| Title | : | Dear Miss Kopp (Kopp Sisters, #6) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 320 |
| Publication | : | First published January 11, 2021 |
The U.S. has finally entered World War I is and Constance is chasing down suspected German saboteurs and spies for the Bureau of Investigation while Fleurette is traveling across the country entertaining troops with song and dance. Meanwhile, at an undisclosed location in France, Norma is overseeing her thwarted pigeon project for the Army Signal Corps. When Aggie, 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.
The far-flung sisters—separated for the first time in their lives—correspond with news of their days. The world has irrevocably changed—will the sisters be content to return to the New Jersey farm when the war is over?
Told through letters, Dear Miss Kopp weaves the stories of real life women into a rich fiction brimming with the historical detail and humor that are hallmarks of the series, proving once again that “any novel that features the Kopp Sisters is going to be a riotous, unforgettable adventure” (Bustle).
Dear Miss Kopp (Kopp Sisters, #6) Reviews
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Although this series started with a novel based on the experiences of the real Constance Kopp, the first woman appointed a US Deputy Sherriff in 1914, it has now gone on beyond the end of her duty with the Sherriff’s Office to continue imagining her life and those of her sisters. In this sixth book of the series, it is now 1918, the USA is at war and the sisters are all playing a crucial role, each in her own inimitable way.
From Constance’s obituary, the author discovered that she was involved in intelligence work for the government during WWI and so has created a fictional role for her in the Bureau of Investigation, looking out for saboteurs and spies in actual Bureau cases. Her sister Norma, who raised and trained messenger pigeons, has been sent to the US messenger pigeon school in the small French village of Langres and younger sister Fleurette is touring the USA with May Ward’s cabaret act, entertaining troops who are about to embark for France.
The novel is written in the form of lively letters between the sisters, as well as from Norma’s room-mate, nurse Agnes Bell, who fills in the many gaps left by the taciturn Norma, describing the local village and bringing the realities of war home through her experiences in treating injured servicemen. When Agnes is accused of stealing supplies from the hospital, Norma steps up to show that Constance is not the only detective in the family, by carrying out her own investigation to find the real thief and uncover an enemy plot.
The letters between the sisters and Agnes are warm and intelligent, often infused with quirky humour as they describe the various situations in which they find themselves. The letters are enriched by excellent historical research into many aspects of life for both men and women, not only serving overseas during the war but also at home. Fleurette runs into trouble with the zealous committee charged with policing women’s moral behaviour in America while Constance is concerned by the overly enthusiastic volunteers of the American Protective League who seek out spies and men shirking registering for duty in the armed forces. Norma has her own battles with misogyny and disparaging treatment by men in charge in the army.
This is an excellent addition to this well written and researched historical series and is highly recommended. Although the novel reads well on its own, reading the earlier episodes is recommended to really get to know these delightful characters.
With thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Netgalley for a copy to read. Review originally posted in Mystery and Suspense magazine -
Amy Stewart has definitely done her homework when preparing to write this book which is set in America and France in the throes of WW1.
Dear Miss Kopp includes a vast amount of very interesting fact throughout the whole story on how people, and women in particular, went about their lives during a world war. The author also uses a smart technique to hold the book together - since the three Kopps are separated, a book written entirely in letter form works exceedingly well.
I love the way each of the three women use their personal skills to survive and prosper. By the end of the book they are forging ahead independently into the new world post war. It will be fascinating to see where the author takes them in book 7 and how she manages to combine their three separate lives into one story.
This is a terrific series and one where I look forward to each book as it comes out.
My thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. -
3.5★
“Dear Miss Kopp, I appreciate, as always, the lively report. We had a look into our files concerning [XX]. British citizen, immigrated in 1914, never been in any trouble to our knowledge, but he deserves a closer look.”
Yes, a lively report. I’ve been enjoying this series with the “Kopp sisters”, three very different women but a tight, loyal family group. The author based the first stories on the real women, especially Constance Kopp, who was a lady cop.
