A review by megray1126
The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant

4.0

I haven't cried from a book in a while. The Boston Girl wasn't particularly sad, but something about it just tugged at my heartstrings. It was told as a story from a grandmother to her granddaughter about her life as a young Jewish girl growing up in Boston in the early 1900s. Even though it was set in a different century, I found most of the topics extremely relatable. As a young girl, the grandmother, Addie, struggled with her familial relations. Her mother wasn't the easiest to get along with, and her sisters were very different from her. But she found comfort in her friendships made at the Saturday Club. In her mid-twenties, she became more independent, which wasn't common for women back then. She had a job, lived on her own, and tried out dating. She experienced unexpected deaths, which only served to bring her and her sister closer. Addie told of how she slowly found her place in the world and how family became so important to her. I guess the end made me so emotional because Addie talked to her granddaughter about how much she missed her late husband, and how she wanted to still be around for her wedding. It made me think of my grandma. The way she described meeting her future husband kind of struck home with me, too. Overall, it was a really fantastic story about the strength of family, friendship, and love.