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    The Canterbury Sisters
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    The Canterbury Sisters
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    The Canterbury Sisters
    Audiobook9 hours

    The Canterbury Sisters

    Written by Kim Wright

    Narrated by Bernadette Dunne

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    Che Milan's life is falling apart. Not only has her longtime lover abruptly dumped her, but her eccentric, demanding mother has recently died. When an urn of ashes arrives, along with a note reminding Che of a half-forgotten promise to take her mother to Canterbury, Che finds herself reluctantly undertaking a pilgrimage. Within days she joins a group of women who are walking the sixty miles from London to the shrine of Becket in Canterbury Cathedral. In the best Chaucer tradition, the women swap stories as they walk, each vying to see who can best describe true love. Che, who is a perfectionist and workaholic, loses her cell phone at the first stop and is forced to slow down and really notice the world around her, perhaps for the first time in years.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDreamscape Media Audio
    Release dateMay 19, 2015
    ISBN9781633799783

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    Reviews for The Canterbury Sisters

    4/5

    44 ratings11 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Loved this book so much. It's about a woman who's just been dumped and her mother has just died and asked her to scatter her ashes at Canterbury Cathedral in England. So she goes and joins a walking tour from London to Canterbury. At first she's reluctant to join the tour, worried that the other women will be annoying, but each one turns out to be so much more than she expects, and she makes some interesting discoveries about herself along the way. Kim Wright's books always surprise and delight me, I hope she writes another one soon.
    • 4/5
      I received an advanced reader's copy from First Reads in return for an honest review.

      Honestly, I was unsure of what to expect from The Canterbury Sisters. I've read very little chick lit/women's fiction and most of the time it has been eh. But the beauty and simplicity of the cover initially drew me in and after journeying with these nine women to Canterbury, I am thankful it did.

      This is a story of loss, love, and finding one's way, not in one's teens or college years, but at a time where it is assumed we have already completed this task and check marked the appropriate boxes of life's list. I am approaching 30, and the thing I fear is not the decline of my youth or added laugh lines that may soon appear; it is the idea that I have not checked the number of boxes I should have by now. I have not experienced what others deem necessary by this time.

      Che herself, though older, has the same quandary in a sense. Yes, she has a successful business, good friends, life experiences, and a decent relationship. The combination of her mother dying and her love life deteriorating (courtesy of the USPS), sends her on a pilgrimage to Canterbury with 8 strangers.

      Here, these seemingly opposite women join together to trek the trail Chaucer's pilgrims took to find "healing and forgiveness," in the form of a blessing, at Canterbury. On the way, each woman shares her tale of love. The story of each woman is unique, yet so universal. Each one jaded by time passed, mended hearts, and fictitious additives.

      Wright's writing ebbs and flows, like waves on the beach during a calm day. She weaves a tale of women who find camaraderie and companionship on a well beaten path. In the end, there is a peace found from the recognition that life is not perfect, love is difficult, and sometimes you need to pause in order to progress.
    • 3/5
      **Disclaimer: I received a free ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

      Wavering between 3.5 & 4 stars

      Like other reviewers have stated, I enjoyed this book much more than I thought that I would. I also agree that the cover of the book is misleading.

      I'm one of the nerds who actually enjoyed reading The Canterbury Tales in high school & college so I was interested in reading this book but
      I was also a little nervous that it would be a story full of bitter women bashing men.
      Thank goodness it's not. Instead each of the tales told by the women on the pilgrimage is reflective of the mistakes they made & what they learned about themselves in each of their experiences.


      It's a pretty diverse group made up of single, married, divorced & widowed women with ages ranging from around 16 to the mid 70's. None of their tales are similar & each has a distinct theme. However, it's a group of all white women with a token African American woman. I think it would've been more interesting to include less white women & more from different cultures.

      It is a little difficult keeping the women separate at first. I think they should've been introduced in more detail. The main character, Che, meets all of the women at the same time but only a few are described & named when she meets them & the descriptions are brief. You do learn more about the others as the story progresses but I found myself having to flip back in the book a couple of times in the beginning to figure out who someone was because their introduction was so brief.

      Wright does a great job of describing the scenery & setting of each of the towns that the ladies visit on their journey but I do wish that there was a map in the book that showed the journey. Yes. I realize that's something easily Googled, but I'm lazy. I hate to put a book down because I have to pick up a cell phone to Google something that is in the book.

      The plot is solid & believable. The destination is known but the journey is unpredictable. There aren't really any major twists but a few things happen along the way that were unexpected.

