Winter Sisters is a historical fiction mystery that literally drops you into a blizzard in Albany, New York. I can tell you that when I was reading this I could feel the cold and had to curl up tighter in my bed sheets at night. Two young girls disappears in the aftermath of a blizzard and everything that happens from the disappearance and to the spring.

This was a very slow read for me. Others got sucked into the story and found this to be a page turner. I on the other hand struggled through it the majority of the time.
What was interesting was the fact that the main character, Mary is a doctor, not common at all. She can’t give up hope on finding her friend’s children. We got to see the darker side of life in this. There were many secrets, hurt and moments when you cheered with hope.

We find out that perhaps, getting lost in the blizzard may have better for the young girls. They endure quite a lot and I just feel like the trial and the ending was lacking.

Winter Sisters traces the lives of two little girls in 1879 and their mysterious disappearance.

A large blizzard hits Albany, New York where both parents are killed - one from exposure to the storm, another to an accident. The girls stay overnight at the school for two days and then are released to return home. But they never make it.

The two little girls vanish without a trace and the only ones bothering to care and look for them are two close family friends.

A well told story that gives the reader a run for their money.

SPOILERS...For sensitive readers

For those concerned with triggers the book includes the subject of rape. However, this is NOT graphic but handled well. But as it is a main plot of the story, not easily overlooked.

(Set to run on BurtonBookReview.com on Feb 19 2018)
When I was notified this book was available to review on NetGalley I jumped at the chance without much of a thought. I vividly remember the last two books from Robin Oliveira and how I enjoyed them very much and I knew whatever the book was it would be worth my sacrifice of taking the time to review it. I love the way the author writes -- it is fluid and melodic and keeps me intrigued from start to finish.



What was a pleasant surprise is that this novel brings back characters from My Name Is Mary Sutter, which was about the rarity of a woman becoming an accepted doctor in Civil War times. The story is now focused on Mary's extended family who suffer from an epic northeastern blizzard and the subsequent search for the two young girls who are missing since that storm. I may not have been fully prepared for the horrors of the tale as it progressed, but yet the sordidness of the story is handled delicately and with as much emotion as can be portrayed on paper through the well drawn characters. There is no need to go into a lengthy summary of this novel as you can surmise enough from the book description and I beg you to experience it firsthand as I recommend this for fans of historical fiction set in America.



Robin Oliveira is three for three in my book! I found Winter Sisters to be captivating, horrifying, historical and yet a timeless representation of the prejudices of man and the evil that exists among us. Seeking redemption is our only hope if you can survive the storm.

Mansplaining, misogyny, and #metoo in the late 1800's

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Robin Oliveira's historical novel is a sequel of sorts to My Name is Mary Sutter, and picks up about 15 years after the end of the Civil War. (Note: Winter Sisters can be read as a stand-alone without any loss of context).

Following a devastating blizzard, two young girls are missing and presumed dead. Months later, the girls reappear. Their aunt, Dr. Mary Stipp (nee Sutter), discovers they have experienced unspeakable trauma. What follows is Oliveira's interpretation of how an investigation and court case might have been conducted in an era when the authority of female doctors wasn't taken seriously, and the age of consent was 10 (yes, you read that correctly, and it is historically accurate).

While the story is interesting in its own right, Oliveira includes a few modern-day references to enterain readers.

"I will gladly hear what you have to say, Dr. Stipp, but only after I speak to Emma. I do not want to contaminate my impressions with yours."

"They are not impressions. They are facts."

"There are facts and then there are alternate facts."

"That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard anyone say."

That's but one example, so keep your eyes peeled and enjoy.

4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Viking for a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Winter Sisters

Robin Oliveira's historical novel set in post civil war Albany New York.
Two sisters disappear in a unexpected blizzard. Eventually found, the mystery begins in the aftermath of their return.

This being the first of Robin Oliveira's novels I have read, I found it very compelling. It held my interest to the last page.
4 stars.

I received this ARC through Netgalley from Penguin Viking for a honest review.

‘Winter Sisters’ by Robin Oliveira is written in the grand tradition of historical fiction. Ms. Oliveira takes us to post Civil War New York, specifically Albany. Having lived in New York and visited Albany many times, her descriptions of the developing Capitol are wondrous. I found myself picturing the construction of the Capitol building because of Ms. Oliveira’s excellent research and descriptive writing. The period details were authentic and I could really get a feel for the time period and the sentiments of society during that era.

The character development is rich and rewarding. All the characters were sympathetic, well written and compelling. I was hooked. Emotionally it is a times a difficult book to read because there are several tragedies that the main characters have to overcome. The main characters are well developed and you find yourself cheering the good ones on as they move through the story.

