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There are currently 26 member reviews
for The Almost Sisters
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Mary Lou F. (Naples, FL)
Loyalty/Bias
This book shows how loyalty and family cuts through bias and prejudice. Growing up in the south is certainly a different way of life - class distinction, race distinction. I think the author brings a very strong message that if you believe strongly in someone and hold true to your values, right will out.
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Mary W. (Savannah, GA)
The Almost Sisters by Joshilyn Jackson
I really enjoyed this book because, as a Georgia girl, I identified with so much of the "Southernese" displayed in the book. Even today, the conception of biracial children causes somewhat of a stir in conventional Methodist and Baptist families. The characters act like many of my college friends and my daughter's sorority friends with the same prejudices and inherited privileges. Leia comes up with many solutions that I only wish I would have thought of at her age and in her situations!
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Marcia C. (Jeffersonville, PA)
The Almost Sisters
Once again Joshilyn Jackson has successfully created a world filled with the fascinatingly quirky characters of a small Southern town. There's Leia, a comics creator, who hooks up with Batman at a comics convention. The other members of her family: her grandmother Miss Birchie, who is doing her best to hide her dementia diagnosis from everyone; her niece Lavender,who is 13 going on 30; her step sister Rachel, whose marriage is dissolving and who is the opposite of Leia in every way. Throw in some busybody town folk, some loyal friends, and a deeply hidden family secret, and you have all the ingredients for a great read.
Joshilyn Jackson's storytelling is magical. Right from the beginning, she picked me up and plopped me right down into the middle of Leia's life in Birchville, Alabama with all of its goodness and all of its warts. The Almost Sisters is a story of family loyalty, love, and forgiveness. If you enjoy Sarah Addison Allen, give Joshilyn Jackson a try. The Almost Sisters is a great place to start!
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Gail B
Sisterhood
Almost Sisters gives us all sorts of "sister" connections -- Narrator Leia and her half-sister Rachel and grandmother Birchie and her companion Wattie are obvious. Violence and Violet are characters in Leia's comic book; Leia and her niece Lavendar perhaps sisters under the skin; and less obvious, ladies joining together to support or ruin the Birch family in a small Alabama town. An intriguing look into the bonds of sisterhood, as well as modern day life and dynamics in what the author calls the Second South. Also interesting was my introduction to Alzheimer-related "Lewy bodies" and the world of superpower comics. Can't wait to read Jackson's earlier novel, gods in Alabama.
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Bea C. (Liberty Lake, WA)
Quirky and fun
Joshilyn Jackson's books are a joy to read with her intelligent writing. This book is full of quirky family members, like most of us have, and follows a free spirited graphic book writer and artist's life. The references to all the super hero comic book characters were lost on me and may be hard for some to read around, but her handling of her grandmother's Lewy body sickness and black prejudice in a small southern town are great and written with much humor.
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Peggy C. (Wyckoff, NJ)
It's All About Family
Almost Sisters was an entertaining and thought provoking read that dealt with many issues about family and relationships in general. Set in the South, the story line also presented racial and class concerns that allowed the reader to appreciate the characters for who they were and who they became. In addition, the power of standing up to what is "wrong" and trying to do the right thing regardless of the price gave a new definition to the meaning of family and in particular being a sister. I am glad to have had the opportunity to read this book.
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Jill F. (Blackwood, NJ)
Another Hit!
In the interest of full disclosure I have to say that I love Joshilyn Jackson books! I've read every one. My only complaint is that she doesn't write faster. If you haven't read her previous novels, get to it! Both "Gods in Alabama," and "The Girl Who Stopped Swimming" grabbed me and didn't let go. I couldn't wait to finish and I didn't want it to end!
That being said, this story didn't quite have the same effect. Almost, but not quite. Maybe, there was one too many story lines that grabbed my interest? I wanted to read more about Leia and Batman, delve into the relationship between Jake and Rachel. Learn more about the town and it's inhabitants, Leia's and Rachel's parents and their childhood.
Still and all a very good read that I would definitely recommend. Hopefully this is just the beginning, I need more!
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