      I think this would be a good book for a book club discussion. It provides so many stories within a story that can be discussed as well as the themes of each of the love tales told by the women.



    • 5/5
      This was a beautiful book. The writing was superb and the story was touching, funny and thought provoking.

      I loved Che. I felt a deep connection to her. I understood her connection to her mother but also her frustration with her mother and some of the choices that she had made. I also loved all of the secondary characters, the rest of the “Canterbury Sisters” and I loved how they evolved throughout the book and how the author used the telling of stories of love to show each person’s character.

      This book is perfect for women-for daughters and for mothers-because I think that the mother-daughter relationship is probably one of the most difficult relationships to understand. I think most women will enjoy this book because at one time or another, we all have complicated relationships with our mothers. Wright did a fantastic job illustrating that complication.

      I have no criticism of this book at all. It was so good and I will recommend it to anyone who will listen to me.
    • 4/5
      This is the story of Che and her journey of self-discovery. Her mother has died and requested that her ashes be scattered in Canterbury. Her request is simple - Che is to follow the route made famous through Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. Che's road to healing causes her to re-evaluate her life and her choices. Along the way she learns the value of friendship and honesty to one's self.

      I enjoyed the story a great deal. I think author Kim Wright developed well-rounded characters with true depth. I also found that I want to learn more about the Canterbury Tales and about this famous pilgrimage! I received this book from NetGalley and I am so glad to offer a review in exchange. This book did not disappoint me!
    • 4/5
      Sometimes, there's a story that you begin, that doesn't progress like you thought it would, but it sticks with you anyway. Che Milan, who was raised in a commune/orchard of sorts, named for the revolutionary, is at a crossroads. Her mother just passed away and her longtime boyfriend has found his true love, and it's not with her. Enter Broads Abroad, and the answer to one of Che's mother's last requests, to go to Canterbury Cathedral. The tourist company offers walking tours to Canterbury, much like the pilgrims in Chaucer's tale and Che manages to be included at the last minute. I thought Wright was clever to have Che lose her cell before the trek even began, because it's the storytelling from these dissimilar women that make the story so good as it (and they) move along. I really liked the group of characters and how they reached out to each other through their stories. In the end, Che delivers on her promise to her mom, but I think all of them made self-reflective strides in their lives, in not too obvious ways.
    • 5/5
      The Canterbury Sisters by Kim Wright is a 2015 Gallery Books publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I had no idea how I would perceive this novel going in. The blurb made me think it was a book I should try out and now that I have read it, I am so glad I took a chance on it. Che Milan, daughter of Diana, named after a political revolutionary, now has to face the reality that her mother is dying of cancer. When Diana asked Che to take her to the cathedral in Canterbury to be blessed, hoping for a miracle, Che agrees, knowing full well her mother would never make that trip. But, when Diana passes away, and Che receives her mother's urn, there is a note from Diana insisting she be taken to Canterbury. On the same day Che receives the urn, she also receives a note from her boyfriend, Ned, who informs her he has met someone else and their relationship is over. So, Che makes the sudden decision to take the pilgrimage along with a group of other women, intending to be blessed and spread her mother's ashes in Canterbury. The trip gets off to a terrible start, when at a bar in London, Che loses her cell phone. Her entire life is in that phone, or so she thinks. But, the show must go on, so she meets her guide and her fellow travelers and away they go on a life changing journey, the outcome of which none of them could have predicted. As they walk each woman will tell a story ala the Chaucer tradition, with love being the chosen topic. giving Che a lot of food for thought as she examines the parallels between these stories and her own life, the path she has taken so far , the reasons for her actions to this point in time, and what steps she will take from here on out. The author does a great job of drawing the reader into each person's story and wisely takes a short break between each tale to allow you to absorb the tale before moving on to the next day's journey. This is one diverse group of women, let me tell you. A mother and daughter with years of lies and resentments between them, a mafia wife and reality TV star, two best friends who discover they didn't know each other as well as they had presumed, and a rather odd duck who doesn't seem to fit into any particular mold, and a health and fitness freak, and Che. The guide, Tess, is an interesting character in her own right as she manages to keep the group moving and talking and seems to have pitch perfect timing when she interrupts or changes the subject, or guides the discussion back on course. I loved how the stories were unique, yet the threads all tied in together. There were so many deep themes to explore here such as the complex relationships between mother and daughter. What did you mother teach you? This question was posed to Che at one point and it was obvious that before this journey she had not given it a lot of thought, but has learned Diana did indeed pass something important along to her. With love being the theme of these stories, the complex relationships between women and men is explored leaving the reader with the distinct feeling that love is complicated and there are no pat answers or solutions. What do women really want in our relationships with men? To be accepted as we are, loved despite our flaws, to be given a choice, to make our own decisions? The impact of fairy tales on our lives begs one to debate whether or not they are healthy or harmful in the end or do they have an underlying message we could all learn from? What is your favorite fairy tale and why? Each tale touches on something in particular- lies we tell ourselves, lies we tell others, self-blame, secrets, lessons learned, wisdom gained, and finally honesty with oneself that leads to healing and understanding. Some of the stories were stronger than others, some made me feel differently about the character after they divulged something personal about themselves. Some of them I respected more and in one instance a character really turned me off and I never warmed back up to them. But, over all I think each lady learned a little something from the other that will help them on whatever journey their lives take them on from here. For Che, she will come away from this experience having learned something about her mother, her relationship with Ned, will learn to put things into perspective in her career, her drive for perfection, and maybe her whole life will no longer be contained on her cell phone. She will emerge as a hero of a sort, as an inspiration, and will have made an impression on those around her and in one special case, will have built an emotional bond with the most unlikely member of the group and maybe there could even be an love connection for Che in her future. When all is said and done I feel very strongly that Che will be alright from now on. Her life took a turn off the beaten path but she made the best of it, even it wasn't her intention in the beginning, and will be better and stronger and happier because of it. This is an absorbing series of stories, well written and certainly thought provoking making it an excellent book club selection. 4.5 rounded to 5
    • 5/5
      The Canterbury Sisters
      By Kim Wright

