Sisters of Heart and Snow

3.5 It is always tricky when writing a story with two very different time lines, usually I end up liking one way than the other In this case I likes them both and they complimented each other very well Present day finds two sisters trying to regain a relationship to help their mother who is in a convalescent center, remembers very little and is fading fast In one of her normal moments she asks her daughter to find a book that is in her sewing room This starts a journey onto the past, back to th [...]

Did you really think I d rate my own book baby anything fewer than 5 stars

I liked Tomoe s story resulting in my two star rating, otherwise a one star read Didn t care for the layout of the book Way too predictable and was your standard overplayed contemporary genre of a troubled family, fractured sister relationship been written at least a thousand times, nothing original here Combining the dual narratives was a huge mistake If you need the secondary plot to backup your themes as well as support the consequent plot you know you re in trouble especially when the backup [...]

I was a little hesitant on reading this book I ll tell you why later I m kicking myself right now just thinking of the reason I want to run and hide This novel was a nice contrast to the book I previously finished It read smoothly, it flowed and weaved it s way into my heart If I didn t have so much going on in my life I would have read it even quicker than I did Now, let s get on with the reviewMargaret Dilloway tells the story of two modern day sisters as well as giving us the story of Tomoe a [...]

A fascinating and beautifully written story of two estranged sisters who are trying to reconcile and the secret history of a female samurai dating back to twelfth century Japan revealed to them by their dying mother.

I was lucky to receive an ARC of this smartly written and highly engaging novel weaving together two time periods in two countries In modern day San Diego we have sisters Rachel and Drew Snow In twelfth century Japan it s female samurai Tomoe Gozen though that s not accurate, as technically the word samurai can only apply to males Many books including my own combine multiple time periods but I found this a wholly unique take The sisters are flawed and believable and Tomoe s world is fascinating [...]

Sisters of Heart and SnowByMargaret DillowayThe main and most important characters in this bookThe most interesting characters are sisters Rachel and Drew Snow and their father Killian and their Japanese mother Haruki There are also characters from a book that Haruki ownedincipally Tomoe and her family This book is sort of an epic saga of Tomoe s life in twelfth century Japan where she was a samurai warrior as well as a concubine My very brief story summary that includes bits and bobs from the b [...]

Predictable Awkward Strained.I was crushed reading this book, I was anticipating a captivating read and was beyond disgruntled.I felt as if I was reading two very differing books with a blurred line connecting the two separate stories forcing a linkage I enjoyed Tomoe s story, however, it s vastly different from the main story, it comes across as misplaced and or awkward, almost an afterthought trying to emphasize a connection virtually invisible between the two plots and characters.I understand [...]

An interesting novel written with chapters that alternate between the story of two present day sisters and their dysfunctional family, and the historical female samurai Tomoe Gozen The intriguing mystery is how the two narratives are related, the character development is based on how the sisters reading Tomoe s life story changes their lives and their relationship.The author does a great job taking us back and forth in time both in each sisters life and in Tomoe s I personally found the samurai [...]

LOVED this beautifully written book The past and present are expertly weaved together as two sisters attempt, through a book about an ancient Japanese warrior, to uncover the past of their dementia ridden mother,and in the process ending up learning lessons about themselves and their complicated relationship.

4.5 stars So beautiful and hard to put down I loved the Japanese historical storyline as much we the contemporary one Tales of distraught unhappy families and women both weal and strong Prepare to buy this one 4 7 15

I like this story of a half Asian family with ties to a medieval Japanese legend, but I struggled to get into the story for the first third After a slow start the plot involves a lot of history both historical events and the personal background of the characters that has to be explained before the book really starts to flow It s a good family story, with an emotionally abusive father who won t change and a mother battling dementia and carrying secrets from her own past The novel isn t perfect, b [...]

Simply wonderful A good mix of contemporary and historical fiction Two modern day sisters grow closer together as they try to figure out their mother s past Meanwhile, they are reading a book their mother owned about a 12th century samurai woman, Tomoe Gozen I found the 12th century Japanese history fascinating in addition to the storyline Although the contemporary antagonist is a bit two dimensional, it was ok Overall just wonderful AND a librarian love interest I just loved Drew s descriptions [...]

First i d like to say thanks to Penguin Random House Canada and Margaret Dilloway for giving me the book as first read through the giveaways I truly appreciate it.I always been fascinated with Japanese stories and Samurai, so when i saw it was included in the story, i was thrilled I related to the whole story Japanese and the main story in multiple ways I am a disowned daughter, just like Rachel in the story, so it touched me in a way that i did not expect as i did not know she was disowned.The [...]

