The subject of "The Opera Sisters" is fascinating: Two sisters in 1930s London manage to help more than two dozen persecuted Germans and Austrians escape being murdered by the Nazis. It's well researched too, with footnotes clarifying any slight variations from the truth and citing sources (as a lover of historical fiction who's often dismayed to find out how little history is in some novels, I really appreciated this). But I'm sad to say that the writing let down the story. I never really got a sense of what made the sisters, Ida in particular, so compelling and magnetic that they were able to not only become great friends with the opera stars they idolized but also persuade so many other Brits to aid their cause. Perhaps we'd be better off just reading the autobiography of Ida Cook—aka romance novelist Mary Burchell—instead.

Thank you, NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing, for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The spectacular cover first caught my eye. I was then taken in by the story, rich history, stunning backdrops, and how the author brought history to life through two extraordinary sisters I instantly cared for and connected with. These sisters were courageous, as they faced their fears, risked their lives to give hope to hopeless Jews desperate to evade the barbaric torture by the Nazi’s. The story opens with rumors of a pending war and then concludes with the end of the war, staying with the sisters, their friends, and the people they helped all the way through.

To be honest, I was a little intimidated by the cast of characters before the novel began. I liked how the story was broken into three parts and that list was insightful. But my interest was piqued when I read the caption before the first page, “Louise and Ida Cook have derived more from living than anyone I know.” Rosa Ponselle, so true. Even in the midst of turmoil these two ladies did what it took to save money to go to the Opera House. They took great joy in these performances. Little did these two sisters know that their love of opera would be a way for them to help hundreds of people escape Germany.

I liked how this author inserted the author notes right into the chapter. I didn’t have to wait until the end of the book to learn what was real and what wasn’t. She also included website addresses you could go to and get the complete information.

As with every WWII story I’ve read, I learn something new. In this story, I was blown away by these sisters’ zest for life and what they did to help strangers. I was fascinated by their love of Opera and all that went on in the music world at that time. This story takes place as Hitler is trying to collect the people, he wanted to surround himself with and discard the rest. While these sisters were traveling from performance to performance, they got a wider view of the bigger picture in Hitler’s real plan. So, did I. I loved how the author did that. I look forward to reading more books by this author.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I requested and received a copy of this book by the publisher/NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

Nora St. Laurent
TBCN Where Book Fun Begins!
The Book Club Network blog https://psalm516.blogspot.com/

The Opera Sisters is an engrossing story of two sisters set in the background of war and recession. Additionally the book also narrated the power of music to nurture love, to pave the way for healing, and redemption. Another notable work of historial fiction at its best.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

This historical novel is based on the true story of the Cook sisters, opera lovers who traveled from London to Nazi Germany and smuggled out jewels and furs for those hoping to find a way to England. Two ordinary, unassuming working-class women, Ida and Louise save their money to buy opera tickets. Serendipitously the sisters are introduced to fellow opera lovers, performers and conductors. Through these relationships, the sisters are asked to smuggle valuables out of Germany for those seeking refuge in England, or anywhere but Germany. Quite boldly, the sisters wear the goods by hiding them in plain sight, and keeping them safe until they are reunited with their owners. After travel to continental Europe is halted, the sisters continue to help refugees by obtaining sponsorships and employment. By the end of the war, the sisters were able to help 29 Jewish families escape from Nazi Germany.

My rating is only 3 stars because I had such mixed feelings about the writing. My rating is in no way related to the brave and caring sisters. While I realize it was an historical novel, I felt that some things were changed or embellished without any logical reason. For instance, the speech given by Winston Churchill on Christmas Eve of 1941 is moved to 1940. There is a chapter of the sisters reuniting with one of their dear friends after the war, however, it was a story of someone else, who the author indicates isn’t mentioned in the book. There is a story of Theo, a Polish teen-ager the sisters helped, but we learn in the footnotes this is the story of another Theo, who was not helped by the sisters. However, it does include a lot of historical facts, appears to be well-researched and I did learn some new things. If you care to chill yourself to the bone, watch the short film A Night at the Garden, https://anightatthegarden.com.

