Tag: World War I

Under Two Flags A Novel of World War I

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By Janis Robinson Daly

Published March 26, 2026-Black Rose Writing-Historical Fiction- 281pp

Book Summary

When dreams collide with war, survival becomes the ultimate performance. In October 1916, eighteen-year-old Josephine Therese Marzynski leaves Boston for Berlin to pursue her dream of studying opera at Germany’s most prestigious music conservatory. Living with family friends and immersing herself in German culture, she finds unexpected beauty and friendship in the heart of enemy territory.

But when America enters the Great War in April 1917, Josephine’s world transforms overnight-from welcomed student to enemy of the state. Trapped in Berlin as rationing tightens and suspicion mounts, Josephine must navigate daily police check-ins, bureaucratic interrogations, and the constant threat of internment. Her survival depends on German friends who risk their own safety to protect her, while she struggles with divided loyalties between her American identity and the people who have become her chosen family.

Based on the true story from Josephine’s memoir and set against the backdrop of a city slowly starving under the weight of war, Under Two Flags is a gripping tale of resilience, moral complexity, and the transformative power of music in humanity’s darkest hours. As Josephine fights to secure passage home, she confronts impossible choices that will test everything she believes about loyalty, survival, and the true meaning of patriotism.

Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

Under Two Flags is the retelling of the memoir of Josephine Therese Marzynski, an American woman studying opera in Berlin, 1916-1917. Janis Robinson Daly ‘s grandfather, Eliot Harlow Robinson, Sr., was the ghostwriter for Josephine’s first-hand account, With Old Glory in Berlin, published in 1918. Now Daly has recreated this riveting story, focusing on Josephine, a spunky, young Jewish girl from Boston, with an overriding desire to follow her dreams.

Janis Robinson Daly composed and directed this thrilling account of the 18-year-old opera singer’s 13-month study at the Konservatorium der Musik in 1916, before the United States entered World War I. Daly’s composition is filled with realistic emotion and immersive descriptions of the German people, their militaristic attitudes, and the exquisite scenery. The details of rationing and dwindling of necessities sink readers deep into the passions of a people experiencing war. Emotion pours through Daly’s words the way emotion pours through Josephine’s voice. Family, neighbors, classmates, Berliners and German soldiers. All are portrayed through the lens of a young woman, far away from her family, stuck in a country at war. Josephine’s patriotic, homesick sharing of an emotional July 4 with a neighbor in 1917 is a favorite.

Under Two Flags is presented in the format of an opera: an overture, acts, scenes, an intermission, and the finale. This format is the perfect stage for Daly’s enlightening use of similes to describe characters and situations by making comparisons to scenes from various operas, a charming. compelling addition to the prose.  

Brava! A piercing operatic light on a driven young woman in a chaotic, uncertain time in history. Suspenseful. Dramatic. Rewarding. Highly recommended.

Daly’s first novel, The Unlocked Path, celebrates pioneering women doctors at the turn of the 20th Century. Its sequel, The Path Beneath Her Feet, honors the work of the American Women’s Hospitals in rural America during the 1930s.

These Blue Mountains by Sarah Loudin Thomas

Publication July 2025-Bethany House-Historical Mystery-368pp.

Book Summary

A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.

German pianist Hedda Schlagel’s world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda is stunned to see Fritz’s name in a photograph of an American memorial for German seamen who died near Asheville, North Carolina. Determined to reclaim his body and bring closure to his ailing mother, Hedda travels to the US. Her quest takes a shocking turn when, rather than Fritz’s body, his casket contains the remains of a woman who died under mysterious circumstances.

Local deputy Garland Jones thought he’d left that dark chapter behind when he helped bury Fritz Meyer’s coffin. The unexpected arrival of Hedda, a long-suffering yet captivating woman, forces him to confront how much of the truth he really knows. As they work together to uncover the identity of the woman in the casket and to unravel Fritz’s fate, Hedda and Garland grow closer. But with Hedda in the US on borrowed time while Hitler rises to power in Germany, she fears she’ll be forced to return home before she can put the ghosts of her past to rest.

