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    The Butterfly Sister: A Novel
    The Butterfly Sister: A Novel
    The Butterfly Sister: A Novel
    Audiobook8 hours

    The Butterfly Sister: A Novel

    Written by Amy Gail Hansen

    Narrated by Amy Rubinate

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    The past just arrived on Ruby's doorstep . . .

    To uncover the truth about a friend's disappearance, a fragile young woman must silence the ghosts of her past in this moving debut tale that intertwines mystery, madness, betrayal, love, and literature.

    "My past was never more than one thought, one breath, one heartbeat away. And then, on that particular October evening, it literally arrived at my doorstep."

    Twenty-two-year-old Ruby Rousseau is haunted by memories of Tarble, the women's college she fled from ten months earlier, and the painful love affair that pushed her to the brink of tragedy.

    When a suitcase belonging to a former classmate named Beth arrives on her doorstep, Ruby is plunged into a dark mystery. Beth has gone missing, and the suitcase is the only tangible evidence of her whereabouts.

    Inside the bag, Ruby discovers a tattered copy of Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own, the book she believes was a harbinger of her madness. Is someone trying to send her a message—and what does it mean?

    The search for answers leads to Tarble. As Ruby digs into Beth's past, she has no choice but to confront her own—an odyssey that will force her to reexamine her final days at school, including the married professor who broke her heart and the ghosts of illustrious writers, dead by their own hand, who beckoned her to join their tragic circle.

    But will finding the truth finally set Ruby free . . . or send her over the edge of sanity?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateAug 6, 2013
    ISBN9780062306517
    Author

    Amy Gail Hansen

    A former English teacher, Amy Gail Hansen is a freelance writer and journalist living in suburban Chicago. This is her first novel.

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    Reviews for The Butterfly Sister