In our current climate of abusive behavior toward women from those in positions of power, this plot illustrates that the issue is nothing new. There is corruption of the police department and an immense lack of protection under the law and justice for women and girls. From today’s point of view the laws are cruel and outdated. The “age of consent” for girls at the time period this story is written is ten. At that time a ten year old girl is considered to be able to consented to the sexual encounter. Horrifying. I found it very frustrating the way women are treated in this book but unfortunately that is the time period.

This book is very well written and moves at just the right pace. This book has sad undertones with a happy ending. In the author’s note Ms. Oliveira states some of the reasons why she wrote the book. “In 1888 a blizzard engulfed the entire Northeast, killing four hundred people. In 1879 the age of consent in New York State was 10 years old. For the story’s sake Ms. Oliveira uses literary license and changes the date of the blizzard to 1879.

I would absolutely recommend this book. I was unfamiliar with the author’s previous work ‘Mary Sutter’. Now that I am familiar with Ms. Oliveira’s work I am eager to read her other books. I enjoyed Ms. Oliveira’s writing style, I would consider this book historical fiction mystery.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Ms. Oliveira and Penguin Books Viking for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book started out so well. A surprise blizzard hits the city of Albany in 1879. Bonnie and David O’Donnell are both killed and when their daughters, Emma and Claire, are released from school they disappear. Close friends of the family, Drs. Mary and William Sutter, search for the girls for weeks but are unable to find them. When the ice on the Hudson River cracks, the city is flooded, but the girls are found by a policeman who brings them to the Sutter’s house.
As the story develops, we find out that the girls have been held captive in a house, where Emma, the ten-year-old, has been repeatedly raped. The girls are cared for by the Sutters, and slowly begin to recover from their experience.
Sadly, the book starts to go downhill from there. It ends with a trial that reminded me of the Perry Mason mysteries that I read as a teenager. The lawyer is young and inexperienced, yet he manages to solve the mystery of who the rapist is in a melodramatic courtroom scene. It was impossible to suspend disbelief. It was very disappointing that a book that had so much promise ended this way.

Steeped with historical detail and courtroom drama this book is hard to put down. The story of a horrific blizzard in Albany, NY where many lives were lost and two sisters, Emma and Claire have gone missing. Something unspeakable happened to 10-year-old Emma and 7-year-old Claire in the aftermath of a devastating blizzard in Albany, New York in 1879. Although they were initially thought to be dead in the wake of the storm and the flooding, they are reunited with close friends who try to provide comfort and strength as the girls face the difficult aftermath and ordeals to follow.

Definitely a 4 star novel. My thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a little slow to start with but I am glad that I kept up with it. Love historical fiction and knew nothing about this time period. Loved the descriptions and characters. Will recommend.

This is the continuing saga of physician Mary Sutter, this time she’s in New York in 1879 answering a call for help from a friend. Her two daughters have disappeared in a massive blizzard, and while the town at first rallies to try to find the missing girls, they come to believe they have perished. Only the family continues to hope for a happy ending, but they won’t get one. Readers know about halfway through the book what happened to the girls, the rest of the book is devoted to learning who took them and why.The mystery in this story s certainly compelling, but I found the asides about Mary and how she treated the “untouchables” (prostitutes) and her own struggles as a doctor in a time when women were not permitted to do more than marry and reproduce, fascinating

Warning: this book contains pedophilia and anatomical discussion of the rape's affect on the body.

I really wished that I was warned about the pedophilia when I started reading. I really like this book. It's very fast paced and the cast of characters are, for the most part, very enjoyable to follow. However, the pedophilia thing made me cringe and the book wouldn't let me look away. There were times when I was gagging while reading.

This book is different than My Name is Mary Sutter because we follow many characters and barely Mary herself. I'm fine with that because I've never got a real idea of who Mary Sutter is besides stubborn. Her marriage to William is still confounding. In both book we get descriptions of William loving her and not living without her but nothing from her side. She married him and I still don't know why.

This is a very enjoyable read and I can always appreciate characters using their brains to right wrongs. The ending court scene so cathartic.

In our current climate of abusive behavior toward women from those in positions of power, this plot illustrates that the issue is nothing new. The story begins with a sudden deadly blizzard descending on Albany NY. The city is buried in snow, and many are killed or lost. Two of those whose bodies are not found are sisters, 10 year old Emma and 7 year old Claire. So begins a gripping tale of a journey to the depths of sorrow and the climb toward redemption. After the characters are introduced, and the social scene is set, this turns into a page turner, especially for those who are drawn to legal issues.