Grateful Reader Review-First Published in Historical Novels Review Magazine-August 1, 2025 for Historical Novel Society

This is a well-balanced tale of mystery and romance set in 1930’s North Carolina. German pianist Hedda Schlagel travels to America to bring home the remains of her fiancé, Fritz, who disappeared 15 years earlier near Asheville during WWI. Hedda’s arrival and the discovery that Fritz’s casket holds the body of a woman who died under mysterious circumstances sets the grizzly scene and propels the well-paced plot. The conflict is whether Fritz is alive and why he’s never contacted Hedda?

                Appalachian author, Sarah Loudin Thomas, delves into themes of identity and belonging through multilayered characters that provide Hedda with emotional support as she searches for the truth. Eleanor, a boarder where Hedda lives, becomes a true friend whose insight and encouragement is a new experience for Hedda. As Eleanor helps Hedda explore the possibilities of staying in America they discover Joseph and Anni, teachers at Black Mountain College. This thread connects readers to Germans brave enough to start a new life in America and provides the perspective and hardships of immigrants. Hedda is faced with the difficult choice; return to Berlin to care for Lotte, Fritz’s dying mother or stay in Asheville as the search for Fritz continues. Deputy Garland’s investigation, updates, and trips to Black Mountain add much anticipation to the plot and budding relationships! Loudin’s narrative burgeons with stunning descriptions of the Blue Ridge Mountains, analogies, and foreshadowing, while themes of guilt, acceptance, and jealousy tilt the emotional balance.   

                Readers of These Blue Mountains, filled with love, tension and heart pounding suspense will agree with Hedda, “Wunderschonen!” Beautiful! Spectacular!  

The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson

Publication-May 7, 2024-Random House-Historical Fiction-432pp

Book Summary

It is the summer of 1919 and Constance Haverhill is without prospects. Now that all the men have returned from the front, she has been asked to give up her cottage and her job at the estate she helped run during the war. While she looks for a position as a bookkeeper or—horror—a governess, she’s sent as a lady’s companion to an old family friend who is convalescing at a seaside hotel. Despite having only weeks to find a permanent home, Constance is swept up in the social whirl of Hazelbourne-on-Sea after she rescues the local baronet’s daughter, Poppy Wirrall, from a social faux pas.

Poppy wears trousers, operates a taxi and delivery service to employ local women, and runs a ladies’ motorcycle club (to which she plans to add flying lessons). She and her friends enthusiastically welcome Constance into their circle. And then there is Harris, Poppy’s recalcitrant but handsome brother—a fighter pilot recently wounded in battle—who warms in Constance’s presence. But things are more complicated than they seem in this sunny pocket of English high society. As the country prepares to celebrate its hard-won peace, Constance and the women of the club are forced to confront the fact that the freedoms they gained during the war are being revoked.

Whip-smart and utterly transportive, The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club is historical fiction of the highest order: an unforgettable coming-of-age story, a tender romance, and a portrait of a nation on the brink of change.

Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

“Paradise on the English seashore?” This novel is brimming with British snobbishness, hijinks at the Peace Parade festivities, a business wager with grave consequences, and a love story with a twist. These elements create a race from start to finish!

Simonson exhibits the bold nature of the characters as Constance rescues motorcyclist Poppy Wirrall on the Meredith Hotel veranda. Several star characters appear at dinner that very evening. The humorous sibling rivalry of Poppy and Harris is woven between their incorrigible mother, Lady Wirrall, friend Tom Morris and his twin sisters, Evangeline and Guinevere. The wry banter, honesty, and discernment shown in this scene are perfect examples of the narrative to come. Constance reveals she has but the summer months to map out a plan for her future. Buckle up for a great ride!