https://candysplanet.wordpress.com/

Really nice piece of historical fiction! Probably my favorite piece of historical fiction all year.
The Opera Sisters is a fictionalized story of the real-life Cook sisters, opera aficionados, who meet and rub elbows with some of the greatest opera stars of their time, while aiding and assisting refugees from Nazi Germany.
The author allows us to follow along as the Cook sisters travel to and from areas in Europe for Opera performances and to meet with contacts as they assisted desperate persons to leave Germany. The author intersperses wonderful descriptions of opera between dramatic near misses and joyful reunions. It's really a nice bit of balance throughout the novel. The book was inspiring and hopeful without becoming maudlin- which is a feat in itself when writing about WWII is involved.
Personally, I really did enjoy this book. It was better researched than many works of historical fiction, and really focused on events that related to the sisters and their activity. (in other words, no wild meetings with Hitler that did not occur etc)I was a bit frustrated with the pulling of a Churchill speech that didn't fit into a totally different year/time to suit the story, but I think most readers will overlook that easily. This would be an excellent book for young readers or younger book clubs- there is very little to offend anyone through out the book and it does end on a realistic but positive not.

The Opera Sisters by Marianne Monson is based on the true story of Ida and Louise Cook, sisters living in south London with a shared love of Opera. The two save their money to buy records and attend performances throughout England and Europe and they become well known in the Opera community. At first glance, they are unlikely heroes but you come to learn that even with minimal means they were able to save 29 Jewish families from Nazi Germany, starting when Hitler seized power in the early 1930’s and began passing laws that restricted the rights of Jews in Germany. It was a great story to read and learning about the Cook sisters was fascinating.

Thank you to NetGalley, Shadow Mountain Publishing and the author for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great book! I usually find it hard to get into adult fiction, but I enjoyed the writing style and found the story compelling enough to continue reading. I would recommend it to anyone who liked history.

POWERFUL! That is the one word I can use to describe Marianne Monson’s story of Ida and Louise; two twenty something year old sisters, through whose love of opera, began a long and arduous journey to lead 29 families, but many many more individuals out of Germany and German occupied lands during the lead up to WWII. Ida uses her own money and makes many loans that she thinks she will never be able to repay; she enlists friends, family and strangers through her talks with church groups and others to sponsor Jews trying to flee Germany beginning in the early 1930’s. The book follows them all through WWII and the liberation. Fascinating were the side stories and how the author wound these into this historical fiction novel. The descriptions of what Londoners and those all throughout England endured during the Blitzkrieg and beyond was amazing. The tremendous amount of research was astounding. I laughed, I cried as I followed the Cook sister’s and what they did sacrificing their own safety many times over to help those less fortunate. Their courage was a testament to all the English people.

This is one of the most concise, well-rounded, extremely well-researched WWII books I’ve read. I loved the opera spin and I really enjoyed learning about these two amazing sisters and all they accomplished. Highly recommend.

The Opera Sisters is a riveting, first hand account of two remarkable women, Ida and Louise Cook, who single handedly saved 29 families from the atrocious slaughter of Adolf Hitler's Naziism. Their life story occurs in London, England beginning in the summer of 1934 when Ida was nearly 30 years old. Louise was her older sister. At the time, they lived with their parents and their two brothers Jim and Bill.

They loved opera and they loved the voice of Rosa Ponsell.e. They pinched pennies so that they could see her when she came to perform in London. Through meeting her they met Klauss and Viorica. These two were instrumental in putting them in touch with many, many people who were trying to escape Hitler's reign against the Jews. The Cooks used the guise of opera to travel to and from war torn Germany and other countries. They went out of their way to secure passage to London for the refugees they were able to save.

