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Bittersweet Brooklyn: A Novel
In turn-of-the century New York, a mobster rises—and his favorite sister struggles between loyalty and life itself. How far will she go when he commits murder? After midnight, Thelma Lorber enters her brother Abie’s hangout under the Williamsburg Bridge, finding Jewish mobster Louis “Pretty” Amberg in a puddle of blood on the kitchen floor. She could flee. Instead, in the dark hours of that October 1935 night before the dawn of Murder, Inc., she remains beside the fierce, funny brother who has nurtured and protected her since childhood. There are many kinds of love a woman can feel for a man, but few compare to that of the baby sister for her older brother. For Thelma, a wild widow tethered to a young son, Abie is the center of her world. But that love is about to undo everything she holds dear… Flipping the familiar script of The Sopranos , Boardwalk Empire , and The Godfather , Bittersweet Brooklyn explores the shattering impact of mob violence on the women expected to mop up the mess. Winding its way over decades, this haunting family saga plunges readers into a dangerous past—revealed through the perspective of a forgotten yet vibrant woman.
352 pages, Paperback
First published November 6, 2018
443 people are currently reading
1855 people want to read
About the author
Thelma Adams
5 books189 followersThelma Adams is the author of the best selling historical novel The Last Woman Standing and Playdate, which Oprah magazine described as "a witty debut novel." In addition to her fiction work, Adams is a prominent American film critic and an outspoken voice in the Hollywood community. She has been the in-house film critic for Us Weekly and The New York Post, and has written essays, celebrity profiles and reviews for Yahoo! Movies,The New York Times, O: The Oprah Magazine, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Parade, Marie Claire and The Huffington Post. Adams studied history at the University of California, Berkeley, where she was valedictorian, and received her MFA from Columbia University. She lives in upstate New York with her family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 112 reviews
March 27, 2019
4 bold stars to Bittersweet Brooklyn! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Late one evening, Thelma Lorber arrives at her brother’s hangout. There she finds Louis “Pretty” Amberg, a mobster, covered in blood on the floor. Instead of running, Thelma stands by her older brother, Abie.
Thelma is the youngest, most devoted sister. Abie is the doting brother. Thelma is a widow with a young son, and Abie is all she has to anchor her.
Bittersweet Brooklyn is an ambitious family saga taking place over years of Thelma’s life. It’s a look at how the mob affected the women who weren’t on the “front lines,” but were most definitely left to hold the family together.
The story is dark and full of emotion, and the sense of time and place is exceptional. We quickly learn some of those who came to United States in search of a better life found it just as hard, if not harder, to live here as immigrants.
The burdens the characters carry are family-centered strife and mental health challenges not that different than what many are facing today. The men would go out and tear everything up, and the women were left to put it all back together again and be the glue that held the family together.
Overall, this important book shines a light on a dark time in our nation’s history with a focus on strong women. Thelma is hard as nails and comes on hard to overcome any adversity in front of her. The writing is vivid and brilliant, and I simply adored this story.
I received a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
My reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com
Late one evening, Thelma Lorber arrives at her brother’s hangout. There she finds Louis “Pretty” Amberg, a mobster, covered in blood on the floor. Instead of running, Thelma stands by her older brother, Abie.
Thelma is the youngest, most devoted sister. Abie is the doting brother. Thelma is a widow with a young son, and Abie is all she has to anchor her.
Bittersweet Brooklyn is an ambitious family saga taking place over years of Thelma’s life. It’s a look at how the mob affected the women who weren’t on the “front lines,” but were most definitely left to hold the family together.
The story is dark and full of emotion, and the sense of time and place is exceptional. We quickly learn some of those who came to United States in search of a better life found it just as hard, if not harder, to live here as immigrants.
The burdens the characters carry are family-centered strife and mental health challenges not that different than what many are facing today. The men would go out and tear everything up, and the women were left to put it all back together again and be the glue that held the family together.
Overall, this important book shines a light on a dark time in our nation’s history with a focus on strong women. Thelma is hard as nails and comes on hard to overcome any adversity in front of her. The writing is vivid and brilliant, and I simply adored this story.
I received a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
My reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com
January 3, 2019
Favorite Quotes:
His response to those who disliked or disrespected him was schmuck. It was his favorite Yiddish word in a language that contained more bendy terms for shaming and cursing than the Eskimos had for snow.
There’s nothing wrong with those gams, little sister. You got the magic leg. You step off a curb and shake it, and the Prince of Wales is going to stop his carriage.
It aggravated her that Annie could nurture Julius, Adele, and Eli and, with a swivel of her head, spew dragon fire toward Thelma.
Vulnerability had been a dangerous condition around Annie and Mama as they carped on the physiques of the people strolling past, laughing at this one’s little pecker visible in swim trunks too small, that one’s jiggling fat rolls as she lunged for a rogue rubber ball. Meeskait, they’d pronounce, little ugly one. What a tuchus, they’d say and point at someone with a seat that could fill a subway car. And yet, the pair hadn’t been bathing beauties, either: the walrus and the sea lion. Mama covered in a floral muumuu and Annie squeezed like a sausage into a swimsuit one size too small, revealing back fat that she didn’t notice from the front, impressed by her own cleavage.
My Review:
I marveled at the sublime storytelling and writing quality, even though the story was taut with tension and full of heartbreaking scenes and emotive insights that gutted me as I read, I couldn’t seem to put it down. I passionately despised the useless mother and heinous sister – they were atrocious creatures, yet expertly crafted. Every character was well-nuanced, cunningly detailed, and compellingly complex. The storylines were intriguing, shrewdly paced, and hit all the feels with occasional lashings of clever levity that had me laughing aloud. Thelma Adams’s word voodoo is strong; I was appalled, riveted, mesmerized, and totally engaged. She turned me inside out with this one – yet I regret nothing.
