Read if you: Want an engrossing, heartbreaking, and mesmerizing story of young college women (from Smith) who performed needed and sometimes dangerous relief work in France during World War I.

Librarians/booksellers: Your historical fiction fans will love this. A must read for anyone who loves historical fiction about strong women.

Many thanks to William Morrow and Custom House and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Willig, Williams and White have long been three of my favorites authors. I love it when they write books together, and I love it when they write on their own. All three of these ladies are must reads for me

Band of Sisters by Lauren Willig is an incredible tale based on historical fact. It tells of the heroic deeds of the young women from Smith College Relief Unit who traveled to France during World War I to help the families there in need. There are several young ladies in the story but the main ones are Emmie and Kate. They are friends who had a bit of a falling out years ago.

Through the many months that they are there, they have many adventures with chickens, desserters, and helping village friends escape German bombs. There are dashing British soldiers and hope of love and a future. You will root for these strong young women and be sad when their story is done. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and listen to this amazing story. Also, narrator of this book did a splendid job with all the voices.

This is women's fiction in the absolutely best possible meaning of that genre. Lauren Willig has given us a true story of American women, Smith college alumni in the year 1917 who decided to go help French villagers that most had forgotten about after the brutal battles leaving them destitute. Her fictionalized group of truly ordinary young women had no idea what they were doing--buying roosters instead of chickens, and only one of them knowing how to drive-- but just tried their hands at something because it needed to be done.
It was inspiring, it was raw, it was beautifully written. And oh! The DRAMA of these female friendships that sometimes clashed--was viscerally felt. Kate and Emmaline, Kate and Julia--these weren't casual cliched female friendships as a buffer to find their husbands. These friendships were fought for, just as much as the war they were fighting. If you have sisters or close female friends yourself--you can see yourself in these women who weren't put off by anyone or anything that stood in their way, German shells included. I'll be recommending this one for any lovers of historical fiction--but also as an example of how women's fiction should be celebrated. As a band of sisters--not by blood, but by grit and determination as a Unit.

Kate always felt out of place and that feeling continued as she joined the group of Smith graduates, at the insistence of her college roommate Emmie, on the way to provide aid in France during the war. The other women all seemed to have it together and Kate still felt like a scholarship girl, but the devastation of the French countryside quickly leveled the playing field as they were all doing things that were unimaginable. As they helped the remaining villagers rebuild their lives the battles of war were never very far away. A story of strong women experiencing things they never imagined to help a country at war and find themselves.

Band of Sisters was a moving portrait of the sacrifices and contributions of a group that are often talked about in historical wars-women. I feel like we have so many examples of historical fiction from WWII so I'm always very eager to dive into one from the WWI as it is not as well examined in many ways.

I enjoyed getting to know the cast of characters. Strong and formidable women who were informed by various life experiences. I did have trouble with the main character of Kate though. I just felt her reasons for feeling so excluded from the world she wanted to be in was little thin, and those reasons came off more like excuses.

In summary, however, this book was an incredibly interesting telling of a part of American history not often told. I would highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced reading copy.

Another exciting adventure from one of my favorite authors, Lauren Willig. She is a master of historical fiction and this was no exception. The women of the Smith College Relief Unit are endearing and inspiring in equal measure. I was immediately drawn into the story as they journeyed from their (mostly) privileged lives in the US to the war-torn villages of WWI France. As always, Willig flawlessly weaves humor and romance into her story. But the most interesting relationships in this book remain the bonds between these inspirational women and the communities they are helping to rebuild. I really enjoyed immersing myself into the story from the first chapter. By the end of the book, I simply couldn't put this novel down.

I always appreciate the level of historical research and realism that Willig brings to her fiction. That this story is inspired by a real Smith College Relief Unit makes it all the more interesting. I also love the references to their previous novels (and to each other) that Willig and her fellow novelists Beatriz Williams and Karen White always weave into their stories. It's a nice touch of continuity that rewards their devoted readers without being too obvious. Overall, another excellent historical fiction novel. I can't wait to dive into this one again in the future.

This book is based on the true story of a group of Smith College graduates who formed a relief unit and traveled to France during World War One to help ordinary citizens rebuild their lives as they returned to their destroyed towns after the German retreat. Only miles from the front they heard the guns rumble in the distance as they provided basic shelter, supplies, and medical care and rebuilt schools. Slowly they helped the French return to a semblance of normalcy but during the fighting in early 1918 they were forced to retreat and evacuate the residents as the lines shifted and the Germans advanced.

Amazingly the incidents in the plot follow the actual events and experiences of the women. Lauren Willig's impressive research included reading contemporary accounts, letters written by the women, and alumni magazines. The characters were even modeled on descriptions found in the letters and available biographical information.

This is a fascinating story of a little known chapter in women's history and well worth reading.

I was a little anxious about this, because there's so much fiction about this era, but Laura Willig's Band of Sisters was so good, and so well done. It's based on actual women and events, and I learned so much and got a great page-turning read as well; the kind of win-win all readers want!

Band of Sisters
A Novel
by Lauren Willig
William Morrow and Custom House
You Are Auto-Approved
William Morrow
General Fiction (Adult) | Historical Fiction | Women's Fiction
Pub Date 02 Mar 2021 | Archive Date 27 Apr 2021

I really liked this book. Thanks to William Morrow and Custom House for the ARC through NetGalley

4 star

This was a great book, especially knowing that it was based on real women. I wish at least part of the afterward had been a foreward, not giving anything away, but explaining it was based on real events.