A 6-foot-tall, formidable physical presence, she could chase and bring down criminals as well as her male counterparts. (This is 1918, so she would have been a head-turner, but not in the same way as the very pretty, much younger Fleurette Kopp.)
There’s not much said about the past in this book, but it certainly helps to know the background. The story moves so slowly in the beginning that if I weren’t already a committed fan, I might have quit. But then it picked up markedly and became quite entertaining.
It is told in letters, an epistolary format, which I enjoy but many don’t. The sisters have all done a form of military training in preparation for war, and each are contributing in different ways. Norma is in France with her pigeons, trying to get the army to take them seriously. She is as forceful and direct as ever. They live in dreadful quarters, and she’s had some settling-in issues.
“About these notes: When I first arrived at Fort de la Bonnelle, Captain Buscall mistook me for his secretary and asked me to take minutes of his meetings. You can be sure I corrected him without delay. I do nonetheless keep my own records of my meetings with him. This he objects to, for reasons I cannot fathom, as he was the one who wanted me taking notes in the first place.”
Norma is the adult version of those annoying children who take everything literally. Whether she’s on the autism spectrum, a bit obsessive-compulsive, who knows? She really does give her superiors some curry!
She keeps meticulous notes. This is her argument with Captain Buscall about why the pigeons the soldiers finally released with test messages didn’t behave as intended. She had laboriously typed up extensive instructions (which nobody reads, of course).
“buscall: ‘That wasn’t the only problem.’
kopp: ‘It’s also possible that they released the males and females together.’
buscall: ‘What?’
kopp: Didn’t you think to ask?
(Buscall shifts around in his chair but makes no reply.)
kopp: ‘A male and female, released together, will not return to the loft but will go off to mate. They must be starved for both food and companionship if they are to return faithfully home.’
buscall: ‘I’ve been starved for food and companionship since I left Fort Monmouth, but nobody’s letting me return home.’
kopp: (This, too, seemed a frivolous remark and not in need of a reply.)”
Later Norma writes:
“but the young men running things over here have never been to war and have no appreciation for the tried and true. If it’s new and electric-powered, they believe it will defeat the Germans through its sheer novelty. If that were the case, we could show them a moving picture and be done with it.”
Fleurette is performing around the country, entertaining people in a musical show. She writes:
“I’m just not sure that by putting on our little show, we do a thing to lighten their burdens or relieve their cares. So many of these boys are marking time — another evening in the auditorium, another day, another week, another month — and then they’re off to France, to live in a waterlogged trench and shoot at Germans.”
Meanwhile, Constance is living in town with the family’s farmhouse closed up for the duration. She writes to Norma, apologising a bit for how secretive she must be.
“How I wish I could tell you the particulars of the assignments I’m given, the cases I’m pursuing, and the small victories we can claim. But I’m not allowed to utter a word beyond the most general statements, even to my family, even to the girls here at the boarding-house. (Fleurette, when she’s home, finds out more than she should — I don’t know how she gets it out of me.)
Suffice it to say that I’m once again crawling around in the dark and disreputable corners of our city and those nearby. The other agents call it the’“sight-seeing tour of the underworld’ because we only glance at most criminal enterprises and then move on. For a souvenir we might pick up an odd scrap that leads to an investigation, but we leave the rest for the local police.”
Slow start, better finish. On to the next one! Thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the copy for review from which I’ve quoted. -
Don't be scared........Be a Braveycat! (Randee, Age 4)
And that's exactly where we come to find our beloved Kopp Sisters in this sixth book in the series. Amy Stewart has outdone herself in Dear Miss Kopp. Stewart reaches in deeply and creates her storyline with a completely different format. As we all know, letter writing has become a lost art. But nothing gives one a straight-up view into the past than personal accounts and historical perspectives as handwritten letters conveying one's thoughts and reactions......especially during times of war and individual setbacks. From Presidents to plain ol' plain people, these communications are beyond valuable. And these letters strike a match to some fiery episodes here.
