In honor of my sister’s birthday, I decided the perfect topic would of course be – sisters. Whenever I think of sisterhood, several famous families come to mind, but my favorites seem to spring from the pages of Jane Austen. Who doesn’t love the Bennet sisters or the Dashwood sisters, no matter their foibles? Whenever I read Pride and Prejudice, I wish I could step right into the pages, not only to meet Mr. Darcy, but to talk to the Bennet girls – Elizabeth, and sweet Jane, Mary, Kitty, and even flighty Lydia. It would be wonderful to spend an afternoon with Elinor, Marianne, and even Margaret from Sense and Sensibility. Though less well known, I also love the Essex sisters (Tess, Annabel, Imogen and Josey) from Eloisa James’ four book series. I laugh and cry and root for them, and I love to read the scenes where they bicker. 

As far as movies go, I always think of Betty and Judy Haynes from the Christmas classic White Christmas. Who can forget their song and dance act at the beginning? 

Lord help the mister who comes between me and my sister, and Lord help the sister who comes between me and my man.

And what of the Smith sisters in Meet Me In St. Louis. (Which, incidentally, is the film where Judy Garland debuted the song Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.) Or the March sisters in Little Women. As a girl I loved the 1961 version of The Parent Trap with Hayley Mills. (Let’s get together, yeah, yeah, yeah…)

Who are your favorite sisters – fictional or otherwise? What about them do you like – their humor, their bickering, their shared genius?