1. Band of Sisters
    Cathy Gohlke
    Tyndale House / 2012 / Trade Paperback
    Our Price$10.99 Retail Price$14.99 Save 27% ($4.00)
    4.7 out of 5 stars for Band of Sisters. View reviews of this product. 33 Reviews
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    Stock No: WW353081
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Displaying items 21-25 of 33
  1. CarolinaSummer
    Chester, SC
    Age: 18-24
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    I LOVED this book!
    September 13, 2012
    CarolinaSummer
    Chester, SC
    Age: 18-24
    Gender: female
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    I was so excited to read this book! As a huge fan of historical fiction, this book was exactly the type of thing I look for, and Cathy Gohlke does historical fiction brilliantly. To research this particular subject- early 20th century immigration and human trafficking- Gohlke traveled to Ellis Island and toured the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, as well as explored the Lower East Side itself. Her dedicated research paid off with rich detail and vivid imagery. I was able to clearly picture the main character, Maureen O'Reilly, and her sister's journey from their tiny village in County Meath, Ireland, to their first steps on Ellis Island. Their American experience starts out bad and just gets worse for them both. Maureen must leave her sister at Ellis Island in quarantine with the chicken pox and do whatever it takes to ensure they both aren't deported for being single women. Her desperation leads her into more danger than she fled Ireland from. When she notices her young female coworkers start going missing from their department store jobs, Maureen knows something wicked must be going on and is recruited to help take down a ring of human traffickers. Band of Sisters is a page turner to the very end.
  2. Its About Time Mamaw
    Cleveland, Texas
    Age: 55-65
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    Band of Sisters - Women Immigrants - White Slavery
    September 12, 2012
    Its About Time Mamaw
    Cleveland, Texas
    Age: 55-65
    Gender: female
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    1910 Ireland. As Maureen and Katie Rose O'Reilley climb the muddy path up the hillside to cemetery where her mother is to buried the women attending the burial shun Maureen. Even though Maureen had been raped and brutally used by her landlord Lord Orthbridge the women still treated her like a harlot. With her mother's passing she did not know how she was to protect her young sister from her landlord's desires and abuse. She heard rumored that his young son is already after Katie Rose's skirt tales.

    After the funeral Maureen's Aunt Verna unfurls a plan to get Maureen and Katie Rose out of Ireland, but they must move quickly with the plan. Her aunt tells of a close friend of Maureen's long deceased father that had sent money to have her father and his family to come to America and become his business partner. Colonel Wakefield saw O'Reilly as a brother and his children as his own. Maureen's aunt still has the money . She gives the money along with a letter from Wakefield to Maureen for the girls to make the trip to America so they will be safe with Colonel Wakefield.

    The arriving at Ellis Island!

    Joshua Keeton, a young man in her village, is about Maureen's age and has already made plans to go to America. Her aunt has arranged for the girls to travel to America with him. As soon as they get to the shipyard Maureen refuses any more of his assistance and takes her sister in hand to travel the voyage to America alone. She trusts no one! Especially men!

    Katie Rose ends up catching Chicken Pox is held at the infirmary at Ellis Island until to gets well and Maureen must find residents and employment before they will approve her release. She fears they will be returned to Ireland.

    She lucks out and has been given some assistance by a lady of the Missionary Aid Society to get her the proper clothes and make sure she has a place to stay and employment.

    When she arrives at Colonel Wakefield's she is rudely treated by a man that claims the Colonel is deceased and that she has no claim to the family and he burns her letter in the fireplace and boots the screaming Maureen out the door like a piece of trash.

    But as this was happening Olivia daughter of Colonel Wakefield was disgusted by the way her brother-in-law Drake had treated the young women in Olivia's home. He had no right no right at all. She must find this woman so she can find out what kind of connection she has with her father. She will not stop until she finds the poor women. Her guest, Curtis Morrow witnessed this event and promised to do what he could to help find the O'Reilley woman.

    It just keeps getting worse for Maureen. Will she be able to find employment? Will poor Katie Rose be sent back to Ireland?

    The author wrote a wonderful story of the plight of immigrant women in New York that are just arriving at Ellis Island. Any lone woman was at the mercy of evil men as soon as they stepped foot on American soil. Tricking the women into thinking they could be trusted to help them find employment and a place to stay. There were women being accosted for white slavery and forced to work in brothels and on the streets.

    The chances of getting a decent job was minimal. If money was sparse then so was food and shelter. The character of Olivia Wakefield was a woman that was determined to fight for the protection and the rights of these women and against white slavery.

    I knew things back then were difficult for women but I really had no idea it was that bad. I want to thank the author for opening my eyes. It has given me so much love and respect for the women that fought the long hard battle for women's rights and eventually won.