Behind the planning of the Peace Parade, the burgeoning motorcycle club, and saving Lady Wirral’s estate, are themes of loss, women’s rights, social class distinction and prejudice.  Simonson exquisitely examines dealing with loss through the guarded transformation of Harris inside and out. A new law requiring businesses to hire returning soldiers creates anxiety and anticipation, highlighting this struggle for women of the post war era. Class distinction and prejudices are exposed with snooty, haughty, maddening remarks, but handled immediately by Simonson with insightful discerning dialogue and even some rewarding groveling. Cheers for Constance as she reveals her brilliance and finds the voice to prove it, “Women should always aim to be competent rather than decorative,” says it all.

The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying club, filled with analogies, witty banter, and unforgettable characters, evokes emotions from glee to outrage. Constance decides she “can’t be bitter simply because life was not a fairy tale.” Or is it? Trousers, riding goggles, and a jaunty scarf suggested, but not required.  

Helen Simonson was born in England and spent her teenage years in a small village in East Sussex. A graduate of the London School of Economics, she has spent the last three decades in the United States and currently lives in Brooklyn, New York. Simonson is married, with two grown sons, and is the author of the New York Times bestselling debut novel Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand and The Summer Before the War.

Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade by Janet Skeslien Charles

Publishes April 30, 2024-Atria Books-Historical Fiction-336pp

Book Summary

A brilliant new novel based on the true story of Jessie Carson—the American librarian who changed the literary landscape of France.

1918: As the Great War rages, Jessie Carson takes a leave of absence from the New York Public Library to work for the American Committee for Devastated France. Founded by millionaire Anne Morgan, this group of international women help rebuild devastated French communities just miles from the front. Upon arrival, Jessie strives to establish something that the French have never seen—children’s libraries. She turns ambulances into bookmobiles and trains the first French female librarians. Then she disappears.

1987: When NYPL librarian and aspiring writer Wendy Peterson stumbles across a passing reference to Jessie Carson in the archives, she becomes consumed with learning her fate. In her obsessive research, she discovers that she and the elusive librarian have more in common than their work at New York’s famed library, but she has no idea their paths will converge in surprising ways across time.

Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

An homage to librarians, this novel based on the true story of Jessie Carson, recruited to serve with the American Committee for Devastated France in 1917, highlights how sharing the love of reading changes the lives of children and families. The abbreviation for the group in French is CARD, so the women called themselves Cards. Jessie’s courage to leave the New York Public Library and serve in France is captivating.

Readers sink into the 1918 war zone through descriptions of the devastation and mindboggling courage of the Cards. Charles captures the haunting aura of the demolished castle in Blérancourt, now CARD headquarters, along with breathtaking accounts of Cards navigating minefields, searching for orphaned children hiding in caves, and rebuilding bombed villages. The bonds of respect forged between the millionaire Anne Morgan, Anne Murray Dike, “Kit” Carson and “Brecki” create the undying support needed for families and businesses to return to Blérancourt at the end of the war. The adoption of separated pets, socials for soldiers, and creative puns; calling Cards or my favorite, report Cards, lighten the novel’s somber mood as villagers are extended a lifeline through mobile libraries and books.

The dual timeline Charles maps into the plot routes readers back to the New York Public Library in 1987. She creates tension down in the Remembrance Department between aspiring writer Wendy Peterson and fellow librarian Roberto as they comb through microfiche; older readers will know this antiquated technology. Charles laces their long hours of research with flirty banter and catchy Jeopardy questions as readers root for Wendy’s writing career. Wendy endures condescending Professor Hill, a well-drawn, extremely maddening, unlikeable character, and determines to find the elusive Jessie Carson.

I highly recommend this impressive novel and my favorite section, the Author’s note, filled with the history of librarians in France during World War I. Janet Skeslien Charles reminds us “books are a lifeline.” 

Use your library Card and check it out!

The chateau at Blérancourt, France

https://museefrancoamericain.fr/en/anne-morgan-and-world-war-i-1917-1924

Anne Morgan- (July 25, 1873 – January 29, 1952) was an American philanthropist who provided relief efforts in aid to France during and after World War I and II

Anne Murray Dike -(1878-1929) was an American doctor, chair of the American Committee for Devastated France from 1917 and recipient of the Croix de Guerre and member of the Legion of Honour. [1]

The Unlocked Path by Janis Daly

Published by: Black Rose Writing Release Date: August 25, 2022 Pages: 346

“Meet a “New Woman” of the early 20th century: educated, career-minded, independent Eliza Pearson Edwards. In 1897 Philadelphia, after witnessing her aunt’s suicide, Eliza rejects her mother’s wishes for a society debut, and enters medical college. With the support of a circle of women and determined to conquer curriculum demands, battle sexism, and overcome doubts, Eliza charts a new life course.”

