The Wartime Sister

As girls growing up in Brooklyn, Ruth and Millie Kaplan were taught to see Ruth as The Smart One and Millie as The Pretty One, implying, of course, that Ruth isn’t much to look at and Millie isn’t all that bright. Their mother’s different treatment drives wedge between the sisters, as Ruth is constantly reminded that Millie’s beauty marks her out for a better future. While Ruth is destined to do well in school and then marry a mensch, Millie is destined to be swept away by a handsome prince, marry well, and live an amazing life.

I was very moved by the conflict between the sisters in The Wartime Sisters. My own sister is one of my closest friends, so a story about sisters who couldn’t connect and couldn’t trust each other show more made me sad. The author did an amazing job with a layered, complex misunderstanding, based on years of different treatments and unspoken expectations.

There was one moment, right after Millie arrived in Springfield, when I was afraid the book was about the reversal when the pretty girl in high school is now a single mom, looking for a menial job, but fortunately, the story swerves before we get too much about that. Instead, we see how the war has affected everyone. In Springfield, the sisters meet Arietta, a cook and singer viewed with suspicion because of her Italian background, and Lillian, an officer’s wife with her own secrets. This is solid, character-driven fiction.

I found the final conflict completely surprising, especially since there were other moments that were a little predictable and obvious. I don’t want to reveal too much, so you can be surprised too, but I did not see Lenny’s story ending that way at all! show less

The Wartime Sisters is a traditional story about two sisters who fail to get along (sounds like me and my sister). It is more a women’s fiction novel than a historical book. The focus of the book is the two sisters and their rivalry. The author accurately captured the dynamics between the sisters along with the feelings (resentment, bitterness, jealousy, the feeling of inadequacy). Ruth was jealous of Millie from the moment she was born. The more people admired Millie, the more Ruth’s resentment grew. Matters are not helped by the mother doting on Millie and her insistence that Millie will marry well one day. When Ruth starts dating and the men are more captivated by Millie, it causes the rift between the sisters to grow to the size show more of the grand canyon. Each sister has a secret and you know they will eventually find a way to come out. I liked the setting of the Springfield Armory in Massachusetts, but we are not told enough about it. I wanted more about the facility, the war, and the less about the animosity between the sisters. Rivalry also exists between women in such a close atmosphere as the armory. The ending felt rushed. I thought it lacked emotion and realism. It seemed that this story could have been set in any place or any time period and it would still play out the same way. I found The Wartime Sisters to be lacking (at least for me). I thought it was a predictable story. My rating for The Wartime Sisters is 3 out of 5 stars. While The Wartime Sisters was not my cup of tea, those who enjoy feel-good stories (like those on Lifetime or Hallmark Channel) will enjoy the happy ending. show less

I was immediately sucked into this historical fiction because of the conflict between the two sisters. Ruth is older, plain and smart. She is envious of her younger sister Millie, who is not as good in school, but a social butterfly, gorgeous and curvy, and attracts attention and praise everywhere she goes. If Ruth does 99 things right out of 100, her mother criticizes the one thing she got wrong. Millie can make dozens of mistakes and her mother says they all need to be more understanding. When boys come to the house, arranged by their father to call on Ruth, they only want to go out with Millie, even though she’s three years younger. Millie is sick of having boys only stare at her chest when they talk to her. She wishes her sister show more didn’t blame her for everything that’s wrong in her life. Understandably, there is resentment from both girls. You feel for both of their sides and the author writes the dual POV well.

This story is set during WW2, but I wouldn’t label it so much a WW2 story as a family saga because there isn’t so much focus on the war. It’s really more focused on the relationship between the two sisters, how their situations change over time as they marry, have children, and come to live together on a military base in 1942, as well as the personal lives of a few other women they’re friends with on base. Told in 1942, and through flashback to earlier periods, it is from multiple perspectives, including that of Lillian, another woman who lives on base, and Arietta, a cook and talented singer (two of my favorites.) As the sisters grow closer, they’re forced to confront hurts and lies between them over the years. This had some really good messages in it.

Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader. show less

The Wartime Sisters by Lynda Cohen Loigman is a wonderful story that demonstrates how our parents treat us – especially a mother who perhaps hasn’t seen her own dreams fully realized – can affect our lives, as children and forever. How our parents treat us shapes our world view, it’s how we assume others see us, and it then becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy – that’s what we’ve been told we are so that’s what we become. In the time period of the book maybe there wasn’t much emphasis on being careful about what was said to a child, it wasn’t thought to have a lasting effect. But it does. Things said, looks made, conversations overheard, never leave us.

