A Girl divided follows the life of an American missionary's daughter (Eugenia 'Genie" Baker) who grew up in China (she was born in America moved to China as a baby) is now having to suddenly go back to America and leave the only life she has ever known behind in China due to WWII. Genie is having to travel with another missionary (Nathan) who her father wants her to marry despite her not liking this man at all. She is also traveling with an American pilot Ted who is also helping her get to America.

Nathan and Eugenia argue a lot especially because Nathan is very strict in his believes and does not like Eugenia talking to Nathan or even interacting really with other people and thinks she is always acting improperly. Along the journey back to America Eugenia meets a cast of characters including two fellow missionaries one who is a woman who she also befriends named Lavinia. Lavinia has a lot of secrets of her own and while the two have a bit of a rocky friendship they do end up helping each other out along the journey and especially once they make it to America.


Overall this book was okay. Somehow it just felt lacking in a lot of areas especially how rushed it felt towards the end when Eugenia had gotten to America and was making a life of her own. The journey to America dragged on and on and the portion that was actually really interesting was over far too quickly. I would have personally loved to see more of Eugenia's life in America and her following her own passion for the first time ever and to see where that took her. I also really liked Ted and how he showed her a bit of a different life and didn't ever seem to take advantage of any of her naivety compared to other people around her.

I did struggle a lot with this book while reading it because of how so many parts of it just seemed to drag on and on and I absolutely despised one character so much. The level of dislike I have for this character has not been seen for a very long time in my reading and I stopped reading this book multiple times because of it.

One thing I will say about this book is how it got correct how women were being seen and heard a lot of the time throughout the book. It also showed the different sides of missionary work and how overly strict they can be at times.


I do want to touch a little bit about the LGBT rep in this book and how it was seen during this time. we know during the 40s and even before that and for some time after being LGBT was extremely dangerous so for it to be represented at all in this book I was a little surprised by it. I did guess that was what one person's secret was though especially with how they acted and felt guilty about it and were being treated because of it.
I am not counting this as an LGBT book though as it could be harmful to some to see it represented in this way even though it was a more realistic way to see it during this time period.

A Girl Divided by Ellen Lindseth

Brief Summary: The novel starts in China during WWII, during a dangerous time. Eugenia, known as Genie, is entrusted in the care of Nathan by her father to ensure safe passage to America. When tragedy strikes, Genie has an opportunity to spread her wings and go out on her own.

Highlights: This book does a great job portraying expectations of women during this time. As an avid historical fiction reader, I knew little about the passage from Asia to America by ship. I will say that this book is more romance or women’s fiction than historical. I also found her pilot training interesting.

Explanation of Rating: 3.5/5: It was a little too much romance for me. It was interesting to see how Genie survived and went on to support herself.

Thank you to Net Galley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review

I read quite a ways in this book, but I just didn't find the characters likable enough to continue. I kept hoping the story would get better, but finally gave up. I do wish I could have finished it.

*A Girl Divided* by Ellen Lindseth is the story of Eugina Baker, the daughter of missionaries in China. She was born and raised in China. As WWII starts to threaten her homeland her father makes the decision to send her to her aunt in her other home, one that is unfamiliar to her, America. She is sent on her journey with some interesting characters. These people add depth to this book. While most of the book takes place on her journey to America, it is while in the country that she grows the most.

I enjoyed this book and stayed up all night to finish it. It was a diffetent take on WWII than I had read previously. I liked learning about the war from Eugina's perspective. I would recommend this book to fans of historical fiction.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the Publisher for providing me with a copy of this book. This is my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

A Girl Divided by Ellen Lindseth was just an okay read for me. It has some slow scenes that kept me want to put it down for a bit. I am giving it two stars.

Loved the cover, which initially drew my attention to this book. A very enjoyable read, even though it took me a little while to really get into this story. I think it's because i didn't really take to Genie, especially at first. That is only a minor issue, but on the whole, this book is well worth a read and hopefully it will not be too long before i read another Ellen Lindseth novel.

My thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for my copy. This is my honest review.

Four stars for earnestness. This is a well written and sincere tale of Genie, the daughter of a missionary who leaves China under the protection of her father's assistant, meets a hot Flying Tiger (AND the Chiangs), travels to the US with the widow of a missionary in Burma, and lands in LA where she meets another man, experiences workplace harassment and takes flying lessons. All in less than a year. This went epic when it could have concentrated more on one or two things. AND, while I generally liked it, I also found some errors which could have easily been fixed if someone was up on their history etc. (for example, egg rolls are a US thing, invented in NYC in 1938 and the pork buns as described were not eaten in the area where Genie lived.) Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

The author did an amazing job of capturing Eugenia's emotions as she finds her way in the world during World War II and adjusts to America, where she arrived with nothing.

Eugenia Claire Baker, though born in the United States, has no memories but China. Her father, a missionary, has made a home in a remote part of this vast land. But Japan is slowly but surely encroaching onto Chinese territory, and WWII threatens at every turn. So Eugene Baker sends his daughter to her aunt in San Francisco by a very circuitous route: across land to India, by ship around the southern tip of Africa, through New York and finally to California. The various and varied people that she meets on this journey shape her in ways she never thought possible.

Join her as she journeys to adulthood and a new life.

I read this EARC courtesy of NetGalley and Lake Union. pub date 08/21/18

A fantastic read that takes place during Word War II from China to California. The coming of age of Genie and finding herself and chasing her dreams. Genie has grown up with her missionary father in China but with the fasting approaching invasion her dad has asked Ted, a pilot that is protecting China from aerial attacks. She will be chaperoned with Nathan, her father's assistant. Genie will soon have to grow up with her travels to the United States. She will soon be able to chase her dreams, in this foreign country.

