My thoughts
I've read books by new authors a few times this year. Jennifer S. Brown is a new to be author. I adored this book. It was SO GOOD. I haven't read very much about prohibition so learned a few things reading this story.
Minnie Soffer, along with her brother Max and mother come to America to live with their father. He has been here a few years and finally sent for his family. They have high hopes for a better life here. Things start out ok for them but do eventually take a turn. After the birth of two daughters their mother loses her life. Minnie has to take over the care of a newborn and a toddler. Also her brother and father. It's a hard life for Minnie as she is so young and has dreams. But she does the best she can.
Minnie eventually takes over the bar/speakeasy that their father started. She's very good at what she is doing. She falls in love and is doing all she can. There are lots of ups and downs in this story. In Minnie's life. Some very heartbreaking choices she has to make. She's a survivor though and fights for what she has worked so hard to make.
This is a beautifully written account of how things happened in New York during the Prohibition Era. The ups and downs of one family that came to this country for a better life. How hard Minnie worked to become a citizen of America. How her friends rallied behind her. Helped her and cheered for her. I liked most of the characters in this book. Minnie had my heart from the start. She made me laugh and cry. She had my heart beating so hard at times. I wanted her to find love and peace.
This book will definitely pull at your heartstrings. Make you do some ugly crying and give you some chuckles. Parts will make you cringe also. You get an inside seat as to the goings on in the 1920s speakeasy. How things worked. What price you had to pay.
Don't miss the acknowledgements at the ending. These are always so helpful.
Thank you #NetGalley, #LakeUnion, for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.
Five big stars.
About
The author of Modern Girls delivers an atmospheric coming-of-age story set in Prohibition-era New York, tracing one immigrant family’s fortunes and a young girl’s journey from the schoolyard to the speakeasy.
The streets of New York in 1920 are most certainly not paved with gold, as Minnie Soffer learns when she arrives at Ellis Island. Her father, who left Ukraine when Minnie was a toddler, feels like a stranger. She sleeps on a mattress on the kitchen floor. She understands nothing at school. They came to America for this?
As her family adjusts to this new life, Minnie and her brother work hard to learn English and make friends. When her father, Ike, opens his own soda shop, stability and citizenship seem within reach. But the soda shop is not what it seems; it’s a front for Ike’s real a speakeasy.
When tragedy strikes the Soffers, Minnie has no choice but to take over the bar. She’s determined to make the speakeasy a success despite the risks it brings to herself, her family, and her freedom. At what price does the American dream come true? Minnie won’t stop until she finds out.
The streets of New York in 1920 are most certainly not paved with gold, as Minnie Soffer learns when she arrives at Ellis Island. Her father, who left Ukraine when Minnie was a toddler, feels like a stranger. She sleeps on a mattress on the kitchen floor. She understands nothing at school. They came to America for this?
As her family adjusts to this new life, Minnie and her brother work hard to learn English and make friends. When her father, Ike, opens his own soda shop, stability and citizenship seem within reach. But the soda shop is not what it seems; it’s a front for Ike’s real a speakeasy.
When tragedy strikes the Soffers, Minnie has no choice but to take over the bar. She’s determined to make the speakeasy a success despite the risks it brings to herself, her family, and her freedom. At what price does the American dream come true? Minnie won’t stop until she finds out.
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