Eleanor Brown weaves a tale that would make the bard proud in The Weird Sisters. It is a novel about the struggles of coming home, hiding secrets, facing disappointments, and finding a little piece of yourself which may have been lost from the treasured moments of childhood.
Rose, Bean, and Cordelia each have a name to live up too. “We wear our names heavily. And though we have tried to escape their influence, they have seeped into us, and we find ourselves living their patterns again and again.” It is the patterns of their name which they try to break free of in order move forward in their life. 
As a child growing up I remember reading the meaning of each of my sisters names the oldest meaning Pure Maiden, the middle Little Princess, and by the time I came along I was named the Dark One.
I have always been in awe of my oldest sisters always graceful, elegant, and smart. They each followed their own life paths which have led them great successes. I was always sauntering behind to catch-up…
As the dark one it is with this I could relate more to the youngest sibling Cordelia’s bohemian qualities the need to escape to travel and life the on the road. It was away to distinguish herself in her own right and stumble upon many more of her own quirky foibles.
One of the many things that I loved about this novel is sometimes it is okay to let our guard down and share our deepest secrets with the ones that already know us best. The Weird Sisters capture the awkward family dynamics, the strength in sisterhood, and the ability to rediscover yourself. It is a truly worth while read which will have you laughing and crying through some of their many challenging moments.
Does your name have meaning? Have you ever questioned your parents judgement in your name? Also check out more about The Weird Sisters at BlogHer Book Club and join in on the lively discussions!
This was a paid review for BlogHer Book Club but the opinions expressed are my own.
Q: Does your name have meaning?
A: Yes. *sigh*
Q: Have you ever questioned your parents judgement in your name?
A: Yes. Many times. They stood by their decision. *sigh* So I go by a nickname most of the time.
And weirdly enough, I got this book last week to begin reading this week. Now that I see there is a “Bean” in it, I’m really intrigued.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did:) So what is the meaning behind your name?
I’m named for my grandmothers– one name from each of them– always used together so as to not upset either of them. It was such a drag as a kid to be burdened with two names– frequently misspelled or misunderstood.
I’m much more of an Ally than my given names.
I like ally it is very cool name
It sounds like your parents were trying to keep everyone happy and maintain the peace. I bet they have very kind hearts!
I’d like to read this book! My name means “dark lady,” and I have always liked my mom’s choice (she got to name the girls and dad named the boys). With the name Melanie, most people assume it came from Gone With the Wind. I was actually named for a character in another movie, The River. The character named Melanie was half-Indian, half-English. I think she died a tragic death in the end!
I am fascinated with the meanings of names!
I think you would really enjoy this book Mel! It was a very good read
I love that you are the Dark Lady and I am the Dark One! LOL! Who knew? Is the River the movie with Marilyn Monroe?
I’m going to have to check this book out – I only have one brother, so I don’t know that I’ll be able to relate directly, but family dynamics are always interesting and this sounds like a good read.
thanks!
It`s a great read and I love how it is done in first plural! I hope you enjoy it
Families have any issues and the dynamics is sometimes the best part!
My father named me after singer Andra Willis on the Lawrence Welk Show. He thought she was hot.
In Swedish, the word Andra translates into English as ‘other.’ I’ve always felt like that fit me.
I love how your father came about your name! I was watching a rerun the other night – it seemed like a much more quieter time
Dark one.. I like that… I remember always looking up the meaning of my and my friends names when I was little. I also remember thinking about all the people I know that shared the same name. So many of them shared the same types of personality traits, so I always wondered if the name makes the person…. I loved this book!
I wonder that too sometimes – my mother was a school teacher and was very adamant that certain names were trouble…I suspect there is something to that
I loved your interpretation of the book, and made me think about differences in my personality and that of my two sisters (I am the eldest). We are all very different, each having completely different likes and dislikes. And though we’ve had problems along the way, as we’ve matured, we’ve grown closer together.
I do not know what my name means. But now I really want to know!
~Virginia
I think we should look it up! I think as sisters we grow older and mature in different ways….It`s always best to live the past in the past
Leaving the past in the past is always the best and right thing to do.
Yes it is
–Thank you for the great review.
I shall def. order this book. Thanks !! Xx
Thanks! I hope you enjoy it
I sometimes think my mom chose my name because she knew one day we would live in a country where people could actually pronounce it properly. Growing up in Germany my friends and I always ended up correcting people on the pronunciation of my name… they always used the German one instead of the proper English one!!!!
I like your name – did people sing Susi Q to you when growing up?
