I received this from Netgalley.com.

"Set in 1918 against the flu epidemic and WW1, Helen and Lutie have moved to Denver from Ohio after their parents’ death."

I keep reading always with the desire to learn something new, a tidbit of history I have never heard before, and this book is stuffed with factoids of history. But unfortunately, not only did the history feel like it came straight from dusty history books (and Wikipedia), this is a very predictable and sappy story with modern-day behavior that would have ostracized young women of that era .. and I saw the ending after just a few chapters.

2☆

This historical fiction novel is set in the times of the Spanish Flu. I wasn't sure about the topic, while our world is in the midst of Covid, but I'm glad I decided to give it a try. The hardships the families endure are similar, though from a different time. The characters are relatable. Some are loveable and some are easily detested, but each is important to making the story realistic. An enjoyable read that may keep you thinking. Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for an ARC ebook of Little Souls by Sandra Dallas, in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
My Interest

I’ve read a couple of other books by Sandra Dallas (see the bottom of this post) and I keep hoping there will be one of her books that I really love. I’ve be “fine” with them, there were “fine,” I just want to be wowed by this author. This story seemed to have that potential. It’s a timely story beings set in the Spanish Flu epidemic that began in the last year of World War I, 1918 and lasted until 1920. It also features two independent ladies–sisters, who move to a new place all on their own. And, for once, that place wasn’t New York, but Denver, Colorado.
The Story

Sisters Lutie, an illustrator, and Helen, a nurse, move to Denver and find work. Lutie illustrates ads for a department store and Helen works at a hospital. They rent the basement of their house out for extra income. A family moves in with an unstable husband, a long-suffering wife, and a little daughter who needs protecting.

Meanwhile, both of the sisters find prospective husbands–Helen, naturally finds a young doctor, and Lutie, unexpectedly lands the son of a local judge–a powerful and wealthy man. The sisters watch as America enters the war–Lutie’s finance ships out with the other Doughboys. Meanwhile, in the basement, all is not good. The husband takes his frustrations out on his little family. When the wife dies, the daughter is left too vulnerable. Meanwhile, the flu strikes.
My Thoughts

My first thought is, why hasn’t Oprah promoted this book? Then I remembered it isn’t out until April 26th. It packs about as much depressing stuff into a story as possible. All of the normal Oprah book type stuff. Rape, murder, trafficking, incest, rats, blackmail, false accusations, disease, a hooker with a heart of gold–you name it, its in there, albeit in small doses and thankfully not graphically depicted. This has Oprah’s Book Club written all over it.

Then there were things like this: “The Rocky Mountain News said we wouldn’t need to be afraid of the influenza if we voted Republican.” Make it stop already! Trump is gone. Quit with this stuff. Stay in the time of the story, please. Wilson was President then and he was a Democrat. And then prescient statements like this: “You know…they’re saying the [flu] could kill as many people as the war…..” And then this gem” “I’d like to be a fine artist painting pictures to make people see the injustice in the world, that cause them to protest discrimination….” Right…exactly. That was happening all over the place in 1917, right? In the U.S. it was all but illegal to gather during World War I. President Wilson re-segregated the Civil Service and cracked down on anything that could stir dissent against the war or for the Germans.

I was interested enough in the sisters’ story to finish the book, but oh boy what a finish! Will the woke never end in contemporary fiction? The heart-strings were tugged as well as the corset strings. I cared about Lutie and Helen and Dorothy and admired their spirit and independence. I was impressed with the way they helped and protected Dorothy. But the author had them swear like modern day women. If Helen had been overheard swearing she’d have been fired. Probably Lutie would have, too. And women did NOT smoke in public then. None. Maybe in a Paris nightclub, but not in Conservative Denver, Colorado ice cream shop. Do not “modernize” things to appeal to today’s readers. It doesn’t work.

This story just had too many bad things going on. It was depressing more than serious. I didn’t expect all unicorns and rainbows, but I didn’t expect a Penny Dreadful either. The soliloquy by the judge’s wife made me giggle, roll my eyes AND yell “Oh, please” and it was supposed to be serious. I also thought the Epilogue was silly and shouldn’t have been there. It seemed like a sop to book clubs (or a ruse by the editor to keep the author from writing a sequel?)
2.5

Well paced and entertaining historical fiction, set in Denver during the 1918 flu epidemic and onset of America's entry into the Great War. This novel two sisters, as they build new lives after the loss of both their parents in their home state of Iowa. Helen, a nurse, and Lutie (Lucretia), an art school student leave home for Colorado to start over, buying a house and taking in renters. Soon, the influenza takes the life of Maud, their border and mother to Dorothy. The sisters take in Dorothy, since her father has left that family. Soon tragedy befalls them and their efforts to raise Dorothy are challenged.
This was a quick read, not at all challenging, and somewhat predictable and trite. Worth the read, but not noteworthy.