His response to those who disliked or disrespected him was schmuck. It was his favorite Yiddish word in a language that contained more bendy terms for shaming and cursing than the Eskimos had for snow.
There’s nothing wrong with those gams, little sister. You got the magic leg. You step off a curb and shake it, and the Prince of Wales is going to stop his carriage.
It aggravated her that Annie could nurture Julius, Adele, and Eli and, with a swivel of her head, spew dragon fire toward Thelma.
Vulnerability had been a dangerous condition around Annie and Mama as they carped on the physiques of the people strolling past, laughing at this one’s little pecker visible in swim trunks too small, that one’s jiggling fat rolls as she lunged for a rogue rubber ball. Meeskait, they’d pronounce, little ugly one. What a tuchus, they’d say and point at someone with a seat that could fill a subway car. And yet, the pair hadn’t been bathing beauties, either: the walrus and the sea lion. Mama covered in a floral muumuu and Annie squeezed like a sausage into a swimsuit one size too small, revealing back fat that she didn’t notice from the front, impressed by her own cleavage.
My Review:
I marveled at the sublime storytelling and writing quality, even though the story was taut with tension and full of heartbreaking scenes and emotive insights that gutted me as I read, I couldn’t seem to put it down. I passionately despised the useless mother and heinous sister – they were atrocious creatures, yet expertly crafted. Every character was well-nuanced, cunningly detailed, and compellingly complex. The storylines were intriguing, shrewdly paced, and hit all the feels with occasional lashings of clever levity that had me laughing aloud. Thelma Adams’s word voodoo is strong; I was appalled, riveted, mesmerized, and totally engaged. She turned me inside out with this one – yet I regret nothing.
February 11, 2019
Bittersweet Brooklyn is a dark story but a beautifully, poignant one. Its noir narrative portrays the lifestyle of so many who came to the US full of dreams and hopes only to find that life was as hard in the US as it was in the country they left. Many, however, had no choice except to flee their home country due to pogroms and death camps and war. It’s not too terribly different today, if at all. There are struggles to survive, struggles to fit in, to find one’s place and where there is no “welcome committee,” those holes will be filled with other means generally unsavory ones like the mob or gangs. That is what has happened in Bittersweet Brooklyn. These immigrants, like so many of that time, have familial issues, mental health issues and the mob has come in to “take care of them,” but at a cost. Generally, the men make a mess, and by mess I mean wreak murder and mayhem, and the women are left to sweep up the pieces. It tears at the fabric of their family cloth and at the essence of the women in their lives. This is how life was. For many it is how life still is.
Adams has done an incredible job of painting a very vivid picture of what life was like, real life, real families, during this time period. That isn’t to say that the book is all doom and darkness because it is not, any more than Charles Dickens’ books are all dark. But Bittersweet Brooklyn does portray a truthful story and that is rare and greatly needed in historical fiction and I, for one, am appreciative.
Adams has, in fact, previously been been compared to a modern day Charles Dickens.
“Thelma Adams is our new Dickens in her effervescently viv id tale of Jewish hardscrabble living, gangsters, torn-apart families, and a young woman desperate for love, family, and a stable future. Set in a 1920s and 30s Brooklyn so rich, raw, and bristling with life that you can taste the brine on the deli pickles and see the flasks of whiskey hidden in a garter, this is the kind of novel that’s lived, rather than read.” — Caroline Leavitt, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author.
I happen to agree with Leavitt. Just as Dickens gave a sober look at Victorian England with its orphanages and wealth disparity, so too has Adams lifted back the curtain on turn-of-the-century America and exposed the dark underbelly so rarely seen or examined. Well done, Thelma Adams, well done!
Thank you so much to Amy at #HFVBTPartner, #ThelmaAdams and @LUauthors for my copy of this fascinating book!
Adams has done an incredible job of painting a very vivid picture of what life was like, real life, real families, during this time period. That isn’t to say that the book is all doom and darkness because it is not, any more than Charles Dickens’ books are all dark. But Bittersweet Brooklyn does portray a truthful story and that is rare and greatly needed in historical fiction and I, for one, am appreciative.
Adams has, in fact, previously been been compared to a modern day Charles Dickens.
“Thelma Adams is our new Dickens in her effervescently viv id tale of Jewish hardscrabble living, gangsters, torn-apart families, and a young woman desperate for love, family, and a stable future. Set in a 1920s and 30s Brooklyn so rich, raw, and bristling with life that you can taste the brine on the deli pickles and see the flasks of whiskey hidden in a garter, this is the kind of novel that’s lived, rather than read.” — Caroline Leavitt, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author.
I happen to agree with Leavitt. Just as Dickens gave a sober look at Victorian England with its orphanages and wealth disparity, so too has Adams lifted back the curtain on turn-of-the-century America and exposed the dark underbelly so rarely seen or examined. Well done, Thelma Adams, well done!
Thank you so much to Amy at #HFVBTPartner, #ThelmaAdams and @LUauthors for my copy of this fascinating book!
November 16, 2018
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
Bittersweet Brooklyn by Thelma Adams is a heart-wrenching historical fiction novel that was not at all what I expected.
What it's about: Thelma is the youngest of a family of 4 children, fatherless, and has a mom that prefers her oldest Annie while struggling with life as a Jewish widow. Annie is left in charge of the 3 younger siblings, including Thelma, and isn't exactly the picture of love and affection when she is just a kid herself. Told from 1905 through 1935, this is a family saga focusing on the family mostly through Thelma's eyes; and what happens when a child (who isn't all that nice) is left to act like the mother to her younger siblings. Ending with 1935 where mobsters are prominent and Thelma's brother Abie has gone too far.