This is Ms. Lindseth debut novel and is well written. Great research was placed. Love the desriptive writing of Genie's travels. Genie was a very strong woman and knew what she wanted and would not let people stand in her way. I highly recommend this book. Looking foreard to more books from this author.

I have never physically visited China but feel I know a little of it now from Lindseth's powerful description of the countryside. By blending this with strong character portrayals, she successfully takes the reader with Genie, the main character, as she struggles to cope with the changes thrust at her. This is not only a physical journey, but one wrought with emotion and romance.

An epic read from Ellen Linseth.

Genie has been raised in China by her missionary parents. When war breaks out, her father sends her to America. When tragedy strikes she ends up in America with no money and no chaperone. The story had a lot of twists and turns that kept my interest. Unfortunately, I found the heroine a bit challenging to like. She seemed weirdly judgmental.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Eugenia Baker is a young American woman born and raised in China by her missionary parents. She had been raised as a proper Chinese lady, sheltered and allowed no opinions of her own. So when war comes to her small village, her father sends her to safety with an American pilot he rescued and his assistant as a chaperone. Tragedy strikes on the voyage and Eugenia arrives in America with no chaperone, no money, and nowhere to stay. She suffers culture shock as she adjusts to her new freedom, getting a job, an apartment, and learning to fly an airplane. When her American relatives show up unexpectedly, Genie has to make the decision to return to her sheltered life with them, or claim her new independent American life.
I thought the story itself was good, but I had a hard time liking Genie. She was a little too naive and innocent and very judgemental of her friends and family. I like the description of the women's flying program, especially with the characters Crystal and Flo working so hard to be allowed to fly with the military alongside the men. Thanks to Ellen Lindseth and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This book has a lot of twists and turns. Eugenia is a twenty-two year old young American/Chinese lady. She is living with her father who is a missionaryin China. The war between China and Japan is going strong and the US has entered it. Genie (as she is called) is being sent to California to live with her aunt and out of harms way in China. You kinda think you know where the author is going with the story but then there’s a turn you don’t expect. It’s well written. Genie at times is a very strong woman but then at times I’m not sure if she could cross the street without getting hit. She’s at the age that a handsome face turns her head. Which is normal but again makes her a little wishy/washy. I will recommend this book and I will read another from this author. Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union for allowing me to read an advance copy for my honest review.

In 1937 the war between China and Japan broke out, now five years later following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour the Americans have entered World War Two. In a rural community in China, Eugenia Baker (Genie) the 22 year old daughter of a missionary is living the life of a dutiful Chinese daughter, albeit she is in fact American. Genie’s life is about to change. When an attractive American pilot working as a volunteer to protect China from aerial attacks is downed Genie’s father persuades him (Lieutenant Ted Younan) to help her to escape to the USA. They are accompanied by her father’s assistant Nathan to act as chaperone and to deliver her safely to her aunt in the USA. Nathan however has plans to marry Genie and insists they travel as an engaged couple. Genie is desperately unhappy at the thought of leaving her beloved China, her father and her friends and would prefer to stay and help her father in his work.

What follows is a journey of discovery for Genie. Not only will she fly on an aeroplane, embark on a long transatlantic voyage, discover strange and exciting new places and things, she will also discover a new way of thinking, behaving and feeling – far from her sheltered life in China. We witness Genie’s exposure to new exciting introductions which includes language (slang), provocative fashion, more freedom, and people. She often finds herself in intimidating situations, doubting her attractiveness or her capabilities.

Eventually Genie arrives in the USA and makes the transition to a modern woman, working, sharing an apartment with a friend and learning to fly.

This journey of discovery for Genie was most interesting. I almost want not to like her, I don’t know why but… perhaps it is her naiveté – but of course that is to be inspected. Perhaps it is because of her lack of self-appreciation. I just know that I was slightly annoyed when she did not recognise she was being manipulated; although even then I acknowledge how could she know? She had never experienced situations or people like this.

Well written, almost lyrical in the descriptions of the Chinese landscape; good plot development. Predictable? Maybe, but more than kept me interested. Well worth reading, and actually, a very different good book.

Thank you to the author, publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

It is 1942 in rural China. The war between China and Japan has been raging since 1937 and now America has entered since Japan attacked Pearl Harbor Living with her missionary father in China, Eugenia "Genie" Baker is quite content to help her father with his missionary work. However, it is her father's utmost wish, that she leave the country and go back to the United States now that WWII is starting. Ted Younan, a voluntary pilot with the Flying Tigers who have come to protect the Chinese against aerial attacks and warn them of the approaching Japanese army, has been asked to take Genie out of the county. Having no other options and against her wishes, she has no choice but to listen to her father and leave.

Leaving China behind and her sheltered life there as well, Genie is thrown into a new atmosphere. An atmosphere that she didn't understand, a world that was far beyond the one she lived in. Traveling with her father's assistant, Nathan, who assumed she would marry him wasn't easy either. It only added to her anxieties as she tried to absorb her new surroundings, her new feelings and just about everything that seemed foreign to her. Ultimately, as she grew and became less naive and innocent, she questioned it all. It was a journey of self-discovery that tested the sheltered life she lived in in China and whatever else she knew. Along with the other characters that made up this novel, it was an interesting read, one I would definitely recommend.

My thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

For a girl raised completely in China, she seemed to mature and adapt to her new life rather quickly. The hardships of living through the second world war are skimmed over and causes the book to lose some depth. The book has a little bit of everything and is an interesting read.