Sisters of Night and Fog by Erika Robuck is a gripping and emotional historical novel that is a perfect fit for readers who appreciate stories of courage, resilience, and the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood, particularly those who enjoy historical fiction, mystery, and suspense, and are drawn to tales of women's empowerment and the human spirit's capacity for hope and survival in the face of adversity.

Historical fiction but closely based on the true stories of two women in WWII France. Violette is a British citizen, a widow of a serviceman, who is very anxious to join the war effort and serve her country. Virginia is an American married to a Frenchman who has decided not to go home despite the approaching Nazis. Both women take steps to help resistance efforts in France.

This is a great book! Both stories are incredibly engrossing, both characters are well drawn and captured my interest. The action is swift and the emotions high. There are some graphic moments, but the reality of the situation deem that necessary. I did not know as I was reading this that the story was based on the true stories of these women. Robuck has written an action-packed page-turner of a novel. It's just a bonus that so much of it is true. Loved it.

“Like the devil, the Nazis know that to divide is to control and conquer.”
― Erika Robuck, Sisters of Night and Fog.

Told in alternating chapters, Sisters of Night and Fog follows two very different women as they risk it all for the French Resistance. American Virginia d’Albert-Lake lives in France during the German occupation. She, her French husband, Philippe, and others work to save Allied pilots.

Meanwhile, nineteen-year-old Englishwoman Violette Bushell marries French Legionnaire Étienne Szabo. When he leaves to fight the Germans in Egypt, she joins Winston Churchill’s Special Operations Executive and goes undercover in France. The two women meet when they are arrested and taken to Fresnes Prison near Paris and later to Ravensbrück concentration camp.

Robuck’s novel is moving, richly detailed, and the characters are well-drawn. The depth of research shines through, painting a vivid and immersive backdrop of wartime Europe. It is based on the lives of two actual women who risked everything for a noble cause. Their heroism, and that of others, will encourage you to conduct research as you read.

While the plot is fabulous, the writing wasn’t terrific. The printed book reveals some repetitions and sentence choppiness that went unnoticed in the audiobook version.

It’s a sad read, but if you enjoyed The Last Checkmate, the Woman at the Front, The Nightingale, or The Golden Doves, this will be a treat. Sisters of Night and Fog was my first book by Erika Robuck, and I’m looking forward to reading her next. 4 stars.

** Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions are my own.

Powerful and heart pounding! The author tells the tale of two women, women whose bravery is beyond compare.
This story based on true events and people shows the bravery these women displayed despite the cost to themselves. Their actions and bravery helped to defeat the Nazis.
Based upon the experiences of renowned WWII SOE agents Violette Szabo and Virginia d’Albert-Lake this book has been meticulously researched. Compelling read, you won't soon forget the sacrifice these women made.

Published March 1, 2022
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

This was a simply riveting read. From the very beginning I wanted to know what Violette and Virginia were gong to do and where their journeys were going to lead them. Also, knowing they were historical figures, it also made me nervous as I knew the end result. However, Roebuck kept me hooked and I throughly enjoyed the descriptions, emotion and characterization. Definitely recommended!

Unfortunately, I was unable to read this in the time allotted. It remains on my “to be read” list for the future.

Thanks for the gifted copy @berkleybooks! Swipe for synopsis.

One of my top books of the year! Well done, unique WWII historical fiction, especially featuring strong, badass women is my fav & this book fits that perfectly.

It’s rare that I enjoy dual storylines/POVs equally but with this one I really did. I enjoyed learning about these women & their individual strengths and was on pins and needles throughout, waiting to see how they both ended up at Ravensbruck together and what their outcomes would be. Extremely powerful, moving, engaging and just so well written.

I can’t say a ton more without word vomiting, but if you’ve enjoyed any historical fiction I’ve recommended (Code Name Helene, The Book of Lost Names, The Room on Rue Amelie, Our Darkest Night among so many others!), definitely trust me on this one and pick it up.

