Customer Reviews

My Sister's Bones

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was on page 157 before I even looked up from this page-turner of a novel, probably most suitable for young adults.

This story is written from the perspective of the younger sister of an anorexic, but it is much more than a novel about anorexia. {On that same subject, I tried to read "The Passion of Alice" by Stephanie Grant last week and put it aside.}

"My Sister's Bones" is a first novel by Cathi Hanauer. It is the study of a family - and we all know these people: the doctor-father who pushes his children to perfection, the mother who does not like to challenge her husband's edicts, the kids who love/hate their father and love/pity their mother. I think this author has done a good job of portraying family dynamics, with fairly good writing.

I was not surprised to see that Elizabeth Berg wrote a blurb for the cover of this books. In some ways, the writing is reminiscent of Berg's, but for a younger audience.

While a good story, it seemed a mite shallow for the subject. But maybe that is not all bad if it makes people aware of the problem. I am conflicted over the rating to give this and wish that 3.5 stars were available.

if you have a sister, a brother, a mother, a father, a family, you will want to read this book. Cathi Hanauer's painstakingly accurate depiction of the heoroine's coming of age amidst a family plagued by a domineering father, submissive mother, and an anorexic-stricken sister can be understood by all readers. Rather than focusing on the traditional and often popularized aspects of anorexia, Hanauer gives us Billie, the younger adolescent sister of Cassie, a rapidly deteriorating anorexic. Through Billie, we not only experience the turmoil of adolescence, but we also share an aspect of eating disorders that are rarely depicted....the effects of the disorder as seen through the eyes of the afflicted's family. The struggles of Billie and her family are frighteningly realistic, and one only naturally wonders about Hanauer's insight. Even my sister, the younger sister of an anorexic, will agree

I picked up this book expecting to read a book about anorexia told by the person with the disorder who focused solely on the effects of anorexia on herself. That is why when I discovered that Billie (the sister of Cassandra, the anorexic) was the narrator of the story, I was a little surprised.

Billie is sixteen when her sister Cassie goes off to college at Cornell, which is referred to in the book by Billie as 'Corn Hell', by the prompting of her docter father. A little before Christmas break, Billie recieves a phone call from Cassie that truly disturbs her. Over Christmas break Cassie looks way too thin and becomes withdrawn from all of her old friends and family. Her father blames it all on exams and the stress of college. Billie knows it is something more complicated.

Although the main point of this story is about how Billie and her family deal with Cassie's anorexia, My Sister's Bones is also about Billie discovering herself in a divided town when she has no upbringing true to any one race/religion (her father is Jewish by birth but he never raised his kids that way). She finds comfort in her best friend Tiffany, learns why giving up Vinnie was a mistake, and realizes that Dominick is not all what he seems to be.

The uncertainty of Billie is easy to relate to and the story line itself is definitely complex and compelling enough to scare anyone out of becoming anorexic. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who needs a thought-provoking novel or insight into how much anorexia really hurts the person and their family and friends around them.

It's been a long time since I've picked up a book and read non-stop the way I read, "My Sister's Bones," by Cathi Hanauer. There are so many things I liked about it, but it was primarily the excellent, utterly readable writing. There is nothing excessive--each word counts in this first person story of Billie Weinstein and her struggle through family life as a sixteen year old girl. I assume this story takes place in the 1970s, given all the references, yet because it is written in first person and doesn't give off even a trace of nostalgia, I had the feeling that I was in the same room as Billie as she told her tale in present tense.

Billie's beautiful and intelligent older sister, Cassie, suffers from anorexia. Hanauer expertly details the emotions brought on by this disease on behalf of each of the family members: Billie's fear for her sister, her parents' denial and debate over treatment, and Cassie's deterioration. But this is not Cassie's story. This is Billie's story and it's about so much more than her sister's anorexia. Billie is a rather typical suburban teenager, coping not only with her sister's illness, but also with pressure from her parents to do well on the SAT test, learning how to drive, dealing with a popular boyfriend who wants more from her than she's willing to give, and a best friend with a colorful family who simply disappears one day . . .

One can't help but fall in love with Billie. I thoroughly enjoyed reading her story and because of Hanauer's talent for storytelling, I look forward to reading more of her work.

From the author of "I'm Living Your Dream Life," and "The Things I Wish I'd Said," McKenna Publishing Group.

I admit that I'm much older than the intended audience for this title (18-21) but I do read a lot of young adult stuff. What captivated me in the book, unfortunately worked against it as well. Billie's unpredictable and flippant behavior pulled the reader along but lacked reason and depth. Admittedly, the dad is a type-A jerk, and the Mom is spineless which makes this family truly dysfunctional, but I just looked for the author to tell me more. I appreciated the author's frank handling of anorexia but anorexics will not find answers in this book. The ending is depressing, help never comes, and the reader is left hanging. Equally disturbing are Billie's sexual experiences - graphic but thoughtless. I suggest Judy Blume's "Summer Sisters" for a more honest portrayal of reckless youthful sexuality.

MY SISTER'S BONES is a book I can relate to personally as a teenager living in the midwest U.S. Ms. Hanauer's excellent writing moved the book along so quickly that I was disappointed I had finished so fast. I really appreciate this book with such a realistic plot and origional style.

"My Sister's Bones" could have been titled, "Because Of You, I Realize How Screwed Up My Life Really Is..." Why do I say this? Although the story is loosely woven around a victim of Anorexia Nervosa, the main character in the story happens to be the sister of the victim. Through her, we see everything that's wrong; an overbearing father, a timid mother, a sister that doesn't eat. There's a lot of blame being thrown back and forth, but very little in the way of empathy. I felt nothing for these characters. Although there was a smidgen of something at the beginning, that fizzled out and quickly turned into utter frustration. More in the way of character development would have been helpful along with a firmer grasp of the disease itself.

This is an excellent book. The way it is written is great. I love how the whole story is told through the eyes of Billie. You can really relate to everything going on in the lives of the characters. I truly cannot express how much I loved this book.

I found this book to be a very well written insight into the family struggles with anorexia. The authour clearly knew that not just the anorexic is affected by the sickness but the whole family. I loved the way she made the characters, especially Billie the sister grow and they came to realize that the anorexia was not their fault. Overall this book is not a reference source but rather a book about growing up despite unwanted circumstances.

I really loved this book. I read it everyday and minute I could. It was well written and a great story that kept me wanting to read on. I was nearing the end and it felt so much like it would have a big surprise ending.It didnt really end and I wanted some of my questions to be answered that werent but all in all a great read.