    3.5/5

    75 ratings19 reviews

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    • 3/5
      The Butterfly Sister by Amy Gail Hansen was not exactly what I had hoped it would be, actually, I am not entirely certain where it lost me, but I just did not care if I finished the book. The book description intrigued me in=immensely and I was hoping for something far more deep and characters I could relate to if not at least enjoy reading about. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the writing, quite the contrary it is lovely, rather The Butterfly Sister simply was not a book for me, which means very little, to be honest. I highly recommend looking at other reviews before deciding whether or not the read this book.
    • 3/5
      This book runs along so many borders...it's a bit like a beach read, but a bit deeper because of the literary references and the better writing (especially in terms of dialogue). Then, it becomes a bit of a thriller....exciting, but somewhat implausible. So, I'm not sure how to rate it. Ruby has left college in her final semester because of a bad love affairs that pushed her to the brink of sanity. She is healing back at home with her mother when a suitcase of a former classmate is accidentally delivered to her. And that classmate is missing. Ruby is compelled to return to college and confront her past.Overall, I liked it.
    • 3/5
      A great book for a cross country plane ride! An interesting mystery and premise--definitely had me turning the pages...
    • 4/5
      This was a different story than I expected, it turned out to be a darn good thriller and Amy Rubinate's narration just made it all the better!Ruby is a much damaged woman after a bad affair she drops out of college and moves home when one day a delivery is made to her house of a suitcase belonging to her former roommate Beth but when Ruby sets out to find Beth she instead finds out that she is missing. This mystery takes her back to the scene of her heartbreak, Tarble College, where she finds an even bigger mystery that also seems to revolve around her own heartbreak.As I said I wasn’t expecting this book to be a thriller I was expecting a sister story, (the title is explained towards the end of the book.) But I did really enjoy this one once I got over the fact that I hadn’t read the description very well. I enjoyed the use of authors Woolf, Plath & Perkins as plot devices to tell you how some of these women felt. The mystery of it all kept me guessing as to the cause of the disappearance and other things happening on campus and the reveal completely threw me, which is a great thing! Every time I thought I had it figured out things would swing in a different direction, which I enjoyed.Amy Rubinate’s narration was as always impeccable her soft southern accent was perfect with just the right amount of accent as to not become overdone. All of her characters and voices were well done and I feel her narration made this book even better. If you haven’t listened to Rubinate’s narrations I highly recommend anything narrated by her.I would recommend this thriller to anyone who likes a book that will keep you guessing.4 Stars5 Star narration
    • 3/5
      A mixed review for this one. There were times when I really sank into the story and thought the author gave a well drawn word picture. There were other times I wondered where she was going. I think Meg Cabot in her cover blurb hit the nail on the head when she said it was " the perfect beach read." It's certainly more than chick-lit, but it lacks the heft of a good mystery. In short, Ruby Rousseau, 20 year old college drop-out who now writes obituaries for a living, finds herself pulled into looking for a missing girl who was at all-girls Tartle College with her. Ruby has not returned to Tartle since her ill-fated romance with a married professor ended in disaster and a failed suicide attempt. So far, lots of tantalizing tid-bits......How coincidental that Tartle is having alumnae weekend and Ruby's roommate Heidi is on staff now and in charge of the festivities! Desparate to break out of the obit gig, Ruby accepts a challenge from her boss to do a piece about the missing girl, and returns to Tartle.At this point, the story and Ruby's life begin to unravel (or get scrambled up). Strange coincidences are unearthed, there's another girl lying in the hospital having just tried to kill herself, Ruby is befriended by a professor who seems too convenient for belief, and bam, bam, bam, all kinds of little puzzle pieces start falling out of the sky, and into the frame to fit perfectly. Or do they? I also found the literary allusions to Virginia Woolf, Sylvia Plath and other writers named Sexton and Perkins very disruptive. I don't have a strong background in English lit, and resented having to go find information about these women to find how their writing and ghostly presences fit into and influenced the story.I will hand it to Amy Gail Hansen. She has written a book that seems determined to fall apart in the middle after a very tightly woven beginning. It is the ending however, that saves the book. Several times, I almost put the story aside, believing I knew how it ended, only to find that I was totally wrong and the bad guy was never on my radar screen. The plot saves the book. The settings were entertaining: it's always fun to re-visit New Orleans and drink some java at Cafe DuMonde whilst blowing powdered sugar off my beignet, and I'm a graduate of an all-girls college so Tartle was familiar too; but I found the female characters too girly oozy for my liking, even though they worked well in the story.Altogether an slightly above average read that won't disappoint anyone looking for a fun and light piece of fiction. Just don't expect the Great American Novel.
