| | |  | Amazon Kindle | Home » » » True Colors | | | | | | | Description: | | True Colors is New York Times bestselling author Kristin Hannah’s most provocative, compelling, and heart-wrenching story yet. With the luminous writing and unforgettable characters that are her trademarks, she tells the story of three sisters whose once-solid world is broken apart by jealousy, betrayal, and the kind of passion that rarely comes along. The Grey sisters have always been close. After their mother’s death, the girls banded together, becoming best friends. Their stern, disapproving father cares less about his children than about his reputation. To Henry Grey, appearances are everything, and years later, he still demands that his daughters reflect his standing in the community. Winona, the oldest, needs her father’s approval most of all. An overweight bookworm who never felt at home on the sprawling horse ranch that has been in her family for three generations, she knows that she doesn’t have the qualities her father values. But as the best lawyer in town, she’s determined to someday find a way to prove her worth to him. Aurora, the middle sister, is the family peacemaker. She brokers every dispute and tries to keep them all happy, even as she hides her own secret pain. Vivi Ann is the undisputed star of the family. A stunningly beautiful dreamer with a heart as big as the ocean in front of her house, she is adored by all who know her. Everything comes easily for Vivi Ann, until a stranger comes to town. . . . In a matter of moments, everything will change. The Grey sisters will be pitted against one another in ways that none could have imagined. Loyalties will be tested and secrets revealed, and a terrible, shocking crime will shatter both their family and their beloved town. With breathtaking pace and penetrating emotional insight, True Colors is an unforgettable novel about sisters, rivalry, forgiveness, redemption---and ultimately, what it means to be a family.
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Average Customer Review:
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59 of 64 found the following review helpful:
 KRISTIN HANNAH AT HER VERY BEST!!!!Feb 03, 2009
By Maudeen Wachsmith
"BeachReader"
There are several things readers have come to expect when they read a Kristin Hannah book--that they'll get an amazing, compelling, emotional story, that they can't put down once they've started. While TRUE COLORS is no exception, there is a degree of depth to this novel that sets it apart from anything the author has written in the past. A degree of depth that won't simply satisfy her legions of current fans, but I dare say should bring her to the attention of many more.
Spanning nearly 30 years in the lives of the Grey sisters of Water's Edge, a waterfront ranch on the shores of Washington state's picturesque Hood Canal, first meet the sisters in 1979 just after the death of their beloved mother. It's obvious from the beginning that her loss is going to leave an enormous hole in their hearts and have long-lasting effects in the lives of these young girls. But even worse, their grieving father Henry buries his soul when he buries his wife, coping with life by drowning his sorrows in a bottle of hard liquor.
The book quickly fast forwards 13 years where we find oldest sister Winona just beginning her law practice in the nearby town of Oyster Shores, Aurora a young wife and mother of twins, while the youngest the beautiful but fragile Vivi Ann is an expert barrel racer on the western rodeo circuit, living at home, helping her father on the failing ranch that has been in their family for generations. Vivi Ann soon comes up with a plan to save the ranch and resurrects it into a thriving horse arena for lessons and competitions.
Meanwhile Winona, who has been fighting a weight problem all her life, may, at long last, have romance come her way when her childhood crush, veterinarian Luke Connelly returns to town. She is excited that this time their relationship may become more than just friendship--until he is captivated by the beautiful ViviAnn. Although Vivi Ann doesn't totally return his feelings, they eventually become engaged. Winona has a difficult time hiding her jealousy. All of this causes a rift between the sisters that won't soon be mended, especially when the new ranch hand and quintessential "bad boy" Dallas Raintree excites Vivi Ann much more than Luke ever can. This sets in place a tragedy that changes the complexion of the sisters' relationship forever.
This also sets in place events that propel this novel from one of Kristin Hannah's hallmark "domestic dramas" into one that is part legal drama, a coming of age story of a teenage boy, a story of redemption and forgiveness, and of loyalty and unfailing belief in someone when it really counts.
Kristin Hannah excels in knowing how to pull at the reader's heartstrings, to touch their emotional sweet spot, and with TRUE COLORS she pulls at those heartstrings and doesn't let go. TRUE COLORS is Kristin Hannah at her very best - maybe even better than her very best. As usual readers need to keep the hankies handy for the read that is absolutely unputdownable and totally satisfying. As impossible as it seems, Kristin Hannah just gets better and better with each read; I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.
31 of 33 found the following review helpful:
 Solid, if not unique, storyFeb 09, 2009
By mellion108
Winona, Aurora, and Vivi Ann Grey are sisters, brought closer together by their mother's death when they were children. Winona, the oldest, takes charge of her sisters, but she is plagued throughout life by her issues with her weight, her ceaseless unsuccessful quest for her father's approval, and her hope that someone will love her. Aurora is the sensible middle sister - she grows up, marries, has kids, and then struggles with the reality that life isn't a fairy tale. Vivi Ann is the wild, beautiful, optimistic youngest sister. She loves her horses, adores the father that her sisters tell her is not worth her adoration, fights to keep the Grey home and land in the family, and knows that something breathtaking is going to happen to her. When Winona's true love falls for the wrong sister, jealousy and spitefulness come between them all, and when Vivi Ann gives her heart to the dark, dangerous Dallas, the family and their small town are nearly torn apart.
Hannah does a good job of painting the portrait of small-town Oyster Shores, Washington - a town of decent, hard-working people, some of whom still hold on to old prejudices and distrust of outsiders. She also does a fine job of giving us yet another book about family loyalty, an over-controlling patriarch, and women fighting through their insecurities to become stronger and more independent.
