The Wartime Sisters by Lynda Cohen Loigman

The Wartime Sisters is a fascinating book.  It is set during the Second World War but that is merely incidental to the story.  The sisters are Jewish – but it's not about that either.

For me, this book was all about the impact of early family life on the futures of siblings.  It opened my eyes to how different siblings can end up bitter and estranged – even though this is not on purpose.

The elder sister Ruth was not a beauty but she was smart and practical.  The younger, Millie, is a real beauty and is spoiled by everyone.  Their mother has high expectations of a great marriage for Millie and doesn't pay much attention to Ruth. 

The tensions that this situation causes are real and neither sister handles it particularly well.

There are other supportive women in the book and also a small minded trouble making bigot.

This was well-written.  The setting never obtruded but felt authentic.  I'm now going to get my hands on this author's first novel.