This may be yet another historical fiction novel set around WWII, but the story of twins Aelish and Isabel is so compelling and heartbreaking. Highly recommend.

Quick and Dirty
-post-WWII historical fiction
-sister story
-intense and dark
-reads like moody Irish fiction

Swipe for the full synopsis!

What Worked
Debut? Really? You could have fooled me! This deeply moving novel was not what I expected. I thought I was getting a coming-of-age sister story. What I got was a richly layered story of grief, trauma, and deceitful lies that drew me in wholeheartedly. The opening chapters set the stage for the journey, inviting the reader into the pivotal moment when everything changes for Aelish and Isabel. We follow the twins as they navigate their grief each in her way, paths diverging over time. As they reconnect we learn just how different their experiences were at the hands of the Sisters of Bethlehem. The author masterfully weaves trauma into the complex fabric of sisterhood, sharing both sisters’ POVs to create a dichotomous story arc. When the heartbreaking truth is revealed, we are left wondering how one could shoulder the burden of truth for so long, reinforcing the lasting impact of trauma. I honestly was blown away by the heaviness of this book, which reminded me of some of my favorite Irish stories. It’s melancholic literature that I won’t soon forget.

What Didn’t Work
The shifting POVs and timelines made this one difficult to follow at times. I shifted between my ebook and audio, but ultimately I found it much easier to follow the print version due to the various shifts and single narrator. Still, I struggled to keep the characters’ cast straight for the book’s first half. I will say that the degree of religion in this book was a bit triggering for me personally, and I suspect anyone with religious trauma may feel the same. However, the resolution to the story felt highly satisfying.

Read This If
Anyone who enjoys moody stories about loss and trauma will want to pick this up!

Sisters, Babies

This was an unexpected treat. I am drawn to a lot of Irish literature, but this one had been sitting nonchalantly on my TBR list for a while. When I finally did get around to reading / listening to it, I was hooked.

During the World War II German bombing of Belfast, twin sisters, Aelish and Isabel, were orphaned and sent to the Sisters of Bethlehem Orphanage. Aelish eventually becomes a nun, Isabel rebels and runs off unexpectedly, off to Newfoundland with Declan, a man both sisters love. Unrequited love is a theme threaded throughout here. While this sounds like the makings of a soap opera, the story is much stronger than that.

After years without communication, Isabel becomes severely ill and Aelish, now Sister Clare, rushes across the sea to see her and her twin children. Another tragedy strikes these ill-fated sisters and Aelish, always the one holding out for hope, tries to shake Isabel up.

““Have you had just about enough?”Aelish asks. Isabel folds her bottom lip into her mouth and bites down. “Because I have. And I won’t stand for it, Isabel McGuire. We’ve had more terrible in our lives than anyone deserves—we don’t need to go searching for more.”

They voyage back to Belfast and Isabel seethes with the anger consuming her for years. Aelish knows Isabel has been shrouding something from her, the terrible secret that drove her away from the orphanage.

The characters here are brilliant. The mother superior, Sister Edel, makes Nurse Ratched of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” seem like a pussycat. Sister Michael is the chain-smoking nun with a heart of gold who has always taken a maternal approach to the twins. The other nuns and staff provide a fascinating glimpse of life behind convent walls.

And then there is the “mother and baby home” just adjacent to the orphanage, a reflection of a dark, dark side of Ireland. Like similar stories about these homes, one has to wonder how naive neighbors and those in the community could have been while unspeakable atrocities took place. At what point was it just convenient to turn a blind eye and not question things.

Up until this point, author Melanie Maure has written a riveting story, with well-rounded characters and a secret slowly unfolding. Without giving a spoiler, though, I found the ending to be a little flat. An historical fiction, I do not know what path it could have followed without changing history.

I did the combination of reading and listening to the audio for this book. If the writing warrants a high four rating, the audiobook performance by Aoife McMahon surely is a 5. I had trouble turning her off.

Thank you to Harper Perennial and Paperbacks and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. #SistersofBelfast #NetGalley

This story is going to stay with me for a long, long time.

What drew me to the book was it being about two twin sisters, Aelish and Isabel. Their life after losing their parents in a bombing in Belfast during WWII is what starts the book off.

This story alternates view points between a few different characters, often within the same chapter, which can be hard to follow at first.

This story is full of secrets, known and unknown.

As the truth comes to light, I was appalled and heartbroken. What some of the people on this story were put through will break your heart wide open.

When the secrets of the home for mothers and children I are revealed, my jaw dropped.