The award winning author of How to Be an American Housewife returns with a poignant story of estranged sisters, forced together by family tragedy, who soon learn that sisterhood knows no limits Rachel and Drew Snow may be sisters, but their lives have followed completely different paths Married to a wonderful man and a mother to two strong minded teens, Rachel hasn t returned to her childhood home since being kicked out by her strict father after an act of careless teenage rebellion Drew, her yo [...]

This is an absolutely beautifully written book Sometimes the words just took my breath away The Snow sisters, Rachel and Drew, are very different from each other and have fought a lot throughout their lives But now they are drawn together as their mother, Haruki, falls deeper and deeper into the depths of dementia The sisters are united in ensuring their mother continues to get the best care possible, while their father Killian is only concerned about the expense During one of Rachel s visit wit [...]

Dilloway has done it again She captured my attention from the cover precursor of what was to come hard, cold, steely image entwined with soft fragile flowers The characters of both caliber found inside Told from points of views from strong women, one of the twelfth century Japan and sisters from present day San Diego Sisters of Heart and Snow is a wonderful story of family drama, sisterhood love and motherhood When Hikari, mother of Rachel and Drew, requested the book, the sisters are somewhat b [...]

This book really took me by surprise Though it s listed as a mystery, it is of a family drama, blended together with the twelfth century story of a female warrior in Japan who some claim is a legend and others insist is actual Both storylines which fit together quite nicely have an authentic feel to them and each of the characters really come to life This is all the impressive because I have often seen in books that blend a contemporary storyline with a historical one that the two are not alwa [...]

One of the best books I ve ever read I could not put it down Sisters Drew and Rachael Snow haven t been close since they were kids When their mother, Hakiri, begins to mentally and physically deteriorate, they are brought together again to keep Killian, their mentally abusive father, from regaining power of attorney over Hakiri Hakiri s failing mind locks up secrets from her past in Japan, as well as the answer to why she has a hand written, antique book about the famous female samurai Tomeo Goz [...]

I received an ARC through NetGalley My true rating is 4.5.I prefer print books so accessrd the ebook to decide if I even wanted to fool with it I accessed it about 2pm on Good Friday and the next time I stopped reading except for about an hour to transfer the ebook from my PC to iPad was at 3am on Saturday When I finished the book I had no opinion on the quality of writing, plot or character development, etc I just knew I couldn t stop reading until I finished the book.The story is about contemp [...]

Rachel and Drew, sisters, were born to a Japanese mail order bride and a wealthy, controlling father Rachel was loved and paraded by her father when setting swim records, but after a shoulder injury and getting involved in boys and drinking, she was basically disowned by him She has created a good life with a good husband and two kids Drew, her sister, managed to navigate the family waters and is an exceptional viola player but can t seem to get her life together Their mother spends nearly all h [...]

In Sisters of Heart and Snow, award winning author Margaret Dilloway has written a novel not just about sisters but about how family relationships and dynamics shape us as adults Normal families are a myth that U.S society works very hard to perpetuate All families are quirky and dysfunctional to some extent it s just a matter of degrees My favorite thing to say is that even Ozzie Harriet weren t the Ozzie and Harriet people saw as the perfect 1950 s family on TV Becoming conscious of and coming [...]

This started off weirdly with a story from feudal Japan But I kept reading, and it eventually made sense that story alternates with one in present day I enjoyed this book, but it had too many contrivances, plot holes, and other issues I chose this for my book club because I really liked Dilloway s earlier book, How to Be an American Housewife Unfortunately, this wasn t as good.

Another great book from Margaret Dilloway Her characters always feel so real to me The characterizations are layered and flaws are evident, but you still love or love to hate the people she creates I really liked the blending of the modern day sister story with the ancient Japanese one A highly readable and thoroughly enjoyable novel

Most dual time novels has a clear story link between the contemporary and the historical In Sisters of Heart and Snow the link was fuzzy at bestd felt like an afterthought While I enjoyed reading the story and it kept me engaged I do agree with several reviewers who indicated the novel was predictable.

Although an entertaining read, there were too many undeveloped or extreme characters, unfilled plot holes, and saccharine dialogue to make this an excellent read Interesting book club discussion, though

Mm mm.t my favorite Dilloway book I didn t like the paralle story line For the most part I just skip over it The modern day story line, taking place in San Diego, Ca is what got the 3 stars.

Loved it.

I loved learning about the female samurai but I loved how the focus was on family and the ties that bind us but sometimes drive us apart.

A touching story of what makes us family and how we overcoming hardships from growing up I didn t want to put this story down It was lovely.