Written by Anne Fortier, The Lost Sisterhood (oh look, where you can pick up the book) follows Diana, an Oxford lecturer of Greek Mythology who has a slight obsession with The Amazons. Yes, I mean the warrior women who have, most recently, been made popular again by Wonder Woman. And Diana is given an opportunity she finds she can’t say no to when presented with an opportunity to go to a dig site where the Amazons might have originated.
Alright, that was a little dry bones, but that’s what the rest of the review is for.
This novel, written in first person from both Diana and an ancient woman Myrina, jumps back and forth between ancient times (think Greek and the Trojan War) and modern times. The writing in this novel is smooth and captivating. Honestly, the writing and the story propel the novel so well that the insane amount of traveling that the characters do makes sense.
How about those characters?
Well, in the past we have Myrina, her younger sister Lilli, the priestesses, and the wonderful Paris. Every character feels real, even though (I think) only a handful of characters are based on people who may have once actually lived. Myrina is a wonderful character, and Paris is difficult not to love. Someone who doesn’t stop her from being her but helps her? Yeah, that is pretty great.
In the present we have Diana, James our dashing prince from her childhood who has become a kind-of friend, Nick the adventurer who never shows his full hand, Rebecca the stead-fast adventurous friend, and a number of others. So many others. Oh, Granny, can’t forget Granny. This are our stead-fast characters who keep moving forward who we really don’t know what will happen to them. Those set in the past we can extrapolate an idea of where their stories will go, but the modern characters have the whole world before them (literally).
The adventure is wonderful. Just the right amount without being too terribly over the top.
The romance is sweet and heartbreaking. This isn’t a novel written for the romance, but the romance is compelling and the kind of thing a reader wants to cheer on and see where it is going.
As for the mystery? The mystery – spanning centuries – is fantastic and wonderful, and there are more than one of them. What happened to Myrina? What about the Amazons? How did they begin? And, eventually, what happened to Troy?
This novel is well written, and anyone who is a fan of Susana Kearsley I think will enjoy this well written novel. Or of Circe. If you like adventure, mystery, history, romance, or just want a well written novel, this is a good choice.
Who wouldn’t like it? This isn’t a magical story. This is taking a look at what could be behind the myth (COULD BE with some history), and is very realistic in that regards. It doesn’t paint the past as a better place, but looks at the dark parts as well.
Overall? I highly, HIGHLY recommend this to anyone and everyone.
