Split apart by the war effort, the indomitable Kopp sisters take on saboteurs and spies and stand up to the Army brass as they face the possibility that their life back home will never be the same. The U.S. has finally entered World War I. Constance, the oldest of the Kopp sisters, is doing intelligence work on the home front for the Bureau of Investigation while youngest sister and aspiring … and aspiring actress, Fleurette, travels across the country entertaining troops with song and dance. Meanwhile, at an undisclosed location in France, Norma oversees her thwarted pigeon project for the Army Signal Corps. When her roommate, a nurse at the American field hospital, is accused of stealing essential medical supplies, the intrepid Norma is on the case to find the true culprit.
Determined to maintain their sometimes-scratchy family bonds across the miles, the far-flung sisters try to keep each other in their lives. But the world has irrevocably changed—when will the sisters be together again?
Told through letters, Dear Miss Kopp weaves the stories of real-life women a century ago, proving once again that “any novel that features the Kopp sisters is going to be a riotous, unforgettable adventure” (Bustle).
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As mentioned in the blurb, this book is told via letters. From Constance to Norma, Aggie to Constances, Fleurette to Helen, and a few others. It really is an interesting way to tell a story. Amy does a wonderful job in keeping this reader enthralled.
In the later stages of World War I, Constance is working for the Bureau of Investigation tracking down nefarious German’s in America and their efforts to sabotage the United State’s effort in the war. Norma and her pigeons are in France where she battles military hierarchy and unwilling soldiers on a regular basis. Fleurette is traveling with May Ward to military camps entertaining the troops soon to be sent overseas.
The story also relays a lot of good historical events and prejudices. Amy does a fantastic job in her research and peppers in enough to keep things interesting. Spend some time with the Kopp sisters and you won’t be lacking for a good tale.
DEAR MISS KOPP by Amy Stewart
Letters between sisters and friends tell the tales and give background on wartime service . . . and lack of planning for housing for women. Norma’s efforts to establish pigeons for communication at the front, thwarted by lack of support and training, finally prove their value. Constance works on the home front, aiding security measures. Fleurette travels entertaining, is picked up by a morality matron, and acquires a lovely parrot from a departing soldier.
Words of wisdom, “all we can do is . . . stand on the side of justice and fairness.” Yes, indeed.
The deprivations of war put temporary inconveniences into perspective, as Fleurette declared ordinary plain hotels “the Ritz” after time in an army camp.
Perfect title! Dear Miss Kopp, the latest in the Kopp Sisters Series, follows our wonderful Kopp sisters as they face the struggles of The Great War. Told through their letters to one another and various friends, the women all experience differing versions of the war.
Norma is somewhere in France, trying to establish a workable system for her pigeon messaging service. She doesn’t have the support she needs and fights the bureaucracy as only Norma can. Her being a female with no status in the Army is a bit of a problem, of course.
Constance is working with the Bureau of Investigation (eventually the FBI), weeding out spies and traitors. She has tons of support from her superiors and recruits and trains other women to assist. Sweet Fluerette is on the road with the May Girls entertaining the troops at home. Not the most fun, but she’s doing her duty.
An insight into the roles women were cast into and were finally able to chose in the early 1900s, these books are based on real sisters, these books are a joy to read. The series promises to continue, much to my relief. Do not miss out on these quirky sisters!
Amy Stewart is back with a SIXTH installment of the Miss Kopp series! Girl Waits With Gun was published in 2015 and Stewart has given us a sequel every year since.
If you have not read any of the series you won’t know that the main characters are based on real people.
Constance Kopp was one of the first lady cops. She had a sister Norma, and ‘sister’ Fleurette who is really Constance’s child, the result of being seduced by a door-to-door Singer salesman when she was a teenager. Stewart has delved into the newspaper files to resurrect the Kopp girls, fictionalizing freely to fill in the blanks left in their histories.
The series begins in 1914, and this installment brings us to WWI.
Constance has been recruited by Washington, DC to spy on American Germans aiding the enemy. Fleurette is entertaining the stateside troops as part of a song and dance troupe. And Norma has enlisted to help the Army develop a pigeon messenger program in France where she rooms with a nurse.
Between the three Kopps, readers see the war from many fronts.
The novel is totally epistolary, comprised of the letters between the sisters, their bosses, and family and friends.
As in all the book in the series, a major focus in on the role of women in society, their contributions and the limitations society places on them. Norma fights for her work to be taken seriously and solves the problem of missing medical supplies. Fleurette is arrest under The American Plan which locked up women suspected of sexual promiscuity and corrupting the troops. Constance goes undercover as a spy.
The crimes that the Kopps solve are based on actual crimes. One act of sabotage mentioned took place at the Curtiss North Elmwood plant in Buffalo, NY. It was the world’s largest airplane factory when it was built, located just down the road from where I grew up. (My grandfather was an engineer at a later Curtiss plant operating during WWII.)
Fans will enjoy the book. Newbies may want to start with the first in the series. Once you fall for the Kopps there is no turning back. We will read to the very end of the series!
I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review
Thanks to the author for an advance reading copy. All comments and opinions are my own.
Number six in the series and just as enjoyable as the rest! This well-researched novel takes place during World War I, alternating locations between France and the US. The story is told through letters written by the three Kopp sisters and a few other letter writers. Although the sisters and others in the novel are based on real people and historical facts, author Amy Stewart entertainingly fills in the blanks to make this a fascinating story of women during the first World War. Mystery, espionage, and the Army’s fledgling pigeon project are skillfully knitted together with humor and the personalities of each Kopp sister to make this another five star must-read.
First of all, if you haven’t read any of the other Kopp Sisters books (like me) don’t let that deter you. You will not love these sisters any less – they are fabulous! While the book takes place during WWI, clearly not a fun time in the world, it is still a fun (and educational) read. The sisters have such unique personalities that really shine through in their letters, which was a wonderful way to read the story. It felt very true to the time period. I can’t wait to start at the beginning of the series and learn more about these endearing sisters.
historical-places-events, historical-research, historical-fiction, historical-setting, WW1
The stories about the Kopp sisters (who are real) began early in the 20th century and progressed from there. Constance really was a deputy. The research is all on target and the references check out (bad library pun). The fiction is somewhat manufactured, but it is a case of an aggregation of real people to make history easier for us readers.
So. This book is presented in the form of letters from each of the sisters, back and forth, during the last year of The War To End All Wars. Constance is presented as an operative from the department which would later become the FBI, Norma is with the Signal Corps in rural France, and Fleurette is a performer with a travelling group that is much like the later USO. The prejudice and tribulations of women in that era are put forth very clearly in the course of things. I wasn’t hopeful that I would like this format as much, but I was wrong. It’s the perfect way to tie things together! Loved it!
I have all the others on audio, so it’s a given that I am a fan (as well as a history geek).
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/Mariner Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
Can’t wait to see how the audio turns out!