The Wartime Sisters by Lynda Cohen Lolgman is a intriguing novel centered around two different types of war. Part of the story occurs before WW II and during the war. The plot revolves around a very conflicted relationship between two sisters. Their mother relates to each quite differently. She favors the younger more attractive and outgoing sister. This creates a deep resentment in her older sibling and makes it quite difficult for the sisters to co exist. They try to lead separate lives but also need each other and share a past. Its at the end of the book that they get together and vocalize the conflicts they felt growing up. This enables them to establish a satisfying and peaceful relationship. Their war has ended.

The Wartime Sisters by Lynda Cohen Loigman was a book that was very hard to put down. This is my first book by this author and I absolutely loved it. I just recently became a huge fan of Historical Fiction and this book was right up my alley. This was a very well researched and written book with well-developed characters. I would love to see it made into a movie. I will definitely read more books from this author. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my ARC.

Two estranged sisters; Ruth and Millie, raised in Brooklyn are reunited at the Springfield Armory in the early days of WWII. Ruth the older of the two resents how her parents have always doted on her younger, prettier sister, Millie. Breaking free from her sister's shadow after the death of their parents, Ruth enjoys her life as an officer's wife and her job at the Armory. When Millie arrives as a war widow and once again is the center of attention, old resentments surface and both sisters fear their secrets are about to be exposed. Told from both points of view, it is easy to understand how they each perceive the other as being the problem in their sibling rivalry.

"During World War II, the armory again turned to women to overcome the labor shortage. By June 1943, somewhere between 11,300-11,800 people worked at the armory, and of that number 43 percent were women." Loigman has written a poignant story capturing that time in history and crafting a story that brings the reality of their lives to the reader. Even in wartime, a hierarchy and snobbishness exist among the women workers and the officer's wives belying the strength that is required to survive the hard times. The Author's Note provides background on the Springfield Armory and is a welcome addition in the book. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will go on to read her first novel, The Two-Family House.

I found this book very easy and enjoyable to read. I just finished a WWII novel that took place in Europe so I was glad that this novel took place in America and focused on the relationship between Ruth and Millie with the war as a backdrop. It was interesting to get the perspective from each sister and to understand how each sister was hurting. I would definitely read more from this author. Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's press for an advanced electronic copy.

This book struck a particular chord with me. Although separated by 2 or 3 generations, I too grew up about 30 miles from Springfield and my parents read the Springfield paper every morning. The story is set in a time I could relate to, and as a child I spent "vacations" with an aunt who took me to Forest Park and to the tearoom in Steiger's department store. Later as a young mother, I took my own children to Forest Park and bought their snowsuits in Steiger's. Although I moved from there many decades ago, I'm wondering how did I never know the history of the Armory?
I loved this book and couldn't put it down. The estranged sisters were so well drawn and gives the reader a hometown look at war, women's place in society, parental bullying, deceit , betrayal and also familial loyalty.
Kudos to the author.for an exceptional and unique novel about WWII.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

This was a good book. I love how complex the relationship between the sisters was. It bounced around in time a bit but it was well done. I was well written, i wanted to keep reading it and it came to a close nicely.

I would read from this author again.

Sisters Ruth and Millie, a few years apart in age, are at odds with one another through almost 30 years of life. Ruth, the older, is noted as reliable, responsible, plain and boring. Millie is expected to get by with her looks and her friendliness. Oh how Ruth resents Millie. WWII throws the sisters together again as Millie’s husband, Lenny, signs up to serve. Millie joins Ruth at the armory and takes a job. This period of time allows Millie to regain her footing and for Ruth to relax her defenses. Coming together as sisters, without rancor, is not easy for these two. I lay the blame for their differences with their mother who seems to be caused so much with her own actions and many words.

This novel was wonderful. The writing was great, the story was compelling, the characters were well fleshed out. I honestly have nothing critical to say about it except that I cried at several moments! I have two sisters of my own and it brought up all the feels.

This was my second novel by the author and I am a fan!

This one fell flat for me. I thought the stories going back and forth in time were slightly confusing and not properly fleshed out. I had hoped that this would be more about the war and less about the sisters and their awkward relationship but it was not, it really was about the sisters. I won't recommend this to anyone but I'm sure I'm in the minority. Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I got sent this book to review- I liked the premise
Then I started reading and I did not want to put it down, carrying it around while I did as much ad I could.

2 sisters are not close:
1- her missteps were red wine spilled on a tablecloth
other- only a small wrinkle in tablecloth

1 sister hopes to fix their relationship. A seam sewn crooked is better than a hole.

Words never get chance to be spoken

A nice Jewish girl from Brooklyn, tries to assimilate to a new life in a new place while helping her son adjust to a new life. Problems from the past arise and need to be dealt with so as not to infect their new life.

I highly recommend this book!!

P.S.
Update -
I actually opened my Kindle hoping I could read more of the story, then realizing that I had already finished the book, I wanted more of the characters's story... maybe write a sequel ?!

Hard to put down novel that transports you completely back in time. It was extremely easy to get lost in this novel. The character development was great, and as a reader you were able to really feel the all the emotions associated with the often difficult relationships.

This is actually a 3.5 - I chose to round down a bit, rather than up. This is probably my own bias because I’ve been reading so many books set in the WWII timeframe. I have enjoyed almost every one of them, but I’m tired of them, too. Not sure if that makes sense...