    I devoured the information she provided in the question and answers she so graciously shared with us. I am eager to do more research on this subject. I am of Irish decent and know my ancestors went through Ellis Island. I have taken this story very personally. I thank Cathy for bringing to to my attention.

    I highly recommend this book!

    Disclosure

    I received a free copy of this book from Tyndale House Publishers for review. I was in no way compensated for this review. It is my own opinion.
  3. Madeline Drew
    Tucson, AZ
    Age: 35-44
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    Thrilling Read! Better than a movie!
    September 10, 2012
    Madeline Drew
    Tucson, AZ
    Age: 35-44
    Gender: female
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    Band of Sisters, crafted by Cathy Gohlke, reads like a thrilling movie. There are echoes of the film Far and Away but this book has a razor sharp edge. The main character, Maureen O'Reilly, is independent and fiesty- even hard at times. She carries a past that she fears will haunt her forever. Maureen and her sister, Katie Rose, flee to America in hopes of starting a new life, but there are perils that await them there, too. Not all is as seems and soon Maureen is caught in a web of secrets and treachery. She gains employment at an elegant department store but soon discovers that coworkers are disappearing. What has happened to them and why does no one seem to care? Not wanting to endanger any of her friends, Maureen is left to turn to God, who she felt left her long ago.

    Band of Sisters is a story that I never wanted to end. It was exciting, romantic, even frightening at times. The characters were so real I wanted to cast them! Emma Stone would play Maureen, Joshua would be played by Ryan Reynolds, Ashley Greene would be Katie Rose, and Ian Somerhalder would be Drake (a villain you love to hate!). I'll get back to you on the rest of the cast.:)

    Let me leave you with this thought. Band of Sisters will make you think, make you feel and stay with you long after the last page. The book addresses the theme of white slavery and sadly it's alive and well in this day and age. Band of Sisters entertains, inspires and educates. Bravo, Cathy Gohlke!
  4. Karen Lange
    Kentucky
    Age: 45-54
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    Stirring and Compelling Fiction
    August 31, 2012
    Karen Lange
    Kentucky
    Age: 45-54
    Gender: female
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    After their mother's death, Maureen O'Reilly and her sister Katie Rose flee Ireland under cover of darkness. Childhood friend Joshua Keeton aids their escape, and they land on Ellis Island with grand hopes of a better life in America. Their arrival is less than joyous, however, as thirteen-year-old Katie Rose is ill. To make matters worse, Maureen learns that their stateside benefactor has passed away. Fearful of deportation, a desperate Maureen lands a job at a department store under false pretenses.

    Olivia Wakefield, the daughter of the O'Reilly's late benefactor, struggles in the wake of her father's death. She resists the pressure to marry well and maintain a façade of happiness among the upper echelon of 1910 society. Keeping up appearances pales in comparison to what she believes God has called her to do. Upon discovering her father's connection to the O'Reilly family, Olivia sets out to help Maureen and Katie Rose.

    Maureen and Olivia inadvertently discover that the department store where Maureen works is a front for illegal activity. Concerned for Katie Rose's safety, and unsure of Olivia's motives, Maureen turns to Joshua for help. Olivia, frustrated with Maureen's distrust, seeks help from Curtis Morrow, her brother in law's new business partner. An elaborate plan unfolds, and loyalties are tested beyond what Maureen and Olivia ever imagined.

    Will Maureen and Olivia successfully battle the illegal underground network that has spread into New York's polite society? Can either trust the men set in their path, and perhaps find a future with them? I won't say any more, lest I spoil this wonderful story of adventure and redemption.

    Band of Sisters addresses social injustice that was not only common during the early 20th century, but also one that plagues us today. Cathy discreetly brings light and life to the issue through this suspenseful and compelling tale. Her stirring and heartwarming story had me from beginning to end — I give Band of Sisters, her fourth novel, two thumbs up.
  5. Kara
    Age: 45-54
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    August 28, 2012
    Kara
    Age: 45-54
    Gender: female
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    Band of Sisters, by Cathy Gohlke, brings to light the horrors white slavery long ago. Gohlke tells the story in such a way that the reader must wonder how such conditions could exist then as well as in the modern day.

    Maureen O'Reilly travels to America with her sister, spurning the protection of family friend, Joshua Keeton. When they arrive, however, her sister has contracted chicken pox and is quarantined, and Maureen is left to find lodging and employment on her own. She ends up working in what she thinks is a reputable department store, but things begin to look frightening when she notices her co-workers disappearing. Joshua finds himself employed to protect the O'Reilly sisters, and they both become heavily involved in the exposure of the crime ring. Meanwhile, Olivia Wakefield and her friends try to determine what Jesus would have them do to help.

    I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It effectively brought to light the plight of those caught in slavery rings. It challenges all of us to ask what Jesus would have us to aid in the situation today.

    I would recommend this book to all who love historical fiction and a serious challenge.

    Kara
Displaying items 21-25 of 33