Band of Sisters by Annette Lyon

When the war on terror calls their husbands to duty, five LDS women are left behind to fight battles of their own: Kim, newlywed and pregnant, frightened of what the future might bring. Brenda, struggling to manage three unruly boys and a crippling bout of depression. Jessie, secretly grappling with mixed feelings about her emotionally abusive husband. Marianne, wrestling with a rebellious teenage daughter. And Nora, the seasoned Army wife with perfect hair, an immaculate home—and an ill-tempered mother dying of cancer. Knowing the separation of deployment is extremely difficult, Nora gathers the wives every week to share lunches and burdens. In good company, they worry over safety in the field and stability at home and offer one another counsel and comfort. But as their personal crises build, each woman faces the risks of forming deep bonds of trust. And when tragedy strikes, they must confront the painful realities of war that pull families apart and bring friends together as sisters.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I felt like each women was a dear friend of mine. Reading their struggles and joys connected me to each story and character.
Annette has done an amazing job in writing and drawing me in. Thank you for this glimpse of a life I haven't seen yet. I have more empathy and compassion for this part of our culture we don't think about or know about.
I found myself wiping away tears several times and that is hard to do.

Rating PG
V: None
L: None
S: None

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25% test (p. 69):
Chapter II: Kim
Confession
October 7, 2009, 9:47 PM
The computer chimed, and Kim leaned forward to read Justin's instant message.
Miss u.
She smiled, feeling giddy as if she were flirting with her boyfriend over the Internet. Sometimes that's what it felt like--as if she and Justin were still dating, since they'd been married for such a short time when he left. Sitting in a pair of Justin's old sweats, she set aside her bowl of Kellogg's Frosted Flakes--tonight's dinner--to respond.
Miss u 2.
She pressed ENTER and sat back with her bowl. She scooped a bite as she waited for Justin's next response. He'd said he had about fifteen minutes before needing to report on duty. It was morning for him--well after breakfast--but bedtime for her.
After all the talk about husbands at today's lunch, she missed Justin even more than usual. The apartment felt bigger, emptier. And there was a little worm of guilt in her chest that she still hadn't told him about the baby. The wives all knew now. It was "high time" her husband knew, as her mother would say. At least, she'd say that if she knew.
Legs crossed, Kim bobbed one foot up and down, sending on Pooh Bear slipper bouncing. Justin bought them for her at Disneyland on their honeymoon. He'd almost gone for the 101 Dalmatians ones, but she'd talked him out of it, saying that they were a little too close to something Cruella DeVille would wear."