Little Souls is a historical fiction set in 1918 in Colorado during prohibition, WWI and the Spanish flu epidemic.

The historical fiction is really interesting while the book is sad in many places. Between WWI and the Spanish flu, it would not have been realistic if it were not sad. I am not sure why, but it took me a while to get engaged with the characters. This is a book all about what seems like a very great relationship between 2 sisters. But in the end there were some very significant secrets the older sister kept from the younger one.

Life was really hard for two women without parents or husbands. They were not supposed to work but would not have been able to live without working. Life was cruel for women trying to make a living during this time in history. One of the only acceptable professions for women was nursing. I am so thankful that women have a much better place in society now then they did in 1918.

Little Souls by Sandra Dallas was a heartwarming story about two sisters in Denver Colorado, during WWI. They are extremely close and just moved from Ohio. Helen, is a nurse and Lutie is an artist in advertising. The Spanish Flu is rampant and schools have become hospitals and bodies are found all over town. These are trying time and the sisters are tough. They each have a boyfriend.. Helen, is in a relationship with a Dr. And Lutie’s fiancée is overseas. With all that is going on, the sisters are doing ok. Until their tenant dies from the flu and her daughter survives. The sisters decide to care for Dorothy.. It will be difficult but they don’t see any other way. But nothing is easy and taking care of Dorothy actually becomes dangerous. Her father shows up out of no where and when Lutie comes home, she finds Helen & Dorothy over his body. He is dead and Lutie doesn’t know who killed him. There are secrets, lies and dangerous men. The sisters are dodging all this, the Spanish flu, the death of Dorothy’s dad & a fiancée overseas. They can’t keep up and Lutie turns to her soon to be in-laws for their help. There was so much going on in this story and yet it was easy to follow. The way the characters, interacted was so interesting. I really liked this story and the characters. I read this quickly because I had to find out how it ended. Carly Robins did an excellent job narrating. This was a 4 star listen for me: I want to thank the author and Netgalley for my copy for an honest review. It was my pleasure to listen and review. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

3.5 stars

This novel is set during World War I, when the Spanish Flu pandemic devastated populations around the globe. The deadly illness infected about 500 million people worldwide and may have caused up to 50 million deaths. People were so frightened of the disease they would leave deceased victims in the streets, to be picked up by death wagons.

The story opens in 1918, when America is scurrying to produce the soldiers, food supplies, munitions and money needed to win the war. After the death of their parents, two twentysomething sisters, Helen Hite - a nurse. and Lucretia (Lutie) Hite - a fashion illustrator, move from Iowa to Denver, Colorado. The sisters buy a house and rent out the basement to the Streeter family - Ron, Maud, and their 10-year-old daughter Dorothy.

Helen is engaged to a doctor called Gil Rushton, and Lutie dates a theology student named Peter Howell. Even though he's a divinity student, Peter feels compelled to enlist in the army, and he proposes to Lutie before he leaves for France.

Basement tenant Ron Streeter is an unemployed rotter who constantly fights with his wife Maud and sexually abuses his daughter Dorothy. Eventually Ron moves out of the house and deserts his family, and Maud dies shortly afterwards, from the Spanish Flu. This leaves Dorothy in the care of Helen and Lutie, who love the child and think of her as a younger sister.

One day Lutie comes home from work to find Ron dead on the kitchen floor, Helen standing over him with an ice pick, and Dorothy crouching nearby, in shock. Helen says she stabbed Ron when he broke into the house and tried to rape Dorothy. With the help of Helen's fiancé Gil, the sisters leave Ron in a vacant lot, with a note saying he was a victim of the Spanish Flu.

The sisters hope Ron's body, supposedly riddled with flu virus, won't be closely examined. However two detectives show up at Helen and Lutie's door, saying Ron was murdered. The detectives are clearly suspicious of Helen and Lutie, but the women insist Ron moved out months ago, and they haven't seen him since.