Somehow this was my first book by Robuck but definitely won’t be the last.

What’s the last great historical fiction you’ve read? You know it’s my fav genre so send all the recs my way!

I"m always amazed when a little known story from WWII is brought to life and I learn more about the strong and amazing people, women, who battled behind the front lines to win the war,
Virginia and Violette were two such women.
Virginia saved downed airmen and Violette went on missions into France to fight against Germany. Virginia was an American who met and married a Frenchman and she wouldn't leave France when she could.
Both women were eventually caught and sent to Ravensbruck.
I've been reading Erika Robuck's books for a long time, and she continues to capture my heart with her books. I had the opportunity to hear her speak on tour, and listening to the research she did, and the remaining family members she talked to was so inspiring. Erika takes the most brutal and gut gutwrenching facts and makes her readers feel they were there, I felt so much compassion and gratitude towards Virginia and Violette.
Thank you again to Berkley Books for this advanced copy.

Initially, I had to keep putting this book down (due to "life") so it was hard to get into the story. But once I did, I was sucked in! I kept stopping to Google more information on these women, fascinated by their story, strength, determination, and will to live, and to help others.
I love HF, and this was another great story that opened my eyes to more brave people who made a difference in the war. Amazing story, amazing research, amazing wriing! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book.

Based on true stories about two women and two countries with nothing in common, but a call to fight.

The novel, SISTERS of NIGHT and FOG (Berkley) by Erika Robuck brings together an American socialite and a British secret agent whose stunning acts of courage collide in the darkest hours of World War II.

1940. War has ignited, and in spite of her American family’s wishes, Virginia d’Albert-Lake decides to stay in occupied France with her French husband. She’s sure that if they keep their heads down, they’ll survive. But is surviving enough?

Nineteen-year-old Violette Szabo has seen the Nazis’ evil up close and is desperate to fight them. But when she meets the man who changes her life, only for tragedy to strike, Violette finds her life unanchored. Until she enters the radar of Britain’s secret war organization—the Special Operations Executive—and a new fire is ignited in her and she enlists. But how much is willing to risk?

As Virginia and Violette navigate the resistance, their clandestine deeds come to a staggering halt when they are brought together at Ravensbrück concentration camp. The decisions they make will change their lives, and the world, forever.

I've always been shocked and horrified by the atrocities committed by the Nazis', but I've never read about such repulsive and revolting actions focused on women. It's taken my magnitude of hate to a new level I never realized I had.

If you're inspired to read more about these brave and heroic women, Erika includes an extensive bibliography at the end of SISTERS of NIGHT and FOG. I have increased my TBR by at least four books.

What could have been better?
It got a little slow in the middle for me! I think if we cut 50/100 pages or so out of that, and spent more time on the stories intertwining. I would have moved it from a like to a love! It would have helped a lot with the pacing!

What I enjoyed?
I liked seeing both the characters grow from the beginning to the end of the war.

I liked the dual perspective and seeing how the two characters faced adversity and used courage.

I liked two women taking charge and being in the forefront of the war in different ways! History often only talks about men and I love when I get to read something where women are the heroes.

It was definitely a book I thought had a cool perspective, but it is definitely more character driven, medium paced story! So I would say no for my plot driven friends but a recommend to my other ones 💕

💕Favorite Quotes💕

“Women are as brave and as responsible as men;often more so.”

“The worst thing I’ve learned is that once men deem others less than them, they’re capable of committing unimaginable horrors just before taking the tube home, kissing their wives, pissin’ in their toilets and picking their teeth with toothpicks.”

Thanks to Berkley for an advanced copy of Sisters of Night and Fog by Erika Robuck.

Erika's writing is superb -- the way she brings characters alive and how she writes about some of the most daring and fascinating women who worked for the SOE. The author's note at the end with where she took fictional liberties and why -- I wish more historical fiction authors would go into the level of detail as she does.

