Ruth and Elise have struggled to meet the demands of their father, His expectations of womanhood, and a woman's role in the world, are those of a nurturing homebody with no aspirations outside the domestic sphere.

Edwardian society is unforgiving and it is impossible to weather even the tiniest scandal. When Ruth is inadvertently arrested in the middle of a suffrage protest her father is incensed and she is dismissed from nursing school. Her arrest becomes a window to evaluate what she truly wants from life, and to forge her own path. Her younger sister Elise is trapped and unhappy as well, forever tinkering with their father's automobile, never more content than she is when covered in grease with a wrench in her hand.

Ruth's meeting with a young doctor, and his assurance that her skills will be needed on the battlefield, is serendipitous. She accepts his invitation. The bloody, tragic fields of WWI are the destiny that Ruth and Elise pursue.

Ruth finally has the opportunity to engage in an operating room as more than a nurse, and Elise finds love and purpose as a mechanic for the trucks that ferry supplies and soldiers to and from the front.

Pick up this lovely book if you enjoyed Band of Sisters or Masterpiece Theatre's Crimson Fields, are intrigued by the origin of the suffrage movement in Canada, or want an intriguing glimpse behind the scenes of WWI.

A heartfelt thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 Stars

An extraordinary tale of courage, fortitude and strength, Suzanne Feldman’s Sisters of the Great War is a powerful, inspirational and enthralling historical novel that beautifully celebrates female endurance and determination during the First World War.

August 1914 and the news that Europe is at war has reached far and wide. Lives will change beyond all recognition, loved ones will perish and hope will be the only thing that sustains broken-hearted families desperate to keep their nearest and dearest safe from danger. In Baltimore, Maryland, the Duncan household is also on the precipice of great change with sisters Ruth and Elise desperate to unshackle themselves from their father’s autocratic rule and to strike out on their own. The war will offer them the chance to escape the tyranny that has consumed them for so long and give them the opportunity to shape their own destinies.

Volunteering for the war effort, Ruth and Elise soon find themselves at a makeshift hospital in Belgium and they throw themselves into their duties as a nurse and a driver with grit and determination. However, the war will teach them harsh lessons and force them to face even harsher realities as Ruth realizes that she cannot save every patient that crosses her path. However, this only serves to make her even more determined to qualify as a doctor. Meanwhile, accomplished mechanic Elise finds kinship, support and friendship within the all-female Ambulance Corps.

Ruth and Elise have got some tough times ahead of them, but will the freedom they have striven so hard for come at far too high a price?

Suzanne Feldman’s Sisters of the Great War sheds a much-needed light on the many brave young girls who during the First World War had left everything they knew behind and with immense courage and selflessness did whatever it took to help win the war. Suzanne Feldman skillfully evokes the terror, helplessness and limitations of field hospitals on the front lines and makes her readers feel as if they are experiencing her story alongside her characters.

Ruth and Elise Duncan are two brilliantly drawn young women readers will relate to and admire both in their determination to do their duty and in their struggles to become women in charge of their own fate.

A first-rate historical novel, Suzanne Feldman’s Sisters of the Great War is an evocative wartime tale I highly recommend.

Sisters, Elise and Ruth, have to defy their strict father to join the war effort in 1914. Stationed in Belgium, Ruth pursues her quest to become a doctor, while helping the war effort as a nurse; and Elise becomes a driver in the all female ambulance service. Both become more worldly and independent and contribute much to the war effort. Wonderful historical fiction about women's contribution to the war effort and the amount of hardship they endured.

I love historical fiction. So when this came across my email for a review request I was excited. It is also medically based which is a huge bonus for me. The book also takes place during WW1 which is something that I haven’t read much about. I was really excited to read it.

Ruth wants more out of life. She wants to be a doctor but her father refuses. Her father will only pay for nursing school. She ends up getting kicked out of school. She wants to do more with her life so she volunteers for the war as a nurse with the British. Elise doesn’t know what to do with her life. She spends her time fixing vehicles. She decides that when her sister goes to war that she will also go with her. She will enlist as an ambulance driver and mechanic for them. What they didn’t know was that it would be the longest 4 years of their life. This book was amazing! I binged it most nights. I stayed up late too many nights to read it. I found myself thinking about the book during the day. The way the author wrote the war and the wounded. I could see and imagine everything that happened to the soldiers and people who worked in the hospitals.

