The Canterbury Sisters by Kim Wright

A book review of The Canterbury Sisters by Kim Wright. Post may contain affiliate links. 

As someone who has read at least 50+ books a year for the past forty years, I was astonished to find that I have never actually read The Canterbury Tales by Chaucer.  So, I came at this book with no prior knowledge of what it might be about, I only knew that I was drawn by the cover.  Yes, just as a chose a wine by it’s label, I chose a book by it’s cover.

This book, with it’s stack of pretty teacups on the cover, was everything I hoped it would be.  For any of you that share my lack of Canterbury Tales knowledge, It is about a group of people who make a pilgrimage to Canterbury Cathedral.  Once there, the person with the most entertaining story gets a free meal.

In The Canterbury Sisters these pilgrims are a group of women, Broads Abroad, as they call themselves.  The narrator of the story is Che Milan.  Her boyfriend has left her and her eccentric mother has just died.  Her mother left one wish and that was for Che to take her ashes to Canterbury Cathedral.  Che reluctantly joins the group of women.

As the women start out walking, their guide explains that they are to each tell a story of true love. Each story is different and yet similar.  The journey that these women make from the beginning of the trail to the end of the trail is made up of much more than just miles.

The book is simultaneously humorous, warm, deep, and thought provoking.  The characters are well formed and believable.  The story flows quickly and I missed it when I was finished.