Three Wishes [Paperback]

Liane Moriarty (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 5, 2004

The three Kettle sisters have been accidentally starring in public performances all their lives, affecting their audiences in more ways than they'll ever know. This time, however, they give a particularly spectacular show when a raucous, champagne-soaked birthday dinner ends in a violent argument and an emergency dash to the hospital. So who started it this time? Was it Cat: full of angry, hurt passion dating back to the 'Night of the Spaghetti'? Was it Lyn: serenely successful, at least on the outside? Or was it Gemma: quirky, dreamy and unable to keep a secret, except for the most important one of all? Whoever the culprit, their lives will have all changed dramatically before the next inevitable clash of shared genes and shared childhoods.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Three chick-lit heroines are better than one in Moriarty's witty debut starring Sydney-based triplets Cat, Gemma and Lyn Kettle. Borrowing a convention from mystery novels, Moriarty opens with a prologue whose events must be explained through subsequent chapters: in this case, what led one sis to imbed a fondue fork in another sis's pregnant belly at their 34th birthday celebration dinner? Moriarty gleefully describes the triplets' turbulent previous year, which forces them to abandon the roles they've played since childhood. Sarcastic and abrasive marketing executive Cat must grapple with her husband Dan's affair, a miscarriage and a drinking problem, while flighty Gemma, a full-time house sitter, probes her fears of commitment when she meets charming locksmith Charlie. Lyn, a successful entrepreneur, wife and mother, has perfected the art of time management ("Sex with husband. Check"), but she's quietly seized by bouts of panic. Despite such unoriginal problems, Moriarty's novel is a winning combination of smart-alecky fun and feel-good mush (mostly the former). Her writing is smart and playful ("Death was the hot bath you promised yourself while you endured small talk and uncomfortable shoes"), her characters are quirky and lovable and her clever plot turns—like the rekindled love between the triplets' divorced parents—are fun. Convenient coincidences and a general predictability don't distract too much from the sassy pleasures.
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

The Kettle sisters are a strange sight when they are together--a beautiful set of triplets, with two identical and one fraternal. Over the course of their thirty-third year, their lives all take turns no one could foresee. Lyn's perfectly scheduled and organized life begins to fray as debilitating panic attacks come on suddenly in parking lots; Cat, Lyn's identical twin, thinks her marriage is indestructible until her husband admits to having an affair with a young law student; and Gemma, who acts much younger than her sisters, goes from job to job and can't sustain a relationship with a man for longer than six months. Separately, they are strong, independent women struggling with divorce, pregnancy, parents, and jobs. Together, they are a force to be reckoned with as they fight with passion, laugh with gusto, and push each other to be their best selves. Moriarty's first novel, written with wisdom, humor, and sincerity, is an honest look at sisters who have a bond stronger than anything life throws their way. Carolyn Kubisz
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

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Pan Macmillan (November 5, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0330427164
• ISBN-13: 978-0330427166
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,870,716 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Family - Fabulous and Frustrating, August 24, 2004

By 

J. Vilches (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Three Wishes (Hardcover)

Lyn, Cat and Gemma Kettle are approaching their 34th birthday together. These Aussie triplets may share a birthday, but they have their own very different personalities. Gemma floats through life and relationships. Lyn powers her way through her organized and efficient days. The fiercely emotional Cat does battle with co-workers, her husband, and her sisters. In the year surrounding this particular birthday, their lives are thrown upside down by various tragedies and joys and they struggle through as they always have - together.

This heart-warming and heart-wrenching story is an impressive first book for Moriarty. She captures all the best and worst of family relationships - siblings, parents, spouses, and children - while balancing the heavy parts with funny bits of mayhem and wicked humor. The point of view alternates between the sisters and the story bounces back and forth in time, but never gets confusing. Interspersed between the chapters are little vignettes about how the triplets have touched the lives of strangers throughout the years.

Moriarty's characters are just quirky enough to really care about without being absurd. I thought the flashbacks to the past did a wonderful job of showing how the sisters evolved into their separate personalities. Three Wishes is a fun, fascinating look into three lives that are inextricably entwined, and an insightful look at family relationships in general.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Crazy Triplets will warm your heart, June 4, 2005

By 

Lisa Fischbach "Lisa Fischbach" (Henryville, IN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Three Wishes (Hardcover)

I just loved this book! As one of the previous reviewers said I thought it would be far fetched, the idea of triplets but it really wasn't. Obviously this author has some knowledge of sisters and maybe of multiples, as it came across very genuine. Each sister has a very distinct, if crazy personality. I loved the relationships they shared with one another and the rest of their family. The book is told in turn from the point of view of each of the sisters, with interspersed "man on the street" style narratives from unnamed individuals witnessing the triplets at different points in their life, which I found unusual and refreshing. Emails sent between the sisters are hilariously funny. One sister always hits the "respond to all" button and ends up sending the sister she is talking about (supposedly behind her back) the email. I also enjoyed the setting (Australia) I haven't read many books set there. It's always fun to see how the other half lives, the little differences between your life and the life of those on the other side of the world. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys humor, books about family, sisters or chick lit.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very funny very real, February 3, 2005

By 

Avid Reader - See all my reviews

This review is from: Three Wishes (Hardcover)

I thought the book would be rather far-fetched in terms of plot, but it's actually not! I really enjoyed it because I also have two sisters and the author really managed to convey the relationship 3 female siblings can share. I definitely recommend it!