Customer Reviews

Wives and Sisters

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I was lucky enough to get a sneak preview of this book a year ago before its release. The story is so intense, it has stayed with me over a year later. It is a mystery that does have you on the edge of your seat the whole time. But even more, it is a compelling story of a woman struggling to shed the confines of the cult mentality she grew up with. To find herself and who and what she really is without the dictated guidelines of a religion that controls peoples nearly every thought and action. Growing up in the religion that this story depicts, and being lucky enough to have left it like the character in the book, I felt very connected to the main character in the book. This is a story for anyone who has ever questioned the dogmatism they were taught growing up.

Wives and Sisters by Natalie R Collins, changed me. I'm not sure how yet, but it has. It made me cry, it made me cheer, it made me say, no, don't go out there, stay where it's safe! It pissed me off, and as one scene in particular unfolded, I didn't want to read on because I knew I would cry. I sucked it up and continued reading. I'm glad I did. As the last few chapters loomed, I didn't want to read on to the last page, not because I was ready to get off the emotional roller coaster ride Ms Collins strapped me into, but because I wasn't ready to say good-bye to the protagonist Allison. Without sounding like every other reviewer regarding this book, I have no recourse but to echo them, it was compelling, it was riveting, it was disturbing. W&S is about love and hate and compassion, it's about loss and redemption. It's about coming to terms with family, God and one's own inner demons. This book is about surviving.

I had pre-ordered Natalie's book from Amazon just prior to a two-month out of state trip, & Wives & Sisters was waiting for me when I got home. The night of my return from Hawaii, I just conked out on the sofa from fatigue. The next morning, I picked up Natalie's book -- and I couldn't put it down!!

Having been a Mormorn child & teenager myself, & leaving the church at 18, I was immediately caught up in the story & the fascinating characters. So much of her story was devastatingly familiar to my own years in the church. The abuse, the secrets, the coverups, the lies, the large, angry, loud, domineering father -- it literally gave me chills.

I have just ordered Natalie's other book Sister Wives from Amazon, & look forward to another spellbinding story!!

All you big bookstores out there -- you'd be smart to stock Natalie's books -- they are definitely going to be bestsellers!!

CAT KELLEY
Kentucky

Block out Saturday and half of Sunday, and stock up on your favorite caffinated beverage because Wives and Sisters is a compelling book that you can't put down. And when Wives and Sister closes, 288 pages later, the characters remain in your memory, living in your thoughts, compelling you to read it again.

The disappearance of Allison Jenen's best friend and her own confrontation with death age of six colors this story of personal survival. Nine years later, Allison begins questioning the system of her world with the death of her mother. She began bucking that system at the subsequent remarriage of her father, in his effort to populate his Celestial heaven. Through Allison's pain and humiliation of rape, to her triumph over the deceit and bondage of the patriarchal society in which she is trapped Allison Jensen is our antihero. From childhood to adulthood she takes the hard road to truth, pulling, not only herself but, her sisters to the otherside of their personal devastation to survival.

Natalie Collins wove a convincingly intricate tale with all the personalities and emotions of life that draws you in and doesn't let you go. Situations many of us could never comprehend in a sane world and yet know they exist daily, even in this new millennium. I could not put this book down, so I read it again, and wanted more. My family gets copies of this book for Christmas.

This is one of those books that stays with you long after finishing it. The main character, Alli, will grab your attention from page one and won't let go. There's an important message in the story of Alli's life about the destruction that we often inflict on one another with a sense of righteousness. Don't miss Wives and Sisters! Natalie Collins is going on my automatic buy list.

I could not put this book down and have since ordered two other books by the author. She obviously has intimate knowledge of the Mormon Church and it is fascinating. This story is a modern day mystery thriller, with great character development. I was kept in suspense almost to the end about the crimes and the criminals. Really clever twists, another page turner that makes for an entertaining weekend read! This book is disturbing, as I mention in the review title. It leaves you thinking about it for many days afterward.

I devoured this book in one evening. The story just grabs you from page one and doesn't let go until the story has played out.

Allison is a character you can cheer for and care about. The things she not only endures but survives and grows from are hard to read, but at the same time so much like stories from headlines in the news.

The story does a wonderful job of enlightening the reader about some Mormon beliefs and practices. While the action in Wives and Sisters depicts many injustices done in the name of faith, it is never heavy-handed or malicious in the telling.

I cannot wait to read more of Ms. Collins' books, because Wives and Sisters was such a wonderful read.

Once again I was drawn into a story from beginning to end.Just as with her book 'SisterWife'Ms.Collins enthralls us with an incredible piece of writing.The pathos is such that I was exhausted when I finished.Partly because I read it in one sitting.That's how good it was,I couldn't put it down.The pain the main character went through just drained me.You feel for this poor woman and her family.In the end you even feel some compassion for the villain.And this is after you've read through the book hating him and wanting to see him get his comeuppance.Ms.Collins is now on my short list of favorite writers.Read the book and she might become one of yours.

I was recently contacted by Natalie Collins, who asked if I would be interested in reading her new book Wives And Sisters. As the premise sounded interesting and I was in between fiction titles, I readily agreed. And I'm glad I did... This is a well-written book with many disturbing and thought-provoking themes...

Allison Jensen is a young girl being raised in a strict, authoritarian Mormon household. When she was six, her and her friend Cindy were victims of a sexual predator in the woods. She escaped but was knocked unconscious in a fall. When she awoke, Cindy was missing, nobody knew what happened to her, and no one would discuss it with her. This started her questioning of God and the church, as well as a series of increasingly physical abusive episodes with her father trying to bring her "back in line". She tries to protect her younger siblings from this abuse, but finally the death of her mother pushes her over the edge. She leaves home, rejects all of her upbringing, and starts living a life that is at odds with all that her family and the community believes.

Eventually her younger sister weds a Mormon missionary who returned from his assignment, and Allison is not quite sure what is bothering her about the guy. Over a short period of time, he goes from model Mormon husband to an abusive, secretive individual who makes a pass at Allison. After some digging around, she finds out that he has a secret past that was covered up by the church elders, and there are shattered lives left in the aftermath of the cover-up. His spiraling decline coupled with his obsession with Allison leads to a dangerous, life-threatening situation for everyone involved with her. It also holds the answer for what happened to Cindy so many years ago.

Let me first say that most devout Mormons would probably hate this book. It does not portray the Mormon Church in a positive light. It is a story of how authoritarian, secretive rule by a powerful body or organization can so easily be abused. With the type of story and incidents used in the book, it would be just as easy to write this novel and substitute in the Catholic Church with the problems they struggle with these days. But if you set whatever religious views you might have to the side, there emerges a strong story with deep characters and gut-wrenching emotions. It's written in the first-person style, and you almost wonder at times if the author is telling her own story. It comes across as that authentic. And while the "bad guys" in the story have a litany of faults, you almost feel some pity for them at the end as you start to understand how they've come to be what they are. It's not a "feel good" story with a nice happy ending to wrap it all up, but it's an emotionally satisfying read as you know you've seen the depths of writing that isn't always present.

An excellent job by a very talented writer... Highly recommended.

Natalie Collins has written a supurb book. The book focuses on growing up and struggling with a powerful father, church and culture. In the wake of recent kidnappings and murders in Utah, "Wives and Sisters" shows how such things could come about. I highly recommend this novel