The Sweeney Sisters: A Novel

by Lian Dolan Narrated by Brittany Pressley

Overview

An accomplished storyteller returns with her biggest, boldest, most entertaining novel yet-a hilarious, heartfelt story about books, love, sisterhood, and the surprises we discover in our DNA that combines the wit of Jonathan Tropper with the heart of Susan Wiggs.

Maggie, Eliza, and Tricia Sweeney grew up as a happy threesome in the idyllic seaside town of Southport, Connecticut. But their mother's death from cancer fifteen years ago tarnished their golden-hued memories, and the sisters drifted apart. Their one touchstone is their father, Bill Sweeney, an internationally famous literary lion and college professor universally adored by critics, publishers, and book lovers. When Bill dies unexpectedly one cool June night, his shell-shocked daughters return to their childhood home. They aren't quite sure what the future holds without their larger-than-life father, but they do know how to throw an Irish wake to honor a man of his stature.

But as guests pay their respects and reminisce, one stranger, emboldened by whiskey, has crashed the party. It turns out that she too is a Sweeney sister.

When Washington, DC based journalist Serena Tucker had her DNA tested on a whim a few weeks earlier, she learned she had a 50% genetic match with a childhood neighbor-Maggie Sweeney of Southport, Connecticut. It seems Serena's chilly WASP mother, Birdie, had a history with Bill Sweeney-one that has remained totally secret until now.

Once the shock wears off, questions abound. What does this mean for William's literary legacy? Where is the unfinished memoir he's stashed away, and what will it reveal? And how will a fourth Sweeney sister-a blond among redheads-fit into their story?

By turns revealing, insightful, and uproarious, The Sweeney Sisters is equal parts cautionary tale and celebration-a festive and heartfelt look at what truly makes a family.

This audiobook includes an episode of the Book Club Girl Podcast, featuring an interview with Lian Dolan about The Sweeney Sisters.

This heartwarming novel about sisterhood and family secrets is the perfect gift for any woman who loves a good story.

Whether you're looking for a stocking stuffer or a thoughtful present, The Sweeney Sisters is sure to delight.

HarperCollins 2024

Editorial Reviews

JUNE 2020 - AudioFile

In this contemporary novel about family and self-discovery narrated by Brittany Pressley, the three Sweeney sisters always knew their aloof father had secrets. However, upon the famous author’s death, they are shocked to uncover his deepest secret—there is a fourth sister. Clearly embodying each of the sisters’ unique personalities, Pressley deftly performs the four protagonists. Using textual clues, she believably presents their varying emotional responses to the months of discovery following their father’s death. Pressley continues to show her talent with her wonderful performance of secondary characters— from the 20-something line cook to the venerable socialite wife of a multi-term congressman. Listeners are sure to enjoy this excellent production. A.L.S.M. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

Publishers Weekly

12/23/2019

Dolan (Helen of Pasadena) weaves together in this breezy tale the stories of three sisters whose family is disrupted after the death of their famous father. While Liza, the oldest daughter of acclaimed author William Sweeney, meets with potential clients in her Southport, Conn., gallery, she receives word of William’s fatal heart attack after years of heavy drinking. While the middle sister, Maggie, a talented artist also living in western Connecticut, struggles with depression and making ends meet, youngest Tricia has distinguished herself with a successful law career. Brought together in Southport to hear the will, the sisters learn that William had another daughter two years before Liza, and they close ranks against their half-sister, whom they’ve long known as Serena Tucker, who was raised as an only child next door to the Sweeneys. With Serena in Southport for the wake, the sisters feel threatened by any claims or intrusions into their family. Their struggle to believe that William had another child drives them to search for a missing manuscript, which they expect would provide definitive answers to the four women’s questions about their father. While Dolan’s prose lacks verve, the juicy sibling rivalry propels the pace, and the presence of Serena helps the sisters form new bonds among themselves and with the outsider. This endearing story of sisterhood delivers on its promise. Agent: Yfat Reiss Gendell, Foundry Media. (Apr.)

