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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
Still catching up with my reviews for Goodreads.
This covers some of my historical fiction reading period.
This is a story about Ellis Island in the early 20th century – told from an immigrant experience in 1902 and from 2 perspectives.
The first perspective is Francesca. She is a young Sicilian woman fleeing her abusive father. The second perspective is Alma, a second-generation German-American, forced by her stepfather to work at Ellis Island so that she, an unmarried woman, can contribute to the household income. She is compassionate and devoted to social justice issues.
Alma yearns to become a translator, a challenging route for a woman at this time. At Ellis Island, the two woman’s paths cross, they become friends, and find ways to help, learn and support each other. With Francesca’s support, Alma tries to expose the abuses happening at Ellis Island.
The author does a good job of mixing fact and fiction within the storyline – in that, if anyone were to take a tour of Ellis Island today, you aren’t going to hear about what the immigrants suffered, or the blatant prejudices they faced once they entered NYC and beyond.
The author exposes these injustices, showcasing the critical side of history by sharing with the reader the neglected but important part of history through her historical fiction, an engaging story of memorable and strong female characters.
Which makes this…
A powerful story of female friendship, a look at the immigrant experience and triumph over darkness.
I'm a huge historical fiction fan, especially when it's set in the US. I've been fascinated by Ellis Island since I was a child, and even more so after visiting in my early 20s. It was a building that was truly moving to see and know how many people began their journey in the US there.
The Next Ship Home follows two women, one a US citizen and one an Italian immigrant, and their trials and triumphs. It's at times completely heartbreaking and at times powerful. It will open your eyes to what the immigrant experience may have been like coming through Ellis Island. It is certainly one that will stick with me.
While I did enjoy reading it, it moved slowly for me. It was a really good story, but there were times where I was ready for something more to happen. Overall, a good book.
3.5/5 stars
Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks, and Suzy Approved Book Tours for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review!
The Next Ship Home follows two women, one a US citizen and one an Italian immigrant, and their trials and triumphs. It's at times completely heartbreaking and at times powerful. It will open your eyes to what the immigrant experience may have been like coming through Ellis Island. It is certainly one that will stick with me.
While I did enjoy reading it, it moved slowly for me. It was a really good story, but there were times where I was ready for something more to happen. Overall, a good book.
3.5/5 stars
Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks, and Suzy Approved Book Tours for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review!
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Violence
Found the history behind the immigrants at Ellis Island super interesting and depressing. Our immigrant history has always had issues and unfortunately it has gotten worse if possible! The fortitude immigrants have shown to come here is amazing and a sign of how bad things were for them previously.
More like 3.5. A pretty good read overall - though parts of it could be a bit slow. I enjoyed learning new facts about early US immigration at Ellis Island.
I’m a fan of Heather Webb’s books. She’s written some with Hazel Gaynor, who I also love. A really fun thing about Heather Webb is that one of my coworkers was taught by her in high school.
Have you read any historical fiction involving Ellis Island?
About the book: “Ellis Island, 1902: Two women band together to hold America to its promise: "Give me your tired, your poor..."
A thoughtful historical inspired by true events, this novel probes America's history of prejudice and exclusion—when entry at Ellis Island promised a better life but often delivered something drastically different, immigrants needed strength, resilience, and friendship to fight for their futures.”
Francesca arrives at Ellis Island via Italy. She is seeking a better life. Alma is born in the US and taught to dislike immigrants. Alma works at the immigrant processing center. The two end up building a friendship from which they learn life lessons about the other. The story shines a light on the abuses and prejudice against immigrants, especially women, that has deep roots, even at Ellis Island, which is supposed to mark the first steps into the land of opportunity.
The Next Ship Home is a story of two women who find strength and grit through their friendship. I loved Alma and Francesca and the arcs of their characters. What a vividly drawn, powerful story of the courage and commitment to begin again against insurmountable odds.
I received a gifted copy.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
Have you read any historical fiction involving Ellis Island?
About the book: “Ellis Island, 1902: Two women band together to hold America to its promise: "Give me your tired, your poor..."
A thoughtful historical inspired by true events, this novel probes America's history of prejudice and exclusion—when entry at Ellis Island promised a better life but often delivered something drastically different, immigrants needed strength, resilience, and friendship to fight for their futures.”
Francesca arrives at Ellis Island via Italy. She is seeking a better life. Alma is born in the US and taught to dislike immigrants. Alma works at the immigrant processing center. The two end up building a friendship from which they learn life lessons about the other. The story shines a light on the abuses and prejudice against immigrants, especially women, that has deep roots, even at Ellis Island, which is supposed to mark the first steps into the land of opportunity.
