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Sisters and Strangers
SISTERS Frances. Alice. Barbara. Three sisters who were raised together yet took such different paths. One into the glittering world of international society and sophisticated passion. One into a nightmare marriage that was destroying her body and soul. One into an independent career and an affair with a man whom she could not hope to marry.
AND STRANGERS
Now they had come together again—to discover how far they had drifted apart, yet how closely intertwined were their intimate feelings and perilous fates.
AND STRANGERS
Now they had come together again—to discover how far they had drifted apart, yet how closely intertwined were their intimate feelings and perilous fates.
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First published January 1, 1978
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 13, 2014
This novel was a mess of exposition wedged beside painfully contemplative and unnatural dialogue between characters; even breakfast talks turned into philosophical debates on the nature of men and women. The storyline should not have been boring but the writing was flat. Plainly, I don't think Miss Van Slyke is a very slick writer. This is most evident when she unceremoniously bumps off a leading character in one paragraph, in a horrifically violent fashion, for no other reason than for shock value in what is otherwise a very run-of-the-mill story. The effect of the death is explored in one chapter but no action is taken to find out more - there is barely any curiosity about the murderer, which again makes it clear that this was just a lazy literary trope she fell back on to spice up the narrative. Pointless is the word I would use to sum up this novel. There is not really a moral centre - innocents die, adulterers and abusive spouses live happily ever after - and you literally end where the book kicked off. You're left wondering what the point of it all was and feeling slightly ticked off that your time was wasted on this dry sojourn into the minds of characters who the author seemingly does not care very much about.
July 31, 2020
A complicated travesty of dire consequences. I discovered this gem many years prior to 1993, the dynamics of the sisters intrigued me, forcing us all as sisters to reexamine our own relationships.
For those unfamiliar with the author, here are some personal facts:
July 5, 1979
Helen Van Slyke, a successful advertising, cosmetics and fashion executive who became a best‐selling writer of romantic novels after she was 50 years old, died Tuesday night in New York Hospital after a brief illness. She would have been 60 the next Monday.
“A Necessary Woman,” vas published by Doubleday & Company and has appeared on best‐seller lists. Her novels have sold more than six million copies.
Mrs. Van Slyke's realistic yet romantic stories were about middle‐aged, uncertain and independent women. These women successfully come to terms with their professional and personal doubts after a succession of intricately plotted confrontations with their husbands, lovers, friends or relatives. The women lived, as did Mrs. Van Slyke, in comfortable surroundings on Park Avenue and in Key Largo, Fla.
“By trade and inclination, I'm a story‐teller, I have fulfilled a need for sentimental but realistic novels with characters, readers remember and with whom they can identify.”
On another occasion she said: “O.K., perhaps what I write is romantic, sentimental nonsense, but if two million or more people want to read it, that's important.”
Mrs. Van Slyke's other books were:
The Heart Listens
The Rich and the Righteous
All Visitors Must Be Announced” (published as “The Best People”),
The Mixed Blessing
The Best Place to Be (which appeared as a television series)
Always Is Not Forever
Sisters and Strangers
Helen Lenore Van Slyke was born in Washington on July 9, 1919. At 14 she began working for a newspaper and at about 19 she became fashion editor of The Washington Star. She was regarded as the youngest editor on a major American newspaper. She did not attend college. After leaving The Star, Mrs. Van Slyke held a string of executive jobs. She was beauty editor and promotion director for Glamour magazine, promotion .and advertising director for Henri Bendel and vice president and creative director for Norman, Craig & Kummel, an advertising agency.
Mrs. Van Slyke was president of the House of Fragrance in 1963, becoming one of the few women chief executives of corporations whose annual sales exceeded $1 million. The post from which she left to devote full‐time to writing was as vice president of creative activities at Helena Rubinstein's. Mrs. Van Slyke was also a president of the Fashion Group, 4,000‐member organization to help women in that industry.
“I wish that women in business would stop being self‐conscious about being women,” she said in 1963, “I wish they would take the chip off their shoulders and stop comparing themselves to men”.
Mrs. Van Slyke got into writing because after having been encouraged by Lawrence Ashmead, an editor at Doubleday whom she met at a party. She told him that some day she would write a book and he sent her some novels. After reading them, Mrs. Van Slyke told him Mr. Ashmead she could do better. He asked for an outline for a novel based on her own experiences. After writing her first book on weekends, Mrs. Van Slyke left her position to write full‐time.
Her marriage in 1946 to William Woodward Van Slyke ended in divorce in 1952.
For those unfamiliar with the author, here are some personal facts:
July 5, 1979
Helen Van Slyke, a successful advertising, cosmetics and fashion executive who became a best‐selling writer of romantic novels after she was 50 years old, died Tuesday night in New York Hospital after a brief illness. She would have been 60 the next Monday.
