The Boston Girl, by Anita Diamant

Another book group selection, The Boston Girl came on the heels of A Gesture Life, our October book group pick. I found it much easier going than A Gesture Life.

It’s the story of Addie Baum, whose Jewish immigrant parents arrived in Boston with her two sisters, and the hopes of a better life. Her mother is the classic Jewish critical mom, and the saddest thing about this book is that Addie never receives her approval.

I really enjoyed this easy read…it was written in first person, as Addie is telling stories to her granddaughter…it portrays the difficulties of life for a woman in the early 1900s. Addie was ahead-of-her time independent, smart, and feisty, which I loved. And that of course drove her mother crazy.

But as we concluded at book group, it doesn’t go terribly deep. It would’ve been better if we had a better understanding of what was going on in Addie’s head–and that of the other characters–and what her motivations were.

I also found the “stories for her granddaughter” format a bit far fetched. But all in all, it was a a fun read.