My Sister the Moon [Hardcover]

Sue Harrison (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 13, 1992

In the sequel to Mother Earth Father Sky, Chagak's two sons vie for the affections of Kiin, a young woman who becomes an unlikely heroine in a bizarre series of events. 75,000 first printing. $75,000 ad/promo. Tour.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

While it successfully recreates the culture of the whale-hunting Aleuts of 9000 years ago, Harrison's sequel to Mother Earth, Father Sky (600,000 paperback copies in print) lacks the tense grittiness of its predecessor.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

YA-- Set in the prehistoric Aleutian Islands, this is a sequel to Mother Earth, Father Sky (Doubleday, 1990). At her birth, Kiin's father had planned on killing her so that his wife might immediately produce a son. She is saved, however, when the chief claims her as the wife for his infant son. Her life is one of difficulty and abuse--her father beats her regularly and gives her to traders for the night to improve his exchanges--but her inner strength enables her to survive through the turbulent, stormy times. This moving story keeps readers in its grip because every hint of peacefulness is upended by another difficulty. Although YAs will enjoy this novel as much as its predecessor, it is more disturbing as the excellent characterizations involve readers significantly, causing them to share the tense emotional drama with Kiin.
- Jacque line Craig, W. T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 449 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; 1st edition (February 13, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385420862
• ISBN-13: 978-0385420860
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,143,485 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely and complex, December 17, 2005

By 

Claire "Chaire" (NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Sister the Moon (Mass Market Paperback)

My mother's now-deceased school librarian friend recommended this book to my mother, as something she thought I would enjoy. I was 11 or 12 at the time. I loved it, and read it over and over. Until it fell to pieces, and I got a new copy, which also fell to pieces.

Knowing my mom and her friends, they probably figured I'd adore Kiin, and were probably trying to inspire some tough/strong/independent female feelings in me. At the time, though, I only knew that this was a fabulous book. I loved the historical detail, the complicated relationships between characters, and how Sue Harrison made the characters and their culture seem close and accessible.

The summarized plot can read like a string of deeply depressing traumas -- Kiin is abused since birth, remainds unnamed until she is about 15 or 16, is given a degrading name when she finally is named, is raped, is kidnapped, and so forth. But I was never depressed. I wouldn't say I was uplifted, either, but the book gave me a lot to think about. It's a genuine prize in a genre with so much junk.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well Worth Reading, April 17, 2003

By 

Eleanor Shumaker (Fairfax, VA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: My Sister the Moon (Mass Market Paperback)

This trilogy by Sue Harrison kept me glued in my chair for days! Her books move more quickly than Jean Auel's, and each book has a plot. They are more than sagas. What a wonderful way to learn about prehistoric peoples and their culture! I'm so glad to have found this author.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Applause for Sue, November 8, 2005

By 

Enola "The Book Critic" - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Sister the Moon (Mass Market Paperback)

This is a book i will probably never get rid of. it's one of those books that leave you so excited, you don't really want the story to end, but you're glad it ends for the characters' sakes.

kiin is a beautiful young woman in prehistoric alaska who is hated by her father so much he beats her constantly and gives her a name that means "no one" or "nothing" i forgot which.

when kiin is old enough, she prepares to be married to the brother of the young man she really loves. while she aches for her heart's desire, the man she loves is soon to be sent away after her marriage.

after she has moved in with her lover's brother and his family and is already a few months pregnant, kiin is kidnapped by her brother, raped by him, and taken to a distant village where she is sold to a man in trade who already has two wives -- all by her own brother.

kiin's courage and perseverance is what gets her home again. but her second husband persues her once she has run away and proceeds to fight with her first.

this is where the novel ends. the real ending is revealed in the next novel: My Brother the Wind.

who lives and who dies? who does kiin go home with? find out.