The Kopp Sisters take their places among the Braveycats of this world. (They were actual sisters in real life.) From the first book onward, they never passed up a challenge or a new adventure. We now find them in the midst of World War I leaving the family farm in New Jersey to parts unknown. Norma has joined the Army Signal Corps with her trained carrier pigeons and is stationed in a small town in France. Constance, a former prison matron and female Sheriff assistant, has been assigned to work with the Bureau of Investigation (Later to become FBI) while surveying the movements of German spies and saboteurs in the United States. Fleurette, all of twenty, has joined an entertainment group traveling to military camps while sharing her singing and dancing talents.
Amy Stewart has done remarkable research into life during the Great War. She gives us a front-row seat and we sit in the midst of historical surround sound through those lively back-and-forth letters. What a ride! Stewart guides the Kopp Sisters through episodes of exasperation in regard to women's roles in the War Department. Most times women were relegated to the secretarial pools until Constance stuck her foot in the door to shade activities in the Bureau previously held by only men.
Dear Miss Kopp is fast-paced and delightful as Amy Stewart allows each sister to shine throughout this action-packed storyline. Her quick-witted dialogue showcases the quirky humor throughout. Dear Miss Kopp can read as a standalone, but I'd advise picking up the first book to get a true sense of them and their antics. Quite honestly, this one may be my favorite of all. Good, good stuff.
I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and the talented Amy Stewart for the opportunity. -
3.5 stars Book #6 in the Kopp Sisters series
Not sure that this book was my style. I have enjoyed the Kopp sisters books so far, but this one was a bit unusual. I will say that this book probably included all three sisters, and bit of the brother, more so than probably any other book except the first one in the series. However, this book was written all in letters. Letters back and forth between the sisters and between their respective bosses.
Norma was in France trying to get the military to engage her pigeons. Fleurette, the youngest, is planning to take a loaned parrot on a one woman show. And Constance is still in policing as an Intelligence Agent. This is all going on during the first World War.
What makes these books so interesting is that they are based on real-life women. The author noted that this particular book is less truth based than any other written. She was able to gather some information on Constance, but Norma and Fleurette seemed to disappear during the years this book covered. So she wrote them into scenarios of situations that were happening at that time. Then mentioned that her next book will be the most accurate of all the books on the Kopp sisters. -
Dear Miss Kopp,
My only complaint is having to wait to read the next installment of this series.
Sincerely yours,
Miss Reader and forever fan -
I was hesitant about the full-on epistolary form and the scattering of the sisters and plots.
I'm impressed with how well it all works, by the emergence of the formerly secondary sisters, by the weaving of a great sense of time and place out of what seems to have been painstaking and exuberant research.
This turned out to be be my favorite yet of the series. -
What a clever, interesting book about the entertaining Kopp sisters during WWI. These resourceful women never cease to amaze me with their endeavors and adventures. I am especially fond of Norma and her pigeon raising and absolute assurance in how right she is. I pity the Army officers in France who try to squelch her. They are no match for her.
Norma is stationed in France to implement her messenger pigeon program. Her superior officers are not impressed and try to shut the program down. Norma is having none of that and finds ways to work around their orders. It's often hilarious and always clever. She bears up when a serviceman actually eats one of these valuable trained birds. They end up saving American lives and proving the worth of what Norma is trying to accomplish.
Norma also gains a room-mate, a wonderful nurse named Aggie, who becomes friends with the entire family. Aggie survives a scandal with Norma's help and in the process a German spy is caught smuggling medical supplies to the enemy. Norma is once again a hero that we all knew her to be.
Meanwhile Constance is the lone female agent in the FBI investigating German spies and saboteurs in the U.S. She gets involved in a case that requires her sister, Fleurette's, help. It's amazing at how clever the two girls are in solving the case. Fleurette also becomes the proud own of a parrot who is quite entertaining.
What's even more clever is the entire book is written in the form of letters. There are letters from each other and from others to them. I thought I would find the format irritating but it was actually quite interesting. It reminded me of the weekly letters my mother used to write me. How I miss those. I think we are all poorer for the lack of letter writing we now have.
