MY REVIEW:
The Fine Art of Insincerity is the story of three adult sisters who have come together to empty and clean their grandmother’s beach house before its sale. Although they share the same tragic family background, their lives have taken widely divergent paths. Each sister thinks she knows the others so well but as the weekend passes, it becomes evident that they don’t really know each other at all.
I have long been a fan of Angela Hunt but had a difficult time getting through this book. Her writing was the high quality I have come to expect and the plot was an interesting one. However, this story could have been set anywhere because it took place primarily within four walls. The beautiful St. Simons Island setting was pretty much wasted here. Even though the story is told in first person through each of the three sisters, I never got to the point that I really cared about any of them. I guess I must prefer a book with a little more action and less introspection.
So – I don’t want this to be a negative review because I know there are many who love emotionally charged relationship stories. I do believe that Hunt did an excellent job of getting into the minds of her characters and taking them through some drastic changes as they began to understand each other. I was just not in the mood for the serious subjects of this book. Needless to say, I will continue to read Angela’s books and expect to enjoy them.
This book was provided for review by
Rebeca Seitz with Glass Road Public Relations.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Three Southern sisters with nine marriages between them–and more looming on the horizon–travel to St. Simons Island to empty their late grandmother’s house. Ginger, the eldest, wonders if she’s the only one who hasn’t inherited what their family calls “the Grandma Gene”–the tendency to enjoy the casualness of courtship more than the intimacy of marriage. Could it be that her sisters are fated to serially marry, just like their seven-times wed grandmother, Lillian Irene Harper Winslow Goldstein Carey James Bobrinski Gordon George? It takes a “girls only” weekend, closing up Grandma’s memory-filled beach cottage for the last time, for the sisters to unpack their family baggage, examine their relationship DNA, and discover the true legacy their much-marrying grandmother left behind.
“The Fine Art of Insincerity is the story of three middle-aged sisters that converge on St. Simon’s Island to clear away the cobwebs from their deceased grandmother’s island home. But the cobwebs hiding the secret pain that each sister harbors threatens to entangle and complicate each woman’s deep sense of order and decorum, especially since one of the sisters is hell-bent on a collision course with fate. Angela Hunt’s womanly tale of sisterly affection and protective martyrdom is a well-woven story of self-discovery and personal growth that will melt your heart!”—Patricia Hickman, author of The Pirate Queen and Painted Dresses
“Only Angela Hunt could write a relationship novel that’s a page-turner! As one of three sisters, I can promise you this: Ginger, Penny, and Rose Lawrence ring very true indeed. Their flaws and strengths make them different, yet their shared experiences and tender feelings make them family. From one crisis to the next, the Lawrence sisters are pulled apart, then knit back together, taking me right along with them. I worried about Ginger one moment, then Penny, and always Rose—a sure sign of a good novel, engaging both mind and heart. Come spend the weekend in coastal Georgia with three women who clean house in more ways than one!”—Liz Curtis Higgs, bestselling author of Here Burns My Candle
“The Fine Art of Insincerity is a stunning masterpiece. I was pulled into the lives of Ginger, Pennyroyal, and Rosemary—sisters touched by tragedy, coping in their own ways. So real, so powerful. Pull out the tissues! This one will make you cry, laugh, and smile. I recommend it highly.”—Traci DePree, author of The Lake Emily series
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Angela Hunt is the bestselling author of more than 100 books, including The Tale of Three Trees, Don’t Bet Against Me, The Note, and The Nativity Story. Her nonfiction book Don’t Bet Against Me, written with Deanna Favre, spent several weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. She and her husband make their home in Florida with their dogs. You can learn more at AngelaHuntBooks.com.