Ida was a romance novel author under the pen name of Mary Burchell, and Louise was a civil servant. Ida used her own money to assist in paying for several of the refugees keep. One of them, Maria, had a fiancee who escaped and ended up in Brazil. She and her mother, Irma, had tried to join him while he was in Switzerland, but we're thwarted. Ida and Louise were able to get them to London. There they were caught in a bombing and Irma died. Eight years later the Cook sisters were able to reunite Maria with her fiancee in Brazil where they married and had a child.

The sisters went through great peril and frustration to save these people. And they grieved the ones they were unable to get out. All but two people they assisted survived and led productive lives. The two that didn't make it were Georg. who was saved with his wife and daughter. He committed suicide. The other person was Irma, Maria's mother, who was a casualty of war.

The war ripped through several countries, including the US, and killed more than 2,000,000 Jews. The Holocaust was horrendous! I believe there were four men whom the Cooks were unable to save and ended up in concentration camps. Well, four ended up there but two of them got out and were transported to London.

Rosa Ponselle ended up moving to the United States. She got married and retired. The sisters vowed they would go to the US. They hoped to see her sing again. Speaking of which, when London was liberated, Ida and Louise had a sort of opera party, during which Rosa phoned them. Of course they were thrilled to hear from her and she sang while on the phone for all to hear. In the end of the book, which was at the end of the war, the Cook women were finally able to travel to the US to see Rosa and many of the people they'd saved and who ended up there.


There is no account of the sisters ever having married. Ida published 112 novels. Her first eight year's worth funded her and Louise's efforts. She died of cancer in 1986. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Thank you NetGalley for a glimpse into these incredible women's lives.

WW2 stories are always a go to for me. Each historical fiction book I read will forever enlighten my views and I discover new details I was never aware of. The Opera Sisters did not disappoint! Ida and Louise are two working class sisters who vow to help as many Jewish people as possible. They save every cent they can to visit the opera. The ladies travel back and forth to operas as much as they can. It is there that they meet some high powered big names. Though the writing was a bit wordy, and the opera scenes was very technical, the research was thorough and I felt as though I was living in the time period. The way the sisters rescued families was heartfelt and heroic. I had never heard of these sisters before, and I am so happy to have read about their heroism. I highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley, Marianne Monson and the publisher for the eARC.

Quite long, sweeping and very well done historical fiction, beautiful cover! Very much enjoyed this true account of the Cook sisters and their efforts during early WWII wartime.

#theoperasisters #netgalley

This was a great story to read. I loved the storyline and the characters, definitely recommend this book!

Absolutely fantastic and unique! The way the author mixes the fiction and nonfiction by footnotes at the end of the chapter instead of an author’s note at the end of the book gives the reader a unique blend of what happened in the story and what really happened and keeps reader enthralled,

British sisters Ida and Louise Cook use their love of opera as means to travel back and from between Germany and England while saving the lives of Jewish people.

Lately, it seems like every time I read historical fiction, I learn something new. This book was so different. I had no idea these two women existed and I was completely unaware of their bravery. Also, while I knew London got hit hard during this war, I found myself really saddened by just how hard. I wasn’t aware how many civilians lost their lives. I also didn’t know that Hitler actually did declare war on the United States and looked forward to taking her down. So this book was quite an education.

What worked really well for me:
This book was very well researched. From opera to historical facts, research poured into every page. Footnotes were included at the bottom to give resources from where information came from.
There was a lot of emotion in this story. There wasn’t one character that didn’t make me feel something.
The story itself was brave and bravely told. It kept a good pace but the story itself kept you going, wanting to know what was next and who was saved. And who didn’t make it.

What didn’t work for me:
The ending seemed a little abrupt. Although, that could have been me because I really wanted to know so much more about these ladies.
If you don’t know opera, there were some spots that got quite technical. I grew up on opera so I was able to fully appreciate those moments.

Out of all the historical fiction you may read, make this book one that you do.