Honestly I expected this book to focus a lot more on the mob than it actually did. At a young age Thelma's brother Abie is into things he shouldn't be, but the main focus of this novel is Thelma as she grows up in a home where the only family that acts like they love her are her 2 brothers (and they aren't really around). There is a lot of tough material in this novel, and I definitely teared up more than once. I loved Thelma and felt for her, but I was also a little frustrated with her as well.
The characters were well fleshed out, and besides Thelma we do also get the occasional viewpoint of other members of her family, including her mom and Annie. There are a lot of people I hated in this novel, and unfortunately only a few I liked, but I'm pretty sure that was how it was supposed to be. Thelma and her family had it pretty rough, but Thelma made me so sad. She was treated terribly and it made my heart break for her. You could argue that none of her family had it all that easy, considering everything that happens, but I connected the most with Thelma.
Final Thought: If you are looking for a historical fiction novel about the mob, this isn't it. But if you are looking for a historical fiction, family saga set in New York in the early 1900s then this is your book! Sad for sure, but the end leaves you hopeful... at least for Thelma. I also liked that even though the end catches up with the beginning, it wasn't word for word like some novels. Definitely recommend for lovers of family sagas, just beware Bittersweet Brooklyn will leave your heart in pieces!
Bittersweet Brooklyn by Thelma Adams is a heart-wrenching historical fiction novel that was not at all what I expected.
What it's about: Thelma is the youngest of a family of 4 children, fatherless, and has a mom that prefers her oldest Annie while struggling with life as a Jewish widow. Annie is left in charge of the 3 younger siblings, including Thelma, and isn't exactly the picture of love and affection when she is just a kid herself. Told from 1905 through 1935, this is a family saga focusing on the family mostly through Thelma's eyes; and what happens when a child (who isn't all that nice) is left to act like the mother to her younger siblings. Ending with 1935 where mobsters are prominent and Thelma's brother Abie has gone too far.
Honestly I expected this book to focus a lot more on the mob than it actually did. At a young age Thelma's brother Abie is into things he shouldn't be, but the main focus of this novel is Thelma as she grows up in a home where the only family that acts like they love her are her 2 brothers (and they aren't really around). There is a lot of tough material in this novel, and I definitely teared up more than once. I loved Thelma and felt for her, but I was also a little frustrated with her as well.
The characters were well fleshed out, and besides Thelma we do also get the occasional viewpoint of other members of her family, including her mom and Annie. There are a lot of people I hated in this novel, and unfortunately only a few I liked, but I'm pretty sure that was how it was supposed to be. Thelma and her family had it pretty rough, but Thelma made me so sad. She was treated terribly and it made my heart break for her. You could argue that none of her family had it all that easy, considering everything that happens, but I connected the most with Thelma.
Final Thought: If you are looking for a historical fiction novel about the mob, this isn't it. But if you are looking for a historical fiction, family saga set in New York in the early 1900s then this is your book! Sad for sure, but the end leaves you hopeful... at least for Thelma. I also liked that even though the end catches up with the beginning, it wasn't word for word like some novels. Definitely recommend for lovers of family sagas, just beware Bittersweet Brooklyn will leave your heart in pieces!
December 26, 2018
Bittersweet Brooklyn rips open the raw emotions of a Brooklyn family during WWII that deals with death, poverty, estrangement, lack of love. When the father dies, the Jewish family is left to fend for themselves, distraught and bone-poor. The mother descends into abject misery, leaving the oldest daughter to raise the family. While the children face the orphanage, and complete rejection, they grow older, looking for the very aspects they missed in their demeaning upbringing. Four children, four stories, not one of them predictable. The author, Thelma Adams reached inside my gut and twisted it until I couldn't stand it a moment longer. A meaningful read about the people who matter in your life and how to treat them. Read it and change.
February 12, 2019
4.5 stars
As many of you know, I am a sucker when it comes to pretty covers. I love the elegance of this cover. Not only does the woman on the cover seem intriguing, but the text and the angle suggested that it was going to be a little more edgy, almost like a classic noir film or something.
After reading the description, I was eager to start reading it. It sounded a little like The Godfather and I was excited to read something a little more edgy and different in the historical fiction genre.
Often in historical fiction, the mobster world goes untapped and I love mob movies and I often wonder why I don’t see more mobster style historical fiction books? Maybe they are out there and I just haven’t found them, but either way I was excited that this one had come across my desk for review.
Right off the bat, this book was totally different than I was expecting, but in a good way. My initial thoughts based on the summary and cover were that it would be maybe be more ‘mobster lite’. Meaning that the mob would be mostly a background within the story.
Yes, in a way the mob was more of a backdrop with the family sage actually being front and center. However, it was impossible to have one without the other so I would say that this wasn’t just a book about a girl who grew up in a mob family, nor was it a book just about the mob. It was a well balanced blend of the two.
I really loved the immigrant and family dynamic. This set the book apart from just another historical fiction read. The author offers a gripping view into a very specific time in American history and makes it very relatable and interesting. I loved reading the city descriptions and felt like I was there living it.
This book was a lot more heavy than I was anticipating and there is a good amount of violence in the narrative, however I don’t think that it distracted from the story. If anything it added to the authenticity of the period and the cultural/family dynamic the author was trying to showcase.
Even though the story was wonderful and meant to be heavy, there was a part of me that felt so bad for protagonist. She went through hell and I just felt so sad for her all the time and for that reason I went with a 4.5 star rating. It was an excellent book but it left me feeling a little too sad in the end.
