After a tragic accident on Martha’s Vineyard, keeping secrets becomes a way of life for the Tangle family. With memories locked away, the sisters take divergent paths. Callie disappears, Mimi keeps so busy she has no time to think, and Ginger develops a lifelong aversion to risk that threatens the relationships she holds most dear.When a whispered comment overheard by her rebellious teenage … teenage daughter forces Ginger to reveal a long-held family secret, the Tangles’ carefully constructed web of lies begins to unravel. Upon the death of Glory, the family’s colorful matriarch, and the return of long-estranged Callie, Ginger resolves to return to Martha’s Vineyard and piece together what really happened on that calamitous day when a shadow fell over four sun-kissed siblings playing at the shore. Along with Ginger’s newfound understanding come the keys to reconciliation: with her mother, with her sisters, and with her daughter.
At turns heartbreaking, humorous, and hopeful, Sisters One, Two, Three explores not only the consequences of secrets—even secrets kept out of love—but also the courage it takes to speak the truth, to forgive, and to let go.
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I admire the masterful way author Nancy Star seamlessly weaves yesteryear with present day in SISTERS ONE, TWO, THREE. Recognizing some of my “smother mother” tendencies in Ginger—one of the sisters—her character was of particular interest to me. There are threads of humor throughout the poignant storyline; a twist where I least expected it; and needless to say, happy tears at the end.
August 17, 2020
So Goooood!
What a mess this family is. I cried, laughed, and wanted to slap someone! It was hard not to yell out loud. I got completely immersed in this book!
Sisters, One, Two, Three…Very emotional story.
The way one single event can rock a person to their very core. To have so many horrible things happen and damage a family so deeply is an awful thing.
To me, it seemed as if Ginger was almost a counter-weight to Glory, like she made herself the opposite of what her mother was. Glory didn’t seem to really care about anyone but herself, even turning the directors death into a tragedy for her.
The ending had me in tears. I’m hoping that the story might continue, but if it doesn’t this ending was sublimely perfect.
My first book By Nancy Star Sisters one, two, three it was a very emotional roller coaster.
This is the story of a family whose secrets are destroying their bond. Sisters one, two, three is about a family keeping secrets and hiding things so they will pretend like nothing was happening, Ginger fought so hard to save her family and marriage but she always felt like no one supporter her feelings and what she thought.. her own daughter was terrible with her and never wanted to include her in her life, hiding things to her at all times.
I felt angry with some of the characters because they were really harsh with Ginger, it felt like the whole family was not used to speak or share any of their feelings making them so closed off and even at times very unsensible about other feelings, especially Ginger ones.
My favorite character was Ginger, I always felt she was very misunderstood, her mom and family just like to keep things hiding even if at times that meant to hurt and make the other sister feel bad.
The conclusion was a little vague, I really thought Gingers, daughter, Julia was going to redeem herself and embrace her mother, still some of the answers I was looking for in the story where never answer, I felt like Ginger never got her closer and she kept living with what life and her family were offering even if it was just small things that never fulfilled her heart.
Overall it was a good story and good book but still, feel like so many things were missing.
I highly recommend this read. It’s been almost a year since I read it, and it still sits with me — beautifully written characters and storyline.
A deliciously tangled tale of the Tangle family with laugh-out-loud dialogue, an intriguing mystery, and quirky characters you won’t soon forget. Highly recommended.
I truly enjoyed this author’s style of writing. I look forward to reading more of her books.
I bought this book because it had a compelling intro. It’s pretty good if you like family drama. This family is torn apart by the death of one of its siblings many years before. The mother is train wreak and the readers are lead to believe one of the other siblings is responsible for the death of the other. Family drama at its best.
This was my first book by this author and I really didn’t care for it. The writing style was a bit choppy as were all the characters. Glory Tangle was a horrible mother. She lied, kept secrets, and refused to communicate with her family. Her selfishness and neglect caused her son’s death and her whole plan to keep her remaining three children apart after the loss of their brother didn’t make any sense to me (even after finding out the youngest probably had brain damage). Who would do that? I didn’t care for this character at all, but maybe I wasn’t supposed to, so there’s that. The idea of a pond that is maintained only by cutting a trench in the sand to connect it to the ocean every year was also strange. If that is really something that goes on in Martha’s Vineyard, they should definitely barricade the area off so people can’t get hurt. I find it hard to believe any beach community would allow it.
Nancy Star’s Sisters One, Two, Three is a story about the dysfunctional Tangle family which is complex and filled with lies and secrets, yet the love between three sisters is what sustains the story. As Star writes by alternating from the past to the present, I began to understand the characters and their personalities. Once I got used to this format, it started getting easier to read. I knew a tragic accident was imminent which takes place on Martha’s Vineyard in the 1970’s. At times, I was uncertain as to why certain decisions were made by Glory, the matriarch of the family. I found her to be obnoxious, over-the-top and quirky. Although I didn’t agree with her parenting style, the story still intrigued me, and I had to keep reading. Once the accident occurs, my intuition told me something was about to take place due to Glory’s parenting. The web of lies and secrets develop, and there’s no turning back. Who suffers the most are the three sisters, Ginger, Mimi and Callie because after the accident, their lives change. Ginger has her fears and worries about everything, Mimi has a bit of an anger issue and keeps herself extremely busy with her family, and Callie disappears.
It was Ginger though, the oldest daughter, who I really felt empathy for. At the tender age of 13, her mother basically puts her in charge of most things that a parent should be handling. Her mother constantly badgers her about her “worrying”, but how could a young girl at that age with a lot of responsibility thrown at her not worry? As Ginger becomes an adult, she marries, becomes a school nurse, and her main focus is her rebellious teenage daughter. It’s not until Ginger slips to her daughter about a past hidden family secret that the Tangle family’s web of lies and secrets begin to unravel. Once the slip is out in the open and upon the death of Glory, Ginger returns to the past and unveils the truth. She questions her own parenting style due to the way she’s been raised. She clearly doesn’t want history repeating itself raising her daughter this way. Once the truth is unveiled, the family restores itself, and the past lies and secrets are finally buried.
The quote on the back cover sums the story up best, which is, “At turns heartbreaking, humorous and hopeful, Sisters One, Two, Three explores not only the consequences of secrets – even secrets kept out of love – but also the courage it takes to speak the truth, to forgive, and to let go.”
Nancy Star wrote a very powerful story that kept me riveted. In the end, she sums up the where’s, why’s and how’s which thoroughly surprised me. This added a little mystery to me, and I think she’s a very clever writer. I’d like to read more of her work, and I recommend reading this book.
O