    • 5/5
      Ruby Rousseau dropped out of college a year ago after a disastrous affair with a professor and a suicide attempt. But a once borrowed suitcase belonging to a college acquaintance, Beth, is delivered to her, Ruby opens up the past and is heartbroken when she discovers that Beth may have been having an affair with the same professor. Ruby goes back to Tarble College for a reunion and finds another girl has attempted suicide. The story gets very mysterious and a bit Gothic as Ruby looks for answers. The novel is fairly fast-paced even when it takes us to the past and is much more complex than it would seem. It was very enjoyable and while not a great work of literature, it was one that held my interest and was quite satisfying.
    • 3/5
      Started out great. Went downhill quickly.
    • 3/5
      For a first novel this was very evenly paced, and the writing is amazingly reader friendly.Takes place at a small women's college near Chicago and features a college professor who takes advantage of his students, in more ways than one. He is your typical disgusting cad, one readers just love to hate and hope that he gets his in the end. Many twists and turns as we get near to the end of the book, a few I did not see coming.My favorite parts though featured Plath, Sexton, Woolf and Perkins, the depressed early suicide group that are always fascinating, at least to me. Good debut, interesting, plot could have been a little tighter, but I think this is an author to watch, I have a feeling good things will be coming.
    • 3/5
      THE BUTTERFLY SISTER had a strong beginning, but somewhere around the half-way point, the story derailed and had trouble recovering. The book presents an intriguing mystery. The suitcase of a missing woman is delivered to Ruby Rousseau, and it turns out the two lived in the same dorm at Tarble College. Ruby is still shattered by the fact that an affair with her married English professor ended badly, with Ruby being dumped and then trying to kill herself. In the suitcase, Ruby finds clues to what may have happened to the missing woman, and she’s compelled to return to Tarble and face her demons.I enjoyed the first half of the book as the story alternated between present day and a year ago during her affair with Mark, her English professor. Mark was the charming, smart, and handsome older man, and young, naive Ruby fell for him hard, even though he was married. I think part of it was Ruby trying to fill a void in her life, though it was still a dumb move. During a romantic getaway to New Orleans, some strange things start happening to Ruby, like seeing the ghosts of dead writers following her. The Gothic elements were nice and creepy, and I only wish they had been a bigger part of the story. In present day, Ruby is searching for the link between what happened to her and Beth Richard’s disappearance.The second half of the book didn’t live up to the first. Some of what happened was downright unbelievable, like the reason behind Beth’s disappearance and how it happened. I also thought it was unlikely that a college professor could get away with such unethical conduct with students as long as Mark did. I wasn’t happy that the women characters were so unstable and for the most part, unlikable. THE BUTTERFLY SISTER had its memorable moments and surprising twists, though overall it was just an okay read.Rating: 2¾ Stars
    • 5/5
      It's only August but already I think I've found my #1 read of the year. The Butterfly Sister is so beautifully written and the characters so real that I can hardly believe this is Amy Gail Hansen's debut novel. Others have called it a perfect beach read but it is so much more than that. I started it one evening but the next day once I picked it up I literally could not put it down. It's that good.Ruby Rousseau, native of New Orleans, attended a small women's college in Wisconsin on the shores of Lake Michigan. For reasons you will learn later, she dropped out one semester shy of her degree. Then one day a suitcase that belongs to one of her classmates from college, Beth, is delivered to Ruby. She had borrowed it months earlier and her nametag is still on it. Supposedly the suitcase was never picked up at Beth's destination and the airline is returning it to the person on the tag. But where is Beth?Ruby had written a thesis her last semester involving female writers who committed suicide. Inside Beth's suitcase is a copy of Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own with a mysterious notation in the text. This must be a message, so wanting to return the suitcase, Ruby begins to investigate. She finds that Beth has simply disappeared. This mystery brings Ruby back to the college and memories she had tried to forget. It also puts her in danger.Admittedly I was drawn to this plot by my attachment to women's colleges. For my last two years of high school I attended a women's prep school and college that I dearly loved. I did enjoy that aspect of this book, but delving into Ruby's life and mind is what kept me turning pages. The characters in this book are still alive to me several days after finishing the book and actually kept me from getting into my next read at first. This is a great book and I do hope you will read it.Highly recommendedSource: William Morrow/HarperCollins publishers
    • 4/5