I loved the character of Ruth. She was tough as nails and an inspiration with her tenacity to become a doctor. She never gave up her dream. The only thing that bothered me with Ruth was how she complained and complained to her sister and she never asked her sister how she was and how she felt. Elise gets the short end of the stick. She has much tougher working conditions and has a more dangerous job. Elise finds herself while in the war. This book does contain woman-on-woman romance so if that is not your cup of tea you have been warned. This book does have some steamy sections which was nice. It was a great storyline and showcased the love between sisters.

There was tension between daughter and father and there was misogyny between father and daughter as well as between colleagues. It shows how much they thought of women in that day and age. I will be looking for more books by this author in the future. I really liked her writing style and her subject matter.

The Review

This was so beautifully crafted and vividly descriptive that readers will feel instantly transported into the narrative. The stark contrast between the restrictive household the protagonists started out into the visceral hellscape of the front lines of WWI and the interlaced story of deeply personal growth with strong themes throughout really made this story shine brightly. The horrors of war the sisters endured showed a much different aspect of the Great War than most projects tackle, highlighting the physical and mental effects the battles had on nurses and physicians in the field.

The psychology and personal development of both Ruth and Elise were so engaging and brilliantly written. The themes of feminist struggles and the deep hardship of the LGBTQ community who had to remain hidden in the face of overwhelming battles like those faced in WWI really highlighted the intimate relationships they both formed with friends and loves alike, and their bond with one another as well.

The Verdict

A gripping, thought-provoking, and entertaining women’s fiction and historical fiction read, author Suzanne Feldman’s “Sisters of the Great War” is a must-read this fall. The growth and perseverance the sisters held onto in the face of great adversity, and the way their historical storyline and struggles can resonate with so many readers today made this a thoroughly enjoyable read and is not to be missed.

Ruth and Elise Duncan not only defy their strict father, they defy convention. Volunteering for the war effort, the sisters each take on different roles while attending to those injured in the war. Not only does Ruth aspire to become a doctor, Elise begins driving as part of an all-female ambulance group. The sisters strive to remain close despite rather bleak conditions. For Ruth, her love of medicine comes second to her love of her fellow man, and does not let the fact that she is a woman deter her from her goals.

Both Ruth and Elise find a chance at love, but not without its challenges. Before that could even happen they leave home armed with a lot of experience in fields that were mostly denied to women. Leaving their father and grabbing ahold of whatever freedoms they could, their travels eventually bring both sisters to Ypres, Belgium. Conditions are beyond deplorable, but hope slowly shines through for both sisters.

This was no delicate story. In fact, some of the field scenes were heartbreaking. Loss seemed to be winning time and again, especially when medical practices were severely lacking. Beyond that, Elise found love in an unlikely place, further proving her strong sense of independence. While this powerful story emphasized Ruth and Elise finding groundbreaking experiences, Elise's story also had more than a bit of a sensitive story that is not the norm for a historical fiction story.

This was a great story when it came to seeing medicine in the eyes of women during that time. I also enjoyed the relationship the sisters shared, especially when it came to Ruth really understanding Elise.

Many thanks to MIRA and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

I’m happy to be a stop today on the blog for Suzanne Feldman’s novel of WWI: Sisters of the Great War. This is an eventful and action-packed read of two sisters who choose to leave Baltimore for the front lines in England during WWI: one as an ambulance driver and one as a nurse who aspires to be a doctor. There are lots of plot lines in this story, from women’s rights to freedom of sexual expression. I enjoyed it!
Thanks for my copy and for making me part of the tour!
Full review at drbethnolan.com

Wartime in Europe and two American women leave their home and join the war effort. This is their stories of being an ambulance driver through some of the worst conditions and being a nurse wanting to be a doctor. I loved the strength of both sisters. They both defy social norms to have the lives they want to have. This book focuses on the emotional side of the sisters. I loved their stories.

