Synopsis

A Book Sense selection in hardcover, Sister Salty, Sister Sweet is a deeply personal and yet wickedly candid memoir from two sisters who came of age in the 80s and 90s. Shannon and Natalie Kring grew up in rural Wisconsin, in a house full of strong characters. Natalie's arrival meant the spotlight was no longer on Shannon, and she reacted by becoming "a handful." Shannon did everything in her power to ensure that her younger sister always understood she came second. From the hierarchy of their Barbies to the hand-me-down clothes, the message to Natalie was clear. Shannon never had cause to envy Natalie's anonymity-until the older sister was finally confronted with a drama not of her own making.

The Kring sisters experienced the usual sibling ups and downs, sometimes not speaking to each other, sometimes bonding out of necessity. Everyone who has ever had a sibling-older, younger, brother, sister-will find echoes of their relationship in this story.

New for this edition is a Questions and Answers session with the sisters, perfect for reading group discussions.

I wasn't really expecting this to have some serious subject matter. I thought it would be mainly fun sister vs sister stuff, but it did have some things in it that I wasn't expecting. BUT those things shaped these two women's lives and made them who they are today to tell their story. It also reminded me a lot of my own sister. Oh, we hated each other, but when we get together, we always laugh about something from when we were kids - not the pizza stain on the ceiling, but the time I made her cry because I convinced she was from Mars or the time I got in trouble for trading her dimes for nickels (well, dimes are smaller and therefore worth more, sheesh!). If you have a sibling - and are sisters - you'll find a lot of heartwarming (and heartbreaking) stories in here. Give it a read.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Giving to Crystal, a friend, on loan

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Mailing to a member who requested it.

Manhattan: Received from a member of paperbackswap.com. Not sure what state she is in because I didn't see the bookcrossing label until a few days after I received it.