
Band of Sisters
A Novel
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
3 months free
Buy for $26.99
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Julia Whelan
-
By:
-
Lauren Willig
About this listen
"With heart and humor, Willig explores the complexities of female friendships - feuds, forgiveness, and all. A touching portrait of triumph and found family in the midst of war. Bravo!” (Stephanie Dray, New York Times best-selling author of America's First Daughter and The Women of Chateau Lafayette)
A group of young women from Smith College risk their lives in France at the height of World War I in this sweeping novel based on a true story - a skillful blend of Call the Midwife and The Alice Network - from New York Times best-selling author Lauren Willig.
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 17 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?
©2021 Lauren Willig (P)2021 HarperCollins PublishersPeople who viewed this also viewed...
-
Radar Girls
- By: Sara Ackerman
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 10 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Daisy Wilder prefers the company of horses to people, bare feet and salt water to high heels and society parties. Then, in the dizzying aftermath of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Daisy enlists in a top secret program, replacing male soldiers in a war zone for the first time. Under fear of imminent invasion, the WARDs guide pilots into blacked-out airstrips and track unidentified planes across Pacific skies. But not everyone thinks the women are up to the job, and the new recruits must rise above and work side by side despite the resistance and heartache they meet along the way.
-
-
Lovely inspiring WWII tale from an unusual perspective
- By Julie Linker on 09-19-21
By: Sara Ackerman
-
The Codebreaker's Secret
- By: Sara Ackerman
- Narrated by: Jennifer Robideau
- Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A brilliant female codebreaker. An “unbreakable” Japanese naval code. A pilot on a top-secret mission that could change the course of WWII. The Codebreaker's Secret is a dazzling story of love and intrigue set during America’s darkest hour.
-
-
false advertising
- By Bird Miller on 09-14-22
By: Sara Ackerman
-
All the Ways We Said Goodbye
- A Novel of the Ritz Paris
- By: Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, Karen White
- Narrated by: Helen Sadler, Nicola Barber, Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 14 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The New York Times best-selling authors of The Glass Ocean and The Forgotten Room return with a glorious historical adventure that moves from the dark days of two World Wars to the turbulent years of the 1960s, in which three women with bruised hearts find refuge at Paris’ legendary Ritz hotel. The heiress...the Resistance fighter...the widow...three women whose fates are joined by one splendid hotel.
-
-
Too Many Cooks in this Kitchen
- By Eve453 on 02-15-20
By: Beatriz Williams, and others
-
The Secret Letter
- By: Debbie Rix
- Narrated by: Jacqueline King
- Length: 12 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Germany, 1939. A tumbledown farmhouse, on the outskirts of a close-knit village in the heart of the rolling hills of Bavaria. A once happy family home torn apart by Nazi rule. And one young girl who refuses to give up on what she believes in...London, 2018: When 94-year-old Imogen receives a letter addressed to her in neat, unfamiliar handwriting, she notices the postmark is stamped from Germany - and it sends shivers down her spine....
-
-
Compelling
- By Book Nerd on 01-06-20
By: Debbie Rix
-
The Queen's Secret
- A Novel of England's World War II Queen
- By: Karen Harper
- Narrated by: Bianca Amato
- Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this riveting novel of royal secrets and intrigue, Karen Harper lifts the veil on one of the world’s most fascinating families and how its “secret weapon” of a matriarch maneuvered her way through one of the most dangerous chapters of the century.
-
-
It doesn’t deserve a review.
- By Kevin Graves on 02-05-21
By: Karen Harper
-
The German Heiress
- A Novel
- By: Anika Scott
- Narrated by: Lisa Flanagan
- Length: 10 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Clara Falkenberg, once Germany's most eligible and lauded heiress, earned the nickname "the Iron Fräulein" during World War II for her role operating her family's ironworks empire. It’s been nearly two years since the war ended, and she’s left with nothing but a false identification card and a series of burning questions about her family's past. With nowhere else to run to, she decides to return home and take refuge with her dear friend, Elisa.
-
-
I have never heard of a story like this
- By paula wright on 05-18-20
By: Anika Scott
-
Radar Girls
- By: Sara Ackerman
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 10 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Daisy Wilder prefers the company of horses to people, bare feet and salt water to high heels and society parties. Then, in the dizzying aftermath of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Daisy enlists in a top secret program, replacing male soldiers in a war zone for the first time. Under fear of imminent invasion, the WARDs guide pilots into blacked-out airstrips and track unidentified planes across Pacific skies. But not everyone thinks the women are up to the job, and the new recruits must rise above and work side by side despite the resistance and heartache they meet along the way.
-
-
Lovely inspiring WWII tale from an unusual perspective
- By Julie Linker on 09-19-21
By: Sara Ackerman
-
The Codebreaker's Secret
- By: Sara Ackerman
- Narrated by: Jennifer Robideau
- Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A brilliant female codebreaker. An “unbreakable” Japanese naval code. A pilot on a top-secret mission that could change the course of WWII. The Codebreaker's Secret is a dazzling story of love and intrigue set during America’s darkest hour.