This was a wonderful book and I can't recommend the story of the Kopp sisters more. I feel so much better for reading this book. It made me happy. Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review. Thank you, Amy Stewart, for sharing the Kopp sisters with me. -
I don't know what it is about this series, but each installment makes me happier than the last. They have a sweetness that is just short of entirely wholesome which I find utterly charming.
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The Kopp Sisters are back! In Dear Miss Kopp, we follow the sisters into war, as each of the characters has her own mission to follow, each serving the country in her own way during the years of World War I.
The sixth book in the series, Dear Miss Kopp is the first to be told exclusively through letters, which makes sense: Constance, Norma, and Fleurette find themselves on very separate paths, far from one another geographically, and they must rely on their letters to keep in touch and to continue to support each other as they always have, even from a distance.
Constance has started her work with the Bureau of Investigation (the early FBI), one of the only women serving as an agent. She uses her unique talents to chase down and apprehend saboteurs, and her adventures in this book illustrate the threats faced domestically during the war years.
Norma is in the thick of things in France, where she applies her prickly, stubborn ways to making sure her messenger pigeons are able to serve the US armed forces. Norma being Norma, she manages to rub just about everyone the wrong way, but is ultimately instrumental in solving a spy mystery in the small French village where she’s stationed.
And lovely youngest sister Fleurette is on the go, touring the country with a vaudeville act, entertaining soldiers at army bases all across the US. Fleurette too has her share of challenges, and she always adds a bit of levity to any situation.
As always, a Kopp Sisters book is an utter delight. I love seeing the sisters’ dynamics, and also getting to see them each in action, deploying their varied talents and fighting for the chance to make a difference in a man’s world. At this point in the series, I feel that we readers know the characters so well, and it’s a treat to see them in these new settings, standing up for what they believe in and making unique contributions to the war effort.
Through the sisters’ adventures in Dear Miss Kopp, we also get an inside look as aspects of World War I that don’t necessarily get a lot of attention, including the support efforts abroad, away from the front lines, the devastating war injuries suffered by the soldiers, and the intense work at home to combat sabotage aimed at impeding the war efforts.
As a whole, the Kopp Sisters books are wonderful, and I loved this new installment. Can’t wait for more! -
RATING: 4 STARS
Another fun instalment in the Kopp Sisters series. Amy Stewart wasn't able to find much about what the Sisters did during WWI, especially with Norma and Flourette. She called it her more fictionalized novel. The next novel should return back to being more historical, Stewart has promised. While I enjoy hearing about real women in history, I also love historical fiction. Whether this is what really happened or not, this novel was entertaining. I love hearing about issues that women were going through at this time, in America and Europe. I would recommend reading this series in order as you do see the characters grow with the times. -
Dear Miss Kopp is the sixth book in the Kopp Sisters series by NYT best-selling American author, Amy Stewart. By mid-1918, the Kopp sisters find themselves apart, with Constance and Fleurette on separate missions travelling the country, while Norma and her pigeons are in France. Letters (some unsent), short notes and telegrams flow between them and others, carrying news of their lives and glimpses at happenings and conditions in their far-flung locations.
Constance upbraids Norma for the brevity of her missives: Norma is reluctant to enumerate her problems with her commanding officer, and too modest to detail her triumphs, but her roommate in their poor, cramped accommodation has no such qualms; Nurse Agnes Bell, stationed at the American Hospital in their unnamed French village, is so pleased to borrow this Kopp sister (especially when Norma helps to prove her innocence on a theft charge), she writes in detail to Constance; Norma pours out her exasperations to General Murray back home.
Fleurette’s reticence in letters to her older sisters is absent in missives to her best friend, Helen Stewart, to whom she describes to the accommodations and chaperoning arrangements for the entertainment troupes sent to boost the morale of army camps full of soldiers about to go to war, and run-ins with overzealous Women’s Protective Committee members, apparently blinkered to culpability of men, resulting in stints in “girl jail”.
To her sisters, as she resides in female boarding houses in between assignments for the Bureau of Investigation, Constance describes the torture of families and sweethearts awaiting any word from sons, brothers, beaus, the dispatch of comfort items in parcels, the often-unhelpful American Protection League activities, book drives, support of French war orphans, and the bartering that produces miracle meals from meagre supplies.