Thank you Net Galley for an ARC of Little Souls by Sandra Dallas. This is a historical fiction with many twists and turns. I enjoyed reading it and was surprised throughout. I thought it very entertaining!

Nobody is born a warrior. You have to hone your skills each time the wave of troubles wash over you.

Sandra Dallas presents a time period in history where the trials of life were around every corner. (Sounds kinda familiar in the scheme of things lately.) People leaned in on the bare necessities and weren't privy to more sophisticated means of "dealing" with the cruelties of challenges and tragedies. You just walked full force into the storm.

Lucretia "Lutie" and her sister, Helen, are leaving Iowa behind after the deaths of their parents. Helen, a nurse, finds that Denver may be just the place to start over. Lutie has graduated from design school and finds a job at a Denver specialty store. They've bought a small house with their inheritance and are renting out the basement apartment. Both seem to be adjusting to life in Denver in 1918.

But the sharp edges of life set in eventually. The two young women notice that things have come off the rails with their young family renters. Ron Streeter seems to be involved with some shifty characters and his cruelty is apparent in the faces of his wife, Maud, and their ten year old daughter, Dorothy. Getting involved or turning your head?

Lutie and Helen aren't given a choice when the Spanish Flu Epidemic hits Denver. Maud eventually dies from the flu. Ron Streeter abandons Dorothy. Dorothy finds the waiting arms of the two women. They are determined to adopt Dorothy. Lutie is engaged to Peter who is serving in France. Helen is in a relationship with Gil, a local doctor. Little ducks in a row 'bout now? Not hardly......

Sandra Dallas doesn't plump up the pillows here. She creates the sharp tentacles of hard-nosed trauma and its aftermath. Each of these characters, including those in a supporting role, have been visited upon by unspeakable life circumstances. Dallas shines a light on the stilted manner in which history and social norms frowned upon giving voice to the voiceless. The storyline takes on some heavy-duty topics wrapped in the reality of the day. Dallas puts it out there. Little Souls is well-written and well-presented with the question asked of just how we address the failings of humanity in the winds of the present. Bravo, Sandra Dallas.

I received a copy of this novel through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to St. Martin's Press and to the talented Sandra Dallas for the opportunity.

A raw, emotional and important story that tells the tale of womanhood, and the importance of friendship. With immaculate writing and interpretation. Will be recommending to my audience, thank you for this amazing story!

This book was pretty slow for me. It has an interesting premise that was not just not my style. It may appeal to other readers.

Here we find two sisters dropped in a world full of disease and at the very brink of war. It is the beginning of the spread of Spanish Flu and it has finally reached Denver, Colorado. Helen and Lutie (short for Lucretia), find themselves trying to be independent and helpful in their community when the walls move in on them. They adopt a young neighbor girl, Dorothy, when her mother dies of the flu. All around them people are dying, close and closer. The deeper into the book I got, the more I couldn't put it down. . . .how were they ever going to survive? And it's not just disease that threatens their lives. . . .

Little Souls provided me a glimpse into the past, and felt very relevant in light of these last few years in COVID lockdowns and the many losses so many of us have experienced.

A Sincere Thank You to Sandra Dallas, St. Martin' Press and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review.
Publication date: 26 Apr 2022

This is a terrific story about two sisters, Helen is 4 years older than Lutie (Lucretia, but she never uses that name). The sisters moved to Denver after their father died so that Helen, who had a nursing degree could take a job at St. Joseph's Hospital. Lutie is an artist with a design degree and is a wonderful seamstress. In Dallas' stories, there is always someone handy with a needle, quilting or making clothes and this is no exception.

These are hard times, it's 1918 and the Spanish Flu has just started running rampant throughout the world while the world is also at war and drawing the United States in. Helen is engaged to Gil who is finishing his studies to be a doctor. Lutie has met Peter, a divinity student, and she hasn't decided if she loves him enough to marry him, it would mean being a minister's wife.

The sisters were able to purchase a house with the insurance money from their father but they aren't wealthy by any stretch. In fact, they rent the basement apartment to a husband, wife, and 12-year-old daughter Dorothy. That's where the story really advances.

This book is full of characters to like and admire and some to hate. It moves quickly; there's sweet romance, nasty characters, and flawed but likable ones. I enjoy reading Sandra Dallas and this was no exception.

Both a difficult book to read and review, this one is about two sisters living in Denver during the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic. I was curious about how our current world situation compared to what these women faced 100 years ago.

