Please Note:  I won an advance copy of this book from the publisher from a Goodreads giveaway.  This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

A scholarship girl from Brooklyn, Kate Moran thought she found a place among Smith’s Mayflower descendants, only to have her illusions dashed the summer after graduation. When charismatic alumna Betsy Rutherford delivers a rousing speech at the Smith College Club in April of 1917, looking for volunteers to help French civilians decimated by the German war machine, Kate is too busy earning her living to even think of taking up the call. But when her former best friend Emmeline Van Alden reaches out and begs her to take the place of a girl who had to drop out, Kate reluctantly agrees to join the new Smith College Relief Unit.

Four months later, Kate and seventeen other Smithies, including two trailblazing female doctors, set sail for France. The volunteers are armed with money, supplies, and good intentions—all of which immediately go astray. The chateau that was to be their headquarters is a half-burnt ruin. The villagers they meet are in desperate straits: women and children huddling in damp cellars, their crops destroyed and their wells poisoned. 

Despite constant shelling from the Germans, French bureaucracy, and the threat of being ousted by the British army, the Smith volunteers bring welcome aid—and hope—to the region. But can they survive their own differences? As they cope with the hardships and terrors of the war, Kate and her colleagues find themselves navigating old rivalries and new betrayals which threaten the very existence of the Unit.

With the Germans threatening to break through the lines, can the Smith Unit pull together and be truly a band of sisters?

Review:

With so many historical fiction books dealing with war, I've read novels with many different premises.  Most of these books take place in WWII. But the new novel, Band of Sisters, by Lauren Willig is set in WWI, and is based on a group of real-life super women:  The Smith College Relief Unit.  This was a group of Smith College alumni who went from New England over to France to work with the women and children affected by the still raging war.  They had no idea what they were getting themselves into.  This book shares all the incredible feats of these women, with amazing details, and characters who you will love.  This is historical fiction at its best.

What I Liked:

Premise:

This was an incredible story.  Twelve women actually paid to do volunteer work in the French countryside in 1917.  This was mere miles from where the fighting was still actively taking place.  Most of these volunteers were society women in their late twenties and early thirties.  They had already gone through college.  Now they were expected to settle down and get married.  If one was adventurous, this would have been an irresistible opportunity at at time when women had few options in life.  

The Smith Relief Unit had to learn a variety of tasks such as building machines, tending livestock, planting crops, and driving trucks.  There was no one to give instructions, they just had to figure it out!

Historical Details:

This book was well researched with each chapter beginning with letters based on the real correspondence between the volunteers and their families.  The book was rich in details from the clothing to the types of food that were available in wartime.  I loved how all the supplies were precious to the people.  They used everything without waste.

Story:

The story followed the real events of this group during the war.  I actually checked what actually occurred because the events in this book were harrowing.  The first part of the book chronicles the steep learning curve of the volunteers. They had to be resourceful and persistent to get anything accomplished.  As their work progressed, they became beloved by the French citizens. 

The book really got compelling when the Germans orchestrated a final push in France.  Of all the books I have read on war, this one had some of the scariest scenes of being under siege I have ever read.  And throughout all of this, the women of Smith College performed amazing acts of bravery that were thrilling to read.

Romance:

Often when there is a romance in a book about war, things can get sappy very quickly.  But the romance in this book was a slow burn, and believable.  There is no rush to jump into bed, even if their lives are in danger.  The two people get to know each other though conversation and letter writing.  It was really lovely.

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Release Date:  March 2nd, 2021

Author:  Lauren Willig

Genre:  Historical Fiction

Publisher:  William Morrow

Page Length:  528 Pages

Source:  Goodreads giveaway contest

Format:  Paperback ARC

Recommendation:  This historical fiction has it all:  amazing details, compelling characters, and an incredible story based on real events.  If you love historical fiction, this is a must read!

Please Note:  I received an advance audio copy of this book from the publisher, Penguin Audio, in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

By the time Dominique Crenn decided to become a chef, at the age of twenty-one, she knew it was a near impossible dream in France where almost all restaurant kitchens were run by men. So she moved to San Francisco to train under Jeremiah Tower. Almost thirty years later, Crenn was awarded three Michelin Stars in 2018 for her restaurant Atelier Crenn, and became the first female chef in the United States to receive this honor.

In this book, the author writes of her childhood in Versailles. Adopted as a toddler, growing up she often felt like an outsider, and was haunted by a past she knew nothing about. But after years of working to fill this blank space, Crenn has embraced the power her history gives her to be whoever she wants to be. She also addresses restaurant culture, sexism, immigration, and climate change, this is a book of a chef's personal journey of discovery.

Review:

Perhaps because I always wished to be one, I'm quite drawn to memoirs by chefs.  And Dominique Crenn's story is compelling.  Growing up in France, she came from a loving home, but always felt to be a bit of an outsider.  This may have been due to being adopted.  But being an outsider allowed Crenn to look at life from a different angle.  A risk-taker who has inspired countless people with her work ethic, determination, and the poetic artistry of her cooking, she was never constrained by traditional thinking.  I loved this book, but if you need to visualize what her cooking is, you should also watch the episode of Netflix show, Chef's Table, that features Crenn.  Taken together, you will see a portrait of a dynamic force of nature. 

What I Liked:

Narrator:

Hope Newhouse does a wonderful job of using her youthful voice to show how new and refreshing Crenn's culinary viewpoint is.  She also seems to be fluent in French, as she demonstrates whenever a French phrase is used.  She helped show how wonderous Crenn's journey really was.

Insight into a Chef's Purpose:

While most of us diners go to a restaurant and anticipate a pleasant meal, Dominique Crenn uses a meal to tell a story through food.  This may seem pretentious, but her use of food is so well thought out, that one can't help but be moved by her outlook.  She sees beauty in ingredients, and finds joy in creating new ways to produce meals that touch the heart, as well as the stomach. 

Not a Tell-All:

I appreciated that this book was not a tell-all of who Crenn dated or horror stories of mistreatment by male chefs.  Certainly, she touches on these topics, but these are not the main points of the book.  The point of the memoir was to honor her father, who died of cancer.  Although she follows her instincts to pursue adventure away from France, she has deep guilt for being away from her family.  This is a tension I can identify with.  To their credit, her parents always encourage her travels.  But you can tell Crenn feels the tug of home, especially as her mother gets older.

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Rating:

Release Date:  June 9th, 2020

Author:  Dominique Crenn with Emma Brockes

Audio Narrator:  Hope Newhouse

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Audio Length:  5 Hours, 15 Minutes

Print Publisher:  Penguin Press

Print Page Length:  256 Pages

Source:  Penguin Audio

Format:  Audiobook

Recommendation:  This book will make you want to visit Crenn's restaurant as soon as the Pandemic is over!  A wonderful, inspiring memoir.

Please Note:  I received an advance copy of this audiobook from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

On their first night in Paris, the Gamaches gather as a family for a bistro dinner with Armand’s godfather, the billionaire Stephen Horowitz. Walking home together after the meal, they watch in horror as Stephen is knocked down and critically injured in what Gamache knows is no accident, but a deliberate attempt on the elderly man’s life.

When a strange key is found in Stephen’s possession it sends Armand, his wife Reine-Marie, and his former second-in-command at the Sûreté, Jean-Guy Beauvoir, from the top of the Tour d’Eiffel, to the bowels of the Paris Archives, from luxury hotels to odd, coded, works of art.

It sends them deep into the secrets Armand’s godfather has kept for decades.

A gruesome discovery in Stephen’s Paris apartment makes it clear the secrets are more rancid, the danger far greater and more imminent, than they realized.

Soon the whole family is caught up in a web of lies and deceit. In order to find the truth, Gamache will have to decide whether he can trust his friends, his colleagues, his instincts, his own past. His own family.

For even the City of Light casts long shadows. And in that darkness devils hide.

Review:

This is the sixteenth book in the Inspector Gamache mystery series, and I have read them all.  Besides the challenge of solving whatever crime is featured in the novel, I love the people and village of Three Pines, Quebec.  This is the first novel in the series that is not set in that idyllic small town.  But, the Paris setting, a more in-depth look at the Gamache family, and the complex mystery in this book, I didn't mind this detour.  This book widens the world of the series and was as thrilling as any of her other books.  I loved it.

What I Liked:

Setting:

Who doesn't like Paris?  The author does a wonderful job of showing what this city is like for Quebecois visiting France.  They don't quite fit in.  Similar to when Americans go to England.  They may speak the same language, but that's the only thing they have in common.  Parisians consider themselves to be superior to all others, and treat anyone with a Quebecois accent like they are country bumpkins.

But Penny also shows the magic of Paris, with it;s many lovely parks and monuments, museums and libraries.  It is a place of culture and privilege.   One can definitely see why so many people want to live in such a magical place.

Characters:

All of the Gamache family are in Paris in this book.  Daniel, Armand's son, is a banker and has made a comfortable life for himself and his family.  Jean Guy Beauvoir, married to Gamache's daughter Annie, has just taken a job in the private sector (and away from all the bullets).  Armand, and his wife Reine Marie, are in Paris for the birth of Annie and Jean Guy's baby.  Everyone is looking forward to a happy occasion.

When Armand's godfather is attacked, Gamache must find out who is behind it.  This strains his relationships, particularly with his son, Daniel.  Daniel is a very complex character.  Outwardly successful, he is actually full of insecurities, and anger towards his father.  I vacillated between finding Daniel annoying, and feeling sympathy for his tragic misunderstanding of his father.  So many years are lost to hurt feelings and grudges.  This dynamic illustrates how difficult it is to see your parents as adults, and for parents to look at their kids as grownups.

Plot:

Once again, the plot is a web of conspiracies, and unlikely connections between people that lead to a satisfying puzzle.  The author gives just enough information so the reader will have the possibility of solving the mystery along with Inspector Gamache.  I loved figuring out the clues and piecing it all together.  I also loved how the book focuses on how (and if) Armand can heal his relationship with Daniel.

What I Was Mixed About:

No Three Pines Characters:

I really liked this book, but I cannot lie:  I missed the people of Three Pines.  I think the purpose of this book was to focus on Armand and his family relationships, so it was natural for the plot to be set away from the village.  The contrast between the small Canadian village and big old Paris couldn't be more stark.  But this did end up being less cozy and more real world, as a result.

Rating: 

Release Date:  September 1st, 2020

Author:  Louise Penny

Narrator:  Robert Bathhurst

Audio Length:  14 hours

Audio Publisher:  Macmillan Audio

Print Publisher:  Minotaur Books 

Page Length: 448 Pages

Genre:  Mystery/Thriller

Source:  NetGalley

Format:  Audiobook

Recommendation:  Another wonderful book in the Inspector Gamache series.  A must read for fans.

Synopsis (From GoodReads):

Review: