Sisterchicks on the Loose! (Sisterchicks Series #1)

Meet Sharon, a Washington State Christian wife and mother whose best friend Penny roared into town on the back of her husband Dave's Harley. After nearly a decade of living next door to each other, Sharon and Penny are separated when Dave takes a job in San Francisco. When Penny calls and reminds Sharon of their long-ago church-nursery vow to take off on an adventure together, Sharon is loath to leave her family --- even when Penny explains that she's paying for the jaunt to Finland to meet her dead mother's only sister. Unlike other Chick Lit heroines, however, Sharon has a steadfast and warm husband supporting her. When Jeff tells her he can handle hearth, home and three of four children (eldest son Tyler is away at college), Sharon faces her fears of flying and takes off with Penny for Helsinki.

Of course, no plot would be complete without tension, and since Jones Gunn has given Sharon a good man, she cannily provides a bad mother-in-law to ratchet things up a bit. Gloria, given to calling her daughter-in-law "Sharondear" and Penny "Daveswife," is not a one-dimensional caricature, but a deeply unhappy person whose constant woe threatens to unseat Sharon's calm demeanor. Knowing that Gloria is back in Chinook Springs spreading her own little garden of bitterness makes Sharon uncomfortable, and the various travel mishaps that occur during the first leg of the friends' trip make her even more so (many readers will relate to the lost luggage, airline crowding, and hotel miscommunications that follow).

Some of the scene setting seems tedious, but Gunn's portrait of two women smack in the middle of life rings true, especially when Sharon and Penny are annoyed with each other. The author's definition of a "sisterchick" is "Someone who knows the deepest wonders of your heart, loves you like a sister, and provides a reality check when you're being a brat." What's not here is all the binging and whining that mark all-too-trendy British Chick Lit titles, although they do indulge happily in chocolate. When Sharon and Penny come unglued, they don't let their relationship unravel --- they keep communicating, moving and praying. For small-town Sharon, the biggest joy and wonder of their trip may be realizing that other women of different cultures, ages and stages can be sisterchicks, too.

Meanwhile, the discoveries and experiences along the road from Washington State to Helsinki to London and Liverpool help the "sisterchicks" deepen their bond and tackle some deep issues. The fact that Gunn's Epilogue shows that some of those issues took time to resolve made everything much more realistic, and sets the stage for her future books. Next stop --- Sisterchicks Do the Hula!

--- Reviewed by Bethanne Kelly Patrick


A Not-To-Be-Missed Treat   March 6, 2004
Wendy Lawton (The Central Valley of California)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful

I've heard a lot about "Chick Lit" lately-- those books that center on our woman-to-woman, girl-to-girl relationships. I wanted to see what this new genre of literature is all about, so I picked up Sisterchicks on the Loose.

What a delight.

Yes, it's fun-- full of experiences like lacy underwear shopping in Helsinki and savoring chocolate on more than one continent-- but Robin Jones Gunn's delicate use of language and emotion take us much deeper. There are word images in the book I will never forget-- like touching the translucence of a fragile bone china teacup or seeing a lone star through Sharon's eyes or watching snowflakes incinerate on sauna-heated skin.

The spiritual element unfolds just as inticately as the relationship elements. I wouldn't have missed this book. I'm ordering Sisterchicks Do the Hula.


Take a day's vacation!   June 20, 2003
Sunshine (Oklahoma USA)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

Reading this book was like taking a relaxing and entertaining vacation for a day. That sounds like a cliche, but I can't think of any more accurate way to describe it! As a twenty-something mother of a toddler, I wondered...would I even enjoy a book about middle-aged mothers of teenagers and their friendship? However, the story carried me across the world from my daily responsibilities and gave me a 24-hour vacation! I loved it!

Best friends and middle-aged mothers Sharon and Penny embark on a crazy trip to Finland to search for Penny's roots and relatives. While dealing with lost luggage and entertaining encounters with strangers (and consuming great quantities of chocolate), they each discover new sides to their identities and hidden strengths in themselves and their friendship. The hilarious chapter describing their first encounter with a Finnish sauna is worth the price of the book alone! Robin Jones Gunn has created genuine, down-to-earth, endearing, unfailingly fascinating characters. Just make sure you have plenty of time to read when you pick up this book because it will be hard to put down!


"Sisterchicks" takes you away...   January 25, 2004
Janet H. McHenry (Loyalton, CA USA)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

I loved escaping with "Sisterchicks on the Loose!" so much that I now want to find my own family in Finland--create an adventure with one or more of my own sisterchicks. Robin's writing rings true about the longings of the midlife mom who wonders if she's got a special, latent gifting. Her lyrical passages help the reader see places and faces and traces of what's true in the deepest parts of our souls. I highly recommend it and look forward to reading her next in the series: "Sisterchicks Do the Hula."
--Author of "Girlfriend Gatherings: Creative Ways to Stay Connected"


An adventure!   April 30, 2004
lor369 (Indianapolis, IN USA)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

This book details the friendship between 2 friends and their adventures in England and Finland. This was a very interesting book, getting to read more about Finland and England, and about the people and their customs.

I enjoyed the humor throughout the book. I liked reading about the customs officer teasing Penny about her name, Penny Lane. I liked the contrast between the 2 characters: the one free-spirited and assertive, and the other one, more serious and cautious. Yet, the characters were able to come together and have a lasting friendship.

There were plenty of ups and downs withing the book, like Sharon losing her luggage, Penny worried that she was going to die because her mother died so young, and the discussion about Penny's past, and the cousin who was going through some worrisome times. But there was a lot of fun, like the chocolate and the visit to a Finish sauna.

I highly recommend this book about a good, Christian friendship.