Band of Sisters
- Authors: Lauren Willig
- Series:
- Type: Novel
- Genres: Historical
- Rank:Top 500 in Best Sisters Fiction on AmazonTop 500 in Best Friendship Fiction Books on AmazonTop 1000 in Best Women's Friendship Fiction on Amazon
- Rating: 4.5 based on 2,052 reviews
- Release Date: March 2, 2021
- Print length: 528 pages (Hardcover)
About the book
A group of young women from Smith College risk their lives in France at the height of World War I in this sweeping novel based on a true story-a skillful blend of Call the Midwife and The Alice Network-from New York Times bestselling author Lauren Willig.
A scholarship girl from Brooklyn, Kate Moran thought she found a place among Smith's Mayflower descendants, only to have her illusions dashed the summer after graduation. When charismatic alumna Betsy Rutherford delivers a rousing speech at the Smith College Club in April of 1917, looking for volunteers to help French civilians decimated by the German war machine, Kate is too busy earning her living to even think of taking up the call. But when her former best friend Emmeline Van Alden reaches out and begs her to take the place of a girl who had to drop out, Kate reluctantly agrees to join the new Smith College Relief Unit.
Four months later, Kate and seventeen other Smithies, including two trailblazing female doctors, set sail for France. The volunteers are armed with money, supplies, and good intentions-all of which immediately go astray. The chateau that was to be their headquarters is a half-burnt ruin. The villagers they meet are in desperate straits: women and children huddling in damp cellars, their crops destroyed and their wells poisoned.
Despite constant shelling from the Germans, French bureaucracy, and the threat of being ousted by the British army, the Smith volunteers bring welcome aid-and hope-to the region. But can they survive their own differences? As they cope with the hardships and terrors of the war, Kate and her colleagues find themselves navigating old rivalries and new betrayals which threaten the very existence of the Unit.
With the Germans threatening to break through the lines, can the Smith Unit pull together and be truly a band of sisters?
Praise for Band of Sisters
A crackling portrayal of everyday American heroines...A triumph.
An inspiring ode to the indomitable strength of women and the fierce, indelible bonds of female friendship, a tale of she-roes that will make you both laugh and cry.
With heart and humor, Willig explores the complexities of female friendships--feuds, forgiveness, and all. A touching portrait of triumph and found family in the midst of war. Bravo!
A compelling tale of love, resilience, expectations, bravery, and above all, the powerful, redemptive bonds of female friendship.
Captivating! The ever-masterful Lauren Willig beautifully celebrates these singular women.
Band of Sisters spotlights a fascinating group of young women who braved the strains of world war to help those caught in the crossfire and left direly in need. Through snappy dialogue and endearing characters, Willig delivers a heartwarming tale powered by sisterly support, forgiveness, and the strength found together--and within.
Brimming with a cast of characters to love and root for, and based on actual events and the lives of truly brave women, BAND OF SISTERS is the perfect story for our troubled times. This is the historical novel you've been hungering for.
An affecting and memorable tale of women and the way their friendships are tested by a changing world and the unforgiving crucible of conflict. Altogether it's an utterly entertaining and enlightening work of historical fiction. Brava!
Willig expertly uses historical detail in her seamless, well-plotted tale. This will entice readers from the very first page.
About the author
