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A review by janetl69
Band of Sisters by Lauren Willig
4.0
I am more familiar with the devastation of Europe during WWII, than in WWI, but this book shows the sheer pluck (and naivety) of a group of American women who were determined to do their part and try to help civilians rebuild their lives while a war rages around them. I happen to start this book just after Russia invaded the Ukraine (02/2022) and it really puts things into perspective when thinking about what will be needed for Ukrainians to be able to return "home" and try to rebuild their lives, whenever that happens.
While this is a work of fiction, the author notes that almost all of the major events in this book really did happen to the women of Smith College and many of the letters in the book were bits of original correspondence they sent. Hindsight is always 20/20 and with us knowing now that the Armistice didn't happen until November of 1918, it really wasn't the smartest thing for these women to go over to France in 1917 to try to help villages rebuild, but here we are 100+ years later and I commend them for putting their lives into the hands of Fate to help others that were in a far worse place.
There are so many unsung heroes during war times and I'm glad that a light has been shone on this group of women and it does remind me a bit of the phrase "I admire your courage, but question your sanity".
While this is a work of fiction, the author notes that almost all of the major events in this book really did happen to the women of Smith College and many of the letters in the book were bits of original correspondence they sent. Hindsight is always 20/20 and with us knowing now that the Armistice didn't happen until November of 1918, it really wasn't the smartest thing for these women to go over to France in 1917 to try to help villages rebuild, but here we are 100+ years later and I commend them for putting their lives into the hands of Fate to help others that were in a far worse place.
There are so many unsung heroes during war times and I'm glad that a light has been shone on this group of women and it does remind me a bit of the phrase "I admire your courage, but question your sanity".