The Sisters Weiss Review
936377
I thoroughly enjoyed the well defined characterizations, how each character changed from childhood into old age, the similarities and opposite personalities clashing and coming together. Naomi Ragen beautifully described and researched Hasidic Jewish life in New York's Brooklyn from the 40's through the end of the 20th Century.  It was heartfelt, had humor and pathos and interesting.
Rochelle Pollock
3294450
I liked the family-centric natured of the story. It was cool how the sisters stuck together even when they disagreed. I enjoyed the plot and the actions sequences and the history of the family and the different ways magic manifested in each user. The story began in an unexpected place; I thought it would start after Faith passed away, which threw me off a bit. Also, a few of the scenes didn't flow into each other, but the story was good.
I was provided this book through Booktasters. The opinions expressed are my own.
917019
I loved the story of the two sisters and their incompetent creative mother. The girls learn to fend for themselves during difficult times. Their Uncle Tinsley is an interesting man who comes to love them very much. They overcome hardships and triumph.
3324726
I enjoyed this book about three sisters and their optimism about the future. And then the reality of their lives came to be. So often ourives do not go the way we planned. Each of the sisters had a different view of marriage and how they should respond to challenges in their marriage. One sister came to realize that women did not have to "settle". It was a time when women did not have rights and were pretty much treated as objects. The one sister became independent and felt that she had worth. Well written and kept my attention throughout this large book.
4338730
Raene .. I like her! Really enjoyed seeing the two go through their struggles for happiness.  I see a story beginning from the younger brother.  The cold city sounds like a prisoner camp.  I'm hoping the sister has the strength to endure long enough to make the needed change. Great job, author!
1053984
Two sisters who are totally different join together to solve a mystery.  After the death of their mother less than a year ago, Zen (Athena) and Xander (Alexandra) are looking for ways to carry on.  Their father is hiding out in his new basement bedroom and pretty much ignoring the girls.

Xander is and has always been the wild one, but since their mother's death her behavior has become completely defiant and even dangerous.  Zen is worried.

Zen is all about control.  Her interest in martial arts is just one example.  The discipline, the ceremony, and the rigid standards are perfect for her.  The emotional upheaval of losing her mother has her searching for stability.

The girls begin receiving letters and packages from their mother, sent by a mysterious someone.  The items arrive on special occasions like Christmas, Mother's Day, and birthdays.  When Zen and Xander attempt to discover the identity of the mysterious sender, they stumble across a secret life their mother has hidden for years.  Did she have an affair?  How long did it last?  Was their parents' marriage in jeopardy?

In an effort to uncover the secret, the girls question neighbors, relatives, and even the family lawyer.  They are determined to find the answers they seek no matter the consequences.

ZEN & XANDER UNDONE is an excellent addition to any collection of books for teenage girls.  Amy Kathleen Ryan takes readers on an emotional ride as her believable characters face the challenge of surviving the loss of their mother and finding a way to move on toward whatever the future might hold.  She combines heartbreaking emotions with humor and a bit of fun to capture readers and take them into the lives of Zen and Xander.

Reviewed by:  Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"
585094
My sister recommended this book to me and she was right. I loved it. Spot and Smudge are great characters. The Hogan family and Mimi are great, too. The bad people are suitably despicable. But I really liked how the animals behaved and thought. Early in the book, a dog is listening to sounds and one is a big happy German shepherd barking. She thinks, no one cares about your stupid leftovers.  After reading that, I knew I was going to like this book and I was not disappointed.
The bad people do some nasty stuff, hurt animals and cause a lot of grief. But justice is delivered, some at the hands of the dogs.
I will be reading the next 2 books in the trilogy.
4243925
Full disclosure: this book was written by my sister. But that doesnt diminish the fact that I really enjoyed the story and characters.  My truthful opinion is this is a smart and clever tale that could be appreciated by anyone from tween on up. Great job Sister.
2112181
Based on the other reviews, I think this a book that you will love or hate. I am in the former catagory. I thought this was a moving story of family, with the added intrigue of a long-unsolved serial murderer haunting the narrator. Most of all, it's a lovely story of the bond between two sisters.
1228230
"Three Sisters" is a very enjoyable book to read.  It deals with three women who are at stopping points in their lives.  Each of them has to come to terms with dramatic events which have happened to them both recently and long term.  The Three Sisters referred to in the title is the name of the three houses these women live in.  By the end of the book, it comes to means something different.  The loss of a child was especially difficult for me to read as I have had that experience myself.  The author handled it beautiful sensitivity and I found myself crying for Boston when she could not do so herself.  The book has a lot of funny moments that were fun to read as well as the dramatic events that unfold for the reader.