When I was in junior high school I went through a phase where I devoured romance novels, buying most of them at the thrift store down the street and at a used book store. Over time the clear winner for my favorite author was Mary Burchell (real name Ida Cook). Her plots are often unusual for genre romances, and even when they follow a standard romance storyline there is something that sets them apart. As an adult I learned that she and her sister helped Jewish people flee Germany before World War II by finding them sponsors in England and smuggling their valuables out of Germany. Mary Burchell’s payment for her books helped as well.

So when I heard about The Opera Sisters I wanted to read it. I’ve read a lot of historical fiction about real people in World War II and looked forward to a book about someone I already admired. Unfortunately, it was a huge disappointment. I read an advance reader copy, and it honestly reads like a draft rather than an about-to-be-published novel. Part of me still wonders if the wrong version was uploaded to Netgalley. I was expecting a historical novel that seamlessly blended real life events with fictional recreations of dialog and plot. What I got was a random compilation of facts from the 1930s, cobbled together with stories about the terrible things that were happening to Jews, brief glimpses into what the lives of Ida and Louise Cook might have been like, and multiple apologies from the author for altering when certain things actually happened in the form of footnotes at the end of various chapters. An editor should have told the author to work those weird random chapters into the narrative and cut anything that didn’t fit. An editor needed to pull all those parts into a coherent and powerful story. And those remarks about changes should have been saved for the author note.

The parts about the sisters weren't bad, but I kept getting yanked out of the story by the little asides about terrible things that weren't connected to the specific story being told. (What was that chapter about Pearl Harbor doing in this book?) It honestly almost felt like this book was being written for someone who had never heard of the Holocaust. It was a very strange narrative decision in my opinion.

I only finished this book because of my great admiration for Ida Cook as a person and for her persona Mary Burchell as a romance author. The story of the Cook sisters deserves to be told, but they deserve a much better book than this one.

I read an advance reader copy from Netgalley.

A WWII novel about Jewish refugees to England. Which was something that I knew nothing about. You learn something new every day. I'm not going to live this one had me crying at times.

Wow! What a story! These two sisters did so much to help those trying to flee from Nazi death. I can't even imagine the guts and grit these women had. I applaud them.

This story was commendable. I will admit that I did not love the writing style, but I got used to it. The characters were well developed, the story line riveting.
Here is my favorite quote. '“It is easy to think there are sharp lines dividing the good people and bad people , but most humans have dark passions inside waiting to be stirred up. It’s easier than we think to become convinced that decency is for the weak, that democracy is naïve, that kindness and respect for others are ridiculous. The whole world has been reminded these past few years that the things we care about have to be nurtured and defended because even seemingly good people have the potential to do hideous things.'

How true that is for today in our society and it what is currently happening in Europe. We can learn alot from history, we just don't seem to be doing so.

One of the reasons I love historical fiction is the fact that I always learn something new. I was not aware of the Cook sisters and their bravery prior to this book. This novel follows true accounts of Louise and Ida who literally risked their lives on multiple occasions to help Jewish people escape Germany leading up to WWII. I’ve never read a historical fiction novel with footnotes at the end of most chapters. I’m on the fence on how I feel about it. Part of me prefers to read a story straight through without pause between chapters. However, I learned so much from the footnotes on what truly occurred and how certain historical accounts or timelines were shifted and woven into fit Monson’s narrative.

I did enjoy that there were chapters highlighting real individuals the Cook sisters worked with to get out of Germany. However, some chapters had only a half a page and it seemed to flip-flop around a lot from Ida and Louise characters. As a reader, you’re really rooting for everyone to have a happy ending despite knowing millions of Jews were murdered. This story is an a heartbreaking rollercoaster. I appreciate authors like Monson who shed light on these lesser known historical heroes and victims of the Holocaust.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It definitely had more historical accuracy and context that some other historical fiction novels that others may find more difficult to read. However, as a history lover, I found this very pleasant to read and want to read Ida’s memoir.

The Opera Sisters by Marianne Monsoon is set during World War 2. I really enjoyed this book, particularly the central characters. I look forward to reading more from the author in the future.