“What did anyone ever know about a relationship that could look as transparent as a Coke bottle one moment and as milky as sea glass the next?”
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I picked this book up expecting a fun summer story about a strong woman in history doing something amazing, but boy was I shaken by the turn this book took. I don’t want to give too many specifics without giving spoilers but essentially it’s the story about the real lives of a Jewish family in the 1930’s. This family love each other fiercely that they go to unimaginable lengths to protect one another. Joseph and Esther are the parents any one of us could want they are successful and kind and want the best for their daughters. Stuart was also a great character with morals beyond his age and background.
For much of the story I was really annoyed by Fannie and Isaac’s selfish behavior. I was happy to see that their daughter Gussie had the great influence of her grandparents in her life. I appreciated that the author’s note clarified the real story as that bumped it up a half a star for me, knowing that those were story devices to add tension rather than real actions of real people. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this novel. All opinions above are my own.
This was one on my insanely long list of Netgalley requests that I just never got to around its pub date. I’ve had myself on request restriction for a month or so now and it’s helping me catch up. How do you decide which backlist titles to tackle in amongst the amazing shiny new books being published each day?
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