A review by dllh
Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan

4.0

I had only ever read Egan's Goon Squad previously, and I've pretty much forgotten it by now, though my recollection is that it was sort of off beat. This one struck me as much more of a straight narrative, and I liked it a lot. I don't often see books in my head as I read them anymore, but I did see much of this one. I also heard it, imagining the various accents the characters used. I thought she did a nice job with the characters (whom I both liked and didn't), and the plot felt real without being dull, and indeed with some neat historical interest. Also it's just shot through with Melville (starting with the epigraph), which is generally a good hook for me. This is a fine, fine book.