      I gave this book 3 1/2 stars. Somewhere between good and really good. I purchased a copy of "The Butterfly Sisters" on Amazon after seeing it advertised on Goodreads. It's an easy book to read. I liked the author's writing style and the story was well-paced (until the end). I also liked the themes of women's literature, creativity, suicide, madness, New Orleans, ghosts, and the bittersweet angst of college romances. It even reminded me a bit at the beginning of "The Bell Jar," a novel that I'm fairly sure the author hoped to invoke. However, as other reviewers have noted, there were elements of the story that seemed far-fetched. And the ending was so convoluted and such a disappointment that it spoiled a novel that otherwise had the makings of an excellent read. About two-thirds of the way through this book, when Ruby meets and attends a lecture of Professor Barnard's, I thought to myself, "Wow, this is really good - a well-written novel of shared female empowerment." And although that theme wasn't completely shattered by the ending, the majority of it was. I found this novel frustrating because it started so well, got even better, and then fell off a ledge. It's hard not to wonder if some, if not all of the author's friends and editors who read through the manuscript didn't suggest a different ending that would be just as effective, but not so nearly convoluted and far-fetched. All in all, I hope Amy Gail Hansen continues to write. She shows a lot of promise and with more experience and an excellent editor, Hansen just might be able to create a novel that is an A+, rather than a B-.
    • 5/5
      I loved this dark, twisty, intellectual story. I though several times I had it all figured out, but alas, I was only able to figure out small portions of this engrossing mystery! Such a wonderfully crafted story. It was a perfect novel to curl up with on a cool summer night! Such interesting characters with a plot that kept me guessing...not to be missed! 4.5 stars!!PS This is now our book club pick for October!!!!
    • 4/5
      A year ago Ruby couldn't handle life anymore, she had lost her father and the professor she was in love with ended their relationship leaving her feeling like such a fool. Seeing no way out she felt she had to end it all and unsuccessfully attempted suicide. She leaves college and moves to Chicago, later she finds her former roommate is missing and she must return to the college to look for her. This isn't one of those typical "girl plays detective" novels, it's an interesting, well written, story with lots of twists and turns that kept me wondering what did actually happen. The ending, though wrapped up nicely, was a bit of a disappointment... it was an OK ending but I was hoping for more. There are interesting characters, a good plot, and enough suspense to make this a wonderful read! I received a copy of this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
    • 3/5
      The Butterfly Sister is Amy Gail Hansen's debut novel. Ruby Rousseau left Tarble College one credit short of her degree. A failed affair with one of her professors led to a suicide attempt and her decision to not return. But when a suitcase she had borrowed from Beth, one of the women on her dorm floor, is mistakenly returned to her at her mother's home, the past won't stay buried. For Beth is missing and notes scribbled in the margins of a book found in the suitcase lead Ruby to believe that Beth was also having an affair with the same professor. Ruby makes the decision to return to Tarble - to help look for her friend, to confront the past and reclaim her life. I was intrigued by Hansen's premise. The Butterfly Sister is written from a Ruby's point of view - both past and present and the narrative is switched between the two time periods. We are witness to the beginning and end of the affair as the search continues in the present for Beth. Such affairs are nothing new, but I had a hard time buying how much in love Ruby was with the professor Mark. He just came off as unctuous to me, not really a romantic catch. But this old, jaded reader can see how a young woman might be swayed. Hansen does an excellent job weaving together and exploring Ruby's literary studies and her fascination with works by authors who struggled with mental illness, such as Plath and Woolf, and who ultimately committed suicide. I thought her thesis topic was especially interesting and had me thinking. Hansen also did a great job handling the subject of depression and Ruby's emotions and feelings. The first half of the book is introspective with a somewhat Gothic feel. But, the second half of the book caught me unawares - I almost felt like I was reading another author's writing. From an intelligent, literary feel we are plunged into a watered down mystery full of convoluted solutions that I just had a hard time buying. One or two of them maybe, but Hansen just kept adding another and another. The ending was contrived and the epilogue unnecessarily 'they lived happy ever after'. This was a disappointment to me after such a promising first half. Ultimately this bumped the book down to a 3/5 for me
    • 3/5