See my full review here
As many of you know, I am a sucker when it comes to pretty covers. I love the elegance of this cover. Not only does the woman on the cover seem intriguing, but the text and the angle suggested that it was going to be a little more edgy, almost like a classic noir film or something.
After reading the description, I was eager to start reading it. It sounded a little like The Godfather and I was excited to read something a little more edgy and different in the historical fiction genre.
Often in historical fiction, the mobster world goes untapped and I love mob movies and I often wonder why I don’t see more mobster style historical fiction books? Maybe they are out there and I just haven’t found them, but either way I was excited that this one had come across my desk for review.
Right off the bat, this book was totally different than I was expecting, but in a good way. My initial thoughts based on the summary and cover were that it would be maybe be more ‘mobster lite’. Meaning that the mob would be mostly a background within the story.
Yes, in a way the mob was more of a backdrop with the family sage actually being front and center. However, it was impossible to have one without the other so I would say that this wasn’t just a book about a girl who grew up in a mob family, nor was it a book just about the mob. It was a well balanced blend of the two.
I really loved the immigrant and family dynamic. This set the book apart from just another historical fiction read. The author offers a gripping view into a very specific time in American history and makes it very relatable and interesting. I loved reading the city descriptions and felt like I was there living it.
This book was a lot more heavy than I was anticipating and there is a good amount of violence in the narrative, however I don’t think that it distracted from the story. If anything it added to the authenticity of the period and the cultural/family dynamic the author was trying to showcase.
Even though the story was wonderful and meant to be heavy, there was a part of me that felt so bad for protagonist. She went through hell and I just felt so sad for her all the time and for that reason I went with a 4.5 star rating. It was an excellent book but it left me feeling a little too sad in the end.
See my full review here
June 25, 2018
Bittersweet Brooklyn is gripping from Page one. An intimate look at the dynamics of a broken family in gangster-riddled New York, it will have you rooting for protagonist and antagonist alike as wounds are open, healed, scarred, and exposed. With some of the finest dialogue I've ever come across, this is one I will not soon forget.
February 9, 2019
Full disclosure: this is not an easy read. Not every author can write a story such as this. Thelma Adams has the talent and intellect to do so. I don't intend these comments to be negative but rather I hope they highlight the commitment, research and excellence in the craft of writing required to succeed as Adams has with this dark and haunting, yet touching, family saga. I often had to put the novel down for a day or two, sometimes feeling quite emotionally exhausted, but then I could not wait to get back to it. There is so much to absorb and consider ... such involvement with the words ... the characters, the actions, the emotions, the history. The story and writing style will bring lively discussion to your book club!
July 17, 2019
BITTERSWEET BROOKLYN takes the reader into the heart of gangster-controlled New York during the 1920s and ‘30s, in this fully absorbing tale about Thelma Lorber, a woman thrust into mobster life through her beloved older brother’s involvement. She’s faced with the ultimate struggle when he commits murder. As a widow with a young son, she has much on the line in this engaging novel that exposes the impact of mob violence on women. Immerses you in this tragic family’s life over decades, shown through the eyes of a truly gutsy woman. I agree with best-selling author Sally Koslow, who says, “You’ll race through this raucous historical saga, admiring its gritty detail and street-smart dialogue. Inspired by real events, Thelma Adams brings to life an unforgettable family ruled by filial love divided by biting dysfunction.” 5/5
Thanks to the author for inviting me to do this review, which was so much fun! I also thank Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC; opinions are mine.
#BittersweetBrooklyn #NetGalley
Thanks to the author for inviting me to do this review, which was so much fun! I also thank Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC; opinions are mine.
#BittersweetBrooklyn #NetGalley
July 1, 2018
Bookies! Bubbes! Bossy big-mouths! Thelma Adams’ Bittersweet Brooklyn takes you back to an early twentieth century Williamsburg teeming not with too-cool-for-school Millennials, but rough-and-tumble Jewish and Italian immigrants. You’ll race through this raucous historical saga, admiring its gritty detail and street-smart dialogue. Thelma Adams brings to life an unforgettable family ruled by filial love, yet divided by biting dysfunction.
November 2, 2018
A haunting family saga told fromThelma, the youngest. This story is gritty, gangster filled and emotional. At times it was so closely related to my own family it left me wounded and shedding a tear. A family ripped apart at the seems and many of the issues that Jewish and Italian immigrants faced. A truly remarkable story that you won't forget. The writing is brilliant and so vivid it literally breathes. Hauntingly Beautiful. A great book club selection as there just so many things you'll want to discuss.
I was given this copy from Net Galley for my honest review.
Dawnny-BookGypsy
Novels N Latte Book Blog
Novels & Latte Book Club
I was given this copy from Net Galley for my honest review.
Dawnny-BookGypsy
Novels N Latte Book Blog
Novels & Latte Book Club
November 21, 2018
BITTERSWEET BROOKLYN is a haunting family saga that pins the reader in a specific moment of history, yet tells a timeless tale of immigrant, dysfunctional family patterns, and the desperate need to survive in a sometimes inhospitable world. It is a dark, intense read. There is hate, there is violence, there is mental illness that is neither understood no treated in an effective manner, and yet there is also love and dancing, a fascinating heroine, and a bond between a brother and a sister that I will not soon forget. This is a book to savor.
March 29, 2019
Step aside Sopranos, there's a new family in town… and although the women in this family might not be tommy gun slinging gangsters - they are running their own show, living their lives the best way they know how, and trying to hold it all together while the boys go out to play.
