Sister Mine

A Novel

By: Tawni O'Dell

Narrated by: Renee Raudman

“Tawni O’Dell is a great American storyteller. Sister Mine is hilarious and poignant; the details glitter like King Coal from a writer who knows it well. This is a story of family, friendship, and how secrets can bury us or redeem us....In the gifted hands of Tawni O’Dell, you can bet on redemption.” (Adriana Trigiani, author of Home to Big Stone Gap)

Shae-Lynn Penrose drives a cab in a town where no one needs a cab - but plenty of people need rides. A former police officer with a closet full of miniskirts, a recklessly sharp tongue, and a tendency to deal with men by either beating them up or taking them to bed, she has spent years carving out a life for herself and her son in Jolly Mount, Pennsylvania, the tiny coal-mining town where she grew up. Two years ago, five of Shae-Lynn’s miner friends were catapulted to media stardom when they were rescued after surviving four days trapped in a mine. As the men struggle to come to terms with the nightmarish memories of their ordeal, along with the fallout of their short-lived celebrity, Shae-Lynn finds herself facing harsh realities and reliving bad dreams of her own, including her relationship with her brutal father, her conflicted passion for one of the miners, and the hidden identity of the man who fathered her son.

When the younger sister she thought was dead arrives on her doorstep, followed closely by a gun-wielding Russian gangster, a shady New York lawyer, and a desperate Connecticut housewife, Shae-Lynn is forced to grapple with the horrible truth she discovers about the life her sister’s been living, and with one ominous question: Will her return result in a monstrous act of greed or one of sacrifice?

Tawni O’Dell’s trademark blend of black humor, tenderness, and a keen sense of place is evident once again as Shae-Lynn takes on past demons and all-too-present dangers.

©2007 Tawni O'Dell (P)2007 Books on Tape

Critic reviews

"Terrific." (Publishers Weekly)

“Bitterly poignant in places, it’s also a rollicking good read - and Shae-Lynn’s richly drawn character resonates long after her final wisecrack.” (People)

“Tawni O’Dell’s energy bursts off the page. Sister Mine is one of those novels that insist on being read, front to back, as fast as possible.” (Boston Globe)

"This is a masterfully unfolded, absolutely engrossing story as smart and sassy as it is wise." (Booklist)

Love this book

Tawni O’dell has written a wonderful book, which is both funny and deep. I read the book many years ago and have just listened to it on audio, and I still love it

Excellent!

If you could sum up Sister Mine in three words, what would they be?

Complex, gripping, poignant

What did you like best about this story?

I liked how the main character never pitied herself. She had every reason to and every reason to cast blame on lots of other people for the things that happened to her but she didn't. She was very interesting and unique.

Which character – as performed by Renee Raudman – was your favorite?

The main character

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Both. The way this book exposes the dynamics between the characters is pretty incisive and amazing.

Any additional comments?

Excellent, excellent book. Extremely well-written.

wonderful

I have never understood why Tawni O'Dell hasn't gotten the praise and recognition she so richly deserves. This is her third book I have listened to, and each one has left me so impressed by her characters, and her wonderful writing style. Her books are always set in the Pennsylvania coal country, and her writing brings real insight into the coal industry and the men who work it. Her books do touch on adult subject matter, but they do not dwell on it. I would highly recommend this book! The reader is dead on for the main character.

Great characters

I really enjoyed this book. The characreres were complex and interesting. The narrator was effective although I whsh she had been able to convey the grittiness of the setting a little more.

Tough and scrappy

"Sister Mine" is the story -- told in the first person -- of a tough and scrappy woman whose life has been shaped by her abusive father and the hard knocks she has absorbed and ultimately overcome. Shae Lynn takes care of everyone except herself, it seems, sacrificing health and happiness for everyone from her sister to her son to two young children at risk of being abandoned by their neglectful parents. In the end, Shae Lynn's goodness (mixed with a heapin' helpin' of grit and more than a little scheming of her own) leads to the happy ending you think she deserves. Well read, with just enough of a mild accent or changed tone to give each speaking character its own identity.

Sister Mine

VEry good book. Entertining and enjoyable.