What I’m Reading: Little Souls

I had a couple of Audible credits that were going to expire so I quickly downloaded a couple of books.  I will admit that I don’t use Audible as much as my online libraries…why wants to pay when you can get a book for free??  Often times I browse Audible but then check to see if either online library I use already has the book and will get it from there for free instead.  I do have a few favorite authors that I pre-order books from via Audible.

One of the credits I used was for the book Little Souls by Sandra Dallas.  She has long been a favorite author of mine.  My favorite is likely Alice’s Tulips.  I like the older ones best…  Tall Grass, The Diary of Mattie Spenser, The Persian Pickle Club.  The newer ones I don’t like as much.  I was hopeful that this is one I’d like.

This one takes place during the Spanish flu.  Reading it reminded me so much of going through Covid.  People thought of remedies but didn’t know if they were quack science or something that would really prevent a person from getting it.  I’m going to warn you upfront that if you lost someone to Covid, this might not be the book for you.  I really do think it would dredge up some tough emotions.

All is all I enjoyed the book.  It does touch on rape and abuse and how that was handled back in the early 1800s.  I found that all interesting…and very sad.

This is why I am drawn to historical fiction.  I appreciate learning how hard topics were dealt with during the times and how they are dealt with in modern times.  Even though it’s fiction, I get a sense that it’s more of the true history rather than only book history.

Here is what Amazon has to say:
“Colorado, 1918. World War I is raging overseas, but it’s the home front battling for survival. With the Spanish Flu rampant, Denver’s schools are converted into hospitals, churches and funeral homes are closed, and horse-drawn wagons collect corpses left in the street. Sisters Helen and Lutie have moved to Denver from Iowa after their parents’ deaths. Helen, a nurse, and Lutie, a carefree advertising designer at a fashionable women’s store share a small, neat house, and each finds a local beau―for Helen a doctor, for Lutie a young student who soon enlists. They make a modest income from a rental apartment in the basement. When their tenant dies from the flu, the sisters are thrust into caring for the woman’s small daughter, Dorothy. Soon after, Lutie comes home from work and discovers a dead man on their kitchen floor and Helen standing above the body, an icepick in hand. She has no doubt Helen killed the man―Dorothy’s father―in self-defense, but she knows that will be hard to prove. They decide to leave the body in the street, hoping to disguise it as a flu victim.

Meanwhile, Lutie also worries about her fiancé “over there.” As it happens, his wealthy mother harbors a secret of her own and helps the sisters as the danger deepens, from both the murder investigation and the outbreak.

Set against the backdrop of an epidemic that feels all too familiar, Little Souls is a compelling tale of sisterhood and of the sacrifices people make to protect those they love most.”

Amazon readers gave the book 4.4 stars.  I would agree.  I enjoyed the book and it kept my interest.

As of the writing of this review, the book was only $2.99 for Kindle users.  You can find all versions of the book HERE.

Happily, I found out she has a new book coming out in April.  I put it on pre-order.  I’m looking forward to it!!