Rating: 
Summary: Fan of the show. Fan of the book.
Review: As I don't always have my ear tuned to the radio to hear their show, or my biological sisters nearby, I enjoy turning to this book in small doses for a bit of wisdom and wit. It is a celebration of siblings and sisterhood. Each of the Dolan sister's personalities comes through and it's like having the work of a family member on my bookshelf. Thanks, girls.
Rating: 
Summary: Annoying Smugness
Review: As the oldest of a similar family (six girls, two boys, Catholic, etc.), a lot of this book rang really true. It's also selective, in the sense that the parents are shown as fonts of all wisdom and more than a little detached. No matter how wonderful they were, they were undoubtedly also human. As a parent myself, I love to hear what they had to say about keeping their family going, balancing among the various kids, etc. The best idea they had, in my opinion, was taking two weeks off by themselves every summer. In 16 years of parenthood, we have only taken off one night without the kids...hmmm... The relationships among the siblings definitely is true to life, with all the love and all the bickering that real families go through. I love the fact that they have been able to come together and stay close even though there is a lot of distance among them geographically. It's also very realistic that they have very different lifestyle choices, family situations and professions. We all do, too. Well worth the read.
Rating:
Summary: I laughed. I cried. I love the Satellite Sisters
Review: I bought this book on the recommendation of a friend who had seen them at a recent bookstore appearance. Their stories about growing up in a big family and their observations about life today read like much funnier, better written versions of the tales my friends and I share with eachother. It's nice to read stories about a family that isn't perfect, but like and support eachother anyway.
Their first chapter about the importance of the Sense of Connection is particularly moving in these times. Our families, our communities, our neighbors and co-workers - learning to live with all these people in our lives is important (and we might as well make it fun.) I really appreciate the warm and funny approach this book takes to some of life's challenges. I am a little tired of all the earnest self-examination that some other books preach, and found myself laughing at loud while reading Satellite Sisters, but quoting them later in serious conversations with friends. My suggestion would be for everyone to read this book before the holiday season just to prepare yourself to appreciate the friends and family we have around us.
I have never heard their radio show but I did read the excerpt of the book in Oprah Magazine. I think these sisters are really on to something that we all know in our hearts and need to be reminded of. Our friends and family are the most important things in our lives.
I also love the way this book is structured: five main chapters about the five senses they write about (Connection, Self, Humor, Adventure and Direction). Each of the five sisters writes essays for each chapter, making the book very entertaining to read. The voices and points of view change throughout and each essay is very individual. This is so much more interesting than the usual "let me tell you what's right" point of view adopted in other books. They don't have the answers and they freely admit it. "We are not experts. We are just sisters." How refreshing.
Rating:
Summary: Finding "your " people
Review: I have been listening to the Satellite Sisters on NPR for awhile, and snatched this book off the shelf when I saw it. I was not disappointed. Within the pages are the bit and pieces of real life i have come to enjoy on a weekly basis as I listen to these five sisters talk about life, and their challenges and joys. Each of the five sisters are given plenty of space in the book (something that doesn't always happen on air) and a bit of family history is expalined. The topics covered are varied and range from the silly to the life changing. There is a sense that you have been welcomed into a facinating conversation. Most importantly, there is a continuing sense of loyalty, and friendship, the same feeling that keeps listeners coming back each week. Now don't think these women are namby pamby, no, each has a distinct and well expressed outlook on life and their particular place in the scheme of things. Each is well spoken and not afraid to express an opinion. But with that also comes a sense of real love and appreciation, and a recognition that each person's individuality is to be appreciated (OK, each can tease, but are quick to circle the wagon if a threat is percieved). This book manages to capture the genuine like each sister has for each other and the shared sense of community. It also encougaes the reader to seek the same, and not necessarily within family. It was a real lift to read.
Rating:
Summary: Eagerly awaiting the next book!
