The Story Sisters

I really loved Alice Hoffman's The Red Garden, so I was very excited to begin another Hoffman novel, The Story Sisters. It is the story of three sisters whose bond is challenged and torn as each faces her own fate.
Elv, Claire, and Meg were once inseparable. When their parents divorce upturns everything in their lives, the sisters lean on each other in their own fantasy world. Created by Elv to escape her own secret horror, the world of Arnelle is a special place in which the sisters are safe and brave.
As the sisters grow, Elv struggles with her past and races recklessly towards a dangerous future. Sensible Meg seeks to separate herself from the make believe world of Arnelle, and Claire is torn between the sisters that she loves. The girls face anger, revenge, and tragedy as they discover themselves and create their lives in the real world.
I enjoyed this book, though not as much as The Red Garden. I found Elv to be extremely ingracious and irritating for early part of the book. However, you also feel for her when you learn the secret burden that she is carrying and the lengths she would go to protect her sisters. It was wonderfully written, and I was brought to tears. You want these girls to remain close so badly, and it is heartbreaking to see their lives change.
I do recommend The Story Sisters. It was dark and bewitching, but at the same time heartfelt and promising. It is a story about pain, and coming-of-age, but above all it is a story of the bond between sisters, daughters, and mothers.