The story is rich with history - I savored every description of early 1900’s Brooklyn and felt like I was transported back in time. We take an epic journey following one tough, but vibrant little girl who desperately seeks love from those closest to her. Her life is one heartbreak after another and her family is dismally bonded by anger and regret and discouragement. You can physically feel the depths of Thelmas struggles with life and love - having not ever known the feeling of being loved herself.
The bright side of the story is the fierce, loyal love Thelma feels for her older brothers, particularly Abie, who will do anything for his beloved ‘Temelah’. The strong bond between these siblings plays out through childhood into adulthood, where they support each other in the best ways they know how - which may just not be the best of ways.
In the end - Abie’s decisions, and the thugs that he runs with, may ultimately be just what tears them apart.
Thank you to Thelma Adams, Suzy Approved Book Tours, Lake Union Publishing and Amazon Publishing for the opportunity to read this hauntingly beautiful story.
The story is rich with history - I savored every description of early 1900’s Brooklyn and felt like I was transported back in time. We take an epic journey following one tough, but vibrant little girl who desperately seeks love from those closest to her. Her life is one heartbreak after another and her family is dismally bonded by anger and regret and discouragement. You can physically feel the depths of Thelmas struggles with life and love - having not ever known the feeling of being loved herself.
The bright side of the story is the fierce, loyal love Thelma feels for her older brothers, particularly Abie, who will do anything for his beloved ‘Temelah’. The strong bond between these siblings plays out through childhood into adulthood, where they support each other in the best ways they know how - which may just not be the best of ways.
In the end - Abie’s decisions, and the thugs that he runs with, may ultimately be just what tears them apart.
Thank you to Thelma Adams, Suzy Approved Book Tours, Lake Union Publishing and Amazon Publishing for the opportunity to read this hauntingly beautiful story.
November 20, 2018
Enthralling historical fiction
In Bittersweet Brooklyn, Thelma Adams shows us a family living rather dark lives, and yet she manages to make them into sympathetic characters. The historical details enrich the novel, and lots of strong dialogue makes it feel fast-paced. The story had me in its grips from page one and continues to haunt me. Kudos to the author for wrenching so much emotion out of me. A great read.
In Bittersweet Brooklyn, Thelma Adams shows us a family living rather dark lives, and yet she manages to make them into sympathetic characters. The historical details enrich the novel, and lots of strong dialogue makes it feel fast-paced. The story had me in its grips from page one and continues to haunt me. Kudos to the author for wrenching so much emotion out of me. A great read.
November 7, 2018
Thank you NetGalley, Lake Union and Thelma Adams.
This was a hard book for me to read. It touched on so many things that happened to the youngest daughter in a much unloving family. Thelma was a baby who needed love as do all children. Her mother and sister didn’t know the meaning of the word love, caring or empathy. They are cruel and so mean. Very unlovable people. Abie and Louis were the boys that were just in the way. Annie, the oldest girl, was given complete control over everything, including the younger children. She treated them like they were less than human. The mother was so awful that I had a hard time with her. I hated her so much. She put Annie in the position she was in but there is no excuse for her being so full of hate for her younger siblings.
This book is full of so much emotion. From the abuse that Annie and their mother thrusted on them to the pain of growing up in a broken family. No one goes through as much as Thelma. From the abuse as a baby to the stepdad that the mother chooses over her, mentally if not physically. Blame a child for the actions of an adult. That is such an awful thing. Thelma struggles through her whole life and at one point I got very angry with her. She should have been a better mother her own self. I have to admit that Annie was a very good mother though not a good sister.
This book is so well written that you feel like you are there. You feel the pain and deplorable things done. The heartache of Thelma, Abie and Louis. The losses in their lives and the few good times. It was easy to see why Thelma never truly trusted anyone or felt loved. You can’t go through what she did and have trusting, loving, feelings. I could relate to some of the things that happened in her life. I felt bad for her. She as a child and an adult. She lost a lot and I believe she deserved so much more than she got.
I loved how this book started then went back to let us know what lead up to what happened. Getting to know each character whether I hated them or really liked them. It was well written and the characters were well developed. I gave it 5 stars and it’s worth every one of them.
This was a hard book for me to read. It touched on so many things that happened to the youngest daughter in a much unloving family. Thelma was a baby who needed love as do all children. Her mother and sister didn’t know the meaning of the word love, caring or empathy. They are cruel and so mean. Very unlovable people. Abie and Louis were the boys that were just in the way. Annie, the oldest girl, was given complete control over everything, including the younger children. She treated them like they were less than human. The mother was so awful that I had a hard time with her. I hated her so much. She put Annie in the position she was in but there is no excuse for her being so full of hate for her younger siblings.
This book is full of so much emotion. From the abuse that Annie and their mother thrusted on them to the pain of growing up in a broken family. No one goes through as much as Thelma. From the abuse as a baby to the stepdad that the mother chooses over her, mentally if not physically. Blame a child for the actions of an adult. That is such an awful thing. Thelma struggles through her whole life and at one point I got very angry with her. She should have been a better mother her own self. I have to admit that Annie was a very good mother though not a good sister.
This book is so well written that you feel like you are there. You feel the pain and deplorable things done. The heartache of Thelma, Abie and Louis. The losses in their lives and the few good times. It was easy to see why Thelma never truly trusted anyone or felt loved. You can’t go through what she did and have trusting, loving, feelings. I could relate to some of the things that happened in her life. I felt bad for her. She as a child and an adult. She lost a lot and I believe she deserved so much more than she got.
I loved how this book started then went back to let us know what lead up to what happened. Getting to know each character whether I hated them or really liked them. It was well written and the characters were well developed. I gave it 5 stars and it’s worth every one of them.
