Bittersweet by Colleen McCullough

You may recogize this author's name as having penned the ever popular "The Thorn Birds" which was made into a movie starring Richard Chamberlain. Like her previous work, the setting of this novel is Australia. Published in 2013, one of the book groups I belong to has chosen it to discuss and so I am posting a few comments here. Ms. McCullough's work includes over twenty books and you may find yourself wanting to read some, if not all of her previous novels.

In this novel, two sets of twin girls from the same family embark on an adventure and enroll in a nurses training program where they encounter many challenges both personally and professonally. They meet many people of the opposite sex from all walks of life and have to learn some new techniques for dealing with them. The different circumstances that each character faces make for a diversified read and encourage the reader to examine each young woman separately, as well as viewing them as siblings.

By presenting readers with a simple story, Ms. McCullough evokes the strength of womanhood and the ties that bind all women together. Although the author has written a storyline that follows a different thread than some of her previous novels, we are nonetheless left with many thoughts to savor and contemplate and in that regard, her writing is consistent.

A good read for a snowy afternoon or two.

Ladybookbug!