My name means “Princess”… fitting, no? Questioned my parents judgement? Noooo, I think I was aptly named. Of course, I’m a bit more like Princess Fiona than say…. Snow White.
It suits you perfectly
Princess Fiona is pretty cool!
My name means “place where the curly-haired people dwell.” Yeah, inspirational…
LOL! Do you have curly hair?
I always thought my mom selected my name from the side of a diaper truck (on which there was a list of names) the day I was born. I knew she selected my name because she liked how it sounded. The diaper truck part was some mistaken assumption on my part. I’ve always loved that the selection of my name wasn’t weighted to any great meaning or person to live up to. I liked the freedom of it and was reminded of that when I read your description of Cordelia:
“It was away to distinguish herself in her own right and stumble upon many more of her own quirky foibles.”
It’s funny our perceptions of ourselves. You strike me as nothing like the Dark One.
I can’t even seem to get through the junkiest of books these days, but your summary of The Weird Sisters kinda has me thinking maybe I’d like to give it a shot.
I love your name it has a very classical sound too it! You should definitely give it a go it is a good way to pass a cold snowy day
Funny that I should see this today. I actually so the book cover yesterday when I was browsing B&N online for new nookbooks. I wondered what it was about, but didn’t bother looking into it. I’m glad you posted about. I’ll put it on my ever-growing to-read list.
Yay! Let me know if you enjoyed it
Yes, my name is Scottish/Gaelic origins — it was originally a very prominent Scottish clan surname. As a girl it means “holly garden”, or can also mean “of the gray castle/fortress”. The spirityual meaning is “calm spirit”, which is a bit odd to me, given Scottish temperment. LOL
My mother named me after an American actress – so of course, I think that is very cool.
I actually just bought this book on the weekend. What drew me was the father had named his daughters after Shakespeare’s heroines; I thought that would make their characters very interesting. I can’t wait to read it.
My Mother loves that name! I love it’s meanings and it would be very cool to be named after a hollywood actress. I suspect I was named after a hockey player…LOL!
It was one of my favorite things I loved about the novel was the quotes from Shakespeare, the bookish family, and the dynamics of each of the daughters. It’s the names which they attempt to live up too. I hope you enjoy it! Please let me know
My name means “honeybee”. If I were to break myself down and think about it I guess it could be true…I can be covered in sweetness, but at times capable of a nasty sting.
I was named after the Allman brothers song, Sweet Melissa. My father, who loved that song, didn’t really want to name me Melissa because he didn’t want anyone to call me Missy. I never learned why. So, of course, my mother called me Missy from day one.
I think it is the perfect name for you! And what a sweet story behind the name
My Mother would have done the exact same thing!
Sounds a beautiful book, Belle: I must check it out.
Thanks Kate! I know you are a true lover of literature and I think you would enjoy it
Sounds like a good one – must look into it for my new book club! I was less than impressed when I saw that my own name meant “feminine of Patrick” Nice.
Actually “Patricia” seems closer to the Latin – means “of the nobility” and now that I’m married, my last name means “emperor” So watch your manners around me.
You definitely should look into – it offers a wide variety of discussion topics and I think you would enjoy it
I will have to becareful about the way I serve my tea! Is it okay if I don’t have good china?
My last name is Russian for parsley. Beyond that, there’s no other meaning.
Hah! I bet you make a great salad
One’s name is the sound that one hears the most in one’s life. Each word has its own vibration and each vibration affects us both individually and in groups. Some names have similar vibrations to other names and tend to affect the people who hear them in a similar way. It is not surprising that hearing the same vibration all your life would affect your mood and therefore, eventually, your personality. Our ancestors were always careful not to “give a dog a bad name”, but were not always so careful in naming their children.
Hahaha! So very true
It’s funny I still remember the way my mom said my name whenever I was in trouble…
thank you for the recommendation! Definitely going to check this one out, after I get done with the 4, no wait 5, wait wait I am sure it is 6, ah 7 books that I am reading. Gaaaahh!
LOL! I know the feeling! I have an endless pile that keeps growing
Great post.
“We wear our names heavily. And though we have tried to escape their influence, they have seeped into us, and we find ourselves living their patterns again and again.” What a thought provoking statement. It is interesting that such an integral part of us, of who we are, is chosen for us by someone else, often before we were born, maybe even conceived. I’ll be thinking about this one for awhile.
You know there is so much in the name we give our children! We only hope for the best for them
Hey thanks for the book review and sharing BlogHer.
Going to find the book now. Thanks!
Yay! I hope you enjoy it! Also check-out BlogHer it is a fabulous community of female bloggers. You would fit right in