Goodreads Reviews: True Colors

True Colors by Kristin Hannah

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When I saw the size of this book I thought it would take me ages to read it. However I read it in two days. That's how immersed I got into the story and that doesn't happen often. I was interested in True Colors when I saw that it was about sisters and being one of five girls, I'm always up for a sister centered novel.

After the death of their mother, the Grey sisters watched their father fall into an overwhelming depression and grief, causing the girls to always depend on each other. Appearances are everything to their father and while they put on the appearance of a united and cohesive family, deep emotions of jealousy and revenge threaten the sisters and their family.

Winona, the oldest, is known for her headstrong nature which eventually leads her to becoming a successful lawyer. Yet she's overweight and has never been seen as attractive to anyone, especially the man she's been in love with since high school.

Aurora, the center daughter, is probably the most well adjusted of the girls. Seeming to have the perfect life, a doctor's wife and the mom to a set of twins, Aurora spends most of her time keeping peace between her older and younger sisters.

Vivi Ann, the beloved beauty of the family who has a gift for horses and a love of rodeos. However, she's weary of being seen as the beautiful sister and wants people to know that she has a good head full of good ideas for herself and her family.

When two very different men come into the Grey sisters' lives, a whirlwind of love, anger, deception, loss and revenge puts the sisters--and their town--at a breaking point. How far is too far when you are led by anger and jealousy? And can love really stand the harshest tests of time?

I really enjoyed this book. It spans 30 years from the early 70's to 2007, so you feel like you grown with this family and their town. The characters were so real and complex. Vivi Ann's love story was beautifully written with such intense passion and emotion, that even I was heartbroken in many places. While the books is focused on sisters, the sub plot is certainly about family.

A father's failure to be a father causes discourse in the next generation.

A man who grew up without a father proves to be loving and protective toward his own child, despite dealing with a racially hostile environment.

Great loss and great love are the primary points of True Colors as well as forgiveness and moving on from pain and anger. Sisters' aren't easy, but in the end, they're the ones you will always have by your side.