A Tale of Two Sisters [Import] [Mass Market Paperback]

Anna Maxted (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 2008

Cassie is skinny, clever, charismatic, successful — every right-thinking girl’s worst nightmare. The one flaw in her quality-controlled life may be her marriage, and if there are any other flaws lurking, Cassie has them covered. Her sister Lizbet is plumper, plainer, dreamier — more concerned about the design on her coffee cup than whether she can afford her new house. She works reluctantly for Ladzmag, desperate to make her name as a writer, but stuck writing embarrassing articles on sex. Her one achievement is her relationship with Tim who thinks she’s cute, not stupid, for asking why Jesus has a Mexican name.

Despite Cassie being the favoured child, she and Lizbet have managed to stay friends. But that’s about to change. Confronted by challenges they never asked for, forced apart by mistakes not their own, will they ever understand the real meaning of sisterhood, or will true nature ruin everything…?


From the Trade Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Lizbet and Cassie Montgomery, Jewish sisters in London, seem to like their lives: Lizbet, cute but schlumpy, has a mid-level job at Ladz Mag and a smart, sweet long-term, live-in boyfriend in product designer Tim; barrister Cassie, glossy, smart and hot, is married to fastidious BBC production assistant George Hershlag, which suits her fine. The two sisters have a close if constrained relationship, but when Lizbet announces she's pregnant, Cassie turns cold, even as their parents ("Vivica and Dad") are immediately thrilled. When, 30 or so pages later, Lizbet miscarries the baby in the second trimester, she plunges into despair. Cassie comes to her aid, but it may be too little, too late. Maxted (Behaving Like Adults, etc.) alternates smoothly between Lizbet's and Cassie's perspectives, giving each a distinctive voice and nailing lapsed London Jewry amusingly. When she shifts to Cassie, she handles a series of major revelations with the same emotional acuity that she gives Lizbet's devastation at the loss of her baby. As Lizbet discovers her fabulous side (but perhaps not for the better), what looks from the outside like Cassie's comeuppance is full of crushing sadness. Maxted has to do a lot of wrangling to manage the happy ending, but it offsets this chick lit novel's surprisingly harrowing center. (Aug.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Like so many of the early chick-lit writers, Maxted has graduated from tales about young women grappling with single life to those dealing with the question of motherhood. The titular sisters are Lizbet and Cassie, and the pair couldn't be more different. Scattered Lizbet is completely taken aback upon discovering she is pregnant, as she has never in her life longed for a child. She is surprised by how quickly she becomes excited about the baby and how her adoring boyfriend, Tim, is every bit as thrilled. High-powered attorney Cassie wants a child more than anything else in the world, but she is growing to loathe her arrogant husband, George. Their difficulties with conceiving a child put even more strain on their already faltering marriage. When Lizbet miscarries her baby, she has an emotional implosion so complete that it jeopardizes her relationship with both Tim and her sister. Cliff-hanger chapter endings guarantee that the reader will keep turning the pages, while clever plotting and truly interesting characters make the novel a standout in the genre. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Arrow (January 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0099509156
• ISBN-13: 978-0099509158
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1 x 7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,158,402 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than chick lit, November 22, 2006

By 

Monysmom "monysmom" (New Hampshire) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Tale of Two Sisters (Hardcover)

I really enjoyed this book - usually I like Anna Maxted's book for the character's wit and sarcastic style. These characters were less funny, but more human. The two main characters, Cassie and Lizbet are sisters, and the book delves into their relationship with each other, their partners, inlaws, neighbors and friends and extended family, and their parents. The book really examines what "family" is, when you get out of the "made for TV" definition.
If you are looking for fluff chick lit, a book to pass a weekend with, it's not for you. If you're looking for a really good book on a par with, say, Lolly Winston's "Good Grief", this is for you.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Slow Starting but another Good Read from Anna Maxted, September 19, 2006

By 

Loves Books (Maryland USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: A Tale of Two Sisters (Hardcover)

I found this book a bit slow starting and it took two tries before I got involved enough to continue, as the story seemed to start almost in progress.

The book was a bit of a departure from the other Maxted books I've read, and I think I've read them all. The central characters weren't youthful gals, but women in their 30's in relationships. As with most of her books, A Tale of Two Sisters deals with serious and even sad issues with humor.

It was difficult at times to like some of the characters, but I believe that was her point and isn't that true of people in general? Anna Maxted does a good job of developing characters that are more realistic than most authors can manage - people who are lovable but may have annoying traits or aspects of their personalities. Sometimes the story itself is incidental to the quirky characters and the backgrounds and interaction between them, which distinguishes her books from those of lesser authors. In this book, she seemed to show how people can evolve and change as life happens to them - and the many ways in which different people show their love. As the story progressed, it seemed the sisters grew up enough to finally accept that while their parents didn't always give them what they wanted emotionally, they did the best they could and that they did love them.

I wouldn't say this was Anna Maxted's funniest or best book, but it's certainly worth a read - and the subject matter (adoption, miscarriage, fertility, etc.) are ones that many people will be able to relate to - and I think you'll find yourself thinking of the characters after the book is done.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars so much more than chick lit, July 13, 2006

By 

Louise Wynne - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Tale of Two Sisters (Paperback)

This book is hilarious, funny, and clever and sad - I really loved it. It's a good read, but it has emotional depth, and the characters are very entertaining - I am in love with both the heroes, especially Tim! The stuff about Lisbet writing for the mens' magazine made me laugh out loud - and her story, the sad bits, made me cry. This is a lot more than chick lit - it is meaty writing for grown up girls - it's about family, babies, love, marriage, it's just all so TRUE! - a brilliant juicy read.