From the Publisher

"This is a big-hearted belly-laugh of a book, told with wit and poignancy. Family secrets, laughter and tears, shocking reveals, and an uplifting ending make this a story to savor—and share."  — Susan Wiggs, New York Times bestselling author of The Oysterville Sewing Circle

"Dolan uses her experience in podcasting with her own sisters to craft believable women characters who worry about real problems and use wry humor to push through dark moments . . . . A warmhearted portrait of love embracing true hearts."  — Kirkus

Susan Wiggs

"This is a big-hearted belly-laugh of a book, told with wit and poignancy. Family secrets, laughter and tears, shocking reveals, and an uplifting ending make this a story to savor—and share." 

Library Journal

04/01/2020

The Sweeney sisters' lives revolve around their father, Bill Sweeney, a much-heralded literary lion. When he passes away suddenly, they gather at the old homestead. Liza, the eldest, lives nearby with her boring husband and runs a successful art gallery that showcases some work by middle sister Maggie. Maggie is a free spirit who has had trouble with adulting. The youngest Sweeney, Tricia, is a fiercely competitive New York City lawyer. The girls gather for the reading of the will, and they learn that owing to one of those ubiquitous home DNA tests, there is another Sweeney sister, a half sister, DC journalist Serena Tucker. Bill's publisher is threatening to sue over an overdue memoir; the sisters are tearing the house apart to find it while simultaneously trying to process their newest family member, their parents' marriage, and all their other problems, with a lot of love and laughter. VERDICT It's been a while since Dolan's last novel, Elizabeth the First Wife, but this humorous, heartfelt family story is worth the wait. Will appeal to fans of Elin Hilderbrand and Elizabeth Berg. [See Prepub Alert, 10/14/19.]—Stacy Alesi, Eugene M. & Christine E. Lynn Lib., Lynn Univ., Boca Raton, FL

JUNE 2020 - AudioFile

In this contemporary novel about family and self-discovery narrated by Brittany Pressley, the three Sweeney sisters always knew their aloof father had secrets. However, upon the famous author’s death, they are shocked to uncover his deepest secret—there is a fourth sister. Clearly embodying each of the sisters’ unique personalities, Pressley deftly performs the four protagonists. Using textual clues, she believably presents their varying emotional responses to the months of discovery following their father’s death. Pressley continues to show her talent with her wonderful performance of secondary characters— from the 20-something line cook to the venerable socialite wife of a multi-term congressman. Listeners are sure to enjoy this excellent production. A.L.S.M. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

2020-01-26
The Sweeney sisters gather in Southport, Connecticut, for the funeral of their father, Bill Sweeney, a brilliant writer. An unexpected guest at his wake, however, will shift the foundations of their lives.

Not yet lucky in love, all three sisters have nonetheless landed on their feet. Liza, the eldest, has lived a safe, comfortable life in her hometown, married to boring Whit Jones after Gray Cunningham broke her heart. But she’s created a successful career with her Sweeney Jones Gallery, selling work by local artisans, including Maggie, the middle Sweeney daughter, who has put years of wild living behind her. Tricia, the youngest, ended up in New York City, working for a prestigious law firm after her graduation from Yale. When their father’s lawyer reveals that a newly discovered half sister may lay claim to part of Bill’s estate, the sisters realize that the woman at the funeral was no stranger. In fact, she was their childhood neighbor Serena Tucker, whose mother turns out to have had an affair with Bill, which Serena learned about after having taken a DNA test. Dolan (Elizabeth the First Wife, 2013, etc.) uses her experience in podcasting with her own sisters (Satellite Sisters and The Chaos Chronicles) to craft believable women characters who worry about real problems and use wry humor to push through dark moments. Faced with irrefutable DNA evidence, the sisters gently remind each other not to blame Serena, yet they brim with questions: Why did Bill pair up with Birdie Tucker, Serena’s stiff, country-club fixture of a mother? Was their parents’ marriage troubled? And why didn’t Serena come forward sooner? Is she hoping to cash in on her famous father’s death? Or is she going to put her journalism career to work and write a tell-all memoir? Struggling to remember her own childhood from a new perspective, Serena is anxious about fitting in with the tight trio of redheads. As the sisters get to know each other, they begin to restructure their family to include not only each other, but also new partners.

A warmhearted portrait of love embracing true hearts.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940173872296
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	04/28/2020
Edition description:	Unabridged

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