Ruth is smart and sensitive and inquisitive. But she is not show more pretty. We initially see things through Ruth’s eyes and we firmly put ourselves in her camp: she thinks Millie is silly and thoughtless and selfish. And Millie is all those things. But even when she tries to be otherwise, her mother runs roughshod over her in the wait for Prince Charming. And all of this because Millie is pretty and Ruth is not. How sad.

In order to cope Ruth becomes hard and cold and selfish herself. So we move out of her camp into Millie’s. Millie seems to have had the harder life. All those compliments about her beauty and all her mother’s dreams haven’t amounted to much. And Ruth is still distant and judgmental.

The Wartime Sisters is full of well-researched, fascinating history, and a believable look at a relationship between two sisters. The story moves back and forth in time and place – Brooklyn, New York in the 1930’s and Springfield, Massachusetts in the WWII 1940’s. Both are full of details that help us to understand why the sisters are who they are and why their relationship may never change. The Armory in Springfield is especially interesting, with a view into an environment, a town centered around the war effort with all its drama and hierarchy, that I never realized existed. The supporting characters are well-developed and there is just enough danger and intrigue to keep things moving at a good pace.

The Wartime Sisters was a very enjoyable read, tugging at my heart at times and at others making me angry at both Ruth and Millie, and especially their mother. It brought back memories of my mother always referring to her sister as that baby who always got her way and made me wonder how that sister relationship came about.

I received an advance copy of The Wartime Sisters from the publisher St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I heartily recommend it. show less

Sisters Ruth and Millie Kaplan have been at odds almost since the day of Millie's birth: Ruth, the sensible and bookish one, Millie the pretty and sensitive one. Now they're both married. Ruth and her husband have moved from Brooklyn to Springfield, where her husband works at the Armory; when Millie's husband, serving in the war, disappears, she moves in as well. Will they be able to reconcile?

Though I enjoyed the local setting of the homefront during World War 2, I found the story itself underwhelming. The characters are painted in broad strokes, and I had a hard time believing in their dialogue and actions. There's a lot of telling rather than showing, and I figured out some plot elements early on. Part of it was the way she chose to show more shift the narrative of close third person, mostly between Ruth and Millie, but also with some secondary characters; major reveals for one character didn't have the same emotional impact for the reader, who already knew something that character didn't. It wasn't bad, I just wish it could've been more. show less

This is the story of two sisters (Millie and Ruth) growing up during the period before WW2 and as adults during the war itself. There are also a couple other close friends that become integral to the story. The sisters don't get along because they are totally different (Millie very good looking and their parents favorite) (Ruth studious and responsible). The crux of the novel is that Millie marries a jerk and is trying to get away from him. The book moved along at a nice pace and the characters were well developed.. Well worth reading.

This was a beautiful heart-warming story of the relationship between sisters. But it also about the relationship between a mother and her daughters and relationships among women. Each character was very well-developed and relatable. I felt these could be women I know.

Ruth has always resented the attention beautiful Millie received. So when Ruth marries she is happy to move from Brooklyn to the Springfield Armory in Massachusetts, seeing it as an opportunity to finally step out of her sister’s shadow. But a few years later circumstances result in Millie and her little boy moving in with Ruth and her husband. This time Ruth has the upper hand. She is married to an Army officer, has two children, and lives comfortably while Millie has show more lost her husband and struggles financially to support little Michael.

Two other ladies, Lillian and Arietta, enter the lives of the sisters and provoke moments of tenderness, compassion, and strength. Lillian is the wife of the commanding officer at the Armory. Arietta, the cook at the Armory cafeteria also has an amazing voice and often provides entertainment during the workers’ lunches.

But these women bear their own secrets - secrets that could destroy lives – secrets they wish could stay hidden but, in any good story, must be revealed. A mysterious man from the past appears and jeopardizes the lives these women have. I thought the pacing for the revealing of the secrets was handled masterfully. No sudden reveal at the end (that frequently does not work well).

I loved the entire story, as it evoked emotions within me. I could easily relate to Ruth’s resentment even though it often was underserved. I admired Millie’s ability handle the resentment directed at her throughout her life. The writing was beautiful and had me totally immersed in the story.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the advance copy. All opinions are my own. show less