Kristin Hannah

True colors

Jenni Pertuset

Look at that cover. Blech, right? If you're not a reader of romances, anyway. But this was apparently the best the airport bookstore had available, and I was pleasantly surprised. Yes, it's got a romance, it also has relationships between sisters and each sister's relationship to a difficult father. There's courtroom drama, too. Best (and least expected) of all, it's well-written. 

The sisters are fully realized, though the male characters are not. I have a greater fondness for the book for being set on the Hood Canal, and for capturing the place well.

Emily Netherland

Get ready to feel all the feelings.

True Colors by Kristin Hannah, published in 2008, follows the story of three sisters over the span of ~30 years. We see death, marriage, failed marriage, love, and much much more. These characters will stay in your mind from the moment you start reading to long after you finish the book. I began the book in July of 2021, but with school and work it got away from me – but I never stopped thinking about it. Finally, last week (January 2022) I had enough time to pick it up again. And I finished it three days later. The characters are so well-developed that you emphasize with each one and really understand their feelings by the end. The plot twists and turns and will definitely keep you intrigued.

Although I enjoyed Hannah’s writing style, romance and drama are not my typical genres. I tend to read older and more linguistically complex books, so it always feels a little odd to emerge in the 21st century with a beach read. I would have appreciated some better transitions, dialogue, and preparation for some of the time jumps we encounter – at one point it’s almost ten years. That being said, I’m picky and used to reading Jane Austen. And judging by how I cannot get these characters out of my head, Hannah still accomplishes what she sets out to do.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves the beach read/chick lit/romance/drama genres. Give yourself some time (this book comes in at almost 500 pages!) and prepare yourself for some emotional rollercoasters!

Be on the lookout for more on Hannah as well! This is the second novel I’ve read by her and I can’t get enough.

Rating: ★★★★

Alexandria Ferley

Elizabeth Wood

Lindsey B

Alex King

Women across America laughed, cried, and reconnected with their friends after reading Kristin Hannah's smash hit, Firefly Lane. Now, in True Colors, she explores the poignant, powerful, complex world of sisters... The Grey sisters had only each other when their mother died years ago. Their stern, unyielding father gave them almost no attention. Winona, the oldest, needs her father's approval most of all. An overweight dreamer, she never felt at home on the sprawling horse ranch that had been in her family for three generations. Aurora, the middle, is the peacemaker. Vivi Ann, the youngest, is the undisputed star of the family. Everything comes easily to Vivi Ann, her father's love most of all. But when Vivi Ann makes a fateful decision to follow her heart, rather than take the route of a dutiful daughter, events are set in motion that will test the love and loyalties of the Grey sisters. They will be pitted against each other in ways none could have imagined. Secrets will be revealed, and a terrible, shocking crime will shatter both the family and their beloved town. With breathtaking pace and penetrating insight, Kristin Hannah's True Colors is a novel about sisters, vengeance, jealousy, betrayal—and ultimately, what it truly means to be a family.

True colors

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