Religion and faith play a big role in this story. It is interesting to see how two sisters react to and carry their faith through their lives.

I have never read a book quite like this one. For it to be the author’s fiction debut, I am very interested to sure what she writes next.

Be sure to read the author’s note at the end.

Thank you to Harper Perennial for the copy of this book. All views are my honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Perennial Paperbacks, Harper Paperbacks, and Melanie Maure for the opportunity to read, "Sisters of Belfast.". I read it over the St. Patrick's Day weekend, which was quite fitting since this story mainly took place in Ireland

It was predominantly about twin Irish sisters from Belfast. They became orphaned as young teens after Belfast was bombed by the Nazis. One of the girls, Aelish, was brought immediately to a convent and the other girl, Izzy, was in the hospital due to an extremely damaged leg. They eventually brought Izzy to the convent, but then she became pregnant from a boy at school and the Mother Superior at the convent sent her to a home for unwed mothers. It was run by nuns also, but they treated Izzy horribly. Izzy's mistreatment led her to eventually flee Ireland to Canada with her boyfriend. Aelish loved her twin sister, but she decided to stay in Ireland and become a nun.

Aelish and Izzy had no idea what was happening to one another. When Izzy became extremely sick and couldn't take care of her newborn twins, Izzy's husband sent for Aelish. Aelish went quickly to help out her sister and her sister's family. Unfortunately, there were secrets they both withheld from one another, which put a huge strain on their relationship. Then soon after Izzy came home from the hospital, her husband had an awful accident. The twin sisters ended up going back to Ireland to try and make a better life for themselves and Izzy's twins. They had to resolve many problems first, as well as, deal with buried secrets they both had kept from one another.

This was a tragic and heartbreaking story. However, it was told with so much thoughtfulness, hope, and love. It definitely led me to look up other stories about Ireland and homes for unwed and pregnant teenagers. This was a great example about how people can learn from history and the horrible mistakes made by the people who came before us.

What a fantastic debut novel. This author is definitely one to watch for.

This book takes you into the lives of Irish Nuns and an orphanage. Also into the lives of twins Aelish and Isabel McGuire. What happens to them after they lost their home and their parents.

Aelish decides to join the order and become a nun. Isabel is a very outgoing young woman/child and only wants to be free and enjoy life. Both have a lot going on in their lives. One more pain and hurt.

Aelish thinks her life is complete as a nun. She gives her all to being a good person. A god fearing person. She's young.

Isabel married her first love, Declan. They have twins together. A boy and girl. Isabel is very sick and Declan sends for Aelish who of course comes to help. Aelish has always loved Declan too. He was her one and only when she was young though nothing ever really happened beyond a very chaste kiss on the cheek. Now she is living in the same house and taking care of her nephew and niece while Isabel heals. If she does.

This story jumps from the beginning, 2016, back to the 1940s and then from the 40s to the 50s, so you get a whole image of what happened and what is happening. You get to know a couple of the nuns and possibly will like one. One I truly disliked with all my being. She was so cruel to the children in the orphanage. Like they could help being there. Like they chose to be without their parents and family. I never liked her throughout this whole book.

There is also the part about the mother and baby home. Where outrageous things happened to the unwed mothers and even the babies. Where young girls were sent to be punished for being pregnant and not married. It didn't matter whether it was their choice or not. Awful things happened there. It's not graphically written though. But you do get the gist of it all. Be sure and read the Acknowledgement at the end.

This book was well written and will give you lots of emotion. Many tears. A couple of chuckles also.

Thank you #NetGalley, #MelanieMaure, #HarperPerennial, #HarperCollins for this ARC. This is my true thoughts about this book.

Five big stars.

This was a beautifully written novel about two sisters and their life. But it is so dang sad. I just am not in the place for a book that feels hopeless right now, so I am DNF at 52%. However, when someone asks for a recommendation for a book like this, I will gladly recommend and may come back to this one day when I’m in the right spot for it.

The Belfast Blitz I knew nothing about and the sad truths of mother baby homes in Ireland as well. This historical fiction is heavy and heartbreaking, dealing with a lot of tragedy in a delicate way. There is hope and resilience but the "happy" ending was abrupt and so you are left feeling more heavy and sad - not necessarily a bad thing as these topics should be known and grieved, but also not necessarily how you want to walk away either. The writing is detailed and you feel the characters emotions even as it switches POVs quite a bit. The story gives you insights as it switches between not just the various characters, but also throughout time. A hard, rough read but a story that needs to be told.

