Customer Reviews

Fanny and Sue: A Novel

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I can understand what the Publishers Weekly reviewer was talking about---if he or she is used to "modern" novels full of very sad happenings and completely nothing sentimental and many deep character insights, this would not be the book to read. However, if they were like many of the real people out there, they would probably love this book. It's full of details that really made the place and time (St. Louis in the 20s and 30s) come alive for me---things like what Fanny and Sue wore, what they ate, how their room was decorated, what it was like in the isolation factory, how they prepared for their first date and how their parents reacted, all that. I kept waiting for the ultra sad moment to arrive that often mars such a read for me, and was relieved it never came---their lives had their ups and downs like most of our lives, but they moved on. This book is crying out for a sequel---it ends just as the next phase of their life is starting. I loved World of Pies also, and am looking forward to more by this stand-out author.

As she did in World of Pies, Karen Stolz is back with another charming, wholesome and insightful story that takes you back to
another time and place, this time in the depression era in St. Louis.

Telling the story of twin girls, Fanny & Sue, Stolz paints a picture of two very different girls-the wilder, more adventurous Fanny, and the bookish, more sensitive Sue. Though opposites in many ways, the girls share a strong bond and cling to one another as we share in the monumental moments of their lives. Though the story is fiction, Stolz weaves in interesting facts about twins and their bonds and blends in fun momentos of the decades, like going to see Cary Grant at the "talkies."

Fanny & Sue has many laugh out loud moments as well as sadness and triumph. I can't wait to read more from this talented author~

Meet Fanny and Sue, twins, born in the depression era. Despite hardships these two weather the storms of scarlett fever, polio, dire straights financially, all with the help of their loving family. Fanny is out going, vivacious, and dreams of stardom as she watches the "talkies" in the theater. Sue is more bookish, shy and dreams of teaching. The antics of these two make the reader laugh out loud, and the problems they encounter cause the reader to choke-up a bit at their fortitude and tenacity of heart. Lovely, warm, comforting, and real, this book is a precious gem to throughly enjoy!!!

The author of the charming World of Pies returns with a story set in the 20s, 30s, and 40s, about twin girls - Fanny and Sue. Narrating every other chapter, Fanny and Sue alternate in telling the story of their life, the relationship they have as sisters, and their hopes and dreams of the future.

Reading this book made me long to live in Fanny and Sue's world for just one day, to experience what it was like in that era and what it was like to live with a "cookie cutter" family - mom and dad, two girls, and a boy. Fanny and Sue's life was, however, far from perfect, but the two weathered their hardships together and stayed best friends even through the betrayals and jealousies typical of sibling rivalry. Make sure when reading this book you have a blanket, burning candles, soft music, a purring cat, and something good to eat and drink - the book is pure indulgence and should only be read while pampering oneself.

This is just a really sweet book about twin sisters & their family. I wish things were still the way they were in this book. I would love to have known more about Fanny & Sue's lives. Hopefully this author will keep more coming.

Fanny and Sue follows in the footsteps of Stolz' delightful first novel, World of Pies. The author creates a warm and endearing portrait of a family in depression-era St. Louis. I found the characters to be real and detailed in ways that made them feel like family to me. Stolz has a gift for using bits of culture to flesh out the lives of the twin sisters, like their fondness for 7-Up, or Sue's love of the novel Winesburg, Ohio. Each twin has a distinct voice and style, and the book alternates between Fanny and Sue telling her story. I was drawn in and enjoyed each new episode in their lives. The book ends with the twins, as young adults, heading away from home to find their ways in the world. I wanted to stay with them longer, to watch over them into new lives.
This book is not about violence and sex; it's a homage to a simpler time, when family was truly of the heart. It's a good read, one to be savored as a reminder of a time that we have left far behind.