Norma’s problems include Army superiors who consider the whole pigeon program, intended to save the lives of runners, a frivolity; and soldiers who see it as a waste of time and are so poorly informed the birds are mistreated and sometimes end up as pigeon pie. Not to be daunted by orders, Norma takes the initiative and gets her birds to the front under the radar, an exercise that includes madeleines and love poems.
Constance tries to boost her morale: “We can only do our part. We cannot, as individuals, put a stop to crime or mayhem or even war. (Especially war.) We won’t, in any final sense, ever win. There will always be a police department, or a sheriff’s office, or an Army and Navy, because there will always be another criminal, another battle, another belligerent nation. All we can do is to get up every day and to stand on the side of justice and fairness.”
Fleurette somehow ends up doing a solo performance: a hit with the troops but it infuriates their spoiled, moody star, May Ward. Her letters describe the mood of soldiers about to risk their lives, feeling that naming war insurance beneficiaries is virtually a bet against oneself. The acquisition of a feathered companion spurs Fleurette to write to Norma.
Meanwhile, Constance infiltrates networks of German saboteurs, goes on slacker raids, investigates propagandist publications and engages in anti-unionist espionage (much to her distaste). Her reports entertain Bureau director, Bruce Bielaski, who gives her free rein, and Constance eventually recruits and trains a female BI agent, then enlists the help of Fleurette in an important covert operation.
Stewart’s Historical Notes are interesting and informative, revealing that Constance Kopp and her sisters were real people, much as described, as are quite a few of the other characters. Many of the events that form the plot also occurred, if not always when stated. Stewart takes the known historical facts and fleshes them out into a marvellous tale. Once again, excellent historical fiction.
This unbiased review is from a copy provided by NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt -
The U.S. has entered WWI and the Kopp Sisters are separated for the first time in their lives! In a series of letters to one another we learn what Constance, Norma, and Fleurette are doing to help the war effort at home and abroad.
Constance is working for the Bureau of Investigation to locate suspected German spies, Fleurette is traveling the country performing for the troops, and Norma is in France trying to prove the value of her pigeon project to the Army Signal Corps.
This book really shines a spotlight on Norma. She’s been the practical and curmudgeonly sister throughout this series but I feel like we get to know her so much better in this novel. Her roommate Agnes, a nurse at the American field hospital, begins to write to Constance and share stories of Norma’s heroic efforts in the face of adversity, as well as Norma’s help in clearing Aggie’s name when she’s accused of stealing medical supplies.
This was a wonderful epistolary novel that works incredibly well, especially for the time period and subject matter. I adore this cozy series and love catching up with the Kopp sisters. The previous book, Kopp Sisters on the March, wasn’t my favorite but did an excellent job of setting up for the events that take place in this novel. Amy Stewart has created an original voice for each sister and their letters are bursting with the personalities that readers have come to love and appreciate. Entertaining and charming as always, I look forward to the major changes coming for Constance, Norma, and Fleurette! I highly recommend this series to readers who enjoy historical fiction and mystery.
Thanks to HMH/Mariner Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Dear Miss Kopp is scheduled for release on January 12, 2021.
For more reviews, visit
www.rootsandreads.wordpress.com -
It's 1918, and in this installment, Stewart has had to be completely fictional with the Kopp sisters, although she has based some of the events on real ones or on real situations that happened at that time. However, she says that there are written records of the Kopp sisters after WW I again, so I'm looking forward to the next one.
In this one, Constance is doing intelligence work (this fact is known, but absolutely NOTHING is known about what kind of work she actually did), Norma is overseas with her pigeons (there really were pigeons, but no women involved with them IRL), and Fleurette is once again travelling with May Ward, but this time they are going from Army training camp to Army training camp.
Unlike the other books, this one is completely epistolary, which is a lot of fun. Staying true to character, most of Fleurette's most telling letters are to her friend, Helen, and most of the information about Norma comes from her roommate, Aggie. Stewart does a bang up job of the voices of the women and men writing the letters.