Although this book mentions soldiers returning home with the flu, it mainly focuses on those on the homefront. In addition to women working to fill the jobs vacated by men, they also dealt with all too familiar public closures as we are experiencing the world over. The losses were immense and the sadness and hopelessness pervaded everything. People struggled to make ends meet as they are today. I couldn’t help think about how fortunate we were to receive a vaccine that cut down on the losses. I was shocked that mask wearing was as controversial at the end of WW1 as it is today.

The author stayed true to the times with midsets and era specifics, she also dealt with sexual assault, prostitution, child abuse, kidnapping and trafficking. It was, at times, a heavy read. I wonder if perhaps she attempted to cover too much in her plot. I also had difficulty with it being told from Lutie’s point of view. It came across as if she was a spectator. Yes, it was predictable. Yes, there was a lot of ‘filler’ but the focus of helping to alleviate the suffering and loss of the ‘little souls’ came across clearly.

Please don’t let my review influence your reading choices. My family is in healthcare and have personally experienced several losses of those close to me due to Covid. It was perhaps a bit too soon for me to be reading this book. Perhaps with better perspective, I’d have a different opinion. It is a slow read, similar to Hannah’s ‘Four Winds’ and gives readers an accurate, all encompassing and informative look into the previous pandemic.

I was gifted this advance copy by Sandra Dallas, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

The setting:
Colorado, 1918. WWI. Spanish Flu.
Sisters Helen and Lutie have moved from Denver to Iowa after their parents' death. Helen is a nurse, Lutie draws advertisements for Neusteter's, a local women's store. Helen's beau, Gil, is a doctor. Lutie's sweetheart, Peter, a divinity student. They own a small house together and rent out their basement apartment to Maud and Ronald Streeter, who have a young daughter, Dorothy. When Maud, dies from the flu, the sisters are thrust into caring for Dorothy, because... One day Lutie comes home from work and discovers a dead man on their kitchen floor and Helen standing above the body, an icepick in hand. She believes that Helen has killed the man—Dorothy’s father, but knows that it will be hard to prove. They decide to leave the body in the street, hoping to disguise it as a flu victim. And so it begins.

Full disclaimer. I was hooked from the start. This was an easy read. Two strong women at the helm. A fast-moving story. The "little souls" are by-and-large the downtrodden people that the sisters encounter.

Sisterhood. Love. But also mixed with domestic violence, bootleggers, and prostitution. Loss and resilience. And some mysteries thrown in.

What did I especially like? The ties between the sisters. And Mrs. Howell, Peter's mother--everything about her and her story.

I could see this as a black and white movie and the dialog/language in the book [almost perfectly] coming out of the protagonists' mouths.

Historical fiction that resonates with the current situation. [The epilogue reveals that Dallas began writing the novel before COVD-19.]

I really liked Dallas' Westering Women so was delighted to receive a copy of this book.

I learned something new--had to look up a hobble skirt--a fashion of the times that Lutie drew for Neusteter's.

Loved most of it, but I saw the handwriting on the wall a few times [and the ending too neat and tidy, no spoiler from me]; so I was disappointed. Went downhill from a 4. Nonetheless, rounding up from 3.5 [because thankfully the language never made me grimace and I really couldn't put it down]. So, ultimately awarding 4 stars.

Thanks so much to the publisher and Net Galley for a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Heartwarming story about Love and loss story during WW1 and the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918. This story takes place in Denver and concerns a young orphan Dorothy and two 20 something sisters Helen, young nurse and Lutte an illustrator at a high end department store. When their parents die, Helen accepts a job in Denver and Lutte follows her.

Their parents have left them enough money to buy a house and they rent downstairs basement to a family. In the opening scene we find Lutte witnessing a man’s grisly death of the flu in a park and then come home to find another dead man -with her sister holding a bloody icepick.

At it’s center this is a story about love and finding home . It’s is fast paced and gritty, not shying away from the harsh realities of life and death. (Trigger warning- book deals with rape and abuse of women and children. )
I also liked that the main characters are not perfect- e.g. Lutte not wanting to be a minister’s wife and “poor as a church mouse”.

I came to really care for the characters and was rooting for a good outcome. I worry about them with the Great Depression looming ahead as the book ends. Would love for there to be a sequel. ❤️.
Highly recommend

How many little souls are there?

There are quite a few little souls who became orphans once their parents were killed in the war or perished with the Spanish Flu.

We meet Dorothy, now an orphan, Helen a nurse, and Lutie a fashion designer living together as a family in Denver during WWI and the pandemic of 1918.

Helen and Lutie moved to Denver after the death of their parents, and they made Dorothy their sister.

