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colleenlovestoread 's review for:
Children of Liberty
by Paullina Simons
I reviewed this book for www.luxuryreading.com.
Gina and her mother and brother travel from Italy to Boston in search of a better life. As soon as they arrive in Boston they are met by two young men, Harry Barrington and Ben Shaw, who assist new immigrants in finding work and shelter in apartments that Harry’s father owns. While the Attavianos do not ultimately stay in the Barrington apartments Gina is instantly dawn to Harry and is convinced, despite their differences in class, religion and background that they are meant to be together. From that day forward, the Barringtons and the Attavianos are forever linked, in ways unexpected and often unwanted by members of both families. But in a country at the cusp of societal and political changes, can two people searching for their freedom from two different worlds ever find a place together in either?
Gina Attaviano is a delightful character! She is witty, earnest, kind and sassy. It is seeing her genuine mix of intelligence and naiveté at what this new world can offer that makes her so enjoyable to read about. The various other characters all have their own purposes surrounding the evolution of Gina and Harry’s relationship but it was their central journey that I enjoyed most. I also found the fact that all of the characters seemed to love someone who loves someone else (for example, Harry’s sister Esther loves Ben, Ben loves Gina, Gina loves Harry, etc.) a tender way to look at each character in turn and made it easier to feel for each of them, even those that were less than sympathetic (such as Esther). The dialogue is clever and funny and it was the various human interactions that drove the book and made it enjoyable for me.
What made Children of Liberty feel daunting at times, however, were the distracting subplots, such as Ben’s obsession with getting the Panama Canal built and importing bananas to America. The discussion of the various societal and political changes and affiliations (capitalism, anarchism, etc) was also overdone to me and, since I do not have a big interest in these sorts of topics, hard to distinguish and follow. It felt repetitive and unnecessary and had me struggling through to get back to the personal interactions of the characters. There were also no author’s notes explaining what aspects of the story are true to history and which are embellishments, something that I rely on when reading historical fiction. This could be because I read an Uncorrected Proof of the book but I hope the final copy will include this for the reader.
Readers who enjoy historical fiction set in turn of the century America and those dealing with class struggles and finding love beyond those boundaries would most likely enjoy Children of Liberty. Those who also know and understand the difference between the various political affiliations would enjoy it even more. Those who don’t enjoy this sort of thing might want to keep it in mind, however, so they are not bogged down in the reading.
Gina and her mother and brother travel from Italy to Boston in search of a better life. As soon as they arrive in Boston they are met by two young men, Harry Barrington and Ben Shaw, who assist new immigrants in finding work and shelter in apartments that Harry’s father owns. While the Attavianos do not ultimately stay in the Barrington apartments Gina is instantly dawn to Harry and is convinced, despite their differences in class, religion and background that they are meant to be together. From that day forward, the Barringtons and the Attavianos are forever linked, in ways unexpected and often unwanted by members of both families. But in a country at the cusp of societal and political changes, can two people searching for their freedom from two different worlds ever find a place together in either?
Gina Attaviano is a delightful character! She is witty, earnest, kind and sassy. It is seeing her genuine mix of intelligence and naiveté at what this new world can offer that makes her so enjoyable to read about. The various other characters all have their own purposes surrounding the evolution of Gina and Harry’s relationship but it was their central journey that I enjoyed most. I also found the fact that all of the characters seemed to love someone who loves someone else (for example, Harry’s sister Esther loves Ben, Ben loves Gina, Gina loves Harry, etc.) a tender way to look at each character in turn and made it easier to feel for each of them, even those that were less than sympathetic (such as Esther). The dialogue is clever and funny and it was the various human interactions that drove the book and made it enjoyable for me.
What made Children of Liberty feel daunting at times, however, were the distracting subplots, such as Ben’s obsession with getting the Panama Canal built and importing bananas to America. The discussion of the various societal and political changes and affiliations (capitalism, anarchism, etc) was also overdone to me and, since I do not have a big interest in these sorts of topics, hard to distinguish and follow. It felt repetitive and unnecessary and had me struggling through to get back to the personal interactions of the characters. There were also no author’s notes explaining what aspects of the story are true to history and which are embellishments, something that I rely on when reading historical fiction. This could be because I read an Uncorrected Proof of the book but I hope the final copy will include this for the reader.
Readers who enjoy historical fiction set in turn of the century America and those dealing with class struggles and finding love beyond those boundaries would most likely enjoy Children of Liberty. Those who also know and understand the difference between the various political affiliations would enjoy it even more. Those who don’t enjoy this sort of thing might want to keep it in mind, however, so they are not bogged down in the reading.