      I’ve taught British Literature for years, so this book was written just for me! Geoffrey Chaucer wrote his Canterbury Tales hundreds of years ago about a group of travelers passing time with stories during their journey. In this modern tale, a group of nine women take a hiking tour along the Canterbury Trail and each tells her story along the way.

      Che (pronounced Shay) has just lost her mother and her boyfriend, so she decides to take a pilgrimage to Canterbury to fulfill her mother’s request. She leaves everything behind, including her phone, and begins the sixty mile journey to the cathedral. As each woman tells her tale, secrets are revealed, lies untold, and bond are made. The novel included mother/daughter relationships, first love, marriages, forgiveness, self-blame, survival, silence, fairy tales, Greek Mythology, and reality TV. While there were similarities to Chaucer’s original tales, it’s not necessary to have read them; the characters didn’t.

      Each voice told a different story in a different perspective, and each tale had something to offer to the reader. Each stop on the journey added a bit a magic to the trip. The stories remind us that it’s not the destination that matters; it’s the path to get there.

      Maybe each person is taking “a few steps toward Canterbury, every day, no matter where in the world” he happens to be.

      I received an ARC from Netgallery in exchange for an honest review.
    • 4/5
      Am Anfang des Buches war ich etwas irritiert, denn durch den Titel, und den Bezug des Buches auf die "Canterbury Tales" hat ich ein durch und durch englisches Buch erwartet, doch die Handlung beginnt in den USA und später stellt sich heraus, dass die Gruppe, die nach Canterbury pilgert, nur aus Amerikanerinnen besteht – bis auf die Reiseleiterin. Ein Blick in die Umschlagklappe hat meine Befürchtungen bestätigt: die Autorin ist Amerikanerin…Das Leben von Che wird innerhalb kürzester Zeit auf den Kopf gestellt: ihre Mutter stirbt und hinterlässt den Wunsch, dass Che ihre Asche in Canterbury verstreut und kurz darauf macht Ches Freund mit ihr Schluss. Sie organisiert also eine kultivierte private Pilgertour mit eigener Reiseleiterin, die aber plötzlich krank wird, so dass sie sich einer amerikanischen Frauengruppe anschließt. Ganz im Sinne der "Canterbury Tales" soll jede Teilnehmerin auf dem Weg eine Geschichte über die Liebe erzählen; ob wahr oder erfunden, spielt keine Rolle.Die Frauen sind zwar alle sehr verschieden, aber selbst in dieser Gruppe bleibt Che lange eine Außenseiterin. Ständig verliert sie etwas oder ihr passiert etwas und sie scheint die einzige zu sein, die bis zum Schluss nicht weiß, was sie erzählen soll.Es hat ein bisschen gedauert, bis ich in das Buch hineingefunden habe, da es mir am Anfang tatsächlich zu "amerikanisch" war und es zu sehr um Ches Leben und ihre Gedanken geht, wobei Che nicht einmal eine besonders sympathische Protagonistin ist. Auch die anderen Frauen werden von der Autorin erst einmal nicht sehr wohlwollend beschrieben und die erste Geschichte, die erzählt wird, hat mich auch nicht mitgerissen, so dass ich überlegt habe, ob es sich überhaupt lohnt weiterzulesen. Doch plötzlich hat sich eine Gruppendynamik entwickelt, die Geschichten wurden interessanter und haben mich zum Mitdenken angeregt und die Atmosphäre hat mir gefallen. Am Ende wird vieles klar, vor allem für Che, und ich habe angefangen, sie zu verstehen und zu mögen und hätte eigentlich gerne noch weitergelesen…
    • 3/5
      This book, like the original Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, is a collection of stories built around a “frame narrative,” which in this case is a five-day pilgrimage to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral by modern-day women who are traveling as part of “Broads Abroad” (a travel group catering to the solo female traveler).The narrator is Che (named for the Cuban revolutionary), 48 and an only child, who was raised on a commune by her impetuous and free-spirited mother Diana. Diana has just died a surprisingly (for Diana) low-key death from cancer. Che received her mother’s ashes at her condo via UPS along