This review was originally posted on Bookish Things & More

Review

I adored this book.  It was a quick and pretty light read.

Che is definitely a character that has a few things she needs to work out.  She doesn't even realize this until she goes on this pilgrimage to the Canterbury Cathedral.  Che spends so much time alone and is hardly around other people.  She feels awkward in this group of women that she doesn't know.  She also feels like everyone hates her since she just gives off that vibe.  Each woman tells a story along the way, and these stories are personal and some are fictional.  But each story holds a bit of truth about the person telling it.  I love the way these stories are included.  It definitely gave the book a Canterbury Tales feel.

I think the thing I love the most is along the journey each woman is able to open up, and they somehow find friends among a group of strangers.  Everyone has something to offer, even if it's just a few words to let them know they care.  Another thing is this group figure out things about themselves that they've never been able to really confront before.

While some of the topics that the characters share are heavy, they don't weigh the story down.  Sometimes you need to take a break from the hustle and bustle in order to really enjoy life, and take a chance on new things.

A thoroughly enjoyable read. The Canterbury Sisters was like a modern version of Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales. Interesting characters and Wright does an excellent job guiding the reader along the Canterbury Trail. Some sights seemed so vivid. This book captured my imagination and placed me amongst the eight women. Felt like I was walking along side the Broads Abroad. 

 

Che de Milan's life was perfect. Or so it seemed. Then her mother died and it all began to unravel. On the same day she receives a Dear John letter from her live-in boyfriend, Che also receives an urn of her mother's ashes with a request to travel to the Canterbury Cathedral. Wanting to escape the drama that is unfolding within her relationship, Che decides to honor her mother's last wish and heads to London. Once in England, Che finds her travel plans rearranged and she is unwillingly placed with the travel group, Broads Abroad. Deciding to make the best of circumstances, Che joins the mismatched group. Off they go! Getting in to the true spirit of the pilgrimage, the women decide to each tell a story about love. The woman telling the best story will be rewarded at the end of their travels. Along the way, seeing a bit of herself in each story, Che discovers that losing one thing may help one find something else, even those things you didn't know you were seeking.

 

A great story! Highly recommended. Many thanks to Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books and NetGalley for sending me a digital copy for review.

Che Milan’s 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, the same day that a "Dear John" letter arrives in the mailbox Che finds herself undertaking a pilgrimage. She joins a group of women who are walking the sixty miles from London to the shrine of Becket in Canterbury Cathedral, reputed to be the site of miracles. 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 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.

It's interesting how The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer pilgrimage is similar in many respects to the Broads Abroad pilgrimage with the time of year they journey, that Che joins a diverse group of women on the Broads Abroad tour at an Inn or how each of the women share there own tales along the journey. The tales they share with each other are heartwarming and heartbreaking. My favorite was Silvia's but I will let her tell you her own tale.

Che is a Wine blogger who reviews the wines she drinks so the women drink a lot of wine in this book and there are a few quotes that I loved about wine. I encourage you to buy your own bottle of wine to sip as you savor their tales and the divine words that are used for inspiring quotes. Oh, and turn off your phone while you read this book or when you take a few steps toward Canterbury.

"Because books contain stories of things that have already happened and the liquor bottles on these high shelves before me hold stories of what is yet to be."

"And this goblet, I think, looking deeply into the one in my hand... something unexpected waits for me in the bottom of the glass. Some story will begin when I take my last sip."

I received a free ARC of this book via NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

The Canterbury Sisters by Kim Wright is quick and easy to read, perfect for the beach, but it leaves you with many things to think about. At the end of the day, this book is based on the fact that everyone has a story. It speaks to the need we all have to be heard. Maybe, in some of these women, you will see a piece of your own story.

 

Read my complete review at: http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2015/05/the-canterbury-sisters.html

 

Reviewed based on a publisher’s galley received through NetGalley

 

I thought this was a pretty good book. Parts of it were slow, but there weren't a lot of them. I liked how all the women were strangers and then really got to know each other on the trip or should I say walk to Canterbury. There is also a little history to be learned in here and some very eye opening stories. I wish it had went a little further and told how each woman's life ended up, but perhaps there will be a reunion of sorts!!!

Thanks Gallery Books and Net Galley for allowing me to read and review this book which I very much recommend to anyone who likes reading about friendly relationships about women.