I had just read Band of Sisters by Lauren Willig earlier this year and loved it and to have Sisters of the Great War follow up such a good surprise! I really enjoyed Feldman's delivery and giving us a cast of characters who were well developed and a breathtaking plot! Historical fiction fans unite because this needs to go to the top of your list!

I received this an ARC through Netgalley. Sisters of the Great War is story of two American sisters that voluntarily join in WWI before America has entered the ware. Ruth goes over to be a nurse and her sister Elise goes to be an ambulance driver. Both of them are trying to escape from circumstances back home. I've read a lot of WWII historical fiction, not much on WWI and really enjoyed this book. Suzanne Feldman descriptions of the injured soldiers coming from trench warfare and the quick decisions that had to be made if someone could be saved or not, were beautifully written and heartbreaking.

“It is only those who have neither fired a shot nor heard the shrieks and groans of the wounded who cry aloud for blood, more vengeance, more desolation. War is hell.” The quote is by William Tecumseh Sherman. While Sherman was referring to the American Civil War, it is just as germane to World War I, and indeed any war either before or since.

Sisters of the Great War focuses on, not those who fired the shots, but rather those whose duty it was to hear the shrieks and groans of the wounded. Those who were tasked with the duty of transporting the wounded from the “front” to the makeshift hospitals nearly always inadequately staffed with doctors, nurses and orderlies who did the best they could with what little they had to patch them up if they could, invalid them out if they could not, or at least give them as much peace and surcease from pain as possible as they died.

Ruth and Elise Duncan represent two of those women. Ruth as a nurse, and Elise as an ambulance driver and mechanic. The story in Sisters of the Great War is the story of service on the front lines of that hell, undertaken with a lot of pluck, a great deal of stubbornness, and no small amount of naivete as a way of escaping privileged but unfulfilled lives under their father’s dictatorial thumb.

In Baltimore. In the United States. In 1914. Three years before the Americans entered the war. They volunteered, not really knowing, as no one did in 1914, that the war was going to take four long years of trenches and gas and devastation. Ruth left behind her father’s stern disapproval in the hopes that somehow, someway, serving as a nurse in wartime would give her the experience and the attitude needed for her to live her dream and become a doctor.

Elise just came along to keep her sister safe. Not that, as it turned out, safety was what either of them was built for. Nor was there any safety to be had in hospital tents or in barely functioning ambulances that were shelled almost as often as the trenches.

This is a story of perseverance in the face of bombs, shells and prejudice, railing against the lice and the substandard food and the even worse conditions and the sheer bloody-mindedness required to do not nearly enough with not nearly enough in order to save as many as possible – even if that wasn’t nearly enough either.

But they tried their best. They kept trying in the face of all the odds. And in the end, it was enough.

Escape Rating A: There have been plenty of stories featuring women who served in World War I as nurses or ambulance drivers. I can think of three off the top of my head; Phryne Fisher, Maisie Dobbs and Bess Crawford. (It may or may not be a coincidence that all lead mystery series.)

But the thing that struck me about all three of those heroines in comparison to Ruth and Elise Duncan is that in all three of those cases, in spite of the war being a critical part of each of their experiences, the brutal, devastating, depressing horror of the experience itself is a bit glossed over.

Phryne firmly keeps herself from looking back at her experience as an ambulance driver, while Maisie’s wartime experience effectively occurs between stories. Even Bess Crawford a nurse in a forward aid station, just as Ruth Duncan is at the beginning of her career, seems to carefully glance away from the worst of the gore in the operating theater to focus on the more individual gore of the murders that Bess uncovers.

What feels singular about Sisters of the Great War is that it uses Ruth’s and Elise’s slightly separated perspectives to put the nearly neverending horrors of the war and the desperation of the health care workers attempting to save them in the center of the story.

We’re with them every draining, numbing step of their way. We feel for them and with them and it makes their experience searing and horrifying and so very human. They’re both trying so hard and it’s never enough and they keep doing it anyway. We can’t turn our eyes away from their story – because they didn’t.

And yet, they’re not superhuman. We see their hopelessness and their fears and their exhaustion and we’re with them.

But because the story doesn’t gloss over just how much hell this war is, it’s a hard book because their experience, and the entire experience of that war, was so very hard and so deeply dark.

