Loved this book. Read it twice the same year. ( )

This was quite a haunting book; one of the few adult novels I've forayed into. The characters and relationships were very well done and well narrated though, and the story stayed with me a long time.

The Sisters Mortland is the story of, what else, three sisters, living in an abandoned English abbey. There is Julia, the gorgeous, sexy eldest daughter with a wild streak; Finn, the bookish middle sister with the most level personality and mind; and Maisie, the youngest, who is quiet, has a mild mental disorder from a childhood accident, and can see the ghosts of the nuns who still haunt the abbey.

The story builds slowly, twining from one perspective to another as months and years pass. Along the way, the three sisters have a constantly shifting relationship, and they interact with each other in amazingly subtle, complex, and real ways. And then there are the men of their lives, growing with them from teens to adulthood; Lucas, the handsome and experienced artist; Daniel, the soft-spoken son of gypsies who has known each sister since childhood; and Daniel's friend Nick, a studying medical student. All of them, along with many others, are connected by strings both thin and thick, bonds of friendship, family, betrayal, love, and heritage. The story spans years, and it's amazing to watch each character grow and change so fully over that time.

The relationships are probably the best part, although by no means are they warm and fuzzy. That's just it; they're painfully, beautifully real. My perception of almost all the characters changed; it's unlikely that the characters you choose as favorites at the beginning will still be favorites at the end, and vice versa (except Daniel, that's all I'm saying.) All in all, it was a powerful novel, definitely not for those who want things light. But it was well worth reading in the end. ( )

What a good read! The processes of becoming acquainted with the characters and working out what happened was well maintained to the end of the book. ( )

Family mysteries told in tantalising layers. The book became more compelling as the story progressed. I found the male characters easier to understand than the sisters but this was the only element that made me hesitate to give it the four stars it might have deserved. ( )

OK. It's very readable and it's hard to put your finger on what it is that makes this so clearly a romantic not a literary novel. The people aren't unexpected, I suppose.