Wednesday, July 5, 2017

The Identicals by Elin Hilderbrand

Identical twins Harper and Tabitha Frost haven't spoken in fourteen years. Tabitha lives with her teenage daughter, Ainsley, on Nantucket, while Harper lives on Martha's Vineyard. When they were in college, their parents, Eleanor and Billy, divorced and agreed that each would be responsible for and finishing raising one twin. Harper, close with Billy, has gotten in trouble with law and has a bad reputation on Martha's Vineyard, which hasn't been helped by her affair with Billy's doctor, Reed Zimmer. Tabitha, meanwhile, manages a boutique on Nantucket that features clothes that Eleanor has designed. When Billy passes away and Eleanor breaks her hip, the sisters are forced to see each other and work together as a family. While I usually enjoy Hilderbrand's books, this one was a miss for me. The characters of Harper, Tabitha, and Ainsley aren't very likable and fleshed out. In addition, Eleanor is only seventy-one years old, but the author has characterized her as old and rigid, which seems a bit too easy and stereotypical, especially since I know so many women who are so vital at that age.

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