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Manhattan Beach

Jennifer Egan

Discussion: 2017 - Oct-Nov-Dec

Why we're reading this: December 6, 2017
[close] December 6, 2017

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Jan 26, 2019 Catherine Newell rated it liked it

This book was a four or five star read...up until about the last 100 pages, at which point I found myself saying over and over, "Wait, what? Really? What just happened? Why, tho?" It was like there was a sudden right turn into another story, one that I didn't really like, but read anyway to get to the end. I still have a lot of questions, and if it were a more satisfying book I'd go back and try to puzzle out the answers. But for now, I feel like I just can't be bothered, because I went from car This book was a four or five star read...up until about the last 100 pages, at which point I found myself saying over and over, "Wait, what? Really? What just happened? Why, tho?" It was like there was a sudden right turn into another story, one that I didn't really like, but read anyway to get to the end. I still have a lot of questions, and if it were a more satisfying book I'd go back and try to puzzle out the answers. But for now, I feel like I just can't be bothered, because I went from caring deeply about the main character to being deeply confused about why she was putting up with any of the nonsense happening around and to her.

(begin:rant) I think the balance of my disappointment comes from the fact that this starts out as a book about a spectacular young woman who is determined to own her future and lead an unconventional and exciting life, but [mild spoiler] she winds up with such a boring and conventional ending. I realize that life is like that sometimes, but the author came up with this fierce and bright character, made her smart and motivated, loving and funny, and then just had her fold up like an umbrella for a man, let her be riddled with unhealthy daddy issues, and generally spoiled a great heroine by punishing her for being a sexual person. It's maddening. I realize the sexual politics of the era were, shall we say, more than a bit rigid and completely hypocritical, but geez: either write a book about the first female diver in the Navy Yard or write a book about the double standards and the dark side of being a sexually active young women in the 1940s. It's like Egan abandoned the former for the latter, and it just made the final third or more of the book unravel. (/rant)

All that said, it was a pretty terrific portrait of WWII-era Manhattan, the Brooklyn waterfront, and day-to-day life during the war effort. There was obviously a ton of research that went into this, and it makes for a compelling atmosphere -- there are many beautifully written details and rich observations about a fascinating time in American/world history. So, with all that in the balance, right up the middle it goes to 2.5 stars. ...more

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Jun 21, 2025 Andy added it

DNF. Not my cup of tea.

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Nov 24, 2017 Jackie rated it liked it

Good book, but nothing makes it stand out for me. Nothing in the story seems that original or memorable.

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Sep 28, 2019 Natalie rated it it was ok

Not what I was looking for, but a little interesting at some points.
Would be more enjoyed by someone looking for a family epic during WWII including gangsters and diving and a woman finding her way. And (spoiler alert) have everything tied up in a feel good bow at the end.
My attempts at reading Egan shall come to an end now as I really didn't like Goon Squad either. ...more

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Nov 14, 2017 Eileen rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction-historic

3.5 stars

I had very high hopes for Manhattan Beach, but was somewhat disappointed. It is a good book, well written and researched. Manhattan Beach does have the feel of a timeless classic, however, it was not a story that completely drew me in.

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