Published on 28 Nov 2007 by Elfreda
Thought provoking to say the least
This is a story of two generations and of the different prejudices that bind them. Newbery is far too good a writer to let her book become one of "issues", instead letting the... Read more
Published on 1 April 2007 by Star_Sea
Sisterland
I found this book on the bottom shelf at Borders two days ago, and thinking it looked interesting, bought it. It turned out I was right (for once =P) because I loved it! Read more
Published on 31 May 2006 by Renu Kumar
Spellbinding
This novel is extremely rich, vivid, and complex, yet it is written with powerful simplicity. I would never have believed that a writer could pack so many 'issues' into one book -... Read more
Published on 29 Mar 2005 by Jessi
A waste of paper.
Although the story has an interesting and adventurous plot I did not enjoy reading it. This is because the writing was simple and the author had no sense of the true nature of... Read more
Published on 9 Jan 2005
Fantastic
I'd previously started Shell House, and didn't really give it much of a chance, so stopped it. I then bought Sisterland and thought it was really good. Read more
Published on 15 Oct 2004
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