Review: The Wednesday Sisters

I came home yesterday with an armful of new books, relishing the thought of sitting down and choosing which one to read first. When I opened the cover of The Wednesday Sisters and read the first paragraph of the book jacket, the decision was made.

"Friendship, loyalty, and love lie at the heart of Meg Waite Clayton's beautifully written, poignant, and sweeping novel of five women who, over the course of four decades, come to redefine what it means to be family."

This kind of book is an easy sell for me...women and friendship, told through years and life changes. It's all just right up my alley. It may be a clichéd premise...but it's one that I'm unabashedly drawn to again and again.

As the novel opens, five women find themselves drawn together in a neighborhood park, bonds forming as they watch over their children and then strengthening as they develop a weekly writing group. Putting words to paper has different effects on each woman, but the excercise teaches them more about each other than coffee conversation ever could. Years pass, celebration and heartache come and go (such is life), and the writing continues.

I started reading this morning and read straight through the day, finishing the final pages with chill bumps on my legs and tears in my eyes. It's truly a wonderful read.

Note: The author graciously excerpted a bit of my review on her blog. Click here to see what other bloggers had to say about the book.