Reviewed for Historical Novels Review Magazine, Issue #102 Published November 1, 2022

The Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

In 1897 Laura Edwards is steamrolling daughter Eliza’s debut into Philadelphia society. Eliza wonders “is there more.” She soon discovers her grandfather was founder of the Female Medical College of Philadelphia and that the women in her life had “devoted themselves to following their hearts and helping others.”  Is medical school on Eliza’s path?

Janis Daly quickly creates confidence in both Eliza’s skills and ability and the wisdom and guidance of medical student Anandi. Experience Eliza’s sheer joy as she befriends wealthy classmate, Olga from Russia, and becomes enamored with a professor from Ireland. Olga’s humor adds levity and her attachment as a sister develops over the years. Daly’s portrayal of the medical students’ resourcefulness in support of each other and Laura’s progression of ideals and realizations are aligned with the times and so uplifting as graduations, marriages, and births take place.

Additionally, Daly’s descriptions of surgeries and procedures of the early 1900’s are supported by vast medical research. The prejudices and attitudes of male doctors and pharmacists, along with exhausting daily schedules are central to the emotional core of the novel. The amazing Bone Boxes and vivid descriptions from the physiology lab add sensory details connecting readers to the era.

Eliza’s world comes alive for readers as she experiences the ratification of the 19th Amendment, World War, a pandemic, and the sinking of the Titanic. She travels from the tenements of Philadelphia to the cottages of Newport searching for love, contentment, agreeability and hopefully, motherhood. Follow The Unlocked Path for the key to results and answers.

“Discovery that my great-great grandfather was a founder of the Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania inspired my next career direction: unearthing the stories of women whose lives have remained in the shadows. My debut novel, The Unlocked Path, balances authenticity and rich historical detail with deep emotional connections to create engaging fictional characters.” https://janisrdaly.com/

Scarlet Carnation by Laila Ibrahim

Published April 1, 2022

Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

May and Naomi can trace their lineage back to a pre-Civil War Virginia plantation where their grandmothers’ lives and future generations were woven together. Author Laila Ibrahim’s previous novels, Yellow Crocus, Mustard Seed, and Golden Poppies are the prequels to Scarlet Carnation. The author’s research and character development of May, a young white woman and Naomi, the descendent of an enslaved family make this a stand-alone novel, but at the conclusion of the novel readers will be compelled to go back to the beginnings of these two families.

Scarlet Carnation, set in Oakland, California, 1915, covers important historical events. Feminist themes such as early contraception, struggles of unwed mothers, and children born with disabilities are explored through the life of May. Naomi’s activity with the NAACP, her husband’s “passing” and sons’ involvement in World War l shed an eye-opening light on racial injustice and attempts at segregation. Readers will connect with May and Naomi on many levels as they “support each other’s quest for liberation and dignity.” Laila Ibrahim deftly weaves the history of Mother’s Day and the wearing of carnations with the epidemic of 1918, presidential elections, and the eugenics movement. These historical events have great impact on the lives of May and Naomi and help maintain readers’ curiosity and add quick pace to the novel.

The choices made by May and Naomi will linger for quite a while as readers contemplate many similar social crises and situations in our world today. Scarlet Carnation, set over one hundred years ago but still very relevant today. Five “Carnations” from the Grateful Reader!

