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I've always thought of Regan and Goneril as quite a bit older than Cordelia; they both seem to have been in well established marital relationships and Cordelia was just at the point of being engaged. It wouldn't be unusual for that sort of age difference to result in a lack of closeness in sibling relationships; I know that even the three and four years that separates me from my siblings was enough to give them a close relationship...and we are all from the same parents.
Another thought: It's possible that Lear's wife died in childbirth with Cordelia and that could be one of the reasons why he favors her over the others, another reason why the older sisters are bitter, angry, and downright cruel to both of them.
I think blaming the non-existent mother is kind of an odd thing; we don't do the same thing for Shakespeare's other cruel female characters like Lady Macbeth or Margaret of Anjou (although Queen Meg was justified in a lot of her actions imho).