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A review by spellboundchapters
Boston Girl by Anita Diamant
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
There were some parts I liked but at the end, I found this book to be pretty average. The main thing I liked was the writing style because I really felt like I was Addie's granddaughter and that she was telling me about her life.
But at the same time... the writing kinda threw me off because imo it lacked emotion. I just felt like I was listening to a bunch of random anecdotes that weren't connected and that Addie never learned anything from them. Also, whenever something sad or straight up traumatic happened, as soon as we get to the next chapter, it's like everyone is already over it and continues to live their life as if it never happened.
This book is pitched as Addie telling her daughter about her "life story"... when in reality we learn about her from age 15 to 30-ish, and the story basically stops once she gets married even though she's 85 years old when telling all of this. What happened during the other 55 years? There were some major historical events (the Great Depression, WW2, Cold War) yet those were barely, if ever, mentioned. That contributed to the general feeling that everything just felt too "easy" (no I promise I don't want my characters to suffer unnecessarily). For example we're constantly being told that they're very poor but it doesn't feel like they are, Addie just acts like any other teenager/young adult. And then her and her sisters just end up each marrying a rich guy and move into a big beautiful house and live happily ever after...
But at the same time... the writing kinda threw me off because imo it lacked emotion. I just felt like I was listening to a bunch of random anecdotes that weren't connected and that Addie never learned anything from them. Also, whenever something sad or straight up traumatic happened, as soon as we get to the next chapter, it's like everyone is already over it and continues to live their life as if it never happened.
This book is pitched as Addie telling her daughter about her "life story"... when in reality we learn about her from age 15 to 30-ish, and the story basically stops once she gets married even though she's 85 years old when telling all of this. What happened during the other 55 years? There were some major historical events (the Great Depression, WW2, Cold War) yet those were barely, if ever, mentioned. That contributed to the general feeling that everything just felt too "easy" (no I promise I don't want my characters to suffer unnecessarily). For example we're constantly being told that they're very poor but it doesn't feel like they are, Addie just acts like any other teenager/young adult. And then her and her sisters just end up each marrying a rich guy and move into a big beautiful house and live happily ever after...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Antisemitism