Julie's Review: The Wartime Sisters

Author: Lynda Cohen Loigman
Series: None
Publication Date: January 22, 2018
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Pages: 304
Obtained: publisher
Genre:  Historical Fiction
Rating: 4/5
Bottom Line: A story of family and understanding how you fit in yours
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Summary: Two estranged sisters, raised in Brooklyn and each burdened with her own shocking secret, are reunited at the Springfield Armory in the early days of WWII. While one sister lives in relative ease on the bucolic Armory campus as an officer’s wife, the other arrives as a war widow and takes a position in the Armory factories as a “soldier of production.” Resentment festers between the two, and secrets are shattered when a mysterious figure from the past reemerges in their lives.~amazon.com

Review: Ruth and Millie couldn't be more different. Ruth is reserved/serious and Millie is carefree. It really doesn't help that their parents feed into these personalities so much so that it drives a huge wedge between the sisters. It also doesn't help that Millie gets all the attention from whatever young man comes to court Ruth. Their parents also don't cultivate an atmosphere for the girls to develop a relationship.

The story is told through both Ruth and Millie's eyes along with a few friends they meet along the way; Lillian and Arietta. Their childhood is reflected upon while they learn how to deal with each other in the present without ever fully understanding their past. They have to learn how to act like sisters when other people are watching instead of the strangers they are to each other.

These types of stories about sisters are always interesting to me because while growing up I didn't appreciate mine (there's a 4 year difference), she's definitely my best friend. While our parents probably treated us different there was a reason for it and it never drove a wedge between us.

While this for me was ultimately a family story, the backdrop of the Springfield Armory during WWII added to the novel as well.  It is a story of resilience and perseverance. I highly recommend it.




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