Review: I laughed. I cried. I rushed out and picked up 4 more books (1 for each of my sisters, and 1 for my best friend). These sisters really seem to belong in my family. Vivian (our baby) is the family story-teller, who can turn the oddest situation into an adventure which will wring laughter out of the most jaded and depressed audience around. Beth can organize any event flawlessly, and boss around anyone in her vicinity with great aplomb (except our older brother, who always would hide in a closet or bathroom when projects were afoot). And... the comparisons, stories and lists just won't stop. Thanks to these wonderful gals for reminders about the sheer fun of growing up in a huge family - and the life lessons which we acquired along the way. Makes me wonder how on earth our Mother managed to shepherd our entire brood around Europe by herself, but the answer is obvious - she was already a member of the Sisterhood!
Rating: 
Summary: Uncommonly easy reading
Review: I saw the cover of this book and picked it up not knowing anything about who these sisters were. I don't get the Satellite
sisters radio show in Denver but the cover intrigued me having
grown up in a big family myself. What I found inside was an unexpected treasure-- stories from grown-up women who have fond memories of when they were not so grown-up. This is exactly the kind of reading I love as I'm going to sleep each night. Thanks Dolans.
Rating: 
Summary: Listen to the show
Review: I'm told the radio show is better, and I believe it. This is the story of the Dolan sisters and their somewhat unbelievable childhood growing up in a family of 10. As the oldest of seven, I can say that I found the story sugar-coated---note that the parents are largely absent, which probably wasn't the case but that's how it feels when you're part of a crowd. The "carry your skis" section certainly rang true, as is the assertion that in a large family one learns one is not the center of the universe. But the book is pretty superficial and a little too cute for my taste.
Rating:
Summary: celebrating sisterhood
Review: The Five Dolan sisters, known on public radio as the co-hosts of the popular radio program, "Satellite sisters", have produced a great book that celebrates sisterhood, and mixes insouciant fun together with hard-earned wisdom. Born into an era of the 50s and early 60s when one wage-earner could support large families, they along with their three brothers and parents, constituted a ten-member family. (It's interesting to note that among the eight siblings there are only, as of the present, eleven grandchildren. Times change.) The five sisters cover much territory in their book , writing of the various stages of their lives, of men, of careers and of jobs that paid the rent, of motherhood, of adventure, of time management, of holidays and sisters' weeks. You name the topic and you'll probably find it here. The central theme of this high-spirited book is connectedness, the invigorating bonding all women need to flourish and to find meaning in their life and work. Whenever a friend has to move, amid the wrenching goodbyes I have learned to tell her, "When you find just one good friend in the new area, it will begin to seem like home." Sisters are especially lucky because they have lifelong friends in each other, and as the five Dolan sisters can testify, that connection survives years and distance and whatever events life brings.
Rating:
Summary: I want to be a satellite sister!
Review: The Five Dolan sisters, known on public radio as the co-hosts of the popular radio program, "Satellite sisters", have produced a great book that celebrates sisterhood, and mixes insouciant fun together with hard-earned wisdom. Born into an era of the 50s and early 60s when one wage-earner could support large families, they along with their three brothers and parents, constituted a ten-member family. (It's interesting to note that among the eight siblings there are only, as of the present, eleven grandchildren. Times change.) The five sisters cover much territory in their book , writing of the various stages of their lives, of men, of careers and of jobs that paid the rent, of motherhood, of adventure, of time management, of holidays and sisters' weeks. You name the topic and you'll probably find it here. The central theme of this high-spirited book is connectedness, the invigorating bonding all women need to flourish and to find meaning in their life and work. Whenever a friend has to move, amid the wrenching goodbyes I have learned to tell her, "When you find just one good friend in the new area, it will begin to seem like home." Sisters are especially lucky because they have lifelong friends in each other, and as the five Dolan sisters can testify, that connection survives years and distance and whatever events life brings.
Rating:
Summary: Eagerly awaiting the next book!
Review: These sisters are hilarious. I read their regular column in Oprah Magazine and listen to their radio show, so when I saw the paperback in the store, I grabbed it. You know how you feel when you spend a fun night with your girlfriends? That's how you'll feel after reading this book. The five Dolan sisters are all very funny but their points of view about life are very different. It's organized into a series of separate essays about their lives growing up and their lives now. This book is a pleasure and I've already bought it for a couple of my friends for their birthdays and they agreed.
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