There are countless numbers of books out there extolling the virtues of sisterhood - blood or no - and True Colors joins their ranks. This is a good, solid book with an emotional storyline, strong but flawed characters, and a compelling drama to pull everything together. Although I wasn't exactly blown away by the story, it did keep my interest, and I would pick up another Hannah novel. For me, the legal drama was a tad over the top and tended to slow down the pace of the story, and I thought that Noah's character went sadly underdeveloped, but overall this is a good novel that would be perfect for the beach or for a vacation in general.
18 of 20 found the following review helpful:
Predictable - no surprises here. A family picnic with no ants...Mar 23, 2009
By Barbara McArthur
"writer/editor"
This may be a wonderful beach read, but it's March and we need a bit more grit to keep us glued to the pages while the rain-laden winds whip through the pines. We have characters who are easily summed up in a few words - pretty and wild; overweight and unappreciated; smart and too conventional; rawboned and dangerous; troubled teen; reliable and boring; crotchedy and mean. Mix together. Add the usual gossip, jealousy, forbidden love, injustice and redemption. Bake for what seems like a long, long time. Believe it or not, what comes out of the oven is chocolate chip cookies! Yep - a happy ending for all - except old Dad, who is still crotchedy and mean - but you can't have everything!
There are no sharp edges to get in the way - no surprises or twists - just a good old, straight garden path leading to a beautiful sunset. Everybody's happy but me. I was expecting a lot more.
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
Wow, and Wow againJan 30, 2009
By Georgia Mom
This is a very touching story about three sisters, family, and loving so much it hurts. Three sisters band together after their mother's death and grow up loving each other and clinging to each other. But jealousy crept in some how and that jealousy threatens to destroy their relationship, while at the same time the youngest sister pays the worst price through it all. This story was well written, and touching. I couldn't help but to cry with not only sadness, but with regret and joy. This book is a must read for anyone who enjoys books about family and love.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
 Not for me :(May 13, 2011
By FetchMeMyFaintingCouch
I listened to this as an unabridged audio book. Kristin Hannah has written some charming historical romances in the past which is why I was tempted to pick this up but I'm really under whelmed with this women's fiction/chick lit/soap opera venture. Where's the charm? Never mind that, where's the love? All I'm reading here is bitterness and jealousy and awkward relationships. It's making me edgy and impatient.
The book is about three sisters whose mom died of cancer when they were very young teens/pre-teens. Supposedly they are super close, or that's what the author keeps saying anyway. Winona is the oldest, Aurora the middle one and Vivi Anne is the young beautiful one favored by gruff old dad. Winona grows up to be a successful attorney but she is very insecure and an emotional eater and has been unable to snag a man. When Luke, a hunk from her past calls her up and asks her to meet him to discuss some legal business over a drink she instantly hopes and wishes that he wants to date her. Desperate, much? She then agonizes over her looks, insists that Aurora pretty her up and then imagines him gushing about his wife and kiddies and on and on. Blech, is she 27 or 17? But, alas, it's all for naught because the moment Luke spies gorgeous Vivi Anne he's head over heels and Winona starts to seethe with jealousy and dreams up ways they'll break up so she can comfort Luke. She refuses to tell Vivi Anne about her crush on Luke and then starts being a royal bitch to everyone (including employees) because those two are dating. Emotionally stunted, much?
The middle sister, Aurora, seems to be here to act as a peace-keeper between the beauty and the bitter sister. She's married to a doctor whom she apparently finds boring and has little children who are apparently never around. I've heard people say that kids should be seen and not heard but these kids weren't even seen. It was weird since Aurora was in the story so much whenever someone needed advice or prettying up. I began to wonder if she had some dark secret and had locked her kids in the basement or sold them for cash or something.
Vivi Anne is probably the only character I somewhat warmed up to but only because she had a soft spot for horses, especially wounded ones, and because she was a bit wild herself. She's not so smart in the relationship department and was too eager to please others however. This gets her into a real nasty bind as the book goes along. She makes some excruciatingly stupid choices but she's the youngest so at least it made more sense than Winona's endless pining and whining over Luke, the blandest man in the land.
The whole dynamic of this relationship just wasn't working for me and none of these characters were likable enough to latch on to. The entire first part of the book annoyed me and though these three supposedly have a close relationship I didn't feel it. I understand sibling rivalry and all but the way this relationship was written was just not believable. There's also some weird-ass dialogue that bugged me. I can't remember it all but this gem really stuck out. When Luke first calls and asks Winona to meet for a drink she responds with, "How about 4:00? I hear that's Miller time?" Honestly, who says things like that outside of a commercial? It's no wonder this woman can't get a date.
Later on a major plot development happens that only cements my previous dislike for Winona and helps me feel compassion towards Vivi Anne even though she is too weak of a character to fully embrace. The twist here is a total soap opera event but it does make the book a bit more interesting. It's here that the book did fully grab my attention but not because of the tangled relationship between the sisters but because of a troubled young teen boy and his journal entries. He was a great character and Hannah is a writer who can touch the emotions. It's just such a shame that she wasted so much space on a character as utterly awful as Winona and gave the third sister, Aurora, such the shaft. The end of the book where Winona's love life was resolved seemed very contrived and not believable at all. It should have ended with an epilogue where she was a bitter old cat lady. Now that I would have believed.
I'll read Kristin Hannah again because she can write an emotionally involving story but this one won't be getting a reread.
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