This month at the Wet Noodle Posse we’re blogging about sisters and today I’m discussing my sisters there. Last week our Q and A day asked what “Sister” movies were favorites. “Our” Louisa Cornell mentioned Sense & Sensibility.
I watched Sense & Sensibility a couple of nights ago, the Emma Thompson/Kate Winslet version, and agree it is a wonderful sister movie. When Eleanor sobs over Marianne’s sickbed, begging her not to leave her alone, I cried, too.
Eleanor and Marianne were such true-to-life sisters, sometimes being hurtful to each other, other times fiercely supporting each other. In Marianne’s grief over Willoughby, she still tries her best to foster Edward’s attachment to Eleanor, not knowing that Lucy is the impediment.
Pride & Prejudice is another “sister” movie. Elizabeth and Jane are very close and, unlike Eleanor and Marianne, no sharp words pass between them. Lizzie, who is the opposite of Lydia, tries to convince her father not to allow Lydia to go to Brighton, showing her concern for even the most frivolous sister.
Jane Austen was very close to her sister Cassandra. Her relationship to Cassandra was perhaps the most important in her life. It is no wonder she writes about sisters.
The wonder is, why don’t I? I’m the youngest of three sisters. My mother was one of three sisters. Her sister had three daughters. Because we moved around a lot, my sisters and I were often our only companions. My year and a half older sister was my closest relationship growing up.
But my books don’t explore sisterhood. Most of my heroines don’t have sisters (Morgana in A Reputable Rake; Rose in Innocence and Impropriety; Marlena in The Vanishing Viscountess). Or the sisters are estranged (Maddie from The Mysterious Miss M and her sister Emily in The Wagering Widow; Lydia in Scandalizing the Ton)
Do you think Jane Austen accurately represents sisters in her books?
What other books or movies are good “sister” stories?
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I am fond of Eloisa James’s four books featuring the Essex sisters. I find the womens’ relationships in the novels to be very natural & fun.
Oh, Diane, I LOVE your wedding pic! You all look like you’re at a beautiful garden party. 🙂
I do enjoy reading about sisters (maybe because I don’t have any?) and find I end up writing about them quite a bit, though I’m not sure I get it “right.”
I’m the middle of three sisters, also moved around a lot and have not written any sister characters. I was rather dramatically disowned by one sister this year so that may show up in my fiction about twenty-five years from now, LOL.
Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman is a good sister story, and so is the film, which is much more cutesy than the book but good in its own way.
Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen is a sweet sister story.
I’m blanking on historical romance sisters. Help me out!
It is actually Elinor and Eleanor in the book.
I think Jane Austen did a good job at writing about sisters, but I also think that her relationship with Cassandra really fueled that.
I think today we might not be as close with our sisters. My one sister looks at me as nothing but competition and really refuses to have a relationship with me.
The other sister and I talk, but she seems more content to be with her man and her job and her dog.
I think families aren’t as close as they use to be. But perhaps that’s just mind.
Diane, how cute you all look in that photo!!
I didn’t have a sister and always wanted one. So I love sisters in books. Lisa Kleypas latest historical series has sisters.
Just discovered Tessa’s guesting here on Wednesday. Awesome!!
Note about the wedding photo. Those are “Regency” dresses before I even knew Regency existed!!
Jane Austen, I ought to have looked up the spelling! How sad that your sister sees you as competition.
Jane George, it breaks my heart that your sister would disown you. Doesn’t she know how precious you are? We do!!!
My sisters and I are not close in many ways, but never would I disown them or begrudge their success!
Here’s to Sisters of the Pen. 🙂
Speaking of family drama, I heard there’s going to be a TV series based on the film, Parenthood. Will you folks with TVs let me know if it’s good?
And that wedding photo is adorable!
One of my favourite sister books and movies is Little Woman I am the eldest of 4 girls as well and this movie is always special to me and I also loved Eloisa James’s Essex sisters books.
Have Fun
Helen
I’m the youngest and only girl out of four children, and my brothers were all in their teens when I was born. I never wanted a sister, but I often wished my brothers were close to my age!
Now that I think of it, I’ve written several characters who were the only child of their gender, or at least in the minority, in their family. I have a hero in my WIP series who I wanted to be a younger son so he wouldn’t be saddled with assorted heir’s responsibilities…so I made him youngest of seven children, and the only other boy was the eldest, so the siblings he’s close to are his sisters. And he’s going to marry a woman who’s the only girl out of six surviving children. She had an older sister who died when my heroine was a baby, and there’s some bitterness between my heroine and her mother because the heroine was no kind of replacement for her beautiful, ultra-feminine dead sister.
I’m wondering if I need to give one of the new heroines I’m developing for a future WIP a sister or two, just to keep myself from being stuck in the same pattern! The very first story I finished as an adult was a Lois & Clark fanfic where I gave them three daughters because I was so sick of “Superman’s Son” stories. My stories starred the middle child, the only one born without superpowers, and I got several fan letters that were SURE I must be a middle child and must have sisters! I’m not sure I’ve ever gotten a compliment on my writing that pleased me more…
Helen and Zara, thanks for mentioning Eloisa’s Essex books.
And Little Women!
Susan, that was a compliment!
Love the pic, Diane! You all look so happy.
You made me realize that nearly all my heroines have brothers, but not sisters. Hmmm…having grown up with sisters, maybe I find the idea of brothers more exotic? Have to think about it!