Unfortunately this didn’t work for me. I love WW2 historical fiction and dual timelines but the slow pace dragged the story too much for my taste. My attention wasn’t held and I just wasn’t intrigued enough to continue after 25%. I’m sure there’s many others who will enjoy this though

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for my copy of Sisters of Belfast by Melanie Maure in exchange for an honest review. It publishes February 27, 2024.
This is a very heart-felt, well-written story, spanning from WWII to present day. The majority of this book takes places in the 1950's, post-WWII. Twins who became orphaned during the war are taken into a Catholic abbey.
This story explores twins who choose different lives for themselves given their circumstances. There is not a shortage of tragedy and heartbreak. This book may be best read with a box of tissues!
I will warn, there is a lot of focus on being Catholic, as many characters are nuns, so there is a possibility that it may be confusing if you aren't schooled on Catholicism, (like me).

I absolutely love historical fiction set in Ireland. So I was very happy to read Sisters of Belfast by Melanie Maure. This is a tragic and emotional novel set in Belfast. That city is rich in history and if you ever get the chance to visit, GO. The novel isn’t a happy one but I was engrossed in the story of sisters Aelish and Isabel.

If you are in the mood to settle in with a deep novel that is in turns serious, moving and gripping, this is the book for you.

Synopsis:

Orphaned during the Second World War, Aelish and Isabel McGuire—known as the twins of Belfast—are given over to the austere care of the Sisters of Bethlehem. Though they are each all the other has, the girls are propelled in opposite directions as they grow up. Rebellious Isabel turns her back on the church and Ireland, traveling to Newfoundland where she pursues a perilous yet independent life. Devout Aelish chooses to remain in Northern Ireland and takes the veil, burying painful truths beneath years of silence. For decades the two are separated, each unaware of the other’s life. But after years of isolation Aelish is unexpectedly summoned to Newfoundland, where she and her estranged sister begin to bridge the chasm between them.

Reunion brings to light the painful secrets and seismic deceptions that have kept these sisters apart, leaving the McGuire twins to begin reconstructing their understanding about themselves as women and as family–what they know of love, hope, and above all, forgiveness.

A story of faith—in religion, in the world, and in one another—Sisters of Belfast is a heartbreaking, tragic, and deeply moving novel about survival and the enduring power of sisterhood.

Out on Feb. 27.

After a bomb hits their home during WWII killing their parents, twins Aelish and Isabel are sent to be raised by nuns in an orphanage . The sisters couldn't have gone on to lead more different lives. Isabel rebels against the church and eventually escapes her homeland and the tragic abuses under the nuns' hands, to lead a much different life in Newfoundland. In contrast, Aelish embraces the church and becomes a nun - though mostly oblivious to the abuses her twin endured.

After decades of separation, Aelish makes the trek overseas to her ill sister. The twin connection is still strong and intriguing, and helps them to work on repairing their relationship. Eventually, the horrifying secrets of Isabel's past, as well as ongoing atrocities, are brought to light.

The development of all characters is incredibly well done, with an artful illustration of depth of personalities that draws in the reader.

Thank you NetGalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Aelish and Isabel McGuire, were twin sisters growing up in Belfast. In 1941 their world collapsed when Nazi bombs were dropped and their parents were killed. Taken in by a Catholic orphanage, the sisters had two vastly different experiences. Aelish being the more obedient and compliant of the two, forged a deep bond with Sister Mike, a caring nun, whose influence remained a pivotal part of Aelish’s future decisions. Isabel, more rebellious and independent than her twin, was always butting heads with the Mother Superior, and faced brutal , harmful punishments. When the situation becomes unmanageable for Isabel, she makes a decision to change her life. Aelish and Isabel lose contact for many years.

When Aelish, now a nun, is summoned to Newfoundland to help her ailing sister and her family, the twins reunite and share with each other, the secrets of their very different childhoods. Despite their differences, they begin to bond in a way that only those who love each other deeply can.

What results is a stirring and poignant story of resilience, faith, hope and also despair. What is unearthed is centered around the mid twentieth century cruel abuse of those trusted with the care of vulnerable children, pregnant women and young mothers.

At its best this book was a magnet, drawing me to every sentence on every page. But at other times it seemed to slow down. The history of abuse in the Catholic Church is well known and was not a revelation to me. Still, the author has something to say and she says it well. Three and a half stars rounded off to four for a book I do recommend. My thanks to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Publication date is February 27.

