Historical Fiction
Released December 1, 2014
336 Pages
Bottom Line: Skip it.
Affiliate Link: Amazon
Source: eGalley provided by the publisher via NetGalley
Plot Summary of The Boston Girl:
The story of Addie Baum, the child of Polish immigrants living in early 1900’s Boston, and her struggle to be a “modern girl” against the wishes of her traditional parents.
My Thoughts on The Boston Girl:
The Boston Girl gets a mini review because I just don’t have all that much to say about it. It was an easy read, but didn’t really stand out in any way for me.
An eighty-five year old Addie is telling her life story to her twenty-two year old granddaughter, so the book reads a bit like a memoir, even though it’s fiction. The writing style is simple, but in a bit of a bland way and Addie’s voice sounded more like that of a teenager than an eighty-five year old to me. This was a bit disconcerting and, I think, made it hard for me to feel connected to Addie.
I never really got a good sense of where the story was going. It just felt like the story of a woman’s life, but didn’t feel connected to any greater theme. I understand from the blurb that Addie was supposed to be a symbol of feminism and I saw flashes of that in the book, but it didn’t play as much of a role as I expected.
I would say The Boston Girl was fine, but I can’t go much farther than that.
Sarah, thanks for sharing your candid thoughts about this book.
Bummer!
Have a Happy New Year.
I like mini reviews, sometimes it is hard to find something to say about a book.
More mini reviews is one of my 2015 goals! In the name of making time for more reading…
I’ve been really curious about this book, but most of the reviews have been pretty “meh.” Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I love the mini review format 🙂
“Meh” is a great word for this book! And you’ll be seeing more mini reviews from me – it’s one of my resolutions for 2015 🙂
I am worried I will feel meh about the book as well. I read several pages in and was wondering if there was going to be a point to the book. Looks like there isn’t and that is going to make me disappointed!
Yes – that was one of my problems with it. I’m OK with books that don’t have a point if the writing is off the page amazing, but that wasn’t the case here. The good news is it’s short!
Oh too bad! I thought this one sounded like it had promise. I will skip. thanks
I did, too! I was disappointed 🙁