The Lost Sisterhood by Anne Fortier

The Lost Sisterhood by Anne Fortier is a literary mystery-romance set in present day Oxford, England.  Diana Morgan is a lecturer on Greek mythology, but her real interest lies in the mythological Amazon women. Her grandmother, deemed crazy by her parents and subject to medical procedures to “help” her, claimed to be an Amazon. Although she disappeared when Diana was a child, she left behind enigmatic clues to a secret past and identity.

Diana’s obsession with Amazons has not made her popular with the other faculty at Oxford. When a stranger approaches her and invites her to an archaeological dig that will prove the existence of the Amazons, Diana can’t resist, even if going on the trip jeopardizes her position at Oxford.

Leaving behind not only Oxford but her secret crush, the rich and handsome James Moselane, Diana embarks on an adventure that takes her to Africa, Greece, Turkey, and Finland. Along the way, she finds more clues to her grandmother’s past and meets a mysterious man whose identity keeps changing and who keeps popping up in unexpected places.

Alternating with Diana’s story is the author’s vision of a timeline of the Amazons beginning in the Bronze Age, intertwining with Greek history and the Trojan War. A number of characters familiar to us from The Iliad make appearances in these chapters.

 The Lost Sisterhood is imaginative, and I enjoyed the Oxford location. It is action-filled in the manner of the Indiana Jones movies; characterization is not its strong suit. It engaged me at the beginning although I thought it ran a little long and I found the ending very far-fetched. Still, if you enjoyed A.S. Byatt’s Possession or are fascinated by Greek, Trojan, and Amazon mythology, you may enjoy The Lost Sisters.