This book focuses on the lives of Smith College graduates who formed the Smith College Relief Unit during World War I. They formed in April of 1917 and were composed of women who wanted to help the people of France during the war in rebuilding and replanting their country.
Emmaline Van Alden is from an old, rich family whose mother spends her time stumping for women’s rights and ignoring the work that her daughter does in the tenements. Emmie never feels like she belongs because everyone wants to be her friend due to her family name.
Enemie’s only true friend is Kate who went to Smith on a scholarship and is now teaching French to rich girls, bored out of her mind. Kate hasn’t really kept in touch with Emmie because she overheard Emmie’s cousin, Julia tell someone that Kate was Emmie’s “charity case”. Emmie asks Kate to join her on this project and secretly pays her way so Kate would not have a reason to say no. Kate, being poor and Catholic, never fit in at Smith.
Emmie is put in charge of buying the animals, cows, hens, and goats. The French rooster happens to look a lot like the American hen. After months of no eggs, they realize the hens are actually roosters and they need to buy hens.
These women achieve amazing things in a short time, but then the boche (Germans) surge into the many villages that they are helping. These women risk life and limb to do a major evacuation of the villagers to somewhere safe from the bombs and guns. The British military told them to leave but they refused to do so until all of their people were safe.
Willig weaves the fiction of the characters with real life events to achieve an incredible novel that tells the untold story of these brave women who risked their lives to help strangers who became close friends.
While the characters are fictional, all the events written about really happened, including a coup within the organization and the firing of the amazing woman in charge of the unit. This is an amazing story of brave women who went beyond the traditional roles for women and let France know that they cared about them. Willig has written a stellar novel that tells these women’s experiences in an engaging way and sheds a light on these women whose stories have been hidden and untold.
Quotes
How did one scream in pain if one had no mouth left with which to speak?
Lauren Willig (Band of Sisters, p59)
You needn't sugarcoat it. Sugar's been ratoihned. We've had our quota for today.
Lauren Willig (Band of Sisters, p 80)
Washing is highly overrated. There's nothing like a good layer of dirt for keeping the warmth in.
Lauren Willig (Band of Sisters, p 229)
She'd been poorly for so long--we thought her illness was...a sort of hobby.
Lauren Willig (Band of Sisters, p 178)
If you want to be loved, don't take on responsibility.
Lauren Willig (Band of Sisters, p 373)
True friendship isn't abstaining from hurting one another, but forgiving each other when you do.
Lauren Willig (Band of Sisters, p 373)
Link to Thriftbooks: https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/band-of-sisters_lauren-willig/28116388/?resultid=c698cfa1-94d9-4095-8fe8-23258368f8fb#edition=35441987&idiq=45186468
No comments:
Post a Comment