I don't want this to sound like one of those rant/reviews in which some hurt person gives a book 1 star write. This book really was terrible. For instance: do I need to read, on many occasions, of the main character's masterbation or his many detailed sightings of his brother's genitals? The actual writing in itself is quite nice but that's where the nice ends. The story is series of encounters that try to be witty and clever but fail because the characters are dull and uninteresting. While a few of the encounters are mildly interesting and entertaining, the whole falls far short of satisfying. The end of the book is an absolute anti-climax. I recommend reading just about anything but this novel.

It has been a long time since I have loved a book. When I was getting down to the last 20 pages I was disappointed it was ending! It is a funny dark humoured read that had me laughing out loud at one minute then gasping in shock the next. Patrick deWitt, I want to know what happens next. Surely a sequel must be in order. Don't leave us hanging!

This is a feel good book. Once I started reading I couldn't put it down. Different but good.

I really loved this book - I basically read the entire thing in about 3 or 4 days (which is quick for me). Right from the start, the author engages us in two brothers that make a living killing people for a crimeboss. The story begins as they head out to San Francisco (during the era of the Gold Rush) to take care of their latest assignment. Both brothers are deeply flawed in personality, as you might expect, but they are no less fascinating because of this. The younger brother, Eli, is anxious for a normal life but he feels he must stick with his brother in order to protect him. The story leads us into a series of encounters that the brothers negotiate with varying degrees of success but all of these situations spark your interest into finding out what will happen to them next. It is altogether a very addictive storyline. The ending was a little expected but satisfactory nonetheless. Well recommended.

This review originally posted at Christa's Hooked on Books --http://christashookedonbooks.blogspot.com/2011/07/review-sisters-brothers-by-patrick.html In the olden days of the gold rush Eli and Charlie Sisters are known (and feared) throughout the land. The two act as hired guns for the Commodore and have been tasked with going to San Francisco and “getting rid of” a prospector called Hermann Kermit Warm. Though this task may seem extreme it's old hat to the Sisters brothers, who are used to killing and stealing to suit their needs. As the reader follows the brothers on their mission they are exposed to the intricacies of their relationship and the volatile nature of the job they've spent their lives doing. Before I say anything about the book itself I just want to give a shout out to this book's designer. I've been taking a book design class these last couple months and I've learned how much thought and work is put into the book's interior. As a result I found myself really appreciating the way this novel was designed. The type used was unique but not obnoxious, it really helped me feel like I was reading a book different than any I've read before. I also loved the part openers, which included beautiful double page spreads. The book even had two intermissions! I nice touch and fitting with the time period and genre. But onto the book itself. I found there wasn't a lot of time devoted to the setting itself. You were given enough to know it was the West and what time period it was, but not much else. What really stood out was the way that DeWitt crafted the two brothers. Eli and Charlie Sisters couldn't be more different. Charlie was a rough character. Jaded and unforgiving, he was not someone you wanted to cross. Eli, though still tough, was a more sensitive and human character, making him the ideal choice for the narrator of the story. I found myself able to picture these two brothers right down to the little details, like their hats and their shoes. Differences aside, the two men were still brothers and like many most brothers they have an up and down relationship. It is amazing all the craziness these two go through together and the fights that they have. But through it all they always have each other's back. And really what else could you want from a brother? The Sisters Brothers is one of the first Westerns I've ever read and it wasn't exactly what I expected. I expected more gun fights, more horse races and chases. More action. That's not to say there wasn't action but it wasn't the focal point of the story. It was barely even there at the climax. Instead what I found was a look at the complicated relationship between two brothers, in a unique and interesting setting. Not what I expected but still a great read.