January 10, 2019
Bittersweet Brooklyn is, unfortunately, not for me. I disliked the violence and much of the story line. For this reason, I couldn't connect with this story.
November 20, 2018
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This story follows the lives of the Lorber children into their adulthood. I was initially interested in the mob plot, but this story is more than that. This story covers everything from first loves, yentas, Italian festas, to the more depressing and grisly factors of life (mental illness, child abuse and death). Overall a good read that makes you feel like you stepped back in time and want to go to Coney Island for a knish.
February 27, 2019
I was initially drawn to this book by its cover and then after reading the synopsis, I was certain this was a story I wanted absolutely to dive into. So, I’m very grateful today to have been offered the chance to read this both complex and unputdownable story and find out about this great author.
From the beginning, I was hooked on this family and their dynamics, and I found difficult to define the characters as good or bad ones. As a matter of fact, every character has its own burden of values and faults, and of course, I really disliked the mother and the sister, but Thelma Adams really made a fantastic job creating this well-balanced cast of characters and a realistic portrait of an immigrant family in the early 20th century.
This story is so compelling, detailed, and vibrant, that I couldn’t be more happy to recommend it with well deserved five stars.
Thank you to the author and Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours for my free copy.
From the beginning, I was hooked on this family and their dynamics, and I found difficult to define the characters as good or bad ones. As a matter of fact, every character has its own burden of values and faults, and of course, I really disliked the mother and the sister, but Thelma Adams really made a fantastic job creating this well-balanced cast of characters and a realistic portrait of an immigrant family in the early 20th century.
This story is so compelling, detailed, and vibrant, that I couldn’t be more happy to recommend it with well deserved five stars.
Thank you to the author and Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours for my free copy.
January 27, 2020
For the first book of the decade, let’s go back to the 20’s
Soundtrack: Why don’t you do right - Peggy Lee
https://youtu.be/4uTcw_A80Bo
Soundtrack: Why don’t you do right - Peggy Lee
https://youtu.be/4uTcw_A80Bo
February 15, 2019
"It's tough torching a fresh corpse, so the Williamsburg Boys Club killers stuffed their shredded victim into the back of a Buick."
Thus starts Bittersweet Brooklyn by Thelma Adams. Louis "Pretty" Amburg is the corpse and because Thelma just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, she was tasked with cleaning up the mess. The Williamsburg Boys Club is a ratty apartment that Thelma's brother Abie has. It is a gathering place for the mobsters so as to not be caught by the cops.
Thelma Lorber is the youngest child of Rebecca and she has a sister Annie, an older brother Abie and Louis. Rebecca spent so much time grieving the death of her husband that she had no time for Thelma, nor did she want to. Annie raised her siblings with an iron fist, and mean to boot. She had no love for her siblings at all and treated them like they were dirt under her feet. She had her mother send the boys to a Jewish orphanage where they learned the worst kind of things and then went on the street and Abie ended up in mob activities. Louis enlisted to fight in WWI to escape.
Abie did take care of the family financially but he was still ostracized by Annie. Thelma was molested by her stepfather and she was blamed for his behavior and became the pariah of the family. Hated by her mother and sister, she suffered verbal abuse every day, she went to school with a few Italian girls and became part of their lives. Meanwhile, Abie was immersed in the mob daily, putting himself and his families lives in jeopardy.
Like the title said, Bittersweet, is exactly how I would describe the book. Thelma is a girl/woman who is desperately seeking love, she meets Phil, they have a good time, going dancing and drinking. It is prohibition so it is exciting for her. Phil has issues big time, and they have a son Larry. Thelma in my mind, because of the lack of love she got from her own mother, has a hard time loving her own child.
At the end of the story, I had tears in my eyes because through all of what Thelma went through, she has decided to be optimistic and do better. A novel of the underworld in the 20's and 30's. A story of immigrant women in a world of men in the mob. The danger and intrigue kept me reading on toward the end. I thoroughly enjoyed this story.
Thus starts Bittersweet Brooklyn by Thelma Adams. Louis "Pretty" Amburg is the corpse and because Thelma just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, she was tasked with cleaning up the mess. The Williamsburg Boys Club is a ratty apartment that Thelma's brother Abie has. It is a gathering place for the mobsters so as to not be caught by the cops.
Thelma Lorber is the youngest child of Rebecca and she has a sister Annie, an older brother Abie and Louis. Rebecca spent so much time grieving the death of her husband that she had no time for Thelma, nor did she want to. Annie raised her siblings with an iron fist, and mean to boot. She had no love for her siblings at all and treated them like they were dirt under her feet. She had her mother send the boys to a Jewish orphanage where they learned the worst kind of things and then went on the street and Abie ended up in mob activities. Louis enlisted to fight in WWI to escape.
Abie did take care of the family financially but he was still ostracized by Annie. Thelma was molested by her stepfather and she was blamed for his behavior and became the pariah of the family. Hated by her mother and sister, she suffered verbal abuse every day, she went to school with a few Italian girls and became part of their lives. Meanwhile, Abie was immersed in the mob daily, putting himself and his families lives in jeopardy.
Like the title said, Bittersweet, is exactly how I would describe the book. Thelma is a girl/woman who is desperately seeking love, she meets Phil, they have a good time, going dancing and drinking. It is prohibition so it is exciting for her. Phil has issues big time, and they have a son Larry. Thelma in my mind, because of the lack of love she got from her own mother, has a hard time loving her own child.
At the end of the story, I had tears in my eyes because through all of what Thelma went through, she has decided to be optimistic and do better. A novel of the underworld in the 20's and 30's. A story of immigrant women in a world of men in the mob. The danger and intrigue kept me reading on toward the end. I thoroughly enjoyed this story.
