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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
Mansplaining, misogyny, and #metoo in the late 1800's
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Robin Oliveira's historical novel is a sequel of sorts to [b:My Name is Mary Sutter|7352053|My Name is Mary Sutter|Robin Oliveira|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1263584183s/7352053.jpg|9116984], and picks up about 15 years after the end of the Civil War. (Note: [b:Winter Sisters|35876392|Winter Sisters|Robin Oliveira|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1501506243s/35876392.jpg|57394166] can be read as a stand-alone without any loss of context).
Following a devastating blizzard, two young girls are missing and presumed dead. Months later, the girls reappear. Their aunt, Dr. Mary Stipp (nee Sutter), discovers they have experienced unspeakable trauma. What follows is Oliveira's interpretation of how an investigation and court case might have been conducted in an era when the authority of female doctors wasn't taken seriously, and the age of consent was 10 (yes, you read that correctly, and it is historically accurate).
While the story is interesting in its own right, Oliveira includes a few modern-day references to enterain readers.
"I will gladly hear what you have to say, Dr. Stipp, but only after I speak to Emma. I do not want to contaminate my impressions with yours."
"They are not impressions. They are facts."
"There are facts and then there are alternate facts."
"That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard anyone say."
That's but one example, so keep your eyes peeled and enjoy.
4 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and Viking for a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Robin Oliveira's historical novel is a sequel of sorts to [b:My Name is Mary Sutter|7352053|My Name is Mary Sutter|Robin Oliveira|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1263584183s/7352053.jpg|9116984], and picks up about 15 years after the end of the Civil War. (Note: [b:Winter Sisters|35876392|Winter Sisters|Robin Oliveira|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1501506243s/35876392.jpg|57394166] can be read as a stand-alone without any loss of context).
Following a devastating blizzard, two young girls are missing and presumed dead. Months later, the girls reappear. Their aunt, Dr. Mary Stipp (nee Sutter), discovers they have experienced unspeakable trauma. What follows is Oliveira's interpretation of how an investigation and court case might have been conducted in an era when the authority of female doctors wasn't taken seriously, and the age of consent was 10 (yes, you read that correctly, and it is historically accurate).
While the story is interesting in its own right, Oliveira includes a few modern-day references to enterain readers.
"I will gladly hear what you have to say, Dr. Stipp, but only after I speak to Emma. I do not want to contaminate my impressions with yours."
"They are not impressions. They are facts."
"There are facts and then there are alternate facts."
"That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard anyone say."
That's but one example, so keep your eyes peeled and enjoy.
4 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and Viking for a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed Winter Sisters a lot. It begins with a blizzard in the late 1800's that devastes many communities and is the cause of death for several hundred people. The author used this real life event in a year slightly different than when it actally occurred in history to accomodate for a certain story line.
Bonnie and her husband are desparate to get to thier kids at school when the blizzard hits and they are both lost to the blizzard. The girls are safe at school and released the next day when the worst part of the storm has passed. When they get to their home, no one is home and they do not know what to do.
The rest of the story turns into a mystery as to what happened to the girls. Their friends and family search for them everywhere and refuse to believe that they are dead, too, without seeing their bodies even after the police have done that.
I don't want to give anything away, but the rest of the story was facinating in the search for the girls, the outcome and events that followed. I will have to go back and read the first Mary Sutter.
Bonnie and her husband are desparate to get to thier kids at school when the blizzard hits and they are both lost to the blizzard. The girls are safe at school and released the next day when the worst part of the storm has passed. When they get to their home, no one is home and they do not know what to do.
The rest of the story turns into a mystery as to what happened to the girls. Their friends and family search for them everywhere and refuse to believe that they are dead, too, without seeing their bodies even after the police have done that.
I don't want to give anything away, but the rest of the story was facinating in the search for the girls, the outcome and events that followed. I will have to go back and read the first Mary Sutter.
Albany, New York, January 1879; two young girls go missing during a deadly blizzard and are only found weeks later, when the city is amid a devastating flood. This new novel by Robin Oliveira follows some of the same characters from her 2010 best-selling novel, “My Name in Mary Sutter” but if you haven’t read that, don’t let that stop you from reading this book. Find out why in my latest #bookreview of “Winter Sisters” on my blog here.
https://tcl-bookreviews.com/2018/02/20/chilling-childhood/
https://tcl-bookreviews.com/2018/02/20/chilling-childhood/
This family drama set in Albany after the Civil War looks at some tough family dynamics. The characters are quickly sketched with living detail, and then the ones that linger are fleshed out through their actions. The author tells us their thoughts at times, but also lets their actions define them. There's indignation in the narration -- there's a modern response to the rape rules and attitudes towards prostitution, and the main characters manage to align themselves with that but in a period acceptable way. I liked seeing a woman doctor confident in herself even as the men around her recoil in disbelief. The children are the most unclear characters, but perhaps that's just as well.
I'm sad the book club didn't get to meet.
I'm sad the book club didn't get to meet.
A blizzard in the late winter of 1879 paralyzes upstate New York, and in the city of Albany, two young sisters flounder alone in the swirling winds and snowdrifts, trying to reach home. Like a fairy tale, a cherry-red sleigh appears and a kind man pulls them to safety, promising to take them someplace warm and safe until their parents can be found. But Emma O'Donnell, ten, and her little sister, six-year-old Claire, vanish like two tiny snowflakes.
Dr. Mary Sutter and her husband William were trauma surgeons during the Civil War, where they met, but live a more stable life in Albany now, working together at a local hospital and running a clinic from their home. Mary also operates a clandestine clinic on a side street, treating prostitutes and their children for free. Mary is something of an outcast herself, a woman in a man's profession, constantly having to outmaneuver those who would see her dismissed or set aside or even punished for the work she does, daring to challenge the system that treats all woman as less worthy and suspect.
Mary and William are friends of the two little girls' parents and when it's revealed that Bonnie and David O'Donnell perished in the freak blizzard, and their daughters are missing, the Sutters begin a door-to-door search for the children, pushing the police to continue their investigation until, a few weeks after the girls' disappearance, the police declare them dead, drowned in the river, trapped beneath the ice.
Six weeks after the blizzard and the disappearance of the O'Donnell sisters, disaster strikes Albany again: the Hudson river thaws and floods the city, with devastating consequences. The fate of the young girls is suddenly revealed. In the aftermath, the Sutters undertake a determined search for the truth and become embroiled in a tabloid-frenzied courtroom drama. Exposing dark secrets hidden behind the facade of vast fortunes and social capital could tear apart families, political establishment, and a very new and fragile love.
Robin Oliviera has crafted as fine a historical thriller as I've read. Beautifully written, richly detailed in fact and period atmosphere, layered with nuanced characters, and deeply political with themes that resonant in modern day, Winter Sisters is an outstanding, tense, compelling read. Highly recommended!
Dr. Mary Sutter and her husband William were trauma surgeons during the Civil War, where they met, but live a more stable life in Albany now, working together at a local hospital and running a clinic from their home. Mary also operates a clandestine clinic on a side street, treating prostitutes and their children for free. Mary is something of an outcast herself, a woman in a man's profession, constantly having to outmaneuver those who would see her dismissed or set aside or even punished for the work she does, daring to challenge the system that treats all woman as less worthy and suspect.
Mary and William are friends of the two little girls' parents and when it's revealed that Bonnie and David O'Donnell perished in the freak blizzard, and their daughters are missing, the Sutters begin a door-to-door search for the children, pushing the police to continue their investigation until, a few weeks after the girls' disappearance, the police declare them dead, drowned in the river, trapped beneath the ice.
Six weeks after the blizzard and the disappearance of the O'Donnell sisters, disaster strikes Albany again: the Hudson river thaws and floods the city, with devastating consequences. The fate of the young girls is suddenly revealed. In the aftermath, the Sutters undertake a determined search for the truth and become embroiled in a tabloid-frenzied courtroom drama. Exposing dark secrets hidden behind the facade of vast fortunes and social capital could tear apart families, political establishment, and a very new and fragile love.
Robin Oliviera has crafted as fine a historical thriller as I've read. Beautifully written, richly detailed in fact and period atmosphere, layered with nuanced characters, and deeply political with themes that resonant in modern day, Winter Sisters is an outstanding, tense, compelling read. Highly recommended!
In the grand tradition of historical fiction authors, Robin Oliveira takes us to post civil war New England, leading us to the story of two young girls who disappear following a blizzard. The character development is rich and I found myself musing about the story when not reading. The plight of Emma and Claire was well written and compelling. All of the characters were extremely sympathetic and I was hooked. I was unfamiliar with any of the author’s previous work but If it is half as good as this novel was, I would be eager to read those as well!
"Winter Sisters" is the story of Mary Sutter, a Civil War surgeon, who now finds herself entangled in the mystery of what happened to two young sisters, Emma and Claire when they disappear during a blizzard. Mary will be thrown into some difficult circumstances as she uncovers what happened to them and how to help them recover.
This book is the second book in Robin Oliviera's Mary Sutter series. It takes place quite awhile after the first book. I have not read the first book and was able to pick this book up just fine. I really enjoyed this book though and would like to go back and read the first book now.
Be warned - what happens to Emma and Claire is difficult to read and may turn off more sensitive readers. If you can get past those difficult parts, you get a good thriller with a smart heroine at the helm. I especially liked the parts about how Mary tries to help the girls both during the disappearance and after they are found. Finding the girls is the first step but there has been so much damage done that Mary really has her work cut out for her. I really enjoyed how the author inserted so much detail about the uphill battle that Mary, Emma, and Claire all face as they seek justice.
This was a riveting book and the action certainly kept me on my toes. I really enjoyed this story!
This book is the second book in Robin Oliviera's Mary Sutter series. It takes place quite awhile after the first book. I have not read the first book and was able to pick this book up just fine. I really enjoyed this book though and would like to go back and read the first book now.
Be warned - what happens to Emma and Claire is difficult to read and may turn off more sensitive readers. If you can get past those difficult parts, you get a good thriller with a smart heroine at the helm. I especially liked the parts about how Mary tries to help the girls both during the disappearance and after they are found. Finding the girls is the first step but there has been so much damage done that Mary really has her work cut out for her. I really enjoyed how the author inserted so much detail about the uphill battle that Mary, Emma, and Claire all face as they seek justice.
This was a riveting book and the action certainly kept me on my toes. I really enjoyed this story!
This was fantastic I could not tear my eyes away from it and now have a serious book hangover.
Oliveira dedicated this book "For girls and women everywhere."
Oliveira dedicated this book "For girls and women everywhere."
All of my reviews can be found at www.onemamassummer.weebly.com/book-reviews
This novel was devastating. From the beginning of Winter Sisters there is a crushing weight of uneasiness that settles on the reader's shoulder and does not release until the final page.
In the winter of 1879, there is a blizzard that engulfs the burgeoning city of New York in chaos. Many lives are lost, and in the confusion two sisters, Emma and Claire, disappear without a trace. What is left of their family desperately searches for them, but with little hope.
This book brings to light the atrocities women and young girls faced in a time when they were expected to be docile, fragile and somewhat expendable. When they were little more than property. Women who spoke out, who were strong, who were independent or different were shunned, mistrusted, not listened to, and often mistreated. A lot of the themes in this novel could sadly be equated to injustices still being faced in today's society.
[Spoilers]---
[Spoilers]---
In 1879, the age of sexual consent for a woman was ten years old. Can you imagine that? A ten year old girl being considered old enough to agree to having sex or even understanding the nature of sex. The thought was gut wrenching, vile, and so disturbing. To think that Emma, only ten years old, is subjected to gross abuse and then must once again relive the pain, torture, and shame in court, with people not believing her or believing her old enough to have wanted or asked for the sexual act hoisted upon her. Or more terrifying, thinking of all the girls that her family came across trying to find her and her sister, the ones alone in back rooms of sex parlors and brothels (no family to come looking for them, those girls were never saved).
I was in tears when Emma's tragic situation was first revealed, and in tears again when she asked the unanswerable question, why? Because no one could answer, no one could understand. No one could know how another human being could inflict such pain, suffering and irreparable damage to another person, let alone a child.
At the heart of this story, it is a story of resilience, hope and healing. In a time of rebuilding after war, after hardships and suffering, there is a need to rely on strangers and kindness. So, while this novel has its fill of darkness, there are also spots of light, laughter and friendship. It was a very good read, the words shaping a world filled with danger, sometimes claustrophobic, but also beautiful with a glimmer of hope for a better future.
This novel was devastating. From the beginning of Winter Sisters there is a crushing weight of uneasiness that settles on the reader's shoulder and does not release until the final page.
In the winter of 1879, there is a blizzard that engulfs the burgeoning city of New York in chaos. Many lives are lost, and in the confusion two sisters, Emma and Claire, disappear without a trace. What is left of their family desperately searches for them, but with little hope.
This book brings to light the atrocities women and young girls faced in a time when they were expected to be docile, fragile and somewhat expendable. When they were little more than property. Women who spoke out, who were strong, who were independent or different were shunned, mistrusted, not listened to, and often mistreated. A lot of the themes in this novel could sadly be equated to injustices still being faced in today's society.
[Spoilers]---
[Spoilers]---
In 1879, the age of sexual consent for a woman was ten years old. Can you imagine that? A ten year old girl being considered old enough to agree to having sex or even understanding the nature of sex. The thought was gut wrenching, vile, and so disturbing. To think that Emma, only ten years old, is subjected to gross abuse and then must once again relive the pain, torture, and shame in court, with people not believing her or believing her old enough to have wanted or asked for the sexual act hoisted upon her. Or more terrifying, thinking of all the girls that her family came across trying to find her and her sister, the ones alone in back rooms of sex parlors and brothels (no family to come looking for them, those girls were never saved).
I was in tears when Emma's tragic situation was first revealed, and in tears again when she asked the unanswerable question, why? Because no one could answer, no one could understand. No one could know how another human being could inflict such pain, suffering and irreparable damage to another person, let alone a child.
At the heart of this story, it is a story of resilience, hope and healing. In a time of rebuilding after war, after hardships and suffering, there is a need to rely on strangers and kindness. So, while this novel has its fill of darkness, there are also spots of light, laughter and friendship. It was a very good read, the words shaping a world filled with danger, sometimes claustrophobic, but also beautiful with a glimmer of hope for a better future.