Not that there aren’t light moments in the story and in their hopes for the future – even as both of those things are full of fear. Ruth may have volunteered to escape their father, but she is also following the man she loves. Elise finally admits the truth of her own heart, and lets herself fall in love with another woman in spite of the censure they will face.

They do emerge from their war, bloody, often literally, and not either unscathed or unbowed. But they find the light at the end of their long dark tunnel and the entire experience makes for an extremely compelling read.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.

Sisters of the Great War is a work of World War I-set historical fiction, and one I felt somewhat mixed about. There’s a lot it does well, but there were times where I wasn’t sure if I liked the book or not.

I liked the sense of the period, with the general spirit of sacrifice for the war effort on multiple fronts. And while it is fictionalized, the way the story honed in on women’s roles in the war specifically caught my interest, especially in terms of the obstacles they faced, like being kept out of certain professions. The plot is a bit slower moving, as it does cover the war years, but it was still pretty consistently engaging.

The characters definitely felt like the weakest point, beyond the surface level. I felt the most connected to Elise as she comes to terms with her sexuality and explores it. It’s somewhat refreshing (although not entirely unheard of) to see a queer character in World War I/II novel, given the plethora of similar stories that center heterosexual people and relationships.

I did like Ruth too, to an extent, as she’s the one dealing with sexism due to being barred from being a doctor due to her gender. However, her own romance with a man failed to charm me.

Despite my mixed experience, I still enjoyed parts of it and feel it has a lot to offer readers of the World War historical-fic subgenre.

Sisters of the Great War is a mesmerizing story of two sisters who leave America to enlist in the Great War.

Ruth is a nurse and her sister Elise will become an ambulance driver at the Front.

The horror at the Front is soon apparent and you are pulled into the horrific injuries and death. How the soldiers are triaged quickly, some have no chance and the others face brutal conditions at the hospitals as the staff work around the clock.

Being an ambulance driver is just heroic.

My grandmother was a Sister in The Great War and was injured so I thought of her often as I got lost in the story of the sisters.

This book will stay with me for a long time to come.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harelquin - Trade Publishing (U.S. & Canada) - Mira for a captivating read.

SISTERS OF THE GREAT WAR by Suzanne Feldman is a Woman’s fiction/historical fiction story which follows two American sisters who volunteer to work at the front during WWI. Both want to escape the conventional roles society and their father demand they follow.

Ruth Duncan has grown up assisting her doctor father and dreams of attending a medical school to train as a doctor rather than the nursing school she is currently attending. Her father refuses to even consider assisting her and wants her to be a nurse then a wife and mother.

Elise Duncan has grown up being able to take anything mechanical apart and put it back together again. She is currently living at home and is the mechanic for her father’s car he needs for house calls. She has always felt different than other girls and her father believes she will continue to live at home and never marry.

Both sisters want their freedom and travel to England to join the war effort. Ruth volunteers as a nurse and Elise follows volunteering as an ambulance driver and are sent to the front at Ypres, Belgium. As both adjust to the appalling conditions, they also both seize the opportunities to realize their dreams. The sisters suffer heartache and loss, but also realize their resilience and strengths. Bonds of friendship are forged that cannot be broken by war.

I really enjoyed this story even as there are many scenes depicting the horrors and suffering of the troops and volunteers during WWI. The field hospital doctors and nurses had to deal with so much loss and the lack of current medical knowledge and antibiotics underscore how lucky we are with the medicine of today. The sister’s personal dreams and love interests are depicted with strength, vulnerability and empathy. This Women’s fiction/historical fiction story realistically depicts some of the horrors of WWI, feminist issues and an LGBT relationship all through the eyes of two American sisters.

I recommend this Women’s fiction/historical fiction story.

Ruth and Elise, loving sisters from Baltimore, volunteer for service in WWI for very different reasons. Ruth has always wanted to be a physician like her father but has been frustrated in nursing school- and then she's expelled. Elise loves cars. Loves them. Ruth doesn't exactly follow the handsome John, a British physician who is a friend of the family, off to Belgium but she does, becoming a nurse in field hospitals. The injuries are horrible, the conditions grim, and Ruth begins to find her footing in surgery, against the rules. Meanwhile, Elise is driving ambulances too and from the trains which bring the wounded and to and from the front. And she finds a special friend who becomes her love. There are some lovely emotional scenes as Elise discovers her truth. There have been many WWI novels in recent years; this is distinguished by the LGBTQ angle, the characters, and the storytelling. And by the speech given by one of the nurses to Ruth on Armistice Day- wow. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. I was never sure (a good thing) who would live and I found myself caring deeply not only for the sisters but for the rest as well. It was a page turner for me. Excellent read.

Suzanne Feldman used real women as inspiration for this tale of two American women working on the front of World War I.

It's August 1914 and Ruth and Elise Duncan long to escape women restricting society, and their controlling father. Ruth longed to be a doctor a profession not easily given to women. Elise loved working on her father's care and was seen as particularly peculiar. Really throwing a wrench into their lives, Ruth volunteers for the war as a nurse even though the US was not part of the war. Elise refuses to let Ruth go alone and becomes an ambulance driver. Throughout the war, these women learn a lot about the world as well as about themselves.

While there is tragedy and loss, this is one of the lighter books I have read about WWI. Focusing on the critical role women played also gives it a different perspective from many books about the time period I have read. Feldman moves through the cruelty and hurts focusing on each woman making it character motivated instead of being propelled by the war. We saw their personal changes as they go through the war and see them bloom even more than they would in the society they had left.

I love that this tackled several women's issues. Not only do the readers get angry when Ruth is told she can't be a doctor because she's a woman, but we also want to take Elise in our arms as she goes through her sexuality. Elise has to balance love and work as she becomes to realizes she is a lesbian. For me, this journey was twice as hard as Ruth's Ruth knew what she wanted and fought for it whereas Elise was getting to know the stranger inside her.

Overall, this is a war that won't make you cry or your heart hurt in despair. While tragedy and loss aren't ignored, the book follows the sisters and their lives instead of just the violence of war. This would be a good book for that Fall break.

Two sisters head to Belgium to give what they can to the efforts of World War I. One has an unfinished nursing degree with the hopes of becoming a doctor at a time where female doctors were few and far between. The younger sister has always tinkered with things from clocks to cars and after looking into the Ambulance Corps, Elise may have found just the right place for herself.

Switching back and forth between each sister's points of view, this book gave such a perspective on this war that is unlike anything else I have read. It was easy to know who was narrating the story and I loved that while they were stationed close they had their own lives and the reader received a full perspective from the battlefield to the hospitals near the front lines what life during the Great War would look like.

Beware there is definitely some romance in this book and while it worked within the context of the story, I know some historical fiction readers like their books to omit most of the romance and sexy times! I think it worked in this one and fit within the story, but I could see how some readers could be put off by it.

With only one other book in her backlist, I want to read that one soon and will hope for more to come in the future.

Sisters of the Great War
by Suzanne Feldman
Pub Date: October 26th , 2021
MIRA

Inspired by real women, this powerful novel tells the story of two unconventional American sisters who volunteer at the front during World War.
I didn't appreciate the spiral down into a gay relationship. The story was good.
Thanks to MIRA and NetGalley for the ARC. I will not be recommending this book.

4star

Read if you like: WW1 fiction, Somewhere in France
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I absolutely loved this book. Follows two American sisters who enter the war as a nurse and an ambulance driver. Ruth wants to become a doctor but her father refuses to let her go to medical school. Elise loves working with cars, so when her sister joins the war, she goes too.
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I really loved reading about their adventures and sacrifices. Loved how they were willing to go above and bey0ond to help and fight for their loved ones, and for what each deserves in their lives.
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CW: war, death, amputation, sexism, homophobia.

Ruth and Elise Duncan sign up to serve as a nurse and driver during WWI. The sisters are looking for a way to escape the feminine roles society expects them to fill - Ruth plans to become a doctor (forbidden by her father) and Elise wants to work as a mechanic. Both find love, comradeship, and appreciation of their skills on the bloody, muddy battlefields. Their stories are well-told, although some descriptions of the setting are very detailed while large chunks of time are glossed over quickly. The novel does a good job portraying the mores of the time and the horrors of WWI.