Talented author Karen Stolz has successfully repeated a formula which catapulted her debut novel, "World of Pies" to national prominence. Stolz knows how to develop characters and confidently permits her readers to embrace her insights as their own. She is absolutely unpretentious. "Fanny and Sue," a gentle, sweet and generous examination of identical twins coming of age during the Great Depression in St. Louis, reminds us of our capacity for family connection and allows a sheer wonder at the ties which bind.

These ties, which Fanny and Sue intuitively cherish, do not suffocate. Indeed, one of the triumphs of this novel is its relaxed, but informed, technique of encouraging each character to emerge as a distinct person. With voices that capture not only the innocence of relatively sheltered adolescent girls but of the time in our national past when common people extracted uncommon strength to face economic and medical traumas, "Fanny and Sue" is at once a social history and a delightful character study.

Headstrong, assertive and unafraid of take risks, Fanny drives the narrative. Her impatience results in a scar on her arm which not only serves to distinguish her physically from her sister, but emotionally as well. Reseved, introspective and intellectual, Sue grasps the complexity of her relationship with her dynamic and often overwhelming sister. At once independent and symbiotic, the bond between the two is elastic enough to encouage individual epiphanies but profound enough to permit the two to live within the other's skin. For instance, always uncertain as to her own appearance and lacking the effortless self-confidence of Fanny, Sue realizes that she was the "prettier one, not because my looks were improved" by Fanny's accident, but that her sister had been "altered" by her mild disfigurement.

Grandually accepting the fact that they will perceive the world differently, both Fanny and Sue convert divergence into an asset. Fanny's love of performance and dreams of Hollywood may contrast from Sue's thirst for knowledge and her recognition of her passion for teaching, but both respect and encourage the development of ambition. Their unsure, tentative but delighted forays into sexual expression remind us of a time when modesty and curiosity were genuinely expereinced by teen-aged girls on the cusp of adulthood.

Ms. Stolz has so fully integrated the nuances of Depression living that readers may forget how hard she has labored to created authentic ambiance. Film titles, product tag-lines, meals designed for four stretched to feed eight, soda-jerking, husbands and wives selling wedding bands and marathon roller skating contests -- all these details give "Fanny and Sue" a true down-home feel.

This short, quiet and gentle novel serves to remind us that an author's love of her characters and respect for the beautifully complicated texture of everyday life are essential components of engaging modern literature.

A fine detailed portrait of girlhood in America's heartland during the Great Depression. Lots of everyday minutiae, of a time long ago in a simpler world.

In these times of trouble, immersing yourself in these violence-free memories, listening to the voices of these sisters, is really calming.

Well written, not at all earth-shaking & quite memorable.

Fanny and Sue is a bright, wholesome book that leaves you anxious for a sequel to find out what antics the twins might become involved in during their travels to California, not to mention just enough loose ends to keep you wondering what could happen with any of the characters.Who will continue to be a part of their lives? Will anyone return? Who might make a surprize re-entrance into the life of a twin?

You are reminded that during a time of hardship, family and friends count on each others time, effort and creativity. The closeness, loyalty and love shared within the pages are quite refreshing as Fanny and Sue familiarize others to the wonderful world thier hearts have created for themselves to be surrounded by.

I see my mother and her sister in Fanny and Sue and I almost felt like I was ready thier lives in black and white!

A must read for anyone who needs a look at a more simple time, even though the book begins during the depression.There was no money to speak of and they did without many items that we now take for granted on a daily basis. One thing the family was never low on is one thing I hope to always have stock piled in my home. You will know what I am talking about at the end of the book....Have a wonderful read!

I'm sorry, I can't go along with the 5-star reviews. Those "charming" details were just too mundane for words, and the words were pretty mundane too: "Now Mom hollered gaily, 'Wait! No opening presents till I have a clean dipe on Baby Bob!'" "The dolls were dressed in milky pink bonnets and candy pink pantaloons and dresses." I mean, does that make you want to read on? It sounds like a sequel to Dick and Jane Go to School. For advanced sixth-graders.