Introduction

For fans of Lilac Girls, the next powerful novel from the author of Goodreads Choice Awards semifinalist The Two-Family House about two sisters working in a WWII armory, each with a deep secret.

"Loigman’s strong voice and artful prose earn her a place in the company of Alice Hoffman and Anita Diamant, whose readers should flock to this wondrous new book." ?Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author of The Orphan’s Tale

"The Wartime Sisters shows the strength of women on the home front: to endure, to fight, and to help each other survive.” ?Jenna Blum, New York Times and international bestselling author of The Lost Family and Those Who Save Us

Two estranged sisters, raised in Brooklyn and each burdened with her own shocking secret, are reunited at the Springfield Armory in the early days of WWII. While one sister lives in relative ease on the bucolic Armory campus as an officer’s wife, the other arrives as a war widow and takes a position in the Armory factories as a “soldier of production.” Resentment festers between the two, and secrets are shattered when a mysterious figure from the past reemerges in their lives.

"One of my favorite books of the year." ?Fiona Davis, national bestselling author of The Dollhouse and The Masterpiece

"A stirring tale of loyalty, betrayal, and the consequences of long-buried secrets.” ?Kristina McMorris, New York Times bestselling author of The Edge of Lost and Sold on a Monday

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Excerpt

Excerpt from The Wartime Sisters
By Lynda Cohen Loigman

The first night in Springfield, Millie barely closed her eyes. In the morning, she was tired, but it wasn’t exhaustion that made her want to stay in bed: it was the thought of facing her sister. When she finally got up, the house felt too quiet—there was no shouting from the street, no doors slamming down the hall. There were no morning smells either—no neighbors frying bacon, no fish peddlers under her window, no radio blasting from the apartment next door. She wondered whether anyone raised their voice in Ruth’s house, whether her nieces ever shouted or pounded down the steps. ... view entire excerpt...

Discussion Questions

1. What is it about the sister relationship that makes it so ripe for story-telling?

2. Throughout their childhood, Ruth and Millie’s mother has vastly different expectations for them, especially in terms of the kind of men they will marry. Do you think she bears some of the blame for the poor relationship between her daughters? What about their father?

3. Do you think Ruth’s lies to Lenny and her sister are excusable? Do you think Millie’s secrets about Lenny and her marriage are more or less justifiable than the secrets Ruth keeps?

4. In what ways do Arietta and Lillian serve as substitute sisters for Millie? Why do you think they are so protective of her? How does the war bring these women together?

5. Ruth and Millie can’t seem to escape the roles they took on as children. Do you think family members always fall into set patterns of behavior? Can the patterns ever be broken, or are we destined to play the same roles within our family units from childhood through old age?

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