Band of Sisters

Post contains affiliate links; read my Disclosure Policy for more information.

Trigger warnings: war, poverty, attempted rape

Smith College graduates travel to France to help villages during World War I.

Kate Moran didn't fit in with the other women from Smith College. They're from old aristocratic families and she was a scholarship recipient and the daughter of an immigrant. When her former roommate Emmeline "Emmie" Van Alden calls her and asks her to join an expedition to France at the last minute, French teacher Kate jumps at the opportunity. Her language skills and her ability to drive make her a desirable candidate for the mission.

The party of women includes a variety of professions -- social workers, nurses, doctors, a librarian, and French teacher Kate. The women's first task is to acquire supplies to bring to the villages including trucks, livestock, and other goods. The women find that they have more skills than they realize when they are required to assemble the trucks themselves.

The novel is interspersed with letters from the Smith ladies to their relatives in America. The women have to grapple with seeing injuries and poverty and become impoverished themselves as they use all their available money to help the villagers instead of buying luxuries like shampoo. Being close to the front lines is dangerous for the Smith women, especially when the front lines move inward towards their home base.

Lauren Willig conveys the difficulties of living in wartime as well as the emotional toll it takes on the women. She also deftly describes challenges the women's interpersonal relationships must overcome to continue working at the front.

Julia Whelan is a great narrator. I've listened to audiobooks read by her before and would do so again. Her reading of the dialogue conveys emotions felt by the characters and her narration is captivating.

Recommended for fans of historical fiction, women's fiction, and war fiction.

Lauren Willig abandoned her doctoral studies in English history at Harvard to graduate with a JD from Harvard Law. She lives in New York City.

Publisher: William Morrow

Narrator: Julia Whelan

Running Time: 15 hours, 58 minutes

Length: 400 pages

Release Date: March 2, 2021

I received an electronic galley copy of this title from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I also received an audiobook from Netgalley and Libro.fm and I ended up reading/listening to this edition. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.