Names My Sisters Call Me [Paperback]

Megan Crane (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 11, 2008

Courtney, Norah, and Raine Cassel are as different as three sisters can be. Norah, the oldest, is a type A obsessive who hasn't forgiven Raine, the middle sister, for ruining her wedding day six years ago. Raine is Norah's opposite, a wild child/performance artist/follow-your-bliss hippie chick who ran off to California. The only thing the two have in common is their ability to drive Courtney, their youngest sister, crazy.

When her longtime boyfriend proposes, Courtney decides it's finally time to call a truce and bring the three sisters together. After all, they're grown-ups now, right? But it turns out that family ghosts aren't easily defeated--and neither are first loves. Soon Courtney finds herself reexamining every choice she has made in the past six years--including the man she's about to marry--and the value of reconnecting with the sisters she knows she needs, in spite of everything.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this witty novel by the author of Frenemies, Philadelphia cellist Courtney Cassel decides the occasion of her engagement is the perfect time to heal family wounds. Six years ago, wild-child middle sister Raine ruined oldest sister Norah's wedding and ran off with longtime friend Matt Cheney, with whom Courtney was having a secret affair. Accompanying her supportive fiancé, Lucas, on a business trip to San Francisco, Courtney drops in on Raine unannounced and discovers Raine is still with the smoldering, charismatic Matt, whose mere presence can still reduce Courtney to the emotional state of an adolescent. Soon, Courtney's questioning every choice she's made. When Matt and Raine show up for the engagement party, scores are settled, lives are examined and a few secrets about strait-laced Norah come to light. Crane's brisk voice and knack for finding the humor in Courtney's angst keep the mood upbeat all the way to the rosy resolution. (Apr.)
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From Booklist

Courtney Cassel is getting married. Wonderful news, accept for one hitch: her family is not speaking. Six years ago, her artsy, spacey sister, Raine, ran away to California hours after delivering a hateful speech at eldest sister Norah’s wedding. The fact that Norah is a prissy type-A personality fuels the feud, and Courtney, the youngest, is dragged into the center. Before she marries her charming, stalwart fiancé, she wants to mend the past. But there is one more complication: when Raine ran off to San Francisco, she took Matt Cheney—he of the brooding good looks, dragon tattoo, and untapped musical talent—with her, interrupting a secret summer love affair. Courtney thinks she is over him, but when she travels west to make amends, the devil from her past opens the door. Between brokering a reconciliation, navigating latent feelings of unexpected lust, and trying to plan a wedding, this lovable, candid, and often droll heroine finds her voice, gets a grip, and learns how to stand up to her sisters. Delightful fun from the author of Frenemies (2007). --Emily Cook

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: 5 Spot (April 11, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446698563
• ISBN-13: 978-0446698566
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.9 x 8.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,011,024 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Megan Crane is a New Jersey native who had great plans to star on Broadway, preferably in Evita, just like Patti LuPone. Sadly, her inability to wow audiences with her singing voice required a back up plan. Accordingly, she graduated from Vassar College and got her MA and PhD in literature from the University of York in England. She wrote her doctoral dissertation on AIDS literature, mostly so she could wallow in her obsession with the remarkable multi-media artist David Wojnarowicz and her idol, the bitter and hilarious David Feinberg. After many years in the rain and subject to the whim of seasons, she followed the sun to Los Angeles, where she lives with a dog, a cat, two crazy kittens, and an artist named Jeff. She is still plotting her Broadway debut.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Splendid chicklit whether or not you have sisters, April 12, 2008

By 

Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Names My Sisters Call Me (Paperback)

Growing up with two sisters, I felt a connection to this wonderful novel. Names My Sisters Call Me is about three sisters, about family, and about unconditional love.

Courtney, the youngest sister, was recently engaged to her long-time boyfriend Lucas. She plays the cello and is very insecure. Nora, the oldest sister, is very bossy and control-oriented. Since the girls' father passed away when they were young, she helped "raise them" as she puts it, since their mother was buried beneath her grief for years. Raine, the middle sister. is very artsy and free-spirited, and she is always looking for a fight with Nora, or so it seems.

Then there is Matt. Matt is Raine's best friend since kindergarten, and they are inseperable. Courtney has had a crush on Matt all through her teenage years, and eventually she and Matt hook up. Until Nora gets married. Raine ruins the reception, and shortly after, Raine and Matt leave for California. No one hears from them for six years. Raines name is avoided at all "family dinners" to keep peace in the family, and it's taken Courtney years to recover from her broken heart.

Then, Courtney decides she doesn't want to get married to Lucas without both of her sisters. So, she and Lucas fly to California, much to Nora's disapproval, to look up her long-lost sister. She didn't expect to find Matt still living with Raine, or the feelings she thought long buried to surface.

Soon after, they fly home, and not far behind is Raine and Matt. They decided to come visit for a month to attend Courtney and Lucas's engagement party. But throwing the three sisters in close proximity has its drawbacks and fireworks!

The characters are so full of depth and emotion, you will cry and laugh with them. As much as there is a lot of sisterly rivalry, there's also a lot of sisterly love and motherly love. Unconditional love. The storyline is solid and kept me turning the pages, craving more of the dysfunctional Cassel family.

I will be lending this one to my sisters, and they better give it back! Best chicklit book I've read in a long time and one I'm sure you will enjoy!

Armchair Interviews agrees.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Names My Sisters Call Me, August 28, 2008

By 

-- "--" (--) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Names My Sisters Call Me (Paperback)

Megan Crane really does a fantastic job at making you love and hate Matt Cheney and really feel for Courtney the main character! I loved the book

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Megan Crane Continues to Delight Readers, May 20, 2008

By 

Kristine White "Page Turner" (Kansas CIty, MO USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Names My Sisters Call Me (Paperback)

As an avid fan of Megan Crane's, I look forward to each book she writes. This was no exception -- and as with her other three books, I was not disappointed. The characters were well-written and developed. You both loathed and loved the characters as the story unfolded. A true depiction of family life when tragedy has struck. A great read from start to finish. I highly recommend!