Shifting between present day and the late 1960s, two sisters confront their tragic past in Britton’s touching debut. Successful artist and gallery owner Lilli Niles is living her dream in Hampstead, England, when her older sister, Bea, calls from White Head, Mass., their childhood home, with bad news: Bea’s husband, Randall Marsh (whom Lilli has secretly loved her whole life), has died unexpectedly. Britton seamlessly alternates between the two eras to unravel a tale of rivalry, tragedy, love, and the corruptibility of truth. Setting her tale against the lush beauty of coastal New England Britton creates a touching, intricate account of painful memories that radically shape lives. Summary BPL

I wonder how many other readers were surprised to discover that, despite the young woman on the cover, the two main characters spend at least half of the novel at the respective ages of 59 and 68! I’m fine with that; it’s not often one comes across protagonists in that age group. Bea and Lilli, touchy, independent women, have reached the stage in their lives, lived apart for forty years, where circumstances give them the opportunity to unburden and reconcile. The Nile family has more than its share of tragedies yet each is plausible.

Ms Britton gives us a tangled tale of the toll secrecy, jealousy and lack of communication exact on the lives of adult siblings. A nice touch: Lilli has a successful career in London as an artist but I got the impression that her paintings had more decorative value than artistic substance. She is not a “great” painter, the inference being that this is at least partially due to her unresolved family issues. I like that….seems true.

7.5 out of 10 For sailing enthusiasts, and readers of domestic fiction featuring relationships among adult siblings. ( )

Betrayal leads to loss, subsequent resentment, and eventual estrangement. Two sisters experience events that tear them apart, sending them in different directions, living oceans and decades apart.

Unfortunately, as too often happens in life, it is a funeral that brings them back together. Finally, however hesitantly, one sister reaches out, and the other sister tentatively returns home. Both it is both sisters who need the healing of reconciliation. In the end, they realize they need each other.
Katharine Britton captures the emotions and the complex dynamics between sisters. She is both sensitive and wise in dealing with an intense familial issue. ( )

Her Sister’s Shadow by Katharine Britton is aptly titled given that Lilli Niles has always felt like she is living in the shadow of her “perfect” sister Bea. Bea takes on a guardianship role when Lilli is about 15 after their father dies and their mother loses touch with reality. Lilli resents her “perfect” sister’s hold over the family and is even more angry about how Bea lords it over her when she wins crew races and is considered perfect by her mother. Couple all of that resentment with hormones of adolescence and you can imagine the volatility.

Told in alternating chapters between the past and the present when Lilli returns to White Head, Mass., after 30 years when her sister Bea calls and needs her, Her Sister’s Shadow vividly tells a story of healing after a significant rift between sisters. Readers will feel the angst of a young Lilli who has just discovered boys and wants to grow up more quickly and the awkwardness of Lilli and Bea who attempt to reconnect after 30 years.

Read the full review: http://savvyverseandwit.com/2011/10/her-sisters-shadow-by-katharine-britton.html ( )

Two sisters, whose only contact in the last forty years has been polite chit chat on the phone, are reunited for a funeral, but what drove them apart in the first place?

Lilli returns home to Massachusetts, a place she has avoided since she packed her bags and left in August of 1969. Now 2009, Lilli and her sister Bea struggle to re-connect at the funeral for Randall, Bea’s husband. Lilli’s return to her childhood home causes memories to flood back to her- some are good while others she would like to forget. Lilli wants to confront her sister but wavers when she realizes Bea is not who Lilli once thought she was…

Startling confessions and stark realizations fill the pages of this book! Anyone who grew up with a sister- older, younger or both- will understand that how one is viewed, is not always how they see themselves. A story that encompasses both past and present, bringing the two stories full circle to a dramatic end. A great read about family tragedies and the demons it leaves behind… ( )

This book was good, it just took some time for me to get into it. ( )