At Summer’s End by Courtney Ellis

When an ambitious female artist accepts an unexpected commission at a powerful earl’s country estate in 1920s England, she finds his war-torn family crumbling under the weight of long-kept secrets. From debut author Courtney Ellis comes a captivating novel about finding the courage to heal after the ravages of war. Available August 10, 2021

Courtney Ellis is the author of the forthcoming historical fiction novel, AT SUMMER’S END. She began writing at a young age, and developed an interest in history from her grandfather’s stories of World War II. After obtaining her BA in English and Creative Writing, she went on to pursue a career in publishing. She lives in Western New York with her rescue dog.

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Find her online at @CellisWriter on Twitter, and courtneyellisauthor on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest​.

Photo by Kelly Gleason

Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

“Everything important and remarkable I had ever done, I’d done on my own.” Bertie

Alberta Preston, an unknown aspiring artist in 1922 England, enters a competition as Bertie, hoping the assumption would be that ‘she’ is a ‘he.’ Her painting titled, Something for the Pain, wins and is featured in the Times.  Soon Alberta receives a letter from the Earl of Wakeford, addressed to Mr. Preston, offering to commission ‘him’ for several paintings of his estate in Wiltshire, England, known as Castle Braemore. Against her parents’ wishes Bertie accepts the commission to spend the summer at the castle and the experience changes her life forever. This debut novel by Courtney Ellis is a superb character study of women and their aspirations in the early 20th century, the long-term effects of World War One on soldiers, nurses, and those left behind, along with the economic aftermath dealt with by families. Upon his father’s death, 12- year-old Julian becomes the Earl of Wakeford and his oldest sister, Gwen, takes over the responsibilities of her siblings. The author’s use of flashbacks develops compassion and empathy as alternating chapters take a glimpse into the family dynamics, early years, and the personalities of each of the Wakeford children. Bertie’s personal feelings are explored as she comes to grips with her own aspirations and her feelings of unworthiness within her own family. Readers will get a true sense of Bertie’s inspiration and obsession in painting and sketching Castle Braemore as Courtney Ellis fills in with superb descriptions of the palace and grounds, along with artistic details of composition and techniques. As the family faces reality, the Earl of Wakeford and his siblings attempt to heal their wounds of war with love and loyalty. Readers will be filled with suspense, sometimes even anxiousness, but also cheer for Bertie’s boldness, her sense of accomplishment and the decision she makes “at summer’s end.”

The Women of Chateau Lafayette by Stephanie Dray

An epic saga from New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Dray based on the true story of an extraordinary castle in the heart of France and the remarkable women bound by its legacy.

STEPHANIE DRAY is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal & USA Today bestselling author of historical women’s fiction. Her award-winning work has been translated into eight languages and tops lists for the most anticipated reads of the year. She lives with her husband, cats, and history books.

The Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

Château de Chavaniac http://www.chateau-lafayette.com/The-manor-of-both-worlds.html

Three bold women from three epic times in history lived behind the walls of Château de Chavaniac deep in the heart of France.

Stephanie Dray opens the shutters of the Marquis de Lafayette’s birthplace early in 1774, to reveal the devoted Adrienne, Lafayette’s wife and her “side by side” support of Lafayette in the American War for Independence and the resulting French Revolution. From ballrooms to the guillotine and prison cells, readers will be impressed by Adrienne’s political and economic savvy along with her enduring steadfast love for her husband and children. Stephanie Dray’s prior research and depiction of the blue-blooded Sophie de Grouchy in Ribbons of Scarlet shines through with a splendid light on the French Revolution.

The legacy of Chateau de Chavaniac lives on in 1914, as the New York socialite, Beatrice Chanler, searches for attention and love from her husband while struggling to lend her own kind of support to the coming war. William Astor Chanler-millionaire, soldier, adventurer, falls in love with Beatrice, who starting from nothing had made a life for herself on the stage. Now she’s playing her greatest role; that of an Astor. Within her social circles Beatrice wisely appeals to the emotions of love, hate and patriotism to create The Lafayette Fund. Thus begins her fund-raising efforts and path to becoming much more than a New York socialite. Stephanie Dray is an excellent travel guide as Beatrice crosses oceans and political lines in her life-long endeavors; finally making a connection with Lafayette’s birthplace.