The Next Ship Home is a story of two women who find strength and grit through their friendship. I loved Alma and Francesca and the arcs of their characters. What a vividly drawn, powerful story of the courage and commitment to begin again against insurmountable odds.
I received a gifted copy.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
If I could give 100 stars I would. This boom was amazing. The characters, the history, the story. I may have cried.
New York City is on my list of places to visit, and Ellis Island is very close to the top of that list. Reading about Ellis Island, the people who worked there and the people who went through the doors during the 1900’s has made me want to visit it even more.
Heather Webb wrote an amazing historical fiction book that brings the reader right into the 1900’s, to a country where women are fighting to make a difference, parents get to make choices for their daughters, and immigrants are coming to Ellis Island by the 1000’s. I could feel the history coming out of the story as I read.
Francesca is an interesting character. She comes to the USA to start her life over, but things do not go as planned for her. While she struggles with the losses in her life, she also finds friendships in the people who help her get into a country that she dreamt about living in. I admire her strength to travel so far not knowing what was waiting for her.
Ellis Island came alive for me as I kept reading, I could picture New York as I read about the different burrows. I could hear the unique accents as the characters shared their stories with the reader.
Heather Webb wrote an amazing historical fiction book that brings the reader right into the 1900’s, to a country where women are fighting to make a difference, parents get to make choices for their daughters, and immigrants are coming to Ellis Island by the 1000’s. I could feel the history coming out of the story as I read.
Francesca is an interesting character. She comes to the USA to start her life over, but things do not go as planned for her. While she struggles with the losses in her life, she also finds friendships in the people who help her get into a country that she dreamt about living in. I admire her strength to travel so far not knowing what was waiting for her.
Ellis Island came alive for me as I kept reading, I could picture New York as I read about the different burrows. I could hear the unique accents as the characters shared their stories with the reader.
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review The Next Ship Home.
Set in New York in the very early 1900s, Webb creates the scene as we meet immigrants of different backgrounds, cultures, and at different stages of their experience in the United States. Ellis Island was the hub of where immigrants landed from many countries in eastern Europe. By this point, Irish and German immigrants were higher up on the pecking order of things, while the Polish, Italians, and Greek were the shunned ones.
Alma is the daughter of German immigrants who run a beer hall. She secures a job at Ellis Island but hopes to become an interpreter. We meet Francesca, an Italian immigrant from Sicily who is escaping hardship and abuse and hopes for a better life. Surrounding them are a cast of characters, some stereotypical, all trying to make their way in the bustling city.
The book takes on a lot. Webb uncovers the atrocities happening at Ellis Island and peppers in factual information uncovered by investigations and news reports. Wrapped around this are the families of immigrants (1st and second generation) and how they cope.
The scenes were vivid as I could really place myself in the places. The characters were mostly likeable or hated if warranted. There are a lot of stereotypes thrown out but then, as a second generation American myself, know that this was normal conversation of the time. I found the dialogue campy and rolled my eyes at how some of the things were said, but I really enjoyed the storyline, just liking it better as a narrative than in the dialogue. A very high 3* will round to 4* for the purposes of this early review.
Set in New York in the very early 1900s, Webb creates the scene as we meet immigrants of different backgrounds, cultures, and at different stages of their experience in the United States. Ellis Island was the hub of where immigrants landed from many countries in eastern Europe. By this point, Irish and German immigrants were higher up on the pecking order of things, while the Polish, Italians, and Greek were the shunned ones.
Alma is the daughter of German immigrants who run a beer hall. She secures a job at Ellis Island but hopes to become an interpreter. We meet Francesca, an Italian immigrant from Sicily who is escaping hardship and abuse and hopes for a better life. Surrounding them are a cast of characters, some stereotypical, all trying to make their way in the bustling city.
The book takes on a lot. Webb uncovers the atrocities happening at Ellis Island and peppers in factual information uncovered by investigations and news reports. Wrapped around this are the families of immigrants (1st and second generation) and how they cope.
The scenes were vivid as I could really place myself in the places. The characters were mostly likeable or hated if warranted. There are a lot of stereotypes thrown out but then, as a second generation American myself, know that this was normal conversation of the time. I found the dialogue campy and rolled my eyes at how some of the things were said, but I really enjoyed the storyline, just liking it better as a narrative than in the dialogue. A very high 3* will round to 4* for the purposes of this early review.