March 3, 2019
Linda's Book Obsession Reviews "Bittersweet Brooklyn" by Thelma Adams , Lake Union Publishing, November, 2019
Thelma Adams , author of "Bittersweet Brooklyn" has written an intense, intriguing, heartbreaking, emotional, and suspenseful novel. The Genres for this story are Fiction and Historical Fiction. The timeline for this story starts at the turn of the century and goes forward to Immigration, the Wars, and the Mob. Much of the story is told in Brooklyn, where Jewish and Italian immigrants grew up. The author describes her characters as dysfunctional, complex and complicated.
I appreciate the historical background that Thelma Adam provides us with, and her writing vividly describes the characters, poverty and the landscape in the story. Often with family traditions, poverty, and survival, many of the immigrants struggled.
Thelma Lorber as a young child is protected by her brother Abe from her older sister, who is in charge of taking care of her. Thelma's mother is too depressed after her husband's death to take care of the family. It seems that Abe has become Thelma's protector, and Abe has found a way not to live in poverty anymore. As years progress, Thelma has a young son of her own, and as a widow, still depends on Abe. Only Abe harbors deep secrets, and lives a dangerous life that can destroy Thelma.
I found this dark story thought-provoking and intense. I would recommend this to readers who enjoy reading about the immigrants who came to Brooklyn. I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest review.
Thelma Adams , author of "Bittersweet Brooklyn" has written an intense, intriguing, heartbreaking, emotional, and suspenseful novel. The Genres for this story are Fiction and Historical Fiction. The timeline for this story starts at the turn of the century and goes forward to Immigration, the Wars, and the Mob. Much of the story is told in Brooklyn, where Jewish and Italian immigrants grew up. The author describes her characters as dysfunctional, complex and complicated.
I appreciate the historical background that Thelma Adam provides us with, and her writing vividly describes the characters, poverty and the landscape in the story. Often with family traditions, poverty, and survival, many of the immigrants struggled.
Thelma Lorber as a young child is protected by her brother Abe from her older sister, who is in charge of taking care of her. Thelma's mother is too depressed after her husband's death to take care of the family. It seems that Abe has become Thelma's protector, and Abe has found a way not to live in poverty anymore. As years progress, Thelma has a young son of her own, and as a widow, still depends on Abe. Only Abe harbors deep secrets, and lives a dangerous life that can destroy Thelma.
I found this dark story thought-provoking and intense. I would recommend this to readers who enjoy reading about the immigrants who came to Brooklyn. I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest review.
May 25, 2019
The opening chapter of this novel really got me hooked. Thelma pays an unplanned visit to her brother Abbie’s. She lets herself in, and soon discovers she has arrived on a gruesome murder scene. She ends up having to clean the scene while her brother and his fellow mobsters remove the body. The bulk of the novel takes us back to their childhood. A father who died young, a mother who couldn’t cope, poverty, an older sister who had to effectively raise Thelma and resented coins so, overcrowding in inadequate housing, sexual abuse my a step-father for which she was blamed. A litany of issues which are sadly still much in evidence today. Thelma always feels unloved and inadequate except when she is in the presence of her beloved brother Abie.,Eventually she marries and has a child, but her husband has metal health issues, is hospitalised by his bullying father and commits suicide, forcing Thelma and and baby back with her own family. Eventually we return to the opening scene and it’s aftermath, which forces Thelma to confront the demons from her past and make decision about whether she can move past them and avoid repeating the mistakes that plagued her childhood as she raises her son. I loved vivid portrayal of immigrant communities in Brooklyn. I loved the character of Thelma, how she refused to stay down for long even if she didn’t get things right all the time. I also liked how this focussed on the impact of mob violence on women. Even Annie, as unlikeable as she was, suffered and was trying to make the best of a bad situation. The links between poverty, abuse , organised crime and violence were well highlighted here and it is a shame that while much has changed in the intervening 100 years too much still remains the same.
November 7, 2018
Bittersweet Brooklyn....is a good name for a book that had me feeling bittersweet reading it. It felt dark, heavy and tragic through most of it. Painful event after painful event. But there were also parts that gave me hope, too. It's the story of Thelma Lorber and the extremely dysfunctional Jewish family she grows up in. Her mother is left a resentful widow when Thelma is very little. Thelma's sister, Annie, has to pick up the pieces and she is resentful she has to hold the family together. This resentfulness is taken out on the three younger siblings, Abie, Louis and Thelma. "...….the realization that what they'd needed protection from was her and Annie, that awful two-headed beast they became together, born out of Jonas's death and her subsequent collapse.
The story starts out in the present tense (1930's) and captured my attention in the first pages. It then skips back to how the characters ended up in the first scene of the book and fills that time frame in. I felt terrible for Thelma. All she wanted in life was to feel loved and accepted. All she got was mistreated for the most part and never felt worthy of being loved. She wanted so much for her mom to love her and even her sister. It broke my heart that she was rejected by them.
The book is very well written in that I felt the desperation, the yearning, the horror of what a "mob" hit was like, the bitterness of jealousy, the faithfulness of loyalty no matter what, and even the desires of loving a person through depression and loss. The author took me back to the streets of Brooklyn in the 1920's and 1030's era. It was like taking a trip back in time and experiencing the hardships in a rough time just scraping to get by. Doing what ever it took to survive. Kill or be killed. I was on the streets with the characters, in the tenements, on Coney Island tasting a bagel, in the awful orphanage, watching a movie in the Kinema......so many descriptive passages that put me in the story.
Overall it's a great read....it was just a bit, or a lot, of family disfunction that was hard for me to overcome in the end.
