Book Review: The Wednesday Sisters
Friday, August 14th, 2009
This summer I knew that I’d have about a million hours riding in the van to fill, and with my kids strapped down and unable to get into trouble (ha ha), I figured I just might have a chance to read something. A novel, maybe.
I set the bar high and bought a copy of The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton. It didn’t look too intimidating…it contains only 284 pages divided into smallish chapters. I had clicked through a Google ad for the book at the top of my email screen one day and found that I could really identify with the idea of it, so I put it on my reading list.
The Wednesday Sisters is about stay-at-home-moms; housewives; women. It explores the idea that sometimes moms want more than to just be moms and we see the characters develop as they search for what it is, exactly, that they want to accomplish, then work toward those goals. These women share their aspirations through writing, each in their own style, and in the process of revealing themselves to the other characters in the book, they reveal themselves to the reader.
This book was a good vacation read. Not too heavy, enough details to keep the story moving, and very believable as something that could happen (or, did happen) in real life.
I would have liked to see the story go on for a bit longer…it seems to have been wrapped up so quickly at the end and it just seemed too abrupt.
My favourite thing about The Wednesday Sisters was all of the references to other literary works, and the way that each character’s favourite book said so much about her as a person. I love it that the end of the book includes not only an interview with Meg Waite Clayton that touches on this subject, but also a reading list mentioning every book that was “spoken” of in this novel. Hopefully one day I’ll be able to make my way through this list, and then come back and read The Wednesday Sisters again, seeing the characters in a whole new light.
My recommendation: Borrow it from the library if you get a chance. 