All three characters were well developed and lovable.

Of course there are some unsavory characters to deal with, but the book is one historical fiction fans and women’s fiction fans will enjoy.

Some uncomfortable situations are also addressed, but the story line will draw you in and deals with the struggles of women and how folks lived through the 1918 pandemic and the war.

Along with the Spanish Flu problems, a murder and kidnapping occur.

Despite the situations of the characters, the story line is also very well written and appropriate for this time with our current pandemic.

Enjoy when you read this book. 4/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

I love Sandra Dallas’ writing and this book couldn’t be more timely. Her stories of living through the Spanish influenza pandemic are so in tune with the COVID mess of the past two years, that is honestly why I picked this book to read. . I recommend this to anyone.

Historical fictions based around the Spanish flu in Denver. The characters were very likable, and the writing was great. Lute and Helen's story was a little predictable, and with all the death in the book I didn't really feel , but that could also just be because of the current state of thr world overall good book and I would recommend it

Sandra Dallas's newest book is a compelling read about two sisters in Denver in 1918 - right in the middle of the Spanish flu pandemic and World War I. Helen and Lutie (short for Lucretia) have sold their home in Iowa after their parents' death. They are then able to buy a house in Denver where Helen easily finds work as a nurse. She works long, difficult hours caring for those who are suffering from the Spanish flu. Lutie, a gifted artist, finds work in a women's clothing store designing advertising. The sisters are comfortable, but decide to let out their basement apartment to a married couple with a young daughter. Even in the midst of illness and tragedy both girls find love - Helen with a young doctor and Lutie with a theology student who soon heads off to fight, hoping to bring comfort to soldiers. The girls often help out their renters by watching her daughter, Dorothy. Dorothy often escapes upstairs when her parents are fighting, often with bruises of her own. It is when the mother passes from the flu and her abusive father disappears that Dorothy comes to live with the sisters permanently. When he turns up one night, tragedy ensues and the girls find themselves in danger from the police as well as the flu. Sandra Dallas has done a beautiful job as usual, painting a vivid picture of life during 1918 and creating realistic, sympathetic characters. Lutie is the seamstress and quilter in this book as are often included in Dallas's novels. Fans of Dallas's other novels will be delighted with Little Souls. as will anyone who enjoys historical fiction. I would recommend Little Souls to anyone looking for a good, absorbing read. This will make an excellent book club selection as there is much to discuss about pandemics, abuse, family life, etc. Many thanks to Net Galey for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley for proving an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed the plot of this book set during WW1 and the 1918 pandemic. This is a story of love lost and found. The author weaves a story of heartbreak not uncommon to the times. The main character, Lutie, is a bit naive to the harms women face in the world, protected from this knowledge by her sister, Helen. The relationship of the sisters is heartwarming. I found myself compelled to keep reading staying up late into the evening to finish the book in 1 day.

I liked the author’s style. The flow of the story seemed effortless and kept me engaged, though the plot was almost predictable at times. I was left with a feeling of what life would have been like 100 years ago while being thoroughly intrigued by the relationship of the sisters and their love and support of one another as well as the desire to protect a vulnerable child.

I would recommend this book as I found it very enjoyable to read and would look forward to more books by the author, Sandra Dallas.

This story focuses on people who were left to fight WWI from home. Battles with influenza, prejudice, criminality, and personal relationships are all examined. While the story focuses on two sisters, many of the other characters become just as important. Many times, you will tear up, occasionally cry, and even laugh at time or two. Helen and Lutie become entangled in helping Dorothy and her mother exist in the world of an abusive father/husband. Both find boyfriends and learn to navigate the world of dating. The story is engaging and written well. The interplay between the characters is creative and flows well.


I received an ARC from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under no obligation to do so.

Two sisters, Helen and Lute are living in Denver when the Spanish flu is raging in 1919. The sisters face many struggles including having to protect a young girl who is left orphaned and faces exploitation. The story is told from Lute’s perspective and the author does a good job of describing her emotions especially grief around her numerous losses. “Little souls” are described as “poor, helpless, common people” and the main characters devote their lives to helping these people.
I have always enjoyed Sandra Dallas’ historical fiction especially her books taking place in Colorado and I also enjoyed reading about historical locations that I am familiar with in this book. The information about the Spanish flu was interesting and enlightening especially in comparison with the current Covid-19 pandemic. I found this story to be “sweet” in spite of the themes around sickness, war, murder and kidnapping so it seemed somewhat far-fetched. It was very predictable and moved slowly at times and just contained too much “fluff” for my tastes.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the Advanced Reader Copy.
Warning: this book contains themes of violence, kidnapping and sexual abuse of children.