The Girls

A poignant story of sisters in their eighties and older. The backdrop of Miami Beach is very well presented The author did not become saccharine sweet in any of her descriptions. I discovered this book after reading Ms. Yglesias' obituary.

Set in Miami Beach, Yglesias's novel focuses on Jenny, one of four sisters who are facing their last years. Jenny herself is in her 80's, a noted journalist and writer who is somewhat disoriented by her arrival in Miami. But she is determined to be there for the two sisters who need her most, Eva and Naomi, both in poor health. Her other sister, Flora, is holding her own but somewhat self-centered so that the brunt of the responsibilities fall on Jenny's shoulders. Although this novel may seem a bit too slow for some readers, I was charmed by the believable portraits of these four women and of the bustling, often chaotic world of Miami. If you have any assumptions about what it is like to be an older woman in American, this novel may burst some of your expectations. These sisters are not "little old ladies" but vibrant women. They bicker, they kvetch, they refuse to be fade away quietly.Flora has an active sex life and her men troubles are described in hilarious detail. I'd have given this one 5 stars if it didn't have some uneven parts, some sections that seemed to go nowhere and a few descriptions that were overly long. But all in all, this is a worthy read and notable for portraying an often overlookded group in fiction, women who are in the last years of their lives.

I have been a fan of this talented writer since 1972, when I purchased her first novel, HOW SHE DIED. I fell in love with her writing style and time has not diminished her ability to fold words together, creating a feast of images. THE GIRLS is a small but important novel of four elderly sisters, two of whom are dying. The two youngest sisters, Jenny, 80, and Flora, 85, could hardly be so dissimilar, yet so alike. The older sisters, Naomi, 90, and Eva, 95, reside in Miami, as does Flora. We meet them all when Jenny, the baby, travels to Florida from Maine at Flora's request. The older sisters need more intensive care and must be tenderly transitioned into the last place they will ever call home. Each with her own unique personality, the sisters expose their fears and concerns as time moves them all inexorably toward the end. Thanks to the skillful writing of Yglesias, we are able to know these old women not just as they are, but as they used to be, young and full of life. They open to the reader like a photograph album, wrinkles, warts and all. We are reminded that behind each ancient face lurks a childlike spirit, and that family, in the end, is often the only remaining buffer against an uncertain final journey.

Anybody who has watched their mothers and maternal aunts agewill relate well to this book. This was certainly the case for me asHelen Yglesias delves into the lives of four sisters aged 80 to 95. And what characters these women are - from the youngest to the oldest. And while some may find this book depressing, I found parts of it quite humorous. And if you read this book you will never forget the last scene of the four sisters riding off to deposit two sisters to a nursing home.

I found this book very engaging. A look at family relationships, old age and immortality, retirement communities, and even discrimination. I truly adored the book, the realistic sisterly relationships and personalities, and the reality of aging. I plan to share this book with sisters and best friends.