It's not for naught that this book has a 4.22 average rating at this point, and I read this in two nights after reading parts of other books, because I just wanted to keep on reading. -
The Kopp Sisters lives took different directions after their training at the camp. Constance works for as the only female agent in the Bureau of Investigation. Norma took her pigeons to France where a new commander does not see their value. Fleurette's dreams of show business took off by joining May Ward's tour which takes them to different army training camps. She does not get along well with the show's star. The entire novel unfolds through letters from the sisters to each other and to and from other acquaintances and associates to the sisters. While I feared the epistolary nature might lessen my enjoyment, I found I loved this one more than the preceding installment. Each sister's separate identity emerged as they pursued things within their own range of interests and talents. I received an advance reader's copy through NetGalley with the expectation of an honest review. (4.25 stars)
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I have been a fan of the Kopp sisters ever since I read
Girl Waits with Gun. Amy Stewart started to write about Miss Constance Kopp, first lady cop of the US in 1914, and her sisters, based on well-documented adventures from their lives. While the first two or three were based very closely on actual events, Stewart had to increasingly invent more fiction, and during World War I, she lost the trace of the sisters (almost) completely. Undaunted, she researched the involvement of women in the war, newspaper reports of local crime, spy stories, zealous moral enforcement against girls, and last but not least, the carrier pigeon program of the allies in World War I. The last one, of course, on account of Norma’s wholly fictional pigeon obsession.
My favorite part of each book is the “historical notes” section at the end. While all books contain multiple mysteries, the real reveal for me is when Amy tells what part of the story was based on real events and what was invented. I find it exciting to learn often that things I thought were wholly fictional in fact indeed have happened. (My biggest astonishment of this kind was the big family secret from the first book. I was so sure that only happened in novels.) In this book, it is the existence of the pigeon program, and that there was a pigeon that saved a lot of soldiers from friendly fire.
Stewart changes the format of the book from the usual third person to epistolary. The story is told in letters, first person from each correspondent. This makes sense as the Kopp sisters are now scattered in all directions, but it takes some getting used to. As the story is a bit slow to start, I might not have stuck around if this was my first book in the series. But I trusted Amy and was rewarded. She served up a nice stew of women’s history with the usual charm. The tone of this book, as the others, is on the rather quaint, somewhat charming but naive side, even if it covers tough topics like the war and repression of women’s freedoms. After reading The Expanse for the last week, however, the change to 1918 women’s perspective, with its reluctance to engage in any shocking language, I required some adjustment to appreciate the charm and mild humor.
The sisters are separated. Norma is in France on the front, setting up the pigeon program, and acquires a room mate in Aggie, a hospital nurse, who fills in the gaps in Norma’s rather to-the-point communications and describes life in the local French village. Norma goes on the investigative when Aggie is accused of stealing supplies from the hospital, and they uncover not just the culprit but a spy plot, which Norma handles with iron will and clever finesse. The pigeon program is not so successful: Norma encounters sexism and plain indifference, but she perseveres. It was interesting to learn how the army was completely unprepared for the housing and training of women, and did not accord them proper ranks.
Constance is involved in counter espionage for the FBI (or what became the FBI). Stewart learned from her obituary that she was involved in intelligence work and spun a story around uncovering a German sabotage attempt. Constance involves multiple women in the investigation, including Fleurette, and earns the respect of her superiors. Fleurette, before this, spends much of her time touring with May Ward and entertaining the troups, providing insight into the army camps and the mood of departing soldiers. She gets caught by an overzealous matron and arrested just for being outside and talking to a soldier. This was apparently common and girls could be imprisoned with no recourse, no trial, and locked up for months or years in institutions.
The book closes with the end of the war and a sense of returning to a completely changed world. While Europe is ravaged, America senses a new beginning, and much of it is for women: while the men were gone, women showed that they could do the men’s jobs. Many are bobbing their hair… and getting jobs, wow!
After a slow start, it is an entertaining read for fans of the series. And Amy promises that after the war we pick up the actual lives of the sisters again. I will be definitely picking it up! -
Another great time with the Kopp Sisters. Their characters were true to form. Loved the historical info.
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This edition of the Kopp sisters is a surprise. First, it's an epistolary novel. The sisters are in three different locations during WW I, so they, and a few others, write letters to one another as a way to tell the story. Secondly, I felt that Norma finally became a major part of the story, not just as Constance's sister.
Norma is in Europe with her homing pigeons trying to introduce their value to the army. While I was reading this section, I kept thinking back to
Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey that I read earlier this year. Surprise, in the afterward, Stewart explains Cher Ami's story and relevance to this story.
This was a quick read that demonstrated women's independence that would have be unusual for the time. I got an especially hearty laugh when Norma describes another stalwart immovable female supervisor. Was that the pot calling the kettle?
Thanks to Edelweiss for the opportunity to enjoy this latest chapter of the Kopp Sisters a little early. -
You might think that the Kopp sisters series might get stale once it’s up to its 6th installment, but not at all. Dear Miss Kopp is told through letters between the sisters and other characters. Stewart spins up a layered set of narratives that perfectly capture the spirit of the earlier books while letting each of the sisters come into their own.
I received an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review. -
so trench cake could make it from new jersey to france, but i can’t get a sheetcake delivered to my front door. the injustice of it all
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This interesting thing about this installment in the Kopp Sisters series is that the author tells it that it is entirely fictional. She has no idea what each of the Kopp sisters was doing during World War I. She does base some of the incidents on historical incidents without a direct relationship to the sisters. What she has each of them doing is plausible, given what she has written about them before, some of which was fictional and some of which was based on historical fact.
I found this one well written. It is played out in a series of letters (and a few telegrams, newspaper articles, etc.). The correspondence involves Constance, who is living in Paterson, New Jersey, in a boarding house and working as the first female agent for the Bureau of Investigation (later to become the FBI), Norma, who is in France with the messenger pigeon project for the U.S. Army, and Fleurette, who is traveling to camps in the U.S. with May Ward and the Dresden Dolls, entertaining the troops. New characters include Aggie, Norma's roommate and a nurse in an American hospital in the French village, who also corresponds with Constance, and Miss Bradshaw, whom Constance recruits as an agent to help solve the case she's working on. Constance also corresponds with Bruce Bielaski, the first head of the Bureau of Investigation, and Norma with General Murray (about the pigeon project). I found that the correspondence way of telling the stories worked remarkably well, especially in conveying what it would have been like for each of them living under the conditions of the United States and Europe at war in World War I.
If you have enjoyed the series up until now, I'm sure you'll like this one as well. -
Another wonderful book in a charming series I can't recommend highly enough. This is book #6 and they must be read in order for plot and character development to be fully appreciated. It's a great story based on the lives of three real-life sisters, Constance, Norma, and Fleurette Kopp. This installment (unlike the others in the series) is told completely in epistolary style as the sisters each do their part in the war effort in 1918. It's as much a history of women's roles in the war as well as a few mystery plotlines involving Constance as well as Norma. The author provides informative historical notes at the end of each book that are just fascinating as well as refers to her web site for actual photographs of the sisters and women and events of the era. Above all, the characters are so likeable and Stewart's storytelling engaging it's a delight to read. If you love women's history, historical fiction, strong women, mystery, and solid writing, this is for you.
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While I still love the Kopp sisters this book just didn't do it for me. World War I has started and Norma is in France developing a pigeon messaging detail. Fleurette is with May Ward's Eight Dresden Dolls traveling and performing at Army bases around the country. Constance is now working for what will become the FBI. The book is written in the form of letters going back and forth between the sisters, add in Norma's roommate, Aggie, and also letters from Norma to her supervisor, Bielaski. Each sister was having their own adventures and even though each adventure was interesting I felt with all the jumping around in letters I lost the thread. It just wasn't compelling for me. I look forward to the next outing of the Kopp sisters, hopefully not in epistolary form.
Thank you to Netgalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing me with a copy of this book. -
Thanks again to Houghton, Mifflin and Harcourt for sending me an ARC as a member of The Kopp Sisters Literary Society. I have really enjoyed this series, based on the life of Constance Kopp, the first female Deputy in Hackensack, NJ and her sisters. Amy Stewart has done a huge amount of research about the sisters and life in the early 1900s in the Northeast. This installment is epistolary as the 3 sisters are separated during the last part of World War I. They write back and forth, with Norma and her pigeons in France and Constance in NY/NJ working for the Bureau of Investigation (precursor of the FBI) investigating possible traitors and spies. Fleurette is finally old enough to be on her own; she is touring with May Ward's company, entertaining troops prior to their departure for Europe. Amy Stewart packs so much historical information into these novels without making it feel like an info dump. Rather, you feel like she is gently reminding you of things you know or should have known.
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Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of Dear Miss Kopp.
I love the Kopp sisters and this series so I was SO excited when my request was approved.
** Minor spoilers ahead **
I'm not a fan of novels written in an epistolary format, but I was so eager to find out what happens next for Constance, Norma and Fleurette that it didn't bother me as much that the novel was written in a series of letters.
Set during the first World War, for the first time, the Kopp ladies are separated; Norma is in France, Constance is undercover, and Fleurette is traveling with May Ward, entertaining the troops and keeping their spirits up.
Through the sisters' amusing letters, told in their unique voices (which Ms. Stewart is great at), we learn about their numerous adventures and escapades.
Ms. Stewart crafts a fascinating story using creative license and historical facts against the backdrop of Europe in war, the US engaged in protecting our soldiers and our liberty, and Fleurette's difficulties in traveling when women were not allowed the freedoms we have now.
One of the best things about this series is the historical context and information Ms. Stewart always brings to the narrative; the facts and tidbits about what it was like for women during this time, and unknowingly at the time, one of the reasons women entered the workforce and stayed.
The Kopp sisters are doing their part for the war effort, utilizing their unique skill set; Constance is positive and forthright; Norma is her usual droll, taciturn self, and Fleurette has matured from a flighty teenager to an ambitious young woman who knows what she wants, and what she wants is a career on the stage.
Dear Miss Kopp leaves the readers wanting more as each sisters are offered a chance to continue their personal journeys on their respective paths toward reaching their career goals.
This series promotes self-empowerment, feminism without being preachy and patronizing, and all the ideals and virtues we would want strong women (and men) to practice, uphold and implement in their own lives, personally and professionally.
I can't wait to see what adventures are next for the Kopp sisters in the future! -
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 with 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. This story told all in letters does not have the same drive as the earlier novels, but 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. -
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! -
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
I always look forward to the next book in this series. Each one is so unique but very well written and full of interesting historical stories. This one is unique in that it's written in the form of letters between the characters.
If you haven't read the previous books in this series, I highly recommend all of them. I'm usually not a fan of series but this one has me hooked. I can't wait to see what these lovely characters experience next! -
My favourite Kopp Sister’s novel to date.
WWI – 1918 - an epistolary novel, fast moving and very well done.
Norma is stationed in France with her pigeons. She makes friends with an American nurse by the name of Aggie who gets into trouble due to missing medicines from the hospital. Norma will hear none of it and determines to prove her new friend innocent of all charges.
Constance remains in New Jersey and is working undercover with what will eventually become the FBI. Her specific job is to flush out German saboteurs which she, of course, does with her usual aplomb.
Fleurette is touring the USA entertaining troops with the May Ward vaudeville troupe of Dresden Dolls, until she takes possession of a parrot by the name of Laura.
Informative and entertaining letters between the sisters as they try to keep up to date with each other and what each is doing while they are apart. As serious as things may be for each sister they do manage some amusing interludes that entertained me no end. -
Thoroughly enjoyed this, the 6th in the Kopp sisters' series. Amy Stewart's research into women's experiences during WW1 is remarkable and riveting. Is there any era of American history when women didn't have to deal with scorn or violence, or managed to overcome it? Here, the 3 sisters' stories are woven together in an epistolary form, far more effectively than I anticipated.