France in 1940 was not the safest place to be but new American bride, Virginia decides to stay with her French husband. Violette is a 19 year old French girl who is a crack shot and is being recruited by the resistance to help fight the Nazi's. Together they work to fight but are soon captured and suffer greatly at Ravensbrück concentration camp. Very true to life and based on actual women. Great portrayal of the life in War and the prison camps. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

If you follow me, you know I love Erika Robuck’s novels, which usually have a strong, historical, female protagonist. This book was exciting because it had two strong, female protagonists, from WWII.

Here’s the scoop:

Description
Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2022 by Buzzfeed · Bookbub · BookTrib · and more!

Two women, two countries. Nothing in common but a call to fight.

A heart-stopping new novel based on the extraordinary true stories of an American socialite and a British secret agent whose stunning acts of courage collide in the darkest hours of World War II.

1940. In a world newly burning with war, and in spite of her American family’s wishes, Virginia d’Albert-Lake decides to stay in occupied France with her French husband. She’s sure that if they keep their heads down, they’ll survive. But is surviving enough?

Nineteen-year-old Violette Szabo has seen the Nazis’ evil up close and is desperate to fight them. But when she meets the man who’ll change her life only for tragedy to strike, Violette’s adrift. Until she enters the radar of Britain’s secret war organization—the Special Operations Executive—and a new fire is lit in her as she decides just how much she’s willing to risk to enlist.

As Virginia and Violette navigate resistance, their clandestine deeds come to a staggering halt when they are brought together at Ravensbrück concentration camp.

The decisions they make will change their lives, and the world, forever.

It was so crazy as I read this to think that these were true-life people. This story is suspenseful and heart-breaking. In a word: unforgettable. While I love all of Erika’s works, this is my favorite as it’s so beautifully written. You felt like you truly knew what it was like to be in that person’s mind and heart. Often, her novels have told the story of a women through the eyes of a third part (sort of a “Gatsby” feel in the retelling) but I found this story so powerful as each woman told her own. And I learned of two new heroines that I had not heard of before.

If you like WWII genre and female spies, don’t miss it!

Thank you so much for my review e-copy through Net Galley!

Sisters of Night and Fog by Erika Robuck begins in 1995 with a elderly woman returning to Ravensbruck with some of the other women who made it out of the concentration camp alive at the end of World War II. They have returned to attend a remembrance ceremony. In her first-person narration, she describes how difficult it is to return to the place “about which I’ve barely uttered a word all these years — that almost destroyed me.”

After that brief introduction, the story moves back to 1940-41 with Violette and her young brother escaping France where they have been visiting their aunt who frantically returns them to their parents in London. The Germans have already invaded Poland, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg, and are advancing on Paris, the city that Violette loves so dearly. She swears that she will return to France to fight the Nazis. Meanwhile, Virginia and her French husband, Philippe, watch refugees march through the village where his cavalry unit is stationed. Virginia has rejected her family’s pleas to return to the United States and safety, vowing to stay with her husband and “live only in the moment” with him. As Philippe heads to the front with his unit, Virginia and his mother begin a fraught journey to his family’s holiday home on the French coast, hoping they can shelter there.

In alternating chapters, Robuck relates the experiences of the two women as the war rages on. Back in London with her parents, Violette is not content to simply wait out the war. She is sickened by France’s surrender to Germany, under the terms of which the Germans will occupy a zone in the north while a new French government operates out of Vichy. She is restless and eager to serve. Just nineteen years old, she falls in love with a French soldier, Etienne, but their happiness is short-lived. He is transported to West Africa to fight while Virginia, and Philippe’s mother and grandmother, are forced from the family home into an adjacent farmer’s cottage by Nazis who occupy the main house on the family estate. Travel is restricted, food and supplies are rationed, and every aspect of their former life is stripped away by the conquering enemy as Virginia can only hope that Philippe is alive and will eventually return to her. Virginia struggles to hide her contempt from the soldiers with whom they must co-exist. Soon she undertakes a dangerous journey to meet Philippe in the Unoccupied Zone where he awaits demobilization since his and other cavalry units are being sent home. It’s only the first of many treacherous treks Virginia will make before the war finally ends.