Marthe Simone is the third thread in the women of Château de Chavaniac. She has her own mysterious background to unravel as she grows up & matures into a teacher and artist behind the stone walls of the chateau. Marthe struggles with her identity as a single woman, her ambition to see beyond the walls and how to play her part from behind the walls of Chavaniac in 1940 as World War II is enveloping France.

In The Women of Chateau Lafayette Stephanie Dray weaves three major wars with three women and their contributions along with their personal beliefs and aspirations, devotion to families and the generations that came before. The Women of Chateau Lafayette is a truly inspiring saga. Through Adrienne, the American War for Independence and its prominent patriots are woven right into the French Revolution and the aftermath. This is a prime example of historical fiction at its finest, as the lives of Beatrice and Marthe unfold through the ballrooms and battle fields of World War I and World War II. A heart wrenching story of three women whose courage and devotion is displayed in vibrant detail through accomplishments and bravery.

https://www.stephaniedray.com/lafayette-we-are-here/

On July 4, 1917, General Pershing and his staff visited Lafayette’s tomb at Picpus Cemetery in Paris.

Band of Sisters by Lauren Willig

“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 bestselling author Lauren Willig.“

Watch a brief video of author Lauren Willig: Showing the ruined chateau at Grécourt, France, the historic gates of Smith College, pictures of the Smith College Relief Unit:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzNAq7cwkn4&feature=youtu.be

Lauren Willig is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of historical fiction. Her works include The Other Daughter, The English Wife, The Forgotten Room (co-written with Karen White and Beatriz Williams), and the RITA Award winning Pink Carnation series. An alumna of Yale University, she has a graduate degree in history from Harvard and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.

Check out this FABULOUS READER’S GUIDE! It includes discussion questions, maps and diagrams drawn by the young women, recipes, and reading resources.

https://laurenwillig.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Band-of-Sisters-Book-Club-Kit.pdf.

The Grateful Reader Review by Dorothy Schwab

Overcoming personal fears and differences to bring “hope to the hopeless” – This is the goal of eighteen young American women from Smith College; the “Band of Sisters,” who are crossing the Atlantic in August of 1917. The Smith graduates are heading to Grécourt, France; a village that has been left in ruins by German bombings.  Lauren Willig opens each chapter with excerpts from the girls’ letters home to husbands, parents or friends. These are based on actual correspondence from her impeccable, extensive research which is evident on every page.

The Smith graduates are making the crossing carrying immature grudges built while in college along with idealistic expectations that their charitable settlement work would prepare them for war. The eighteen characters that begin the crossing are whittled to much fewer so that readers may focus on background and personal struggles; gathering emotions of angst to adoration as personalities and skill sets emerge.

When they finally arrive in Grécourt, September of 1917, the young women and their director find themselves ministering to approximately 2000 villagers -mothers, children and the elderly; scattered for many miles around Grécourt.  Three of the young women are closely tied by bonds of friendship and family. Emmie Van Alden- “plain as shoe leather,” always trying to please her mother, has wonderful people skills with children and adults, but has committed “sins of omission” involving best friend Kate. Kate Moran- has always felt inadequate and not “one of the girls,” due to her background, is also an extremely bored teacher at a girl’s school who can drive and speak French! Dr. Julia Pruyn-Emmie’s cousin, a classic beauty, harboring her own secrets, is one of the two medical “wonders” in the unwieldy group. Which one of these three will discover the secret to winning over the villagers?

The girls’ skills include carpentry, sewing, mechanics, cooking, medicine, teaching children to “play again;” along with hosting American engineers and Canadian foresters who joined in at Grécourt dinners, movies and dances. Do not be fooled by these activities! Between the love interests, Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations prepared from rations, these courageous women were performing acts of daring and bravery on a daily basis-no matter how close to the front lines, bombings and fighting or how much rain or snow, heat or mud.

The young women arrived in France as a disjointed gang: some haughty or humble, some beauties or bumbling, some sarcastic or skillful. Readers will not forget these charming young women who Lauren Willig has skillfully molded into a “Band of Sisters.” Five “Croix de guerre!”