I want to thank Lake Union, Netgalley and Thelma Adams for the opportunity to read and review this book.
The story starts out in the present tense (1930's) and captured my attention in the first pages. It then skips back to how the characters ended up in the first scene of the book and fills that time frame in. I felt terrible for Thelma. All she wanted in life was to feel loved and accepted. All she got was mistreated for the most part and never felt worthy of being loved. She wanted so much for her mom to love her and even her sister. It broke my heart that she was rejected by them.
The book is very well written in that I felt the desperation, the yearning, the horror of what a "mob" hit was like, the bitterness of jealousy, the faithfulness of loyalty no matter what, and even the desires of loving a person through depression and loss. The author took me back to the streets of Brooklyn in the 1920's and 1030's era. It was like taking a trip back in time and experiencing the hardships in a rough time just scraping to get by. Doing what ever it took to survive. Kill or be killed. I was on the streets with the characters, in the tenements, on Coney Island tasting a bagel, in the awful orphanage, watching a movie in the Kinema......so many descriptive passages that put me in the story.
Overall it's a great read....it was just a bit, or a lot, of family disfunction that was hard for me to overcome in the end.
I want to thank Lake Union, Netgalley and Thelma Adams for the opportunity to read and review this book.
November 19, 2018
Not to be missed! Smart and complex, Bittersweet Brooklyn is a riveting journey into a glamorous and deadly underworld. Fascinating characters and a backdrop of New York in the 1920’s kept me churning through pages. Add in twist after twist to an already vibrant plot, and you’ve got the makings of a perfect read! No one writes women in history better than Thelma Adams. I loved this book!
November 10, 2018
This book is so well written and has a great story. The characters are fantastic. The story just left me so depressed. The main character has nothing but bad luck. She basically loses everything important to her. There’s death, tragedy, loss - just so much sadness. Story wise, it is amazing though!
November 22, 2018
What to say about this story, it certainly packs a wallop! It had everything you want in a great book. Complicated characters that you like or disliked a lot. A dysfunctional family like none you’ve ever encountered, with nothing to give to each other. Certainly love was missing, with Thelma growing up, begging for affection from her mother and sister Annie. Annie, a horrible person, committing her own brothers to an orphanage, and withholding any affection from her baby sister, running the family like inmates.
It is a page turner, with the hope that this has a happy ending for all. No spoilers here, but if you can get through the tragedy, heartache and the violence that the mob brought to Brooklyn, this broken family that exists on the fringes of despair, you may find a semblance of hope in the remains.
I received this ARC from Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley. I hope my review does this powerful novel justice and kudos to Thelma Adams.
It is a page turner, with the hope that this has a happy ending for all. No spoilers here, but if you can get through the tragedy, heartache and the violence that the mob brought to Brooklyn, this broken family that exists on the fringes of despair, you may find a semblance of hope in the remains.
I received this ARC from Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley. I hope my review does this powerful novel justice and kudos to Thelma Adams.
August 7, 2018
This was one amazingly detailed novel! The setting is Brooklyn, New York in the 1920's and 1930's.
Families were struggling during this time.
Thelma is a young Jewish girl who lives in a poor dysfunctional family. She craves attention and love.
Her brother Abie understands his sister, but he is not around much. Abie is taking care of "business" to survive.
Thelma continues at all costs, to look for that affection as a young girl and then as she grows up. Will she be able to find a life of happiness? How far will she go to help her brother when he needs her?
This story is tough to read at times, but definitely intriguing.
This was not a good time in America and people did whatever they had to do to survive and sometimes they did not make it.
Well done! I felt as though I was transported back in time and felt the panic of Thelma and so many others.
Families were struggling during this time.
Thelma is a young Jewish girl who lives in a poor dysfunctional family. She craves attention and love.
Her brother Abie understands his sister, but he is not around much. Abie is taking care of "business" to survive.
Thelma continues at all costs, to look for that affection as a young girl and then as she grows up. Will she be able to find a life of happiness? How far will she go to help her brother when he needs her?
This story is tough to read at times, but definitely intriguing.
This was not a good time in America and people did whatever they had to do to survive and sometimes they did not make it.
Well done! I felt as though I was transported back in time and felt the panic of Thelma and so many others.
March 27, 2019
Thelma has two older brothers and her sister Annie, who became the one to make the decisions after the loss of their father. Their mother to distraught after their father’s death to take charge. Annie was nothing but cruel and abusive. Thelma’s brother Abie Lorber was a notorious gangster.
The story take you through what mob life was like durning the depression between the Italian and Jewish mobs. This book was exactly what I thought it would, dark, dysfunctional and keeps you wanting more. The characters are complex and Thelma Adams brought this tory to life in this book, you will feel like you are right there living it with them.
The story take you through what mob life was like durning the depression between the Italian and Jewish mobs. This book was exactly what I thought it would, dark, dysfunctional and keeps you wanting more. The characters are complex and Thelma Adams brought this tory to life in this book, you will feel like you are right there living it with them.
August 2, 2018
In Thelma Adam’s riveting story BITTERSWEET BROOKLYN, Thelma Lorber, the sister of notorious gangster Abie Lorber, struggles to survive within the hardscrabble Italian and Jewish neighborhoods of Brooklyn in the 1920s and 30s, and the dysfunction of her wretched home life. This is a gorgeously written and gritty American immigrant tale about broken homes and broken hearts, and how the sins within a family can reverberate across generations.
September 25, 2018
I loved the time frame and the author did a really good job with character development but I really struggled with liking the characters of this family. There was such dislike and outright hate displayed for Thelma and her brothers by her Mother and older sister that I had a hard time enjoying the book.
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