Meanwhile, Violette works at the London telephonist station, but when the bombing begins, she and her coworkers take shelter underground. London is attacked mercilessly, “lit with fires” on a nightly basis. “Where buildings stood just minutes ago are great holes and mountains of smoking rubble.” And soon there’s only a crater where the telephone exchange building once stood.

Reunited with Virginia, Philippe avoids being forced to work for the Germans by obtaining a farming exemption. He and Virginia are safe at their remote cottage, but for how long? For Violette, bearing a child — a beautiful daughter she names Tania — without Etienne at her side is too much. She suffers from severe depression and is unprepared to meet the unrelenting needs of a newborn. Violette’s fractious relationship with her father, coupled with her pride, makes it difficult for her to accept help, but she finally relents and welcomes her mother’s assistance. Soon, though, she meets a man who will change her life by recruiting her and fulfilling her need to serve in the war effort.

As the war rages on, both Virginia and Violette become actively involved in the Resistance. Violette is determined to extract revenge upon the Germans who widowed her, leaving her to raise Tania without a father. She joins the Special Operations Executive (SEO), a far-flung network of operatives who engage in espionage and sabotaging the enemy. But before she an be dispatched on sensitive missions, she undergoes grueling training in Scotland. She learns to shoot, parachute, and survive brutal conditions, but opts not to accept the cyanide pill that every agent is offered — to be used in the event of capture in order to evade being tortured. Her dedication and fortitude are questioned and tested relentlessly, and her activities must be concealed from her family and friends. Fortunately, she has a dear friend who is willing to care for Tania while she claims to be serving with the First Aid Nursing Yoemanry.

Virginia also grows increasingly restless and, along with Philippe, joins a network of operatives who rescue, conceal, and transport Allied pilots who have been shot down, as well as Nazi fugitives. The Comet Line is an underground network spanning from Belgium to Spain that procures forged documents used to help pilots escape and be reunited with their regiments. Virginia and Philippe bravely take pilots into their home until the documents are prepared and arrangements made to escort them out of France. But as time passes, their missions grow increasingly dangerous as German spies pose as Allied pilots in order to infiltrate and dismantle the Comet Line.

Robuck seamlessly tells the tense tale of the women’s separate activities in a frank, straight-forward style that befits and enhances its overwhelming inherent power. But still the third-person narrative is imbued with compassion and poignancy, and Robuck believably brings each and every one of the multitude of characters to life. The fear and anguish of wartime is palpable, and Robuck describes the characters’ longing for life to return to some semblance of normalcy in an achingly plainspoken and relatable manner. Four years into the war, Virginia is aghast and exasperated, never having believed that it could drag on for so long, but her determination to save the pilots whose planes are shot out of the sky never wavers. “Her only regret is that she and Philippe took so long to start with the Resistance. If Virginia could have comprehended the utter joy they’d get from subverting the Nazis, she would have sought out ways to start sooner.” Her efforts bring her “a wellspring of peace” that carries her through “the most difficult and dangerous situations.”

Likewise, Violette loves her daughter, but cannot forget what the enemy took from her. She is insistent that she be sent on an extremely dangerous mission after Henri, a fellow agent she has come to deeply care for, is captured. Indeed, she discovers that the network has been destroyed, agents killed, and she is in grave danger. But she is intent on carrying out the mission. Violette never loses sight of what is at stake and remains ready to make the ultimate sacrifice should that be required of her.

