Winter Sisters (Oliveira)

Winter Sisters 
Robin Oliveira, 2018
Penguin Publishing
416 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780399564253


Summary
From the New York Times bestselling author of My Name Is Mary Sutter comes a rich and compelling historical novel about the disappearance of two young girls after a cataclysmic blizzard, and what happens when their fate is discovered.
 
New York, 1879: After an epic snow storm ravages the city of Albany, New York,

Dr. Mary Sutter, a former Civil War surgeon, begins a search for two little girls, the daughters of close friends killed by the storm who have vanished without a trace. Mary’s mother and niece Elizabeth, who has been studying violin in Paris, return to Albany upon learning of the girls’ disappearance—but Elizabeth has another reason for wanting to come home, one she is not willing to reveal.

Despite resistance from the community, who believe the girls to be dead, the family persists in their efforts to find the two sisters. When what happened to them is revealed, the uproar that ensues tears apart families, reputations, and even the social fabric of the city, exposing dark secrets about some of the most powerful of its citizens, and putting fragile loves and lives at great risk.

Winter Sisters is a propulsive new novel by the New York Times bestselling author of My Name Is Mary Sutter. (From the publisher.)

Author Bio
• Birth—1954
• Raised—Loudonville, New York, USA
• Education—B.A., Universityof Montana; M.F.A., Vermont College
• Awards—Michael Shaara Prize; James Jones First Novel Award
• Currently—lives outside Seattle, Washington


Robin Oliveira is an American author, former literary editor, and nurse, who is known for her 2010 debut novel, My Name is Mary Sutter. Her second novel is I Always Loved You was issued in 2014.

Background
Robin Frazier Oliveira was born in Albany, New York, in 1954 and grew up in nearby Loudonville, graduating from Shaker High School. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Russian from the University of Montana in 1976, and continued her study at the Pushkin House Institute of Russian Literature in Moscow. After finding this wasn't a viable career path, she studied nursing, earning a living as registered nurse specializing in critical care and bone marrow transplant, in Seattle.

Writing
Oliveira worked in nursing until the birth of her children, when she left work to stay home with them, but when her youngest son entered kindergarten, she decided to try to write a book instead of returning. She went back to school to earn a Master of Fine Arts in Writing from the Vermont College of Fine Arts in 2006. She served as assistant editor at Narrative Magazine and from 2007 through 2011 as fiction editor for the annual literary magazine Upstreet.

In 2002 Oliveira began writing the novel that became My Name is Mary Sutter. It tells the story of an Albany midwife trying to become a surgeon during the American Civil War. At first, Oliveira admits, the writing wasn't very good, and her writing teacher doubted it could succeed. Rewriting took years, including traveling to Washington D.C. for extensive research at the National Archives and the Library of Congress. In 2007, while still in progress, it won the James Jones First Novel Award under the working title The Last Beautiful Day.

My Name is Mary Sutter was finally published in 2010. It was widely reviewed, mostly favorably, with reviewers commenting on the detailed research and the determined heroine. It won an honorable mention for the 2010 Langum Prize for American Historical Fiction and won the 2011 Michael Shaara Award for Excellence in Civil War Fiction.

Her 2013 novel, I Always Loved You imagines a love affair between Mary Cassat and Edgar Degas. Kikus Reviews cited the "accomplished" research, which will enable readers to "gain a better understanding of impressionism."

Personal
Oliveira lives just outside Seattle, Washington, with her husband Andrew. They have a daughter, Noelle, and a son, Miles. (Adapted from Wikipedia. Retrieved 2/19/2014.)

Book Reviews
The author’s flair for historical detail and local color deepened my involvement with that basic plot premise. I dare anyone to read Winter Sisters and not want to discuss women’s rights with others—both how far we’ve come and yet, how much further we still have to go.  READ MORE…
Keddy Ann Outlaw - LitLovers


This stunning mystery is set back in 1879, when New York’s capital city is hit by a blizzard that buries the parents of 10-year-old Emma and 7-year-old Claire and hurls the girls into the streets.… Oliveira writes with feeling about social issues like abortion and prostitution, and her grasp of causes like women’s suffrage is firm.
Marilyn Stasio - New York Times


[An] engrossing story of unspeakable crime and unbreakable love… propelled by feminist themes that feel utterly timely.
People


The real charm of Winter Sisters is the story of family, love, and perseverance, and the commentary on how women were and still are treated in society.… Populated with strong female characters and an oft-lyrical prose, this is a definite must read.
Historical Novel Review


Oliveira's beautiful, expertly researched novel showcases the lives of women overcoming societal constraints and living fearlessly.
Publishers Weekly


Oliveira blends mystery, historical detail, and courtroom drama in a compelling story that will please most historical fiction fans
Library Journal


[A] multifaceted and affecting portrait of courage.
Booklist


(Starred review) [A] complex, multifaceted historical novel that is both a captivating story and a commentary on the laws that have, for far too long, oppressed and endangered women.… [A] perfect example of a historical novel that also illuminates present-day issues.
Kirkus Reviews

Discussion Questions
We'll add publisher questions if and when they're available; in the meantime, use our LitLovers talking points to help start a discussion for WINTER SISTERS … then take off on your own:

1. The obvious place to start, or even end, this discussion is to talk about the roles of women in the late 19th century. Consider that New York's age of consent was 10-years and that Dr. Mary Stipp professionalism was disparaged because she treated prostitutes.

2. (Follow-up to Question 1) The next area of discussion is to compare 19th-century women's rights (or lack thereof) with today's standards. How far have we come and how much further do we need to go?

3. Talk about the hypocrisy of many of Albany's "finest" citizens. Again, how does that compare to our own recent scandals?

4. Discuss the irony of Mary Stipp's observation that the freedom women had during the American Civil War vanished. "Therein lay the advantage of wartime. Men were too busy killing one another to take heed of women's activities." Didn't something similar happen with women who "manned" the factories and farm fields during the two world wars of the 20th century?

5. How would you describe Mary Stipp? In what way could you say that Mary is a voice for those who lack their own voices.

6. Have you read My Name is Mary Sutter, a prologue of sorts, which takes place 14 years before the events of Winter Sisters? If so, how well do the two books mesh with one another?

7. Winter Sisters is not for the faint of heart. Was it too painful for you to read?

(Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online and off, with attribution. Thanks.)

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