I enjoyed the book, would certainly recommend it to others and will also look for more books by Ms. Mallery in the future.
1495843
I really enjoyed this book.  This would have been a great trilogy with the three sisters.  Each sister had her own story intertwined with the main story line.  I enjoyed the new setting and would love to see more characters developed this to make a series.
246061
Loved the family ties and endearing love between sisters. I recommend this book to those who love happy endings, but some riveting problems along the way
1027997
"Whenever a bird flies into a window in Spring Green, Wisconsin, sisters Milly and Twiss get a visit. Twiss listens to the birds' heartbeats, assessing what she can fix and what she can't, while Milly listens to the heartaches of the people who've brought them. The two sisters have spent their lives nursing people and birds back to health.".

Known to most, in the small town of Spring Green, Wisconsin, as "The Bird Sisters",  life for these spinster sisters, destined them to always be together.  As young girls, Milly, was a beautiful girl, who was in love with Asa; she dreamed of marriage and children. Twiss, was somewhat of a fun-loving, wild spirit who enjoyed her freedom. Life, as we know, does not always turn out as we planned, and for Milly and Twiss, the summer of 1947, when the sisters were teenagers, was the turning point in their lives that carved out what would be their future--- growing old together in their childhood home.

The story moves from present time back to that summer of 1947, and it is told in alternating chapters. The reader gets a glimpse into the sister's parents troubled marriage, their mother's frustrations and regrets, their father's downward fall from his job as a respected golf pro, and also what transpired the summer older cousin Bette came to visit. Bit by bit the reader understands the events that determined the course of their adult lives.

From the very beginning I was anxious to find out what happened that was so horrible to cause the lives of Milly and Twiss to turn out the way they did. The sister characters are so finely honed, so much so that I felt emotionally invested in them. Although their lives made me sad, I admired how devoted they were to one another.  There is so much more that I could say, however, I want to be careful not to say too much. The Bird Sisters was a terrific debut novel. It's written in a style that worked well for me: a character driven novel with memorable but flawed characters, a story that hooks you early on and keeps you turning the pages, and just one of those stories that will keep me talking about this book for a long while.

In some ways this book made me think of (2) other books I read and loved as well over the last several years:&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Tomato-Girl/dp/B003D3OGLK/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Tomato Girl</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Saving-CeeCee-Honeycutt-A-Novel/dp/B004P5ONOK/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Saving CeeCee Honeycutt: A Novel</a>. As with The Bird Sisters, these books left a lasting impression, each were debut novels, and each in their own way moved me deeply.  All three are MUST READS for your summer reading list. Highly recommended!
2867736
Elise Broach has created a very interesting story in this gem of a book.  I liked the triad of Miriam, Hero and Danny as a team with their own internal intrigues and even a double cross. I also enjoyed reading about the social pressures of the sisters and how each character handles these pressures differently.  Very fun and satisfying reading. I plan to recommend this book to friends.
4007887
Not really my type of book but that doesn't take away from the content of the story. The characters are well developed and the author did a good job telling the story. The sisters have a struggle as they adjust to being swept into the past. The story ending is kinda blah but otherwise a good story.
557328
The primary characters were empathetic to the 2 sisters.  The paths each of the sisters took was unexpected but in character.  It provided fictional confirmation that all families are complicated and struggling with something.
3816691
What a lovely journey back to the town of Prospect (close to Charleston) and a look into what is happening with the Sweeney family. This is the second book, so make sure you read Her Sister's Shoes first.

All of the sisters have come a long ways from the first book. They had worked through issues but don't think that everything is dandy. There are still some problems that need to be addressed for each sister, but it makes them better women for it by the end of the book.

All three sisters have their strengths and weaknesses and I saw myself in several of them. All of the characters were someone that I could relate to either personally or knew people like them. I am wondering about Lovie (the mother) and if a future book will reveal some mental health issues. Jackie is strong but realizes that perhaps not everything has to be about her. Sam has her own demons to fight and does confront a few during the book (can't give away too much!). And Faith has a few scary moments too, but has a new husband to lean on during those times.

I really enjoyed this book, so much that I stayed up way to late to finish the book. There are some nail biting moments, some sad time but many happy times. I loved that the family always manages to come together despite any personal issues.