As the police investigation proceeds, Helen and Lutie try to adopt Dorothy, but are stymied by the girl's aunt and uncle, Beulah and Gus Vincent, an unscrupulous couple who have nefarious plans for the little girl. In fact, there are suspicions that Ron Streeter 'shared' Dorothy with Gus. Luckily, the parents of Lutie's fiancé Peter - a wealthy influential couple - make it their business to help Helen and Lutie.

As the story unfolds, secrets are revealed, tragedies occur, and the ongoing suffering of trauma victims is discussed. The bonds of family and friendship are examined, and it's clear that human connections help the characters cope with trying events.

The story provides a dire picture of the Spanish Flu pandemic, which was eerily similar to the recent Covid-19 pandemic. The Spanish Flu resulted in the closure of schools, businesses, theaters, places of worship, and other public gathering places. Mass transportation was limited and people were advised to wear masks, practice social distancing, institute appropriate disinfection procedures, and quarantine victims. As with the Covid-19 outbreak, some people/municipalities followed the rules better than others, with a resulting difference in mortality rates.

I listened to the audiobook version of the story, which was excellently narrated by Carly Robins.

Historical fiction is one of those genres that I just can’t seem to stay away from. It is my safe space, and I generally come to it when I need some comfort, or I just need to know for a fact that I will enjoy whatever it is that I am picking up. It isn’t very often that I find myself disappointed in this genre, and this book was no different. Though it wasn’t my typical historical fiction romance, yet I was not disappointed at all by it.

A Brief Overview

All I could think about at the beginning of this book was Edward Cullen dying of the Spanish Flu lol
This story follows two sisters, Helen and Lutie, during the height of the Spanish Flu, World War I, and horrible, horrible men. Helen is a nurse and Lutie wants to be an artist, but they get by with a little help from renting out their basement to a family, but with some unfortunate turn of events, they find themselves caring for the little girl after both of her parents end up dead… One from the flu, and the other from an icepick…

The girls know that no one will believe them that the murder of Dorothy’s (the little girl they are now responsible for) father was in self-defense, so they try to pass him off as a flu victim. At this point, about everything that could go wrong, does, creating a truly tragic story.

My Thoughts

I really didn’t expect this book to be as completely devastating as it was, but I can’t bring myself to say that was a bad thing. Everyone needs a good emotionally blindsiding book every now and then. At every turn, I was rooting for the story to pick back up and be happy again, but my hopes just kept getting crushed. I think Sandra Dallas did an amazing job creating loveable, realistic characters, as well as creating a story that had so many twists and turns, I never knew what was going to happen next. I think this was a really amazing story that felt so real and authentic. It deals with some sensitive subjects like sexual abuse, so definitely be mindful going in, but I truly did love this story and think it is something that more people should read!

Narration
Carly Robbins was the narrator for this book, and I think she did a fairly good job. I always like it when my narrators try to give the different characters voices, but if not, they at least need to feel like they are truly in the moment and not just read a book to me. Though Carly didn’t really give each character their own voice, her narration still kept me in the moment throughout.

Historical fiction with Spanish flu included. A fantastic read.
Thank you NetGalley for the audio eArc.

As an avid reader and Historical Fiction lover, I always get excited when I read a part of history that I’m not as familiar with.

LITTLE SOULS is a gripping story of sisterhood set in Colorado during 1918, as the Spanish Flu pandemic runs rampant.

I loved the setting, and timeline that the book was written, and felt each heartache that Lutie and Helen faced.

The narrator did such a great job of portraying the characters and keeping me completely engaged while reading.

*many thanks to St Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio/Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I could not get into this book, and I tried to do it a few times.