One day Virginia encounters a pretty young woman at the train station “wearing a violet kerchief that matches her eyes.” She recognizes that young woman when she sees her again. By then, they are both prisoners. Robuck details how each woman makes a choice — a miscalculation that proves to be a fatal mistake — that results in her capture and curtails her underground activities. But it is rumored that the Allies have landed at Normandy and are advancing. They believe that soon the Nazis will be defeated, so they must endure unspeakable hardship and stay alive because liberation is imminent. But the horrors they witness and experience in the concentration camp are unimaginably terrifying and inhumane. Ironically, because the Germans know they are on the brink of losing the war, they are motivated to inflict indescribable suffering on their prisoners . . . and empty out the camps before the Allies reach them.

After their stories have unfolded, it is evident which one of the two women returns to Ravenbruck on that special day of remembrance forty years later. Tragically, only one of the women survived. And she bore the guilt of surviving, when so many did not. In the days following the war, she asked herself the same question that the rest of the world was asking. “How will we learn to live normally again? Is there any such thing?” No one who lived through that time was unchanged, but, as Robuck illustrates, those who survived found ways to rebuild their lives, even as they carried ghosts with them for the remainder of their days.

Sister of Night and Fog is a beautifully crafted, utterly riveting story based on the actual lives and contributions to victory made by Virginia and Violette. Robuck’s painstaking research is evident on every page of the book, and she was fortunate to connect with living family members and friends of Virginia and Violette whose reflections helped her bring the women to life on the pages. But the book is not easy to read. Robuck has penned a tense, often heartbreaking, and unsparingly realistic portrayal of wartime atrocities.

What Virginia and Violette endured is deeply disturbing, but their story is one of bravery and courageous action in the face of the most despicable and evil campaign for supremacy the world has ever known. Virginia watched hundreds of women die in the camp, but she, along with Philippe, saved the lives of sixty-nine Allied pilots. Violette refused to give up information about the SEO and her colleagues, saving their lives. And she inspired her fellow prisoners to remain strong and hopeful that the Allies would soon fight their way to the camp and set them free.

Robuck aptly observes that “ultimately, the courage of these women shines brighter than any darkness they faced.” And by crafting their story so meticulously and with quiet reverence, she has done justice to the women, their perseverance and spirit, their sacrifices, their humanity, and their legacies. Sisters of Night and Fog is a mesmerizing and towering work of historical fiction.

This book has two major characters - strong women who join the Resistance to help save France from the Nazi army. They are both in constant danger of being caught and tortured but they believe in their cause and are willing to take chances to help France.

At the start of the war, Virginia refuses to take her parent's advice to come home to America but instead she decides to stay in France with her French born husband, Phillipe. He is sent home from the French Army after Germany invades France and he and Virginia decide to join the resistance. Because they have a home outside of Paris, they frequently take downed English and American pilots to their home to hid until arrangements can be made to get them back to England. They have a lot of close calls but help save many of the pilots. It was interesting that Virginia would talk to the pilots when they were in her home and find out about the current news and music from The US. She would then use that information to test the next pilot to make sure he wasn't really a Germany spy.

Violetta is only 19 but after her life is forever changed by German cruelty, vows to work diligently to help end the war. She doesn't want to leave her small daughter back in England but her urge to join the SOE is more important than anything in her life. Because she has dual citizenship in England and France she is often sent on the more difficult assignments and parachutes into France to help the local resistance operations.

The bravery of both of these women is amazing and they continue to work with the resistance until they are arrested and sent to Ravensbruck concentration camp where they meet for the first time. They struggle to stay alive while they do what they can to keep themselves and other women alive until the end of the war.

For me, one of the amazing facts about this book is that both women are based on real people. The author has done considerable research on both women and written a magnificent novel to help the world learn about these brave and resilient women.

Two women, facing different issues at the onset of World War II in France. One needed to get out with her brother. The other, to survive while her husband fought the Germans. As the war progresses, one marries, has a child and loses her husband on a battlefield in Africa. One remains, cares for her mother-in-law, their small house with gardens surrounding it in Normandy and is reunited with her husband. For both, is surviving truly enough?
Both feel called to do more. And both do.