This book touches on family relationships, women in the workforce during WWII, and the way the Springfield Armory was important to the area. It was a good, enjoyable read; very well done. I really appreciated the author's research, and the way she worked a very real aspect of WWII into enjoyable women's fiction.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

This multi-faceted historical novel examines relationships among people. As the title indicates, the main characters are two sisters growing up in pre-WWII Brooklyn, NY. They could not be more different: one is beautiful and popular, the other is plain but highly intelligent. Their mother sets them up for a lifetime of strife.

The story shifts to WWII at the Springfield Armory in Massachusetts. Women were an important part of the war effort in this facility that manufactured M-1 rifles for our fighting men overseas. Both sisters eventually live there. Their lives and status on base were very different.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the sisters and learned much about how important the Springfield Armory was to the war effort.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me a copy of this page-turner historical fiction novel! Ruth and Millie are sisters with parents who are strict and a mother who has high expectations from responsible Ruth, the elder, and unrealistic dreams for beautiful Millie, the younger sister, which only creates a gulf between the sisters that expands almost beyond repair when their parents are unexpectedly wiped from their lives.

This story digs deeper than just their relationship. I loved the wartime threads that were the intricate part of the story, including things like the Springfield Armory and its importance during the war-something I'd never heard about before.

There were many interesting characters in this story filled with strong women, heart, suspense, mistrust, and family all during the horrors of war. I highly recommend this book!

I Loved this book! 2 things I love to read about! Sisters and war! I was such an amazing story right from the start! Highly recommend! #negalley#wartimesisters

This was a very interesting book! The sibling rivalry was intense and neither understood that it was their mother who seemed to like to continue it. I liked to learn about the Armory and the work it did during the war. The social status and the gossip was also interesting. I was rooting for the characters and hoped for the best outcome for each!

This book is a journey about relationships and how they impact families and friends. Two sisters, one beautiful and the other smart. Two situations; a sister with a loving secure life and the other with a relationship of fear, distrust and anxiety. The final situation is secrets and lies and how those things impact the sisters and people who care about them.

I loved how the book allowed you to understand these characters and become part of their loves. The friends who surrounded them gave it an extra dimensions. For me it was an emotional story.

The Wartime Sisters by Lynda Cohen Loigman was provided to me by NetGalley and St. Martin's Press in return for an honest interview. Thank you for this novel.

The Wartime Sisters follows two sisters, who like many sisters don't get along. There is the beautiful Millie, who is treated like a princess and the plain Ruth, who is the scholar. They are both hiding secrets and after the death of their parents go on to live separate lives. But WWII brings them together once again. Their relationship is strained, secrets are still being kept, but would revealing those secrets bring them closer together?

A slow start to this book had me wondering if I would finish it, but I am so happy that I perservered! A thoughtful, intelligent novel about families and relationships...and the damage that they can do.

Another World War II novel, this one set in Springfield, Massachusetts, at the Springfield Armory. The author grew up in the area and has done a thorough job of researching the armory's history and physical setting. She has read all of the old armory newsletters, knows how the officers and their families lived, and understands how work in the munitions factories went. Still, I have a hard time thinking of this as historical fiction, for the story that is told could be set anywhere, any time. The armory and World War II simply provide an interesting (and currently popular) environment.

Two sisters have been estranged for most of their lives. Ruth, the serious one, has always resented her younger sister's beauty and active social life. Everyone notices Millie; Ruth is invisible. They go their separate ways as adults, but then circumstances throw them back together when Millie shows up at Ruth's door with a two-year-old and a husband who is MIA.

Ruth is happily married. Her husband is an officer stationed at the armory, and she has young twin daughters. Still, she is reserved and unsure of herself in social settings, and when Millie comes back into her life, old resentments flare. She relives every petty conflict and every perceived slight from their youth. Millie, meanwhile, is struggling to make ends meet and to take care of her child. She takes an armory job making triggers. But instead of endearing her to Ruth, their reversed social status only seems to make things worse. Ruth finds Millie a burden she must endure. Millie longs to get away from her bossy older sister.

The blurb for the novel refers to "deep secrets" that each sister carries, but they weren't that deep nor were they a big surprise. There is some tension, a fleeting moment or two of danger, but any dangerous situations are quickly resolved. In short, there's not a lot of new stuff here. As for the era, other than some name-dropping and a rare reference to a restaurant or club where Jews are not allowed, we're not overly aware of the times. The war doesn't really influence our protagonists' daily lives beyond the fact that the armory makes arms and there's a shortage of sensible shoes. The working class goes to work, and the haughty officers' wives could be high society matrons anywhere.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book.
Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres and this one did not disappoint. I really enjoyed it! This is the story of two sisters raised in Brooklyn, but reunited to work at the Springfield Armory in the early days of WWII. The older sister has always resented the younger sister because she was prettier and seemed to have an easier life. When tragedy strikes the younger sister, they are forced to life and work together. They are both hiding a big secret. When a mysterious stranger from the past enters the story, they are both forced to reveal their secret. Even though both secrets are life changing, it seems to bring a new understanding to both sisters and bring them closer to each other. I recommend this book to all readers who like Historical Fiction.