“A Necessary Woman,” vas published by Doubleday & Company and has appeared on best‐seller lists. Her novels have sold more than six million copies.
Mrs. Van Slyke's realistic yet romantic stories were about middle‐aged, uncertain and independent women. These women successfully come to terms with their professional and personal doubts after a succession of intricately plotted confrontations with their husbands, lovers, friends or relatives. The women lived, as did Mrs. Van Slyke, in comfortable surroundings on Park Avenue and in Key Largo, Fla.
“By trade and inclination, I'm a story‐teller, I have fulfilled a need for sentimental but realistic novels with characters, readers remember and with whom they can identify.”
On another occasion she said: “O.K., perhaps what I write is romantic, sentimental nonsense, but if two million or more people want to read it, that's important.”
Mrs. Van Slyke's other books were:
The Heart Listens
The Rich and the Righteous
All Visitors Must Be Announced” (published as “The Best People”),
The Mixed Blessing
The Best Place to Be (which appeared as a television series)
Always Is Not Forever
Sisters and Strangers
Helen Lenore Van Slyke was born in Washington on July 9, 1919. At 14 she began working for a newspaper and at about 19 she became fashion editor of The Washington Star. She was regarded as the youngest editor on a major American newspaper. She did not attend college. After leaving The Star, Mrs. Van Slyke held a string of executive jobs. She was beauty editor and promotion director for Glamour magazine, promotion .and advertising director for Henri Bendel and vice president and creative director for Norman, Craig & Kummel, an advertising agency.
Mrs. Van Slyke was president of the House of Fragrance in 1963, becoming one of the few women chief executives of corporations whose annual sales exceeded $1 million. The post from which she left to devote full‐time to writing was as vice president of creative activities at Helena Rubinstein's. Mrs. Van Slyke was also a president of the Fashion Group, 4,000‐member organization to help women in that industry.
“I wish that women in business would stop being self‐conscious about being women,” she said in 1963, “I wish they would take the chip off their shoulders and stop comparing themselves to men”.
Mrs. Van Slyke got into writing because after having been encouraged by Lawrence Ashmead, an editor at Doubleday whom she met at a party. She told him that some day she would write a book and he sent her some novels. After reading them, Mrs. Van Slyke told him Mr. Ashmead she could do better. He asked for an outline for a novel based on her own experiences. After writing her first book on weekends, Mrs. Van Slyke left her position to write full‐time.
Her marriage in 1946 to William Woodward Van Slyke ended in divorce in 1952.
February 15, 2020
OMG. I ran across this title on a bookshelf somewhere and decided to read it because when I was younger I loved sweeping soap opera style romances from the likes of Jackie Collins et. al. Mrs. Van Slyke didn't disappoint. All the main sisters were f!ck ups. How refreshing to open a book and not force myself into liking the oh so cliche heroine whose either a virgin or under the age of twenty five. This book has shade and it's flying fast and furious. They all make poor choices that lead to fire consequences even a couple of deaths that I didn't see coming.
I loved this book you might not and I don't care.
I loved this book you might not and I don't care.
April 17, 2017
Loved this book. It was a very open story about sisters that come together at their parents anniversary, but who find that they are so different, and since they haven't kept in touch with each other, it is like getting to know each other all over again.....It is very good, and keeps your interest throughout! Anoth winner by Helen Van Slyke and I have all of her books, and will always keep them, as I like to re-read them every once in a while.
May 29, 2010
A very good modeern tale of 3 sisters, lots of surprises. Not my favorite genre - I like historical fiction best.
April 20, 2021
I realize that it's a bit of a cop-out to give this a two-star, "it-was-okay" rating. There were things I hated about it. There was nothing I was crazy about. But still, I found it oddly compelling. Like an accident from which I can't look away.
Mrs. Van Slyke can't write dialogue at all. People just don't talk to each other this way.
I know this was a modern novel when it was written, so I can overlook the attitudes that some of the characters have about what is "decent" and "proper". But wow, talk about beating a dead horse.
Mrs. Van Slyke can't write dialogue at all. People just don't talk to each other this way.
I know this was a modern novel when it was written, so I can overlook the attitudes that some of the characters have about what is "decent" and "proper". But wow, talk about beating a dead horse.
November 26, 2023
DNF pagina 235. Ho trascinato questa lettura per un mese, pur di non ammettere che è totalmente anacronistico e lontano dai miei gusti. Ora mi tocca farlo: storia senza una direzione, tre sorelle che si ritrovano ad avere lo stesso sangue per caso, storie d'amore e private stereotipate e farcite di perbenismo ipocrita americano dell'epoca in cui è stato scritto, con slutsh@ming e omophobi@ a tutto spiano.
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August 19, 2022God
March 1, 2016
PB-B @ 1978, 9/1978.
October 19, 2011
Three sisters meet after 25 years to celebrate their parents' 50th anniversary.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews