The Sisters of Summit Avenue - Lynn Cullen

Written by Lynn Cullen
Read by Madeleine Maby
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 64 Kbps
Unabridged

· Length: 9 hrs
· Release date: 09-10-19
· Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

A “poignant, beautifully rendered story of two sisters who find the courage to reclaim their bond after years of misunderstandings and heartbreak”

1934. Ruth has been single-handedly raising four young daughters and running her family’s Indiana farm for eight long years, ever since her husband, John, was infected by the infamous “sleeping sickness” devastating families across the country. If only she could trade places with her older sister, June: blonde and beautiful, married to a wealthy doctor, living in a mansion in St. Paul. And June has a coveted job, too, as one of “the Bettys”, the perky recipe developers who populate the famous Betty Crocker test kitchen. But these gilded trappings hide sorrows: She has borne no children. And the man she loves more than anything belongs to Ruth.

When the two sisters reluctantly reunite after a long estrangement, June’s bitterness about her sister’s betrayal sets into motion a confrontation that’s been years in the making. And their mother, Dorothy, who’s brought the two of them together, has her own dark secrets, which might blow up the fragile peace she hopes to restore between her daughters.

An emotional journey of redemption, inner strength, and the ties that bind families together, for better or worse, The Sisters of Summit Avenue is a moving and heartfelt tribute to mothers, daughters, and sisters everywhere.

Kurkus Review…When June and Richard visit Ruth’s farm with a possible cure for John’s ailment, multiple family secrets are revealed. Evocative historic details include flannel trousers, dress shields, bank robbers, soup lines, fur coats, fedoras, and Richard’s “topless roadster.” The story is heartfelt, but two prologues and a big cast of unnecessarily named minor characters create confusion; a dust storm that should be terrifying isn’t; and a contrived climax features an antihero who reappears, briefly, after a 33-year absence. In a rushed ending, Ruth gets her wish; sort of and not in a good way. Sibling rivalry, betrayal, resentment, and cowardice add spice to this saga of sisters.