edarling3's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
This is the second book I’ve read by Jennifer Egan and similar to the first, I wish I could have read more from the perspective of several of the supporting characters. Overall, it was a solid historical fiction novel.
bookapotamus's review against another edition
3.0
Late to the party again! But again, better late than never! I'm getting though a lot of Need-to-Reads these days and this one has been on my list for a while! (Another 6 month library wait!) Manhattan Beach has been everywhere and I was really excited to read it. It's a really good, fairly solid story, but (unpopular opinion alert!) I found myself really bored in the middle and struggling to get through parts!
I love how this made me feel like I was in an old Hollywood movie. The settings and scenery, all the war talk and praise of the soldiers, the nightclubs and dancing, and of course, Anna, a girl with Gumption! I loved her story initially, living with her family, mom, dad and crippled sister (not sure what she added to the story but a significant amount of the story focused on her), in New York near the Navy Yard. Anna dreams of becoming a diver for the Navy. I was reminded of the Men of Honor movie where Cuba Gooding Jr. aspires to do the same, being an African American, facing similar struggles. The story starts with this bond she has with her father from very young. He father appears to be doing some shady business and taking Anna along keeps him "grounded" - but then, one day, he disappears.
Anna delves into taking care of her sister and her mother, and eventually beings her career at the Navy Yard and starts to pursue her diving dreams, when she see a man from her father's past, possibly a gangster, and decides to see what she can dig up about her missing father. Here's where I feel like it starts to fall apart. I didn't understand some of the choices Anna makes,and had a hard time believing she would have made them. I felt like more character development was needed for these main players - I just didn't understand a LOT of what made their minds tick. And then abruptly - we dive into her father's story - which is chock full of characters we don't know nor care about, and I didn't feel like most of it added to the story. I struggled through the middle and then thought the end was just, meh.
Don't get me wrong - it was a cleverly-crafted story, the writing is INCREDIBLE, I just wanted more. I felt like the OMG moments that could have been, at parts, were dry, and lacking some much-needed suspense or build up, and I just wished there was a bit more of a faster pace as well.
It's a story filled with dreams, regret, redemption and family. I liked it for the most part, but I didn't love as much as many people did. I do look forward to reading more of her work though!
I love how this made me feel like I was in an old Hollywood movie. The settings and scenery, all the war talk and praise of the soldiers, the nightclubs and dancing, and of course, Anna, a girl with Gumption! I loved her story initially, living with her family, mom, dad and crippled sister (not sure what she added to the story but a significant amount of the story focused on her), in New York near the Navy Yard. Anna dreams of becoming a diver for the Navy. I was reminded of the Men of Honor movie where Cuba Gooding Jr. aspires to do the same, being an African American, facing similar struggles. The story starts with this bond she has with her father from very young. He father appears to be doing some shady business and taking Anna along keeps him "grounded" - but then, one day, he disappears.
Anna delves into taking care of her sister and her mother, and eventually beings her career at the Navy Yard and starts to pursue her diving dreams, when she see a man from her father's past, possibly a gangster, and decides to see what she can dig up about her missing father. Here's where I feel like it starts to fall apart. I didn't understand some of the choices Anna makes,and had a hard time believing she would have made them. I felt like more character development was needed for these main players - I just didn't understand a LOT of what made their minds tick. And then abruptly - we dive into her father's story - which is chock full of characters we don't know nor care about, and I didn't feel like most of it added to the story. I struggled through the middle and then thought the end was just, meh.
Don't get me wrong - it was a cleverly-crafted story, the writing is INCREDIBLE, I just wanted more. I felt like the OMG moments that could have been, at parts, were dry, and lacking some much-needed suspense or build up, and I just wished there was a bit more of a faster pace as well.
It's a story filled with dreams, regret, redemption and family. I liked it for the most part, but I didn't love as much as many people did. I do look forward to reading more of her work though!
iris_cadaver's review against another edition
2.0
Long and meandering, overwritten, with minimal character development. And then it suddenly turns into a soap opera.
sundeviljewels's review against another edition
2.0
I try so hard to like historical fiction.
My mind continued to wander as I read this book, which led to me having to reread so many parts. There were so many parts that were engaging, but also so many parts with so much explanation that left me thinking, “Come on already, move along.”
Mobsters, war, woman diver during the war, crippled sister, a father who leaves... it has a little bit of everything.
My mind continued to wander as I read this book, which led to me having to reread so many parts. There were so many parts that were engaging, but also so many parts with so much explanation that left me thinking, “Come on already, move along.”
Mobsters, war, woman diver during the war, crippled sister, a father who leaves... it has a little bit of everything.
maggie73's review against another edition
1.0
I was bored. Very slow and couldn’t seem to make it’s mind up on what it wanted to be. Gave up after 150 pages - life’s too short.
nlallen1's review against another edition
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? No
2.5
christar_123's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to really like this book, because I thought "A Visit from the Goon Squad" was great. In some ways, I think Egan dwelt on similar themes here, but put them into a historic context - ideas about family, guilt, fathers and more. But it was just kind of boring. I never really felt like I got connected to the characters and kind of couldn't figure out some of them. I wanted to like Anna but she felt like a 2-D character. Like Egan wanted to write a strong female character but just kind of left it at that....I don't know how to explain it. I often like writing styles where we infer a character's personality and feelings from the dialogue and actions rather than actual descriptions of the person (Hemingway-ish, and I think we see this in Towles's novels too), but it just didn't work here.
I got annoyed with the jumps in time and fractured timeline too. I guess the mystery aspect of the story wasn't engaging enough for me to be amused.
I got annoyed with the jumps in time and fractured timeline too. I guess the mystery aspect of the story wasn't engaging enough for me to be amused.
dizzymissizzyy's review against another edition
5.0
One of the best protagonists I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. I have spent my whole life wishing there was a version of Goodfellas with a girl in it, and I’ve finally found it, only so much better. All around strong, well fleshed-out characters, compelling plot, and a ton of amazing historical context. One of the best books I’ve read in a long time.
teachingkids1982's review against another edition
4.0
4.5⭐️ woah I liked that way more than I expected. I’ll have to check out her other books now…
minty's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this book a lot more than Visit from the Goon Squad, but it's not going down as any kind of beloved novel. It was fine! I found it compelling enough to keep listening, though.
One thing that struck me is how this book covered the same general late timeframe of Some Luck, which I recently read, only set in NYC instead of the Midwest, and it was far and away more interesting. Also I loved how often they drove to my neighborhood of Bay Ridge!
One thing that struck me is how this book covered the same general late timeframe of Some Luck, which I recently read, only set in NYC instead of the Midwest, and it was far and away more interesting. Also I loved how often they drove to my neighborhood of Bay Ridge!