Bittersweet: A Novel

This was a disappointing novel. It could have been interesting, but she rambled a lot. Also, I think having 4 main characters was a bit much for her writing style. It needed to be broken into chapters/section with whatever character she was writing about so you would know. I also didn't feel connected to any of the characters because the book jumped from one to another... Grace for example went from one personality to another without a feeling of how she overcame obstacles.It was also hard for me to tell exactly who was talking or thinking...could be a main character or could be another character. I just did not care for how it was written and I was confused. I also was confused by how much time had passed. I thought years, but then it would only be months. Just and oddly written book.I gave it two stars instead of one simply because it is Colleen McCullough and she wrote The Thorn Birds...

Follows the lives and loves of four women who share the same father A pair of twins, each pair having a different mother. Fathers first wife having died in childbirth.His second wife desires all the trappings of success but never comes close to the successful lives achieved by the sisters.I have enjoyed most of Coleen's books and this is no exception. The four characters are a believable and cohesive group who are strongly supportive of each other. Yet each develops very distinctively separate characters. . The result is an enjoyable read that will entertain while at the same time it opens a door on the politicisation of hospitals before they became grouped under area health boards. A process that is now in reverse! It would be some decades since the author was a hospital employee, But she hasn't forgotten the experiences or people she encountered. McCullough evokes a strong sense of the people and the mores of that time. Her portrait of life for the average person through the depression, and the tragic losses sustained by many families is skillfully woven into her plot.One other theme that is drawn on through out the book. It is the robust pragmatism that Australians rely on to get the best out of whatever life and circumstance deliver to them.

Well developed characters,some likable some not, but isn’t that the way with good authors. Good descriptions of places and things so you feel as if you are there. Good political analyst of the times. I forget how the Great Depression affected the world, this book brings it home.

This book is just OK. I haven't read anything by Colleen McCullough in a long time and either her writing is not what it used to be or I am getting more picky in my old age. The characters here are mildly interesting, but there is a lot of repetition in the telling of the story. We don't need to be reminded over and over of the fact that they are sisters or of the close relationship they have. The book just seemed to plod along from incident to incident. It wasn't boring; it just was kind of blah.

I loved learning about Australia in the twenties. The characters and relationships created an intriguing story. I didn’t want it to end.

O.K. and enjoyable to read. Just a tinge too much on the politics. I like some of it and love history, but I thought just a bit too much in this case. Love the time period and small town feel.

I love Colleen McCullough’s writing style. Bittersweet is a story of four sisters and the triumph over the limits placed on them. It’s an impressive read.

If u like soap operas and quasi love stories, this book is for you. At times it is repetitive. I had to read this book or I would have closed it half way through. This would make a better mini-series than it has a book. It is the story of the loves of two sets of twins. One man is seen through the eyes of three of these women - all different. It is hard to believe this is the same person.

I loved 'The Thorn Birds' but feel nothing Colleen has written since has had the same emotional punch. However, 'Bittersweet' is a saga of dramatic content, full of Australian history during the 20's and 30's. Two sets of female twins, with the same father but different mothers, embark together on a career in nursing in New South Wales. We follow the fortunes and misfortunes of each girl and their relationships with each other and the men in their lives. The book is packed to the gunnels with so much story it is sometimes difficult to keep track of everyone. I recommend this book to all Australian readers and anyone else in the world that has an affinity with Australia.

Having read Thorn Birds I guess I had very high expectations of this story......although it was a good story, it just didn't seem to tap into my emotions or capture my imagination as much as I'd hoped for. The setting is well described and it has some interesting characters but it just didn't have the heart of Thorn Birds.

I particular enjoy reading this author's books. Very interesting book - how the author uses words is amazing!

This was not as good as I had thought it would be, I had watched the Thorn Bird on TV years ago and thought it was very good so bought this book thinking it would be as good, it wasn't, the 4 girls, 2 sets of twins, set out to become nurses and it was all about their future but I had to make myself keep on reading, waiting for it all to happen and nothing did, just a bit boring.

I enjoyed this book. it seemed to cover the period in Australia very well, when it was emerging out of the Empire to become a nation. I liked the family and how they went in different directions and yet had a unity as a family. Very believable and great Colleen McCulloch presentation and observation. I will give it a second read in a few months.