with a note from Diana that “per our agreement, you must now take me to Canterbury.” Che really would not have considered it, except that same day she got a “Dear John” letter from her long-time boyfriend Ned, who said he was leaving Che for another woman. Che puts her dog in the kennel and takes off for England, to join a tour to Canterbury. There are eight women on the tour, including the guide Tess. They start their walk from Southwark, where Chaucer’s pilgrims also began their journey. Tess asks the women to replicate another feature of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, which is to tell each other stories along the way. As Tess explains:"Chaucer’s pilgrims told romances . . . They challenged each other to see who could best articulate the nature of true love.”In Chaucer’s work, the host announced that whoever told the best tale would be treated to a feast at the end of the journey, and Tess makes the same offer. And so the women set out, and each day, one after the other they tell their stories of love. In the process, all of them get to know and care about each other, as well as getting new insights about themselves. Che in particular thinks she has learned valuable lessons from the trip, which she shares with us as the journey draws to a close.A nice little twist at the end softens the edges of the tale, which ended up being fraught with emotion for all of them.Evaluation: This seemed like one of those cooking school books except of course the setting was not a cooking school. But the idea was very similar: strangers who come together on some common mission and in the process, get to know each other’s hopes, dreams, sorrows, losses, and triumphs. While this conceit was a nice change from the cooking school setting, the story didn’t wow me. I thought it dragged in parts, and the author herself seemed torn about whether men were a positive or negative force in the world. Nevertheless, it makes a nice light read.
    • 5/5
      I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

      I passed by this book at first glance. The cover looked a little too tea party cute. After reading the blurb I decided to give the book a chance and put in my request. I am always looking for a thought provoking and interesting read to present to my book club for discussion.

      I rarely give a book 5 stars but in this instance I felt it deserved it. The lead protagonist, Che starts out in the story as an emotionally battered soul who reluctantly begins a journey of self discovery as she fulfills her mother's last wish…walk with her to Canterbury Cathedral. She has just watched her mother die and simultaneously receives a "Dear John (or Jane in this case?) letter from her long time lover and companion, Ned.

      Che joins a small group of women on a 60-mile guided pilgrimage following a centuries old pilgrim's path. Their guide, Tess, not only leads them physically path but asks that each woman add their own story to Chaucer's Canterbury Tales as they walk. She chooses the topic of love, the women draw cards to set the storytelling schedule and the walk begins.

      As the women share a story, sometimes about themselves overtly and sometimes thinly covertly, Che listens, reflects, deflects and assimilates facets of their story to come to grips with her own. Among the travelers there are a mother and daughter team, in the group, a pair of friends, and a reality TV star.

      As a hiker myself, I am surprised at the daily mileage expected of each pilgrim. The hike transpires over five or six days but the story seems to have taken place over a longer period of time. It would be highly unlikely that such personal growth could occur so rapidly. Nonetheless the story is not marred by this unlikely perspective.

      There is a crisis near the end that truly bonds the women and changes Che forever.

      As she walks around the Cathedral on the last night of the pilgrimage, Che reflects on her life, life with her mother and her life with Ned. Che has in the past repeatedly asked her Smartphone guru, "What is the meaning of life". In the end she has her answer.

      I would highly recommend the story.