One is trying to make ends meet, not be overly angered by the atrocities she is seeing and get downed pilots and others to safety in Spain and hopefully Britain. Virginia is an American, who has been living in France so long she can't imagine life without it, even with the Germans around. Violette is shook by her loss and feels unmoored until she finds a calling with the SOE. She is sent to France to make a difference. Virginia is also trying to make a difference from within France. They meet in a chance encounter at a train station, and then again at Avenue Foch.
And there their next lives begin. .

Erika Robuck draws you in to the story of two women who do what they can to help the resistance: one an American who marries a Frenchman, the other a British commoner who grew up in France. Your knowledge of the time expands as you root for them and learn how even Americans worked to help others. It's a haunting tale of war, sacrifice, and the cost to all. Not your run of the mill WWII Historical Fiction.

A WWII historical fiction novel based on the real lives of two remarkable women. This book follows Virginia d’Albert-Lake and Violette Szabo - two young women who get involved in the French Resistance, risking everything to help save lives. This book highlights just two of the many women who worked behind the scenes in the most brave and courageous ways. Highly recommended for fans of Kristin Hannah, Kristin Harmel or Kate Quinn. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review will be posted on 3/17/22

Virginia, an American, is living a wonderful life in France. She has a gorgeous French husband, his family is amazing, and life in France is pretty much perfect and they are about to start a family. That is until their world comes crashing down. France becomes occupied by Germany in 1940 and their lives are changed forever. She hopes that if they don't attract too much attention, perhaps they will make it through unscathed. Then there's Violette, an Englishwoman, who is feisty, brave, unconventional, and fluent in French. She meets Etienne, a French soldier, and they have a fast-moving, whirlwind of a relationship that leads them to the altar to get married, but Etienne won't be around for long as the call of duty will send him to fight the Germans. Violette doesn't want to just sit back and do nothing; she desperately wants to contribute. The Special Operations Executive hears of her bravery, her ability with a firearm, and her dual citizenship, so they feel she is a perfect fit. Both Violette and Virginia find themselves helping the French Resistance and summoning a lot of courage to make it through these dark times. Erika Robuck's Sisters of Night and Fog is such a memorable and moving read about two valiant women during World War II.

I immediately liked Virginia in Sisters of Night and Fog. Her dedication to her husband, Philippe, is so admirable. Even though she is an American and could easily go back to Florida before the war really took off, she chose to stay with her husband and his family. She didn't want to part from him and I really adored their relationship. Virginia has been through a lot during the first few chapters of the novel and it broke my heart, but it also showed how women have such courage and must harness it to face the day, whether it be dealing with a tragedy or something as serious as the German occupation. Even though Virginia may not be as brave or dazzling of a character as Violette, I still enjoyed her part of the story and her quiet confidence. As the war continues and impacts the people around her, she realizes that she can't hide out anymore. She must help the resistance and I was moved by her experience especially when her path crosses with Violette.

Violette is a force of nature in Sisters of Night and Fog. She's larger than life and she reminded me a bit of Robuck's other protagonist in The Invisible Woman. They both possessed so much bravery, tenacity, and that special something. Violette is an extremely charismatic person who was often compared to Ingrid Bergman, so I suppose she used this to her advantage when working with the SOE. I really adored her story even though at times it really tugged on my heartstrings. I don't want to give too much of her story away but Violette is the embodiment of courage and her story reminds us to persevere.

I love that Robuck writes about real women from the past and brings their stories to the forefront. While this was tough to read given the current political climate in Ukraine, it was still such a moving and memorable read. Even though some parts of Sisters of Night and Fog were extremely sad, I thought that overall it was more about courage though and how we must be brave during dark times as there's always something to fight for. With that said, if you are a fan of WWII dramas, you must check out Sisters of Night and Fog; I highly recommend it.