karimorton33's review
2.0
This book was just okay for me. I didn’t feel like it was going anywhere, and while I usually like books from multiple points of view, I found it hard to follow along with all of the characters and to me it seemed like new characters were being introduced out of nowhere with no explanation as to who they were. I felt there wasn’t really a point to the book or to the stories within it. (Read for Work Book Club)
elliemcc11's review
3.0
When Anna is introduced to Dexter Styles, a mob leader, she has no idea how her life will change. Her father invites her along so she can spend time with Styles' daughter but Anna is more fascinated by the mob leader.
Set in NY during the 1930s-1940s this novel is an interesting reflection on pre war NY and the war effort. The naval yards are the key focus with Anna first working in parts manufacture and later qualifying to dive. During this time her father goes missing and she happens upon Dexter Styles again and is again fascinated. Styles is only too aware and is happy to be pursued. The relationship develops emotionally but Anna is also keen to establish what happened to her father.
This is part historical, part mystery. Whilst I enjoyed these aspects I was less keen on the detailed account of diving and shipwrecks. The societal aspects were much more interesting for me.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.
Set in NY during the 1930s-1940s this novel is an interesting reflection on pre war NY and the war effort. The naval yards are the key focus with Anna first working in parts manufacture and later qualifying to dive. During this time her father goes missing and she happens upon Dexter Styles again and is again fascinated. Styles is only too aware and is happy to be pursued. The relationship develops emotionally but Anna is also keen to establish what happened to her father.
This is part historical, part mystery. Whilst I enjoyed these aspects I was less keen on the detailed account of diving and shipwrecks. The societal aspects were much more interesting for me.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.
toddm_lcnm's review
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
silverthistle's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
3 stars. I like Jennifer Eagan's writing, and the premise of this story was interesting as someone who enjoys historical fiction. However, I felt the characters were a bit emotionless and unformed. I liked the multiple perspectives but, as a reader, they did not feel intimate.
emmak's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
cdlindwall's review
5.0
Jennifer Egan is so damn talented, it's absurd. Manhattan Beach is a story about WWII NYC, but it's also about badass women and a broken family and organized crime and mourning. The amount of historical research that went into this book is remarkable, and makes the story so textured/real.
Granted, I have an almost endless capacity for historical stories about NYC. (They're romantic. They just are.) It was particularly moving to read this in the afternoon, having lived in a couple of the neighborhoods as Anna does in the story, and to then go on my evening runs to the Brooklyn Navy Yard where she dives. MAN. You done it again, Egan.
Granted, I have an almost endless capacity for historical stories about NYC. (They're romantic. They just are.) It was particularly moving to read this in the afternoon, having lived in a couple of the neighborhoods as Anna does in the story, and to then go on my evening runs to the Brooklyn Navy Yard where she dives. MAN. You done it again, Egan.
internationalkris's review
4.0
4.5 stars. Manhattan Beach is a fantastic character-driven historical novel. Anna is a young woman who does her best to plan and think her way forward in life in the 1940s. The first section of the book opens in the heart of the depression when Anna accompanies her father on one of his social calls as a "bag-man" for the Irish mafia. We see that she is a careful young girl adept at transitioning between classes. A bit later in the book we get a portrait of Anna helping her mother and disabled sister and see that she is equally at home ensconced in this softer and very restricted interior world. When Anna begins work in the 1940s to support the war effort she confronts typical mens' and womens' roles in society as she attempts to get a job that would not have been open to her in the past. Alternating with Anna's chapters are those of the men in her life, her father, her lover, her colleagues. These chapters are interestingly also filled with restrictions. This is a fascinating look at a transformative time in history through an empowered woman attempting to blaze her own path. The writing is top-notch so dig in.
mollyq18's review
4.0
Manhattan Beach was a book I had seen circling around because Jennifer Egan also wrote A Visit from the Goon Squad (a book I have not read- does anyone recommend?). But this historical fiction novel was an instant love for me! Anna Kerrigan is a feminist, thrill-seeking, brave girl who speaks her mind no matter the consequences. I read this book over Christmas 2019 and LOVED the adventure of it all! You get a peak into every style of life during WWII- working class, New York royalty, and underground businesses. Anna navigates it all! All while becoming the first ever woman diver! Y’all just have to read this one.
earlyandalone's review
4.0
I loved the first half of this novel, primarily the parts about Anna's adolescence and her father's involvement in the shadowy underworld of the Irish crime syndicate in New York City during the Depression. I was also interested in Anna's decision to become the first female diver in the Brooklyn Naval Yard during WWII. But then....the novel kind of petered out for me. There were too many technical details and not quite enough feeling toward the end, especially regarding the fate of Dexter Styles.