Helen and Lutie are sisters who moved to Denver after the death of their parents. Helen works as a nurse, and Lutie is an advertising designer for a local store, and they supplement their income by renting out the basement of their house. Helen is engaged to a doctor, and Lutie dates a student who enlists for the Great War. When their tenant dies of the 1918 influenza, the sisters are left to care for her 10-year-old daughter. When the girl’s dad comes for her, Lutie comes home to find Helen standing above his body, holding an ice pick, and is sure Helen killed him in self-defense. The girls make the decision to take the body outside and make it look like a flu death. Their troubles don’t end there, though.

This is an interesting story that spans multiple genres. Carly Robins did an excellent job narrating the audiobook. The story kept me interested from start to finish but never quite pulled at my heartstrings, so I would rate this a solid 3.5 star book.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.

This was a great historical fiction read. I loved the setting, during the Spanish flu pandemic, being able to relate. I loved the hearts of the two sisters and how they took the orphan girl in. There was a murder mystery, mixed with a pandemic and mixed with a war. Lots of side plots going on and I really enjoyed the whole story. I especially appreciated the interesting outcome.

A book taking place as WWI is taking place and the Spanish influenza is running rampant, you know you are going to be hit with characters experiencing painful loss as death is all over the place. The Spanish flu ("the influenza") kills so quickly and spreads so fast, many literally will lay the dead outside and they are picked up by a truck with the other dead.

This book centers around two adult sisters, Lutie and Helen. They rent out their basement to another family and the mother of the family falls prey to the influenza. Soon, as Lutie discovers him on the floor of apartment, the drunk, abusive father is found dead with Helen and Dorothy (the man's daughter) standing over him. Who killed him? What happened? Will we ever even know?

They take in Dorothy as their "sister" and we slowly learn about the background of the adult sisters, we are introduced to their boyfriends/fiancés, and there is profound heartbreak but also a lot of love along the way. Dorothy becomes as much of a family member as any blood relative.

The beautiful and painful twists and turns this family go through truly wrench your heart. And the setting, time and place, of the story really add a lot of interesting twists!

And the narrator did a phenomenal job keeping you engaged throughout the audiobook.

(Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest feedback)

... It means the poor, the hopeless, the common people nobody ever notices. In truth, it applies to all of us. We are all lost little souls in our own way. —Sandra Dallas, Little Souls

Sisters Helen and Lutie move to Denver from Iowa after their parents’ deaths. Helen, a nurse, and Lutie, a carefree advertising illustrator at a fashionable women’s store, share a small home and rent out the basement apartment. But the epidemic hits hard. Schools are converted into hospitals, churches and funeral homes are closed, and horse-drawn wagons collect corpses left in the street. When their tenant dies from the flu, the sisters care for the woman’s young daughter, Dorothy. Soon after, Lutie comes home from work and discovers a dead man on their kitchen floor and Helen standing above the body, an icepick in hand. What the sisters discover is heart wrenching and disturbing on many levels. While Little Souls is peppered with tragedy, the message of hope permeates the sorrow.

First off, I adored the historical perspective Sandra Dallas provided about World War I and the Spanish Flu outbreak in Denver, details I’d not read elsewhere. In one scene, she used the term “blue devil” for those experiencing grief and/or depression. Isn’t that descriptive? The relationship between the sisters was a thing of beauty; they would have done anything for each other.

I sure wanted to like this book more. Unfortunately, I found it to be predictable and lacking in depth. I was shocked Dallas overused “that,” which is a rookie writing mistake. She’s far from a rookie: she is the New York Times best-selling author of fifteen adult novels, two young reader novels, and two non-fiction books. The writing was so saccharine I literally rolled my eyes a time or two, but the storyline itself was a winner. 3.5 stars.

Published Date: April 2022
Genre: Historical fiction
Read-alikes: As Bright as Heaven by Susan Meissner; The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue; The Orphan Collector by Ellen Marie Wiseman

** Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for review copies of the eBook and audiobook. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I received an audio copy of Little Souls from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I read a few books set during the Spanish flu. This book is timely. Helen and Lutie move to Denver after their parents die. The Spanish flu is spreading. Young men are going to war.

I enjoyed this book very much. It’s a great story with a satisfying ending. 4 stars.

It’s 1918 in Denver, Colorado. The Spanish Flu continues it’s deadly spread throughout the world, Taking mostly young adults as it’s victims. The world is further devastated by the continued carnage of WWI.
As the novel opens we meet a young woman Lutie who owns a house in a reputable neighborhood with her sister Helen. Lutie comes home one night after work to a dark house which is unusual since Helen, a nurse usually arrives home first. Lutie heads to the kitchen calling out for her. When she arrives there Helen yells for her to leave the light off. As her eyes adjust Lutie makes out 3 figures. First there is Dorothy a 10 year old girl who had lived in the basement apartment with her parents the Streeters. Dorothy lives with the sisters now because her mother recently died of the flu and her father, known to the sisters as a brutal man, disappeared. Next is Helen standing with an ice pick in her hand. Crumpled at their feet is the missing Mr. Streeter obviously dead. What happened here and why? This mystery forms the core of the book.
Though This novel is a mystery it is also great Historical Fiction seamlessly weaving accurate details of WWI, the Flu and day to day life into the storyline. Oh and yes there are romances. Though they form an integral part of the story they never over power it. Instead they add layers and a little lightness to what otherwise could have become a very dark book.
This book is also an exploration of family. What constitutes one? Is it strictly biological or can choice play a part?
This book is so well written I was totally engaged. The main characters are vividly defined and portrayed. I felt the two sisters could very well be my own. We even get to know the secondary characters well. Some you will love others you will hate.
This work is fast paced. It never gets bogged down. It advances easily from one scene to another always moving the multiple parallel storylines forward.
This novel is a very emotional read. I must caution potential readers. There are situations where disease and death are described in detail and sexual assault is discussed. Their are other triggers, yet to share them I would need to include spoilers which I'm trying to avoid. If one does have triggering events please read the description carefully. Also feel free to private message me and I will answer any questions you have.
It’s almost impossible to read this book and not draw parallels between that time and today’s. What with Covid ramping up again with the newest variant and the war in Ukraine continuing to generate talk of WW3, one can be forgiven for confusing which millennia one is in.
i “ read”. Lost Souls using the audiobook version, which was an excellent choice! The narrator does an admirable job bringing the book to life. The characters were each well delineated with their own voice. Though there are quite a few characters I never got confused.
I can highly recommend this novel to all mystery, romance and historical fiction lovers alike. If you like complicated story lines, great believable dialogue and main characters you grow to love and respect this book is for you.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley. This fact in no way influenced my review

I really love a short and sweet historical fiction. This one was:
- super duper sad a lot of times
- had some good lovable characters
- wasn't super impressively written but fine!
- had a solid narrator
- somewhat predictable but still enjoyable

Sandra Dallas' historical novels set in Colorado are entertaining reads, and Little Souls is especially interesting as it's based during the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918 and the end of the war. This is a story of two sisters who move to Denver from Iowa as young women making it on their own, and how they develop a new family while they are there. Hardships and horrors, small victories and new friendships are what this book is about. The audio version is quite good, although the narrator didn't fully convince me in her depiction of the male characters of the novel.

3.5 The year is 1918 and WWII along with the Spanish flu is causing much heartbreak. Ludie and Helen are sisters who, after the death of their parents, move to Colorado. Helen, the elder is a nurse who quickly finds herself treating or trying to treat those afflicted with the highly contagious flu. Ludie, works in advertising, and is the mainstay, keeping their household running. Renting put the basement apartment brings the sisters into the life of 10 year old Dorothy and the horrible things being done to her by her father.

There is much sadness here, both from the flu and personal matters. It does a good portraying life under these double world sorrows. So many died leaving those behind to try to move forward, pick up the pieces. A good historical of a time, too much like now, but it does show that despite sorrow life goes on and small and large happinesses can still be found.

The audio narration was very good.

Little Souls is a story set in Colorado during the Spanish Flu Pandemic. It is 1918 and WW1 is still raging in Europe. Sisters Helen and Lutie have moved to Denver from Ohio after their parents’ death. Helen is a nurse, and Lutie, is an advertising designer at Neusteter’s department store. They purchased a small home with their inheritance and rented the downstairs apartment to the Streeter family. Maud and Ron have a tumultuous relationship and he leaves. When Maud dies from the flu, the sisters take Dorothy in. Shortly after this happens, Lutie comes home from work and discovers a dead man on their kitchen floor and Helen standing above the body holding an icepick. Knowing he had abused Dorothy in the past, she is sure it was self-defense, but proving it is another matter. With the help of Helen's beau, a doctor, they leave the body in the street as a flu victim. Meanwhile, Lutie is worried that her fiancé will be killed in the war. When a murder investigation is opened and Lutie and Helen are being investigated, it is his wealthy mother who helps the women out.

Little Souls is a difficult story, with some hard situations. The flu pandemic is killing people constantly with Helen and Gil being in danger working with the victims. Dorothy is a victim of abuse, although not graphic it is apparent that she has been sexually abused by her father. Lutie is worried about her fiancé dying in Europe. There is some criminal elements and more. This is a very well-written and devel0ped story, very realistic for the time. It is also a story of family, friendship, survival, secrets and human frailty. A story I won't say I enjoyed due to the subject matter, but I am glad I read it. Carly Robins does an excellent job with the narration of this story. Voices, expression, tone and emotion were wonderful and I will watch for more books she narrates.

Lutie and Helen are sisters. They have recently left Iowa behind and purchased a home in Denver. Helen is a nurse and Lutie has recently finished design school and is working full time at a department store. When the Spanish flu hits it changes their lives more than they ever expected.

I will be honest. There were times during this read that I questioned if I was listening to a Christian fiction book. Then there were times…NO WAY! I am not sure if the author was conflicted on how she wanted to take this novel. But, now that that is out of the way…the story did captivate me in many ways.

Lutie and Helen are each strong women characters. And if y’all know me…you know that is a big plus! Also, Helen is hiding a big secret. Add in the small child Dorothy (you will need to read this to find out!) and her situation and you have a complicated story which will have you hoping, crying and jumping for joy all in the same chapter.

The narrator, Carly Robins, really did a wonderful job. I felt like I was right in the middle of the story with all the characters and drama!

Need a good novel which will take you back in time…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The book kept my attention even though I wanted to give up on it at times because of the story line. This was a good book. It was difficult to listen to at times.

As I've mentioned previously, I don't read a lot of historical fiction but this premise appealed to me when I first read about it. Set in Colorado, 1918, WWI is happening and the flu pandemic is raging on. Little Souls is story about (2) sisters: Helen, a nurse and her husband to be, Gil, is a medical student. Luttie, Helen's 24 year old younger sister, lives with her. Luttie is a bit of a dreamer who has an interest in fashion design and works for a high end department store. Luttie's boyfriend joined the Army to do his part with the war effort. The sisters are very close. Dorothy is a 10 year old girl who lived with her parents in a small apartment located in the same house the sisters had shared. When both parents die, under very different circumstances, the sisters take the girl in wanting to make sure that Dorothy is loved and cared for after learning how she had been abused.

Once I started this story I found it hard to put down and it was very easy book to listen to on audio. Not only is this a story about sisters but, it is also a story about helping those in need and righting past injustices that occurred. I found the story kind of comforting even though there were some sad moments, tragic events, but, there was also a happier ending and a satisfying epilogue as well. Highly recommended to historical fiction fans.

https://bibliophilebythesea.blogspot.com/2022/05/brief-book-reviews-playing-catch-up.html

Rating - 4.5/5stars