Set in Ireland, orphaned twin sisters are forced to live in a Catholic orphanage. This novel is not fit the faint hearted. The cruelty by some of the nuns and the reality of the home for mothers and babies is very upsetting. Based on history, this novel opens the reader's eyes to this horrid practice. The story was slow to reveal the true events and very dark.

a beautiful, heartbreaking historical fiction. this tells the story of twin sisters who are orphaned during world war two and how their lives follow different paths until they are reunited. i loved the characters, they were so complex and real. it deals with a lot of heavy themes and it made me cry (many times), but it’s also so lovely.

tw: child loss, miscarriage

thanks to netgalley and harper perennial for my advance copy of sisters of belfast by melanie maure. all opinions are my own.

Going to be a January and a 2024 favorite!!

A FABULOUS, WONDERFUL READ!!

A bombing that killed their parents in 1941 in Dublin put twins Isabel and Aelish in an orphanage run by nuns.

Isabel was rebellious and Aelish was compliant.

Isabel escapes, but Aelish remains and becomes a nun.

In 1955, Isabel contacts her sister, and Aelish makes the trip to Newfoundland where her sister is suffering from tuberulosis and just had twins. Isabel asks for Aelish's help in caring or her and her twins.

Of course Aelish makes her way across the ocean to see her sister after all these years.

We follow Isabel and Aelish during the war and after the war learning of their lives in alternating chapters.

SISTERS OF BELFAST will pull you in from the very first page.

The writing is detailed and personable, the characters are ones that will have you feeling their every emotion, and the story line will capture your interest and your heart.

SISTERS OF BELFAST is a heartbreaking, heartfelt, beautiful book.

You will LOVE the characters and miss them when you turn the last page.

Historical fiction fans, and those who enjoy a moving read won’t want to miss this book.

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Tragic novel about two identical twin sisters (Isabel and Ailesh) who are separated after a bomb hits their family home during WWII. Their parents are killed, and they are forced into an orphanage where they are terribly mistreated by nuns. The sisters are separated when Isabel disappears from the orphanage. The two have a reunion decades later when Isabel (who now is a nun herself) travels to New Foundland to visit her ailing sister and her family. Their individual tragic journeys are revealed.
This story is about abuse by the hands of those responsible for vulnerable orphaned children, and single young mothers, within the confines of a Catholic orphanage. The sadistic treatment doled out by the nuns is rough to read. The strength of the bonds of sisterhood, and the story of their trials and heartbreak are revealed. Unfortunately, there isn't really anything to cheer about in the story which made it a dreary read.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

Orphaned during the Second World War, Aelish and Isabel McGuire—known as the twins of Belfast—are given over to the austere care of the Sisters of Bethlehem. Though they are each all the other has, the girls are propelled in opposite directions as they grow up. Rebellious Isabel turns her back on the church and Ireland, traveling to Newfoundland where she pursues a perilous yet independent life. Devout Aelish chooses to remain in Northern Ireland and takes the veil, burying painful truths beneath years of silence. For decades the two are separated, each unaware of the other’s life. But after years of isolation Aelish is unexpectedly summoned to Newfoundland, where she and her estranged sister begin to bridge the chasm between them.

Told from multiple points of view and timelines we see the McGuire twins' lives unfold and how strong the bond of twins can really be. As the story unfolds we discover the truth behind what caused the twins to separate, their survival of WWII in Ireland, and their experiences of religion and relationships. Ailesh and Isabel's story is one of heartache, love, and determination and will make you feel deeply. I recommend this novel.

This is the story of identical twins Aelish and Isabel McGuire, who are orphaned in 1941 when their parents are killed during WWII. The sisters end up at the nearby Catholic orphanage run by nuns including the sadistic Sister Edel and kind Sister Mike. Isabel, whose personality is so very different from her sister, runs away to marry while Aelish becomes a nun. There is so much more to this story of love, loss, forgiveness, hope, resilience, and most of all family. I had a hard time getting into the story but about half way through, I was invested in the likeable characters and supporting characters even though it was hard to read at times. Starting in 1941, the story ends in 2016, so there is a lot of time covered in the lives of these characters. I look forward to reading more by this author as I understand this is her debut novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This book starts out during WWII with the evil of Europe bombing and killing twin girls parents, thus they end up in a Catholic orphanage. Should have a good life, right?
Although, this is a fictional read, it is based on fact and makes me cringe, the covered up atrocities. We have Aelish and Isabel McGuire growing up here under such harsh conditions, and we follow their lives separately, one escapes, and the other ends up taking vows.
We are there as they reunite, and follow them as adults and secrets start to fall. Be sure to read the author's notes, so so sad.
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Harper Paperback, and was not required to give a positive review.