Great read! The story of two sisters, one family and one -or maybe two - decisions that changed them all. Told in alternating time lines, we learn of the youth and later lives of two Irish girls transported to Boston in the late fifties, one quiet but bossy older sister there to meet her pledged husband, who she doesn't love, and the other a flighty teenager who loves lipstick and dances and all things American. The paths of their lives are not at all what they imagined when they arrived in America, but may well be exactly where they are meant to be. The estrangement that comes as a result of one decision is heartbreaking, and the forced reunion is appropriately awkward and bittersweet. The tragedy that results from the second decision is a bit more subtle but even more devastating in its result. I love how the title here really does describe the book (you'll get it eventually!!). I felt the ending was a bit abrupt, but the story is beautifully done and the relationships are real. Sisters, siblings, mothers and favorite sons, mothers and daughters - this is a story of relationships, secrets and belonging. I was not a fan of The Engagements by this author, but after this one (thank you for the encouragement Sally!) I will forever give authors a second chance!!!!!
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