      The Butterfly Sister by Amy Gail Hansen arrived along with an Early Reviewer book published by William Murrow. I do love a good mystery/thriller and had time on my hand due to the long 4th of July. The novel held my interest because it involved a missing girl and a mentally fragile protagnist. Being a good "Nancy Drew", signs of evidence in regarding the mystery begin to appear early on in the novel. "...a woman in a khaki uniform stepped out; her ponytail, color of a cardboard box, slipped through the black hole of an equally brown cap that shadowed her eyes. In lieu of slacks, she had feminized her look with culottes." My first clue that something was amissed. I did keep note of all the clues but still was unable to correctly identify the person who took the missing girl. The story has many twist and turns involving love, tragedy and finally a metamorphosis. If you have ever been seduced by an emotionally unavailable man, read this book and it may explain what went wrong in the relationship. The book is not chick-lit but a light read and perfect for a day at the beach.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this gothic style mystery featuring Ruby Rousseau, a young woman who attempted suicide and left her college after an affair with a married professor. When another student from the same school goes missing, Ruby begins investigating. The mystery drew me in from the start and once I started reading, I had a hard time putting it down. The story is quite suspenseful, you know something is not as it seems, but what? The writing flows quite smoothly and creates a wonderful sense of atmosphere. As a "literary critic" I could find things to criticize about the story. It's much too contrived in places for a start. But as a casual reader, I found it great fun. Highly recommended!
    • 4/5
      I received The Butterfly Sister as an Early Review book. I glanced at the other reviews before I started and saw the 1st review was not so positive so I didn’t finish reading any of the reviews so I would not be biased. As I started reading I did keep looking for something to not like. The story is about a young woman who dropped out of college her senior year because of a disastrous relationship with her professor, a failed suicide and then a friend goes missing. The author Miss Hansen includes love, betrayal, mental illness and literature to create this mystery story. At one point I felt like I was watching Criminal Minds! I was pleasantly surprised to find I enjoyed this book and wanted to read it whenever I had some free time. I ended up reading it in 3 days which is not usual for me. I average 1 to 2 weeks on a book because I like to enjoy my reading time and not hurry through. This is not a deep read or anything that really makes you think but it did make me want to read about the authors mentioned and possibly read their books, which is always a plus for me. In the beginning I do feel like the relationship is cliché and predictable but as the story unfolds there are several twist and turns to keep you going as the story unfolds. It definitely does not end up where I thought it would. She ends her book in a very good way! All in all I gave it a 4 because I really did enjoy this book.
    • 3/5
      the butterfly sister... 3 stars, just barelyI love the New Orleans setting and references about the south, I could see where the author was trying to go, just did not like the way she got there. I also really like the cover art, I wanted to like the book better than I did.The last ¼ of the book was the best for me, that’s when I finally started to like the main character Ruby who in the beginning was just a sap…. I must say the last page made me smile.This is a story of a young impressionable woman swayed by love. Ruby falls for her professor at School and has to quit because of it. While mending her broken heart at home a suitcase arrives for her, but it is not hers, it is a girls from school. Ruby needs to find this missing girl and what happened to her. The road to finding her is full of mystery and unrealistic scenarios… there is a twist at the end I did not see coming, as I said I enjoyed the end. I think for me the writing was somehow too simplistic, I could not care much about the characters. My niece is 14 and I'll see if she will enjoy it.
    • 4/5
      As usual I paid nothing for this book but also as usual I'll review it candidly anyway. I received this book through the kind consideration of a GoodReads giveaway just as I have so many others.Our protagonist is a broken woman, the victim of a spurned and ill-advised love. She revolves in her sad and wounded orbit until one day a suitcase shows up on her doorstep that belongs to an old acquaintance from her former college. From there the story twists mercilessly and unexpectedly to its whiplash-inducing ending.Hansen's novel is certainly full of surprises. I expected a romance (I never read the back of the book) but instead ended up with a full-fledged murder mystery. The author is masterful at painting characters in a way that makes them easy to relate to and gets the reader attached. They have lives of their own with histories that jive well with their actions in the here and now. She spends three quarters of the book building up background like a roller coaster tick, tick, ticking its way to the top of the hill. When finally the last quarter arrives the whole thing comes together in an almost dizzying hurry that is full of surprises and rushes by in what is guaranteed to be one sitting. Once the last 70 pages or so are begun, do not expect to put them down for any reason not related to Emergency Medical Services.For all the drama of the last part, however, the author does seem to take her time. I found myself skimming mercilessly through the middle third of the book and when the end arrived I didn't really felt like I'd missed much. Our author paints a wonderfully vivid picture of her protagonists but it can wind on for almost too long and tread on the reader's patience. Ultimately though a well-crafted, if wordy, story.In summary, this is a grand and very timely (ripped from the headlines as it were) murder mystery full of intrigue. Fans of the mystery genre should be advised, however, that this is one from the emotional side rather than the clinical one. No forensics, no evidence, no blood splatter patterns, just surprising twists and turns and eventually lucky cops. That said, it's still entertaining.