Wednesday, February 28, 2018

REVIEW of Winter Sisters by Robin Oliveira

Viking | February 27, 2018 | 978052549012



From the New York Times bestselling author of My Name Is Mary Sutter comes a rich and compelling historical novel about the disappearance of two young girls after a cataclysmic blizzard, and what happens after their fate is discovered

New York, 1879: After an epic snow storm ravages the city of Albany, Dr. Mary Sutter, a former Civil War surgeon, begins a search for two little girls, the daughters of close friends killed by the storm who have vanished without a trace.

Mary’s mother and niece Elizabeth, who has been studying violin in Paris, return to Albany upon learning of the girls’ disappearance—but Elizabeth has another reason for wanting to come home, one she is not willing to reveal. Despite resistance from the community, who believe the girls to be dead, the family persists in their efforts to find the two sisters. When what happened to them is revealed, the uproar that ensues tears apart families, reputations, and even the social fabric of the city, exposing dark secrets about some of the most powerful of its citizens, and putting fragile loves and lives at great risk.

Winter Sisters is a propulsive new novel by the New York Times bestselling author of My Name Is Mary Sutter.

My Thoughts…

There is no doubt that Winter Sisters will be one of my best read books of 2018.    The history of the time pulled me in and held on to my attention the entire book.    I was intrigued by the role of women and how Mary Sutter was able to be a doctor in a time with that just didn’t happen.     It was interesting to see how the men treated her and how she reacted to their treatment.      Mary Sutter is a strong, unbelievably strong, character that comes from a time when women were expected to be at home raising the children, cooking dinner, and being a wife and made a career for herself in a male job.  

The mystery aspect of the story was not hard to figure out but I found it interesting to see how the culprit would be brought down.      I knew that some of the other characters were working to bring to them down and I was hoping they would be successful.    I was appalled at some of the laws that made it difficult to find the justice that was desperately needed.     Some of those who were enforcing those laws were equally horrific and I had hoped that would get what they deserved in the end also.   
Winter Sisters is a wonderful, easy to read, enjoyable historical mystery fiction.     I could not stop reading and felt that I was invested in the outcome.      This is the first book by Robin Oliveira but I am definitely adding her to my must-read authors list.     

Thank you Rebecca Marsh at Penguin Random House for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.  

Add to your MUST-READ list on Goodreads
Purchase your own copy at AMAZON or BARNESAND NOBLE





ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Robin Oliveira is the New York Times bestselling author of My Name Is Mary Sutter and I Always Loved You. She received an MFA in writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts and is also a former registered nurse, specializing in critical care. She lives in Seattle, Washington.






ADVANCE PRAISE FOR WINTER SISTERS
“Oliveira crafts a complex, multifaceted historical novel that is both a captivating story and a commentary on the laws that have, for far too long, oppressed and endangered women… Entertaining at times, deeply political at others; a perfect example of a historical novel that also illuminates present-day issues.”
Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Oliveira blends mystery, historical detail, and courtroom drama in a compelling story that will please…historical fiction fans.”
Library Journal

“A multifaceted and affecting portrait of courage.”
Booklist

“Robin Oliveira has a remarkable gift for bringing the past to life. In Winter Sisters, she matches a bold, vivid story with a rare sensitivity to the natural world in all its serene beauty and deadly force. This is a compelling novel that will keep you up all night.”
—Lauren Belfer, New York Times bestselling author of City of LightA Fierce Radiance, and And After the Fire

“Equal parts exquisitely detailed historical drama and riveting literary thriller, Winter Sisters deftly explores the brutal costs of child exploitation, while elegantly demonstrating the healing power of true compassion and profound sisterly devotion.”
—Kimberly McCreight, New York Times bestselling author of Reconstructing Amelia and Where They Found Her

“After two young sisters vanish in a snowstorm, the whys and hows of their disappearance quickly become a compelling and increasingly complex mystery. Robin Oliveira renders nineteenth-century Albany, New York, with exactitude and vividness, but her novel’s ultimate concerns are timeless—suffering and healing, the loyalty to family versus loyalty to justice. I’ve long been a fan of Robin Oliveira’s work, and Winter Sisters only increases my admiration.”
—Ron Rash, New York Times bestselling author of Serena

“Raw beauty and devastation, both; this is true of the forces of nature and the foibles of men that propel the plot of Winter Sisters toward its stunning climax. But as always in Robin Oliveira’s novels, it’s the women who provide the heartbeat and the moral compass in this gripping tale of suspense set in Albany, New York during the Gilded Age. This is a book as thrilling as it is poetic.”
—Melanie Benjamin, New York Times bestselling author of The Swans of Fifth Avenue

Winter Sisters is a dazzling and evocative mystery that brings history to life on the page. Robin Oliveira has created an exquisitely layered story that explores the intricacies of an American town haunted by the violence of the Civil War and the shifting tensions between women’s claim for equality and the societal forces that resist change. Suspenseful and beautifully written, shot through with wisdom and grace, this is a book you will stay up late fora book you will read and love and share.”
—Dawn Tripp, bestselling author of Georgia

“A haunting tale of terror and enduring love, Winter Sisters is tense and vivid. It kept me immersed to the last page.”
—Nancy Horan, New York Times bestselling author of Loving Frank and Under the Wide and Starry Sky

Winter Sisters commands the reader’s attention. Both a missing-person thriller and a courtroom drama that appeals powerfully to the heart, this novel shows a society on the brink of change at the end of the nineteenth century. While blizzard and floods ravage Albany, New York, on the domestic front, equally strong forces are changing the lives of the women who live there, who through their talent and bravery are creating new paths and raising the next generation of girls to be even more resilient than themselves.”
—Sena Jeter Naslund, bestselling author of Ahab’s Wife; Four Spirits; and Abundance, A Novel of Marie Antoinette

“A true tour de force, Winter Sisters is the best period thriller I’ve read since The Alienist. Robin Oliveira is a novelist working at the height of her powers. Beautifully written, compelling, sensual and cinematic, I couldn’t put it down.”
—Thomas Christopher Greene, author of The Headmasters Wife and If I Forget You

Winter Sisters is a brilliant literary triptych: part tender family saga, part feminist narrative, part wild mystery. Only the author who introduced us to the unforgettable and tenacious Mary Sutter could spin a tale so captivating and empowering, of winter devastation followed, we can only hope, by the renewing bloom of spring. Winter Sisters had me cheering, cursing, gasping, and sneaking off to read whenever time permitted. An absolutely enthralling read.”
—Julie Barton, New York Times bestselling author of Dog Medicine



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