-
-
false advertising
- By Bird Miller on 09-14-22
By: Sara Ackerman
-
All the Ways We Said Goodbye
- A Novel of the Ritz Paris
- By: Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, Karen White
- Narrated by: Helen Sadler, Nicola Barber, Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 14 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The New York Times best-selling authors of The Glass Ocean and The Forgotten Room return with a glorious historical adventure that moves from the dark days of two World Wars to the turbulent years of the 1960s, in which three women with bruised hearts find refuge at Paris’ legendary Ritz hotel. The heiress...the Resistance fighter...the widow...three women whose fates are joined by one splendid hotel.
-
-
Too Many Cooks in this Kitchen
- By Eve453 on 02-15-20
By: Beatriz Williams, and others
-
The Secret Letter
- By: Debbie Rix
- Narrated by: Jacqueline King
- Length: 12 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Germany, 1939. A tumbledown farmhouse, on the outskirts of a close-knit village in the heart of the rolling hills of Bavaria. A once happy family home torn apart by Nazi rule. And one young girl who refuses to give up on what she believes in...London, 2018: When 94-year-old Imogen receives a letter addressed to her in neat, unfamiliar handwriting, she notices the postmark is stamped from Germany - and it sends shivers down her spine....
-
-
Compelling
- By Book Nerd on 01-06-20
By: Debbie Rix
-
The Queen's Secret
- A Novel of England's World War II Queen
- By: Karen Harper
- Narrated by: Bianca Amato
- Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this riveting novel of royal secrets and intrigue, Karen Harper lifts the veil on one of the world’s most fascinating families and how its “secret weapon” of a matriarch maneuvered her way through one of the most dangerous chapters of the century.
-
-
It doesn’t deserve a review.
- By Kevin Graves on 02-05-21
By: Karen Harper
-
The German Heiress
- A Novel
- By: Anika Scott
- Narrated by: Lisa Flanagan
- Length: 10 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Clara Falkenberg, once Germany's most eligible and lauded heiress, earned the nickname "the Iron Fräulein" during World War II for her role operating her family's ironworks empire. It’s been nearly two years since the war ended, and she’s left with nothing but a false identification card and a series of burning questions about her family's past. With nowhere else to run to, she decides to return home and take refuge with her dear friend, Elisa.
-
-
I have never heard of a story like this
- By paula wright on 05-18-20
By: Anika Scott
-
Angels of the Resistance
- By: Noelle Salazar
- Narrated by: Carlotta Brentan
- Length: 12 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As bombs fall across Europe, fourteen-year-old Lien Vinke fears that the reality of war is inescapable. Though she lives a quiet life with her mother and older sister, Elif, in their small town of Haarlem, they are no strangers to heartache, having recently suffered an immeasurable loss. And when the Nazis invade the Netherlands, joining the Dutch resistance with Elif offers just the atonement Lien craves.
-
-
Use of PRONOUNS
- By Suzette Mc on 12-14-22
By: Noelle Salazar
-
The Lost Vintage
- A Novel
- By: Ann Mah
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 11 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sweetbitter meets The Nightingale in this pause-resisting novel about a woman who returns to her family’s ancestral vineyard in Burgundy and unexpectedly uncovers a lost diary, an unknown relative, and a secret her family has been keeping since World War II. To become one of only a few hundred certified wine experts in the world, Kate must pass the notoriously difficult Master of Wine examination. She’s failed twice before; her third attempt will be her last chance.
-
-
Returned due to narration
- By Yvonne on 12-16-18
By: Ann Mah
-
Two Wars and a Wedding
- A Novel
- By: Lauren Willig
- Narrated by: Lisa Flanagan
- Length: 12 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
September 1896: As an aspiring archaeologist, Smith College graduate Betsy Hayes travels to Athens, desperate to break into a very male-dominated field and find work at some of the world’s most famous excavation sites. In the midst of the heat and dust of Greece she finds an unlikely ally in philanthropist Charles, Baron de Robecourt, one of the few men who takes her academic passion seriously.
-
-
Spanish American War
- By Tracy on 06-23-23
By: Lauren Willig
-
The Home for Unwanted Girls
- By: Joanna Goodman
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1950s Quebec, French and English tolerate each other with precarious civility - much like Maggie Hughes' parents. Maggie's English-speaking father has ambitions for his daughter that don't include marriage to the poor French boy on the next farm over. But Maggie's heart is captured by Gabriel Phénix. When she becomes pregnant at 15, her parents force her to give baby Elodie up for adoption and get her life "back on track".
-
-
I couldn't finish this book
- By CindyL on 10-08-18
By: Joanna Goodman
-
Mrs. Lincoln's Sisters
- A Novel
- By: Jennifer Chiaverini
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 12 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In May 1875, Elizabeth Todd Edwards reels from news that her younger sister Mary, former first lady and widow of President Abraham Lincoln, has attempted suicide. Mary’s shocking act followed legal proceedings arranged by her eldest and only surviving son that declared her legally insane. Although they have long been estranged, Elizabeth knows Mary’s tenuous mental health has deteriorated through decades of trauma and loss. Yet is her suicide attempt truly the impulse of a deranged mind, or the desperate act of a sane woman terrified to be committed to an asylum?
-
-
So So story
- By Carollees8 on 06-16-20
-
When We Had Wings
- By: Ariel Lawhon, Kristina McMorris, Susan Meissner
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 13 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this sweeping story based on the true experiences of nurses dubbed "the Angels of Bataan," three women shift in and out of each other's lives through the darkest days of the war, buoyed by their unwavering friendship and distant dreams of liberation.
-
-
A sanitized view of the Japanese in WWII.
- By Mary on 04-04-23
By: Ariel Lawhon, and others
-
The Riviera House
- By: Natasha Lester
- Narrated by: Barrie Kreinik
- Length: 14 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Paris, 1939: The Nazis think Éliane can't understand German. They’re wrong. They think she’s merely cataloging art in a Louvre museum and unaware they’re stealing national treasures for their private collections. They have no idea she’s carefully decoding their notes and smuggling information to the Resistance. But Éliane is playing a dangerous game. Does she dare trust the man she once loved with her secrets, or will he only betray her once again?
-
-
Intriguing story
- By Kristen on 10-11-21
By: Natasha Lester
-
Hurricane Season
- By: Lauren K. Denton
- Narrated by: Devon O'day
- Length: 10 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Betsy and Ty Franklin, owners of Franklin Dairy Farm in Southern Alabama, have long since buried their desire for children of their own. While Ty manages their herd of dairy cows, Betsy busies herself with the farm’s day-to-day operations and tries to forget her dream of motherhood. But when her free-spirited sister, Jenna, drops off her two young daughters for “just two weeks”, Betsy’s carefully constructed wall of self-protection begins to crumble.
-
-
Pleasant Story
- By cgashley on 05-05-18
By: Lauren K. Denton
-
The Library of Lost and Found
- By: Phaedra Patrick
- Narrated by: Imogen Church
- Length: 10 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Librarian Martha Storm has always found it easier to connect with books than people—though not for lack of trying. She keeps careful lists of how to help others in her superhero-themed notebook. And yet, sometimes it feels like she’s invisible. All of that changes when a book of fairy tales arrives on her doorstep. Inside, Martha finds a dedication written by her best friend—her grandmother Zelda—who died under mysterious circumstances years ago. When Martha discovers a clue within the book that her grandmother may still be alive, she becomes determined to discover the truth.
-
-
Fine Line between quirky and ludicrous.....
- By Jane M. on 04-10-19
By: Phaedra Patrick
-
Our Darkest Night
- A Novel of Italy and the Second World War
- By: Jennifer Robson
- Narrated by: Marisa Calin
- Length: 9 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is the autumn of 1943, and life is becoming increasingly perilous for Italian Jews like the Mazin family. With Nazi Germany now occupying most of her beloved homeland, and the threat of imprisonment and deportation growing ever more certain, Antonina Mazin has but one hope to survive - to leave Venice and her beloved parents and hide in the countryside with a man she has only just met.
-
-
Good book overall, but too sappy to be a historical novel
- By Gina Nello on 03-30-21
By: Jennifer Robson
-
The Boys' Club
- A Novel
- By: Erica Katz
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Alex Vogel has always been a high achiever who lived her life by the book - star student and athlete in high school, prelaw whiz in college, Harvard Law School degree. Accepting a dream offer at the prestigious Manhattan law firm of Klasko & Fitch, she promises her sweet and supportive longtime boyfriend that the job won’t change her. Yet Alex is seduced by the firm’s money and energy....
-
-
It's not for me
- By James on 09-19-20
By: Erica Katz
-
The Bookshop of Yesterdays
- By: Amy Meyerson
- Narrated by: Ann Marie Gideon
- Length: 11 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Miranda Brooks grew up in the stacks of her eccentric uncle Billy’s bookstore, solving the inventive scavenger hunts he created just for her. But on Miranda’s 12th birthday, Billy has a mysterious falling-out with her mother and suddenly disappears from Miranda’s life. She doesn’t hear about him again until 16 years later when she receives unexpected news: Billy has died and left her Prospero Books, which is teetering on bankruptcy, and one final scavenger hunt.
-
-
A great story ….BUT
- By Jean on 12-16-19
By: Amy Meyerson
I thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Willig’s take on the story of the Smith College ladies in WW I. I also learned a lot.
Humbly, I offer major compliments to Ms. Willig for bringing these honorable ladies to light. Very well done and though a tear jerker at times, this was a deeply enjoyable listen. I didn’t want it to end. Bravo, ladies!
A Joy!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Amazing. American women helping families in Desperate conditions in France near war zone inspiring. Highly recommend this book
Women in war
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Exciting and captivating
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
sometimes the chat and snark
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Don’t forget to read the Historical note at the end In which the author divulges how many of these adventures actually did happen.
I appreciate all of the research the author put into writing this book and I hope she will some day write the historical version of these stories as she says “in some cases the truth is more incredible than fiction.”
Wonderful Inspiring Book
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Wonderful historical Novel
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
historical fiction beautifully portrayed
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Sacrifice and Friendship during WW1
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
WWI Historical Fiction and American Women
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Captivating
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.