July 2018 - The Boston Girl

[Sarah]

One of the group reads for July is The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant. Please discuss the book in this thread.

Cherie will be leading the discussion.

In order to receive a badge you must:
1. have completed the book before or during July 2018.
2. discussed it in this thread. Discussion must be more than "I read the book and I liked it". Discussion requires something more substantial and analytical of what you read, for example, thoughts, opinions, impact it had on you, what was your favourite part, was it what you expected it to be like etc. You may also like to review the book and post a link to the review in this thread. Please refer to our group spoiler policy for further information.
3. Report that you have read AND discussed the book in the reporting thread (include a brief summary of what you thought of the book).

General Rules:
1. Please mark your spoilers with the spoiler tags along with mentioning what stage of the book you are at so other's don't get a nasty shock. Chapter numbers/titles are generally best as they are the same across all formats and editions. See our spoiler policy
2. The book may be combined with the Year Long Challenge, Topplers, and Monthly Challenges.

Happy reading!

[Kristie, Moderator]

I'm hoping to get to this one later in the month.

[Cherie]

Roz, if you are still reading, I will be joining you shortly.

[Roz]

I'm here. I've read about 30 pages. I like reading about the immigrant experience. I started working on my family tree again, especially after visiting Ellis Island a couple of months ago (for the first time) and the whole "thing" - leaving your homeland, living in tenements, trying to assimilate into American culture, finding work - is fascinating.

Here are some of my thoughts so far:

Chapter: Three Cheers for Addie Baum:
(view spoiler)[“Marriage and children are a woman’s crown”: The immigrant population viewed a woman’s place and purpose as wife, mother, homemaker. Mameh was horrified that perhaps Addie didn’t want to get married. She (Mameh) saw no value in a woman being educated. Claimed that all that reading wasn’t good for her, after all who would want a woman with a squint. She called Betty (sister 1) a whore because she moved out before she was married. Betty wanted to be modern with pointy shoes and a job. She had assimilated into the new society. Mameh kept hold of the old ways. Addie is proud of her education and thrives on the praise of Miss Chevalier.

A woman with children and no husband was pitied. Mrs. Freistadt across the street had 4 daughters and her husband had told her he didn’t love her (after 20 yrs) and just walked out. She spoke no English and could only cook and clean (old world) and now with no husband to protect her and work, they became poor. The community pitied them and were ashamed of them. Did they blame her for the husband’s leaving? Her immigrant neighbors seem to have felt she hadn’t kept her end of the marriage bargain.

“My father would have taken a strap to you” Heard that before. But Papa stops the beating. And doesn’t want to hear Mameh calling Betty a whore. “Betty is a good girl”. He seems to be assimilating better than Mameh to the new society (He had come over first with Betty and had more time in America). (hide spoiler)]

I found information about Settlement Houses:
The Settlement Houses became an important vehicle for the integration of immigrants (primarily women) into American society. They provided various services including health care, daycare, employment opportunities, cultural activities, language classes etc. Settlements, then, aimed not only to provide services and assistance to their neighbors but also to spur reform that could improve the way the poor and working class lived.
Its main object was the establishment of "settlement houses" in poor urban areas, in which volunteer middle-class "settlement workers" would live, hoping to share knowledge and culture with, and alleviate the poverty of, their low-income neighbors.

Chapter: What are Friends For?
Rockport Lodge was a vacation house for working women of low and moderate income, starting in 1906 with the purchase of a house and property by the Massachusetts Association of Women Workers. Closed in 2002. I found an article in The Boston Globe August 18, 1907 that included pictures of the house and described it as “vacation home for working girls”.

I also found this web page where the author describes her inspiration for the book, challenging the assertion that her books are character driven. For this book, The Boston Girl, the inspiration came from Rockport Lodge itself.
http://anitadiamant.com/2015/03/histo...

[Cherie]

I read to page 58 today. The Chapter starting on page 59 is called "I thought I was in love".
So, I read 11 Chapters.

In Three Cheers For Addie Blum, I had to stop and look up The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere and read it. I remembered the first verse. Hehe. I bookmarked the Rockport Lodge to look up tomorrow, but you beat me to it, Roz. Thank you for all the information!
I knew a little bit about the settlement house scene from other books I have read, but I was going to research them too. (view spoiler)[the Saturday Club sounded like a good thing for Addie. Too bad her mother is so strict and unforgiving and stuck in her "old ways", but I understand that too. When Addie was introduced to Rose, Addie called her a healthy girl. What does that mean? Just not thin? I like Filomina. (hide spoiler)]

In What are Friends For? (view spoiler)[I'm dating myself, but when Addie mentioned taking her daughter to see The Wizard of Oz and the everything changes from black and white to color. I grew up watching the movie on black and white TV and I can testify what a wonderful experience it was the first time I saw it on a color TV. It was the most magical thing I had ever seen! Like flying for the first time, everything looks different! I liked the line about seeing corn grow out of the ground. I am looking forward to seeing what Addie grew up to be, after she said she was almost forty before she knew. What kind of pickles was she talking about? Soft and sweet? Did she mean bread and butter pickles? (hide spoiler)]. Oh, and I want to know how to make three-cornered hats out of newspaper!

In You Must be the Smart One and Mazel tov and This Daughter of yours is a Firecracker(view spoiler)[I was a little worried about Mr. Levine marrying Celia but he seems to be ok and maybe he got the short end of that deal. Addie has a job anyway. (hide spoiler)]

[Peggy]

I read this book 3.5 years ago. I gave it 4 stars but don't remember a thing of it. I looked back at my review and part of it says "To me, there is nothing very special about this book, nothing that pops out, nothing that I feel I should definitely mention in my review. Still, this was a book that I really enjoyed reading. " So I guess it makes sense that I don't remember much, but I have a notoriously bad memory with regard to books anyway.

I'll be reading your posts to see if things come back to me.

[Tricia]

I'm picking this up today. Thanks, everyone, for all the background information. I sometimes think it helps going into a new book with some knowledge of the ideas in it that we might not be so familiar with today.

I've never read anything by Anita Diamant so I'm really looking forward to this.

I'll be back soon to read everyone's thoughts and add my own.

[Renee]

I read this when it first came out.I will be following along. I may do a reread but I am having some energy issues. Its a good book hope its okay if I chime in.

I find it interesting that both books we picked this month involve the immigrant experience. I want to follow this discussion to compare it with Brooklyn.

[Tricia]

Cherie wrote: "I read to page 58 today. The Chapter starting on page 59 is called "I thought I was in love".
So, I read 11 Chapters.

In Three Cheers For Addie Blum, I had to stop and look up The Midnight Ride o..."

To make a three-corner hat out of newspaper
https://www.ehow.com/how_5084590_make...

My grandmother used to make these with us all the time. Incidentally, there is then a way to turn the hat into a boat; and then you can tell a story about the boat ending up in a shipwreck. As you tell the story, you tear the paper in a certain way, and at the end you're left with only a folded paper t-shirt.

[Tricia]

I'm several chapters in now. So far so good, I'm not sure what I think of the way the story is being told, but I'll probably get used to it. (view spoiler)[Addie tells us from the beginning that this is an interview being conducted and tape recorded by her granddaughter. However, we never, at least as far as I've read, here from said granddaughter. It just seems a little incongruous for an interview to be so one-sided. I do think the whole getting our elders' stories recorded is a wonderful idea though. (hide spoiler)]

In the chapter called "What are Friends for," (view spoiler)[I loved the description of the hike. My parents are really big fans of hiking and natural or scenic attractions, and especially as a child when I spent more time hiking with them, I was always the one, like Irene, wondering why we walked so far to see a rock. Not that I don't like nature, but sometimes... lol I could definitely identify with the sentiment. (hide spoiler)]

[Cherie]

Tricia wrote: "I've never read anything by Anita Diamant so I'm really looking forward to this...."

We read her book, The Red Tent a few years ago, as a group read, I think.

[Cherie]

Re three-corner hat:
Hahaha, thank you for the link, Tricia. I thought this was something different. We used to make these hats all of the time. We called them sailor hats vs. three-corner hats. (view spoiler)[Honestly, I do not see how it would have kept the sun off of Irene's nose, even if she had not thrown it away. (hide spoiler)]

[Cherie]

Re how the story is being told: (view spoiler)[ Yes, it does seem to be more a monologue than an interview, so far. (hide spoiler)]

[Sarah]

Cherie wrote: "Tricia wrote: "I've never read anything by Anita Diamant so I'm really looking forward to this...."

We read her book, The Red Tent a few years ago, as a group read, I think."

We did indeed Cherie. I really enjoyed that book.

[Cherie]

Great to hear, Sarah. It is probably why I had this one and other of hers on my TBR list. I did not realize it when I suggested it. It just sounded like an interesting story.

I am in the forest of Venezuela today but I will be back in Boston this evening.

[Renee]

It did take me awhile to get used to the way the story was told


(view spoiler)[ After I got used to the taped monologue feI began to enjoy the story. I can understand why it was done. But I think I would have preferred something else. It made it hard for me to warm up to the char. In books like this I need to like the main char (hide spoiler)]

[Tricia]

Renee wrote: "It did take me awhile to get used to the way the story was told


[spoilers removed]"

I think I'm finally starting to get used to it, but (view spoiler)[I still find it jarring when there is an occasional aside to the granddaughter. I mean I know Addie's technically talking to her the whole time, but sometimes she'll say something specifically to her, and it kind of interrupts the flow for me. (hide spoiler)]

[Cherie]

I never made it to Boston yesterday, but today I am reading the chapter titled I thought I was in love. (view spoiler)[ the cadet is in Boston, hmmm. I'm not sure about him. (hide spoiler)]

[Cherie]

Oh, my spoiler tags are open. Gah-I can't fix them because I'm on the mobile app and my laptop is at work. Janice or Peggy or Sarah- can you remove my previous post. I don't think they are major spoilers except for maybe about Celia. Darn!!!!

[Peggy]

This is Cherie's post

I finished 30 pages this afternoon.
Ha! I was right about (view spoiler)[ that cadet guy! What a jerk! At least it didn't turn out as badly as it could have. (hide spoiler)] in I Thought I was in love.

(view spoiler)[
It was my fault.Oh what an awful thing to come into. Celia could not done that accidentally, could she? She had to have been standing there bleeding for a long, long time. Even in shock, she could have done something to slow the bleeding. She must not have wanted to go on living with her husband and his boys. I don't think it was Addie's fault. It was so nice of the girls to take her out at the end of the chapter.

It was like waking up from a bad dreamFunny how things flip-flop in stories. First it was Addie and guy trouble and now Filomina. At least she got to Rockport Lodge, thanks to Filomina and her brother-in-law. I had to look up "mensch". Leslie sounded like a hoot! I'm not sure about R.M. yet. Re pants: I can remember getting my first pair of Levi's. I was six and the lady down the street gave them to my mother for me to wear when I was riding her son's bicycle (I didn't have one). Her son had outgrown the jeans. My mother and grandmother made all of our clothes when we were little and I was quite a tom boy. I hated wearing dresses all of the time. I loved the jeans and put them on as soon as I got home from school. My mother had to pry them off at night. I hope we see Filomina again.

The quick brown fox...I can remember the old Underwood typewriters from my typing class in High School. I remember being timed too. I enjoyed the story of the typing class and the the class on Shakespeare. Addie was lucky to have a good teacher like Mr. Boyer. Did you catch the line at the end about what Addie did? (hide spoiler)]

[Peggy]

Cherie wrote: "Oh, my spoiler tags are open. Gah-I can't fix them because I'm on the mobile app and my laptop is at work. Janice or Peggy or Sarah- can you remove my previous post. I don't think they are major sp..."

I deleted it but saved your text (see post above) so it's not lost.

Probably not new information, but you can also access the actual site on your mobile phone and it has all the functionalities. The buttons are tiny, but for just adding a spoiler or deleting something it works :)

[Tricia]

Cherie wrote: "I never made it to Boston yesterday, but today I am reading the chapter titled I thought I was in love. [spoilers removed]"
This chapter strikes me as timeless. Lessons learned here can still be relevant today, 100 years later. (view spoiler)[Addie doesn't realize what this guy's up to, but some of her friends do. She sort of blows them off because she's so hungry for his attention. It's a great reminder that sometimes young people, and others too for that matter, get so caught up in being in love that they don't see what's right in front of them. Also, I'm not saying that Addie's behavior on all their other dates gives the cadet license to take what he wants; it doesn't. I do think, though, that it's important to remember that the impressions we give and the signals we send can have unintended consequences. Really, though, I seriously wanted to punch that guy, and I was hoping that something would come of the nice bus boy who sees her crying. Oh well. (hide spoiler)]

[Cherie]

Thank you, Peggy, for removing my post and reposting it fixed.

I never tried to access the site on-line on my iPod. I never thought of it. I don't have a smart phone though. I might have to check out the Internet version on my tablet. I think I tried once but the settings kept taking me to the Android mobile app, which I had already loaded.
I usually go online on my laptop but I left it at work yesterday, since I was only going to be off for one day.

I will try to be more careful with my posts. I think I left off one of bracketed symbols. I was trying to show the chapter titles in bold and then my comments. I pushed the post button before I rechecked everything. Bad Cherie!

[Roz]

I've been remiss in posting my thoughts. But I've been writing them down as I read.

Mameh: (view spoiler)[Mameh is very negative about life in America. She rarely finds anything good to say. She resists becoming part of American society. She works at home, is isolated, doesn’t understand the changes/world around her. She’s an example of those immigrants who come/came reluctantly holding on to their old ways, language, customs. It wasn't her choice to leave "home', it was out of necessity. I'm hoping that maybe as time goes by she'll change and embrace her new life. In my town there are Italians (women) who have been in the country for years, yet they don't speak English. Their children/grandchildren do but they don't. (hide spoiler)]
Mr. Levine:(view spoiler)[Now here's a curious fellow. Papa doesn't like him. . He seems to look down on Addie’s family, like he’s better than them. Very assimilated, a snob. His name is Herman but Papa wants to know his “real” name, meaning his name in the ‘old country’, for the ketubah (a Jewish marriage license) He’s ashamed of it, waves it off when he tells him (Hirsh). Papa doesn’t like him (he’s a ganef). Levine is in a hurry to get married (why?). Mameh is all for the marriage- thinks Levine is a catch. After all, it's a mother's job to find husbands for their daughters. Levine wants to join the German Temple (Reform) as opposed to Papa’s (Orthodox). He looks at joining a temple as a business connection rather that for the religious aspect. Says the women sit with the men “like human beings”. Papa's family came from a Russian shtetl (think Fiddle on the Roof) where life revolved around their religious life. They were poor, uneducated, peasants. German Jews coming to America often came from cities. Reform Judaism started in Germany (men and women sitting together, no yarmulkes. (hide spoiler)]
Celia: (view spoiler)[ Celia not marrying for love but Mameh says she’ll learn to love him when they’re together. I don't think that happened. Any time Levine tries to draw Celia into the conversation, asks her a question, she is quiet, unsure, lost. She’s lost weight, is pale, looks ill. Doesn’t anyone notice? This can’t be good. Is Levine mistreating her? The marriage doesn’t seem to be working out at least from Celia’s stand point. Don’t her parents notice? When Levine suggested that Thanksgiving be celebrated at their house w turkey and apple pie, Celia is terrified. She can’t cook (Mameh knows). The apartment is a mess, smells, dirty. Mameh knew, but didn’t help her daughter, she just deserted her and stopped going. Levine’s sons (6 and 3) mistreat her leaving her with bruises. I feel so sorry for her. She’s been abandoned by her parents, married to a man she doesn’t love, taking care of children who resent her. Completely unprepared for this life. The worst kind of arranged marriage. The Baum family look at the merger with Levine as good for them but what about Celia? Betty and Addie try to help (clean the kitchen, promise to help cook the Thanksgiving dinner). Betty reminds Celia it’s her duty to do as her husband wishes.
Did she intentionally cut herself? I think so. The doctors said her wrists were cut. She must have been severely depressed to take such drastic action. Interesting reaction from Celia’s parents. Mameh bathes and feeds Jacob (3) (not her grandson), Papa prays. Didn’t they even consider going to the hospital to be with their daughter? (hide spoiler)]

[Roz]

I love the parts where old customs/superstitions appear. Like “Rain is what brings luck”. Years ago, my husband and I bought a car. It rained the day we picked it up. My husband said it was good to get the car in the rain. It would bring luck. I’d never heard that one before. It must have been true. We had the car for about 15 years. The book (so far) is full of old world superstitions. Smacking across the face when a girl got her period for the first time, putting a red string on doorknobs to keep out the evil eye.

[Roz]

How do you go on after that? It seems that in the past few years (view spoiler)[ the flu is making a devastating come-back. Each year there seem to be more deadly strains. But in 1918 up to 50 million people died, 675,000 in America alone. I can't wrap my head around that. How frightening it must have been. (hide spoiler)]

I was still gun-shy about men Everybody is trying to find someone for Addie. What is she now, 18-19? It isn't like she an old maid. Makes me laugh.

[Heather]

I can't believe how poor some people were when they first came to the United States. It reminds me how lucky I was to grow up in a small town with my own room and always good food. I did pick beans one summer for spending money. But that was easy when you compare.

[Cherie]

Roz wrote: "I've been remiss in posting my thoughts. But I've been writing them down as I read.

Mameh: [spoilers removed]
Mr. Levine:[spoilers removed]
Celia: Celia not marrying for love but Mameh says she’l..."

Mameh - I agree!
Mr. Levine - good recap and thanks for the info on the different states of the faith and where they came from.
Celia - I thought all of the same things. (view spoiler)[It seems that the mother had alienated all of her daughters. She only yelled at them. I did not understand why she did not help Celia either. (hide spoiler)]

[Tricia]

Roz wrote: "How do you go on after that? It seems that in the past few years [spoilers removed]I was still gun-shy about men Everybody is trying to find someone for Addie. What is she now, 18-19? It isn't like..."

Thanks for the flu statistics, Roz. I knew it had been more of a problem in the past, but I had no idea how bad it was. (view spoiler)[I cannot even begin to imagine losing two children at all, let alone within a couple of days. It's amazing how much death and heartache this family has endured even to this point in the book.

On another note, what do we think about Betty's marriage? She says it's been a year since her sister's death, and I know that the marriage is working out well, but it still seems a little too convenient. Betty knew things even before Celia's death that suggested the two of them might have been closer than they should have. I guess I'm glad for them though and that the boys get along with Betty better than they did with Celia. (hide spoiler)]

[Heather]

Good story, but are we going anywhere with it? Slow read for me. :(

[Cherie]

Sorry it is slow for you, Heather. Sometimes the group reads are not what you really like, but they expose us to different authors and genre and sometimes the remove from a cherished comfort zone can open up new opportunities for book selections and future reading. We are all different in our likes and however slow it is for you, to someone else, it will be right on target.

Please do not think I am criticizing you. I am not at all. You are totally entitled to your opinion and we are all willing to listen. Is there something specifically in the story that made it so slow for you? I think you are reacting to a lack of plot. Is this correct?

I have not really gotten into it as far as some of the rest of you, but I will be catching up soon. I almost tripped over Tricia's spoiler, but I stopped in time. ;o)

[Heather]

Cherie wrote: "Sorry it is slow for you, Heather. Sometimes the group reads are not what you really like, but they expose us to different authors and genre and sometimes the remove from a cherished comfort zone c..."

You are right....being in book clubs does expose us to all different types of topics and that is why I participate. There were parts of it I did enjoy, especially her friendships. But, the next one we read could become one of my favorites. It's all good!! Ps....I enjoy quilting too.

[Clive]

Hi all, I've only recently joined this group but I've been trying to throw myself into things (I hope that's ok) and decided to read this book as it is something that I probably wouldn't have looked at twice otherwise.

Like others have said I'm finding the writing style slightly strange. It feels as though the author is creating such a fascinating world, and in particular really well written characters with a lot of detail but when the asides to the Granddaughter appear it pulls you out of this very sharply. However I'm finding the book very interesting despite what I had originally thought.

I particularly liked the early descriptions of experiencing things for the first time such as (view spoiler)[high and low tide and seeing clouds change the colour of the sea (hide spoiler)] in 'What are friends for?'. It reminded me of how many things we see and experience every day and take for granted but that there was once a time when these things were enough to totally change our perspective.

Tricia - it's funny you mention the newspaper hats being used as boats. The book I am reading for the monthly challenge is It which opens with a boy playing with a newspaper boat. It's amaing the coincidences that you can find between different things in this way!

[Tricia]

Cherie wrote: "Sorry it is slow for you, Heather. Sometimes the group reads are not what you really like, but they expose us to different authors and genre and sometimes the remove from a cherished comfort zone c..."

Sorry, Cherie, I'm glad I didn't spoil it for you. I'll be more aware in the future and make sure I add chapter titles or some other identifying information to show where I am in the book.

[Roz]

