What do readers think of The Sisterhood by Helen Bryan? Write your own review.

The author is a good story teller, but the theme, prose, ideas have all been done to death. Got about half way through, then went on to better novels that are available.

I hate to rate any novel as average. I cannot imagine how difficult it is to be an author. I I just couldn't latch on the story. I was very interested in subject but I got lost in the multiple characters. In the end I just didn't care. I just wanted the novel to end.

This book is enlightening as well as a good story. Through flashbacks, a young American girl tells the story of Los Golondrinas, an order of nuns with convents in Spain and South America. The reader is introduced to five young girls from the time of the Spanish Inquisition who for various reasons sought asylum in the convent in Spain. We get a good look at the terrors they experienced and the courage of the nuns helping women in a male dominated world. There are love stories, a little art history and even a mystery that keeps the reader enthralled until the end. Even though I liked this book, I found myself flipping back and forth to keep the characters straight. A timeline or list of characters would have made the experience better.

When I first started reading The Sisterhood, by Helen Bryan, my first impression was that the main character, Menina, was too "pat." She was beautiful, smart, and I was sure she was not going to be very interesting to follow. I admit I am more drawn to quirky people on the pages I read. As the plot developed, though, I found myself liking the story and the way it moved from one time period to another. The plot was complicated, but followed the theme of secrecy, faith, and the fellowship of women from beginning to end. I am still not sure how present day Menina ended up with the ancient and valuable artifacts , but that doesn't really detract from the story. It was a fun read, and I think it would be a good choice for a book club. It has a smattering of romance, intrigue, and history, so there would be lots to discuss.

The Sisterhood tells a beautiful story of women caring for the abused and neglected through the ages. If you can accept that artifacts from an ancient convent in the mountains of Spain find their way to a convent in South America in the 1500's, then to a 19 year old Southern Baptist college student in Georgia in 2000, you will enjoy this book. It may take a leap of imagination (or faith) at times, but you will enjoy the journey. I thought both the writing and characterizations in the 1500's stronger than the contemporary events or this would have earned 5 stars from me.

This book is very unique in the way it is written. It jumps from one time frame to another. This book has lots of characters. Sometimes it is very hard to keep track of the characters. A lot of events do happen in this book. I would suggest to read the title of every chapter before beginning to read that chapter. Now that I finished the book, I would like to reread it again, knowing what I know regarding the book's format and really focus in on the characters.

Excellent back and forth details of Spanish Inquisition and modern day times. Historical religious beliefs interwoven with modern times make for a wonderful piece of work.

As I read this book, I found myself wondering why so many present day authors feel that they have to cover a multitude of "issues" to tell an otherwise good story. In "The Sisterhood" by Helen Bryan, feminism, theology, politics, mythology and numerous other topics are discussed by way of the overriding story. None of the topics reflect good research. The women's issues reek of 1970 and early 1980s thinking. As a woman with a degree in Theology, I found both the historic and present day research flawed and poorly presented. What would have been a good, simple story is ruined by poor, unfocused writing. The worst book I have read in a long time.