The Boston Girl in Retro Chapter Chicks

Oct 31, 2016 Brina rated it really liked it

Shelves: coming-of-age, historical-fiction, jewish-books

In 1985 Addie Baum decides to tell her granddaughter Ava Miller the story of her life. Looking back on eighty five years of memories, Addie reminisces of times long gone, of life before modern conveniences as dish washers and telephones, of immigrants toiling in factories during their first years in the United States. Addie Baum has lived in Boston for her entire life and is The Boston Girl in every sense of the word.

I first read Anita Diamont years ago with her debut novel The Red Tent. At the In 1985 Addie Baum decides to tell her granddaughter Ava Miller the story of her life. Looking back on eighty five years of memories, Addie reminisces of times long gone, of life before modern conveniences as dish washers and telephones, of immigrants toiling in factories during their first years in the United States. Addie Baum has lived in Boston for her entire life and is The Boston Girl in every sense of the word.

I first read Anita Diamont years ago with her debut novel The Red Tent. At the time, I was captivated by her story of the biblical Dinah. Diamont uses basic language to tell a straight forward tale in first person that brings in the reader from the first pages. Such is the case with The Boston Girl. Even though I am familiar with stories like Addie's- Jewish immigrants living in tenements and working hard to move up in society- I was drawn in by the intimateness of her tale. We move from her teenage years through her young adult life to her courtship. There is hardship, death, a modern older sister, an overbearing mother, and a father clinging to ways of the shtetl. I could have been reading about any Eastern European Jewish family, including my own. Despite the familiarity, I kept reading because of the uniqueness of Addie's tale in the fabric of this country.

The Boston Girl reads like a memoir rather than a novel, and this is where many readers including myself ran into issues with the prose. I read novels for their richness of prose but The Boston Girl tells a straight forward story. We do get descriptions of the time and place, but they are so fast moving because Diamont attempts to place eighty five years of memories into 300 pages, not an easy task; however, this novel does not merit awards for literary prowess. In many cases I down grade a review because I do not enjoy the characters but am drawn in by the prose. The Boston Girl is the opposite- lovely story, prose that I read in one sitting.

I am not a fan of the women's lit genre but I do enjoy a story of people, especially immigrants, reminiscing about how their lives have changed. Thus, even I read Addie's tale as though I was hearing about my great grandparents and the start of my family in this country. I especially enjoyed the female companionship amongst Addie and her friends which included a melting pot of nationalities. When Addie says that today is better I am not so sure because in modern society there is much competition even among friends. Amongst the settlement house girls, we see comradeship and friendships that last a lifetime. Strong female friendships are a trademark of Diamont's writing, and even I enjoyed hearing about the stories the Boston girls created through out their lives. I could have been reading about my grandmother and her friends and I enjoyed this intimacy tremendously.

Not a literary giant that I normally savor, The Boston Girl was a relaxing read for a Sunday afternoon at home. It is an intimate book like spending the day with ones female relatives. I did feel like I was spending time with my own grandmother, and this is most likely what Diamont was visualizing with this book. A fast read, with a much better story than prose, I rate The Boston Girl a solid 3.5 stars. ...more

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Sep 26, 2016 Candi rated it liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction

When Addie Baum’s granddaughter asks her how she came to be the woman she is today, Addie embarks on a trek down memory lane. It is now 1985 as she relates her life story to granddaughter Ava, but her story goes back many, many years. Addie, now at the wise age of eighty-five, was born to Jewish-Russian immigrants but was born in America and lived her entire life in Boston. The novel is written in a conversational tone as granddaughter and grandmother bond through the sharing of these vivid memo When Addie Baum’s granddaughter asks her how she came to be the woman she is today, Addie embarks on a trek down memory lane. It is now 1985 as she relates her life story to granddaughter Ava, but her story goes back many, many years. Addie, now at the wise age of eighty-five, was born to Jewish-Russian immigrants but was born in America and lived her entire life in Boston. The novel is written in a conversational tone as granddaughter and grandmother bond through the sharing of these vivid memories. Addie’s mind is sharp and her storytelling is spirited.

Addie had spark and was a real go-getter. This was a struggle for her – her parents had old-fashioned values and often butted heads with Addie. Her mother lived a hard life, did not want to leave her home country, and as a result turned into a bitter woman. Addie could never seem to please her mother and this distressed her but did not crush her spirit. Her mother believed a woman’s place was in the home and such phrases as "Marriage and children are a woman’s crown" were frequently hurled in Addie’s direction. When Addie meets Miss Chevalier, her own ambition is stimulated when this forward-looking woman proclaims "I believe that girls need gumption, too, especially in this day and age. I believe you are a girl with gumption." So begins Addie’s leap into the world of library reading clubs, Saturday clubs, and “girls camp” at the Rockport Lodge. Much to her mother’s dismay, she joins the ranks of working women. Her mother could grumble all she wanted, but the income from Addie’s job made a big impact on the family’s financial situation. "What could she really do? Without what I earned, she would be back to sewing sheets ten hours a day and eating potatoes every night. Money is power, right?" We learn much about what it was like for a woman earning a living during the years surrounding the 1920s.

Addie’s story touches on a wide range of topics and historic events including World War I, sexual assault, orphan trains, the flu epidemic, suicide, child labor laws, prohibition, and a slew of others. These subjects were discussed in a manner you would expect between grandmother and granddaughter – with brevity and with the gravity due to such topics, but without too much depth. It was interesting to get a snapshot of such events from Addie’s viewpoint. Heartwarming tales of friendship and family were also emphasized, and I really enjoyed those snippets of her narrative. Overall, I would say this is a sweet story, easy to read, and worth your time if you want a light overview of a young woman’s life during early 20th century America. I was not truly inspired by the writing itself. Having been a huge fan of Diamant’s novel The Red Tent, I perhaps expected a bit more complexity and richness in the prose. However, this read more like a memoir; one which I believe would have been more enjoyable had I listened to rather than read Addie’s words. I applauded Addie's independence and enthusiasm for life.
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Oct 12, 2020 Book Concierge rated it it was amazing

Shelves: library, concierge, strong-women, coming-of-age, audio, historical-fiction, massachusetts, 20th-century

Digital audiobook performed by Linda Lavin

85-year-old Addie Baum is interviewed by her “favorite” granddaughter for a project. And so she begins to relate her life from the beginning. Her parents emigrated in the late 1890s from Russia, along with her two older sisters. Addie was born in Boston in 1900 and has lived her entire life in that city. In many ways this was an ordinary life, but Addie’s telling shows how even “ordinary” people can have extraordinary events in their lives.

I just loved ...more

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