National Network for Equitable Library Service

Growing up with a kind but alcoholic father and a suspicious, passive-aggressive mother, the Bernal sisters each developed their own way of coping: Dulcina had her art and drugs and alcohol, Claudia plunged into her studies and fled to Princeton, and Maritza watched one Disney movie after another in between devouring romance novels. Now all grown up, the sisters are reunited at last for Maritza's dream wedding. But they are no less different than they were growing up: Maritza is a princess bridezilla, Claudia is the family "fixer," and Dulcina "Dooley" is finally sober. With all three Bernal sisters back in their East L.A. home, each begins to take steps to come to terms with each other, their parents, and secrets from their shared past. While their lives may have taken different paths, they are still sisters at heart. Told in alternating points of view, The Neapolitan Sisters is a humorous yet moving look at what it means to be a sister, a daughter, and, ultimately, your own self, despite the pressures that come with being part of a family.