A review by leahreadsalot
The Given Day by Dennis Lehane

4.0

I'm not giving a summary because that's easy enough to find and you've likely already read one! So onto the review:

Plot: set during 1919ish, story focuses around race and labor unions. The language is brutal and coarse, so beware to the tender hearted reader! It's a dense tale and honestly you could probably skim past all the Babe Ruth parts and feel like you read the whole thing.

Thematic Issues: ehhhh ...family? Friends? Loyalty? Racism. Give up when you're beaten? Go West? Form unions? Big Money wins?....Here is where I struggled bc I think Lehane's book started running from him. It's like can we please pick three and go with those?

Characters: a few to love and many to despise. Even the lovable ones have flaws, and I love me a flawed protagonist/s.

Setting: oh my this book takes you there! Despite my issues with the plot (too long, man) and theme (too many) I loved the grimy Boston

Overall: a solid read.