They'd give up everything to dance on stage, but could they lose each other?
London's East End, 1934. Eighteen-year-old twins Marie and Vesta Haskins work at the local shoe factory to bring in a few pennies for the family, but they've never given up on their dream of treading the boards in the West End. When a brand new East End club opens its doors, the girls audition for the show and are over the moon to land two nights a week with their cabaret act. But little do they realise that the villainous Scoresby brothers are using the club as a front for a very different line of business.
Seeing what is going on behind the smoke and lights of the stage, sensible Marie vows to leave her job at the club before it is too late, but headstrong Vesta has fallen for the Scoresby's handsome right-hand man, Teddy, and unwittingly leads her whole family into the Scoresby's clutches. Will Marie be able to save her family from disaster? Or will Vesta's determination to become a star tear the Haskins family apart?
London's East End, 1934. Eighteen-year-old twins Marie and Vesta Haskins work at the local shoe factory to bring in a few pennies for the family, but they've never given up on their dream of treading the boards in the West End. When a brand new East End club opens its doors, the girls audition for the show and are over the moon to land two nights a week with their cabaret act. But little do they realise that the villainous Scoresby brothers are using the club as a front for a very different line of business.
Seeing what is going on behind the smoke and lights of the stage, sensible Marie vows to leave her job at the club before it is too late, but headstrong Vesta has fallen for the Scoresby's handsome right-hand man, Teddy, and unwittingly leads her whole family into the Scoresby's clutches. Will Marie be able to save her family from disaster? Or will Vesta's determination to become a star tear the Haskins family apart?
A Sisters Shame is all about how the bonds of family can not easily be broken by love or disaster. Carol Rivers' world building brought life in London's East Ends relate-able and the lives of Marie and Vesta to life.
The characters also had a lot of depth to them s I felt like I knew them on a personal level. The dark, mischievous lives of the Scoresby brothers contrasted greatly to the more comfortable but equally as ambitious lives of Marie and Vesta and I felt really connected to them and their supportive family. To me, this book warns that although ambition is a really good thing to have in times of need, it can also be the end of what you once had, as Marie and Vesta find out. The references to the twins' father Hector Haskins' career pointed out that once you reach the top, the only way to go is down which, although a very grim message, is one that is transferable to life now.
A dual narrative is one of my favourite parts of many of the books I have read, and this one is no different. Not only is the story told from Marie's point of view, we also hear about the pressures on Teddy, the desires and thoughts of Vesta, and the eagerness to help from Bing and Whippet and his monkey Kaiser.
This book is entertaining to read, fast-paced and so gripping you won't want to put it down. When it finally comes to an end, you'll be calling for an encore!
Please comment suggestions on how I could improve my reviews or which books I should review next. xXx The delayed 'Beauty Edit' originally for Tuesday should be up by tomorrow x
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