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4.14 AVERAGE
4.14 AVERAGE
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
inspiring
slow-paced
True WWII story written about two completely different, inspiring, brave, strong young women. I am continually in awe when I read stories like this, for all the wrong and all the right reasons.
I really enjoyed this book and found the plot very entertaining and enjoyable. The younger sister was easy for me to relate to.
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
3.8 stars. It had good bones, but it takes awhile to pickup. The first 1/3 of the book features both women in their everyday lives, and while I’m sure it’s there to introduce us to both of these courageous women, it’s way too long. The next section of the book picks up with their resistance efforts, but it also feels like there’s a lot of filler. The last half of the book showcases their efforts in Ravensbrück, but it also feels a little glossed over, and it didn’t hit me as hard as it should’ve.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, War
Minor: Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture
“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.
― 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.
Courage. It’s what Virginia and Violette harness as they navigate life during the war in Sisters of Night and Fog by Erika Robuck. The more books I read that are set during WWII, I have to come expect the story to be heavy. This book is no different. It’s a nice, long read that alternates between the lives of Virginia and Violette as they navigate the changes in their young lives that are significantly impacted by the invasion of the Nazis.
The story opens when Virginia and Violette are young adults and follows them into marriage, adjusting to life during a war with rations, curfews, and living in a state of fear, to resisting the enemy. Virginia is an American married to a French man. She is a strong woman who welcomes any opportunity to actively support their allies. Violette is only 19 years old when she marries her soulmate. She suffers a lot for such a young woman and her suffering motivates her to take on the Nazis. She is recruited by Britain’s Special Operations Executive, a secret war operation that trained her to be an agent to gather intelligence to fight the Nazis.
This story highlights the great work of Virginia and Violette as well as describing the unimaginable horrors and suffering of people during the war. While there are moments this book made me smile or even laugh, it also broke my heart and brought me to tears. It’s an important story that will stay with me.
It wasn’t until I finished this book that I realized it’s described as biographical fiction, rather than historical fiction. As I gather from the author’s note at the end of the book, a significant amount of this story is true. I realize it’s a fictional book; however, these courageous women and their astounding stories are real. The research that went into learning the lives of these women is impressive! Clearly Erika immersed herself into the heroic lives of Virginia and Violet.
I purchased the audiobook from Audible. Narration by Caroline Hewitt is amazing! She makes the listening experience very enjoyable as she navigates all of the dialects and accents effortlessly. Her talent for narrating this story is extraordinary!
I have photos and additional information that I'm unable to include here. It can all be found on my blog, in the link below.
A Book And A Dog
The story opens when Virginia and Violette are young adults and follows them into marriage, adjusting to life during a war with rations, curfews, and living in a state of fear, to resisting the enemy. Virginia is an American married to a French man. She is a strong woman who welcomes any opportunity to actively support their allies. Violette is only 19 years old when she marries her soulmate. She suffers a lot for such a young woman and her suffering motivates her to take on the Nazis. She is recruited by Britain’s Special Operations Executive, a secret war operation that trained her to be an agent to gather intelligence to fight the Nazis.
This story highlights the great work of Virginia and Violette as well as describing the unimaginable horrors and suffering of people during the war. While there are moments this book made me smile or even laugh, it also broke my heart and brought me to tears. It’s an important story that will stay with me.
It wasn’t until I finished this book that I realized it’s described as biographical fiction, rather than historical fiction. As I gather from the author’s note at the end of the book, a significant amount of this story is true. I realize it’s a fictional book; however, these courageous women and their astounding stories are real. The research that went into learning the lives of these women is impressive! Clearly Erika immersed herself into the heroic lives of Virginia and Violet.
I purchased the audiobook from Audible. Narration by Caroline Hewitt is amazing! She makes the listening experience very enjoyable as she navigates all of the dialects and accents effortlessly. Her talent for narrating this story is extraordinary!
I have photos and additional information that I'm unable to include here. It can all be found on my blog, in the link below.
A Book And A Dog
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated