Book Review: The Lapone Sisters

A Delightful Story of First Generation American Girls

The Lapone Sisters

By Barry Wilker

The first American generation sisters still had one foot firmly in their family’s Romanian culture, and the other foot ready to be like everyone else in the states. Their mother, grandmother and two other relatives fled their war torn home in Romania. Coming to the United States was not an easy choice, but the one they needed to survive. When the three children, Schmellda, Sorina and Esmerelda were born, they learned the old Romanian ways as well as the new ways of America. The girls are diverse in character, as if they were from different parents and upbringings. But they had family values and love for each other to bind them together no matter how unlikely it seemed due to their vastly different personalities.

Schmellda, as the oldest, always feels that she must do what her mother feels is best. As a recent graduate from Middle Tennessee State University with a home economics degree, she is finally on her own in her own apartment. She takes a job as a realtor, but her first love is floral arranging.

Sorina is currently working as a dry cleaner. She has a stutter, that keeps her from socializing with anyone but her family. But she loves to sing.

Esmerelda is proud to proclaim she is outgoing, nearly fearless and possesses a quick wit. She has a boyfriend (unlike her sisters) and is the most social of the siblings.

These three vastly different women grow and learn from life and each other that they are capable of leading their own lives, with their own choices, yet still remain close to each other. Life is not always what their parents or even they, themselves thought it would or could be. Each of the them find their way in life, traveling the road that suits them best.

This delightful tale of first-generation Americans is fast-paced and fun. The decisions the girls make and roads they choose to take are like most in the United States. They overcome hardships, but always know they can rely on each other and their extended family to be there for them.

I really enjoyed seeing how the girls interacted with each other as well as the growth they experienced by the end of this novel. This is a delightful, often funny tale warmed by the love the family has for each other as well as their new lives. I highly recommend it to fiction fans.

This is Barry Wilker’s debut novel. A retired interior designer, he has years of experience listening to the life stories of his clients. Fortunately for readers, he was inspired to write this fabulous novel. I can’t wait to see his next novel.  

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy for free from publicist Maryglen McCombs and the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. Copyright © 2023 Laura Hartman