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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I had high hopes for "Florence Adler Swims Forever" after hearing on a podcast that the book was almost entirely character driven, an important characteristic for me in a novel. The book's plot revolves around competitive swimmer Florence's drowning in chapter one and her parents' decision to hide this tragedy from Florence's sister, who is being hospitalized due to an endangered pregnancy--the thinking being that the shock of learning about her sister's death could lead to her going into labor prematurely and losing the baby. ( This had previously happened to her the year before.) The story takes place in Atlantic City in 1934 and the reader gets a real sense of what life was like back then in that environment, including the sad fact of anti-Semitism. Florence and her family are Jewish and cannot stay in some of the hotels or eat in some restaurants in the area.
And indeed, I did enjoy the development of the seven main characters--each one given a chapter in turn to describe their activities and inner thoughts. We have Gussie, Florence's 7 year old niece, Fanny, Florence's pregnant sister, and her ne'er do well husband, Isaac, Esther and Joseph, Florence and Fanny's parents who own a bakery, Stuart, Florence's informal swim coach and the gentile son of a wealthy hotelier, and finally, Anna, a family friend who has recently come over to attend college and escape from the increasing persecution of Jews in Germany.
Events unfold and we learn more of the back story of each of the characters, which I loved. I also appreciated learning more about the Jewish culture of the 1930's and the difficulties faced by Jews who wanted desperately to get out of Nazi Germany.
However, I never was able to set aside my dismay at what an awful idea it was to keep Florence's death a secret from Fanny. This caused much stress and angst for the various characters and, without giving any spoilers away, it was not resolved to my satisfaction--indeed, I reached the end of the book feeling like I was left hanging--that the real ending had yet to be written. It was this ending that led me to give the book only 3 stars. Having said that, if you enjoy character driven books with a strong sense of place and time, you will likely enjoy this book.
And indeed, I did enjoy the development of the seven main characters--each one given a chapter in turn to describe their activities and inner thoughts. We have Gussie, Florence's 7 year old niece, Fanny, Florence's pregnant sister, and her ne'er do well husband, Isaac, Esther and Joseph, Florence and Fanny's parents who own a bakery, Stuart, Florence's informal swim coach and the gentile son of a wealthy hotelier, and finally, Anna, a family friend who has recently come over to attend college and escape from the increasing persecution of Jews in Germany.
Events unfold and we learn more of the back story of each of the characters, which I loved. I also appreciated learning more about the Jewish culture of the 1930's and the difficulties faced by Jews who wanted desperately to get out of Nazi Germany.
However, I never was able to set aside my dismay at what an awful idea it was to keep Florence's death a secret from Fanny. This caused much stress and angst for the various characters and, without giving any spoilers away, it was not resolved to my satisfaction--indeed, I reached the end of the book feeling like I was left hanging--that the real ending had yet to be written. It was this ending that led me to give the book only 3 stars. Having said that, if you enjoy character driven books with a strong sense of place and time, you will likely enjoy this book.
I absolutely loved this book! It wasan enjoyable and wonderful story. I was absorbed quickly and loved the characters, story development, and setting.
I read this book in a single sitting because I couldn't put it down as I had to know what was going to happen next. The chapters are a bit long but it was not really noticable
If you like historical fiction you must read this book...I couldn't put this book down, and cannot recommend it enough.
Thank you NetGalley, Simon & Schuster and Rachel Beanland for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
I read this book in a single sitting because I couldn't put it down as I had to know what was going to happen next. The chapters are a bit long but it was not really noticable
If you like historical fiction you must read this book...I couldn't put this book down, and cannot recommend it enough.
Thank you NetGalley, Simon & Schuster and Rachel Beanland for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Florence Adler Swims Forever is a good book, filled with interesting characters, sadness, and tough choices. I loved that it was based on the author's family, and that Florence was based on a real woman. It was definitely a book to get lost in! One thing I loved was that it was historical fiction adjacent to the Depression and World War II, but not about those events. There were references for sure but it wasn't the main storyline. Rachel Beanland's writing was great and I hope she writes more novels in the future!
I enjoyed reading this book until it was over.
The entire book revolves around keeping a secret from one person. I wanted to see the reaction once the truth came out, but the novel ended before we could get there. I enjoyed the writing, the story-telling, and the alternating character chapters, but it ended without any conclusion to the person having the secret kept from them. It wasn't totally satisfying to me for that reason and I felt kind of bummed after I finished.
The entire book revolves around keeping a secret from one person. I wanted to see the reaction once the truth came out, but the novel ended before we could get there. I enjoyed the writing, the story-telling, and the alternating character chapters, but it ended without any conclusion to the person having the secret kept from them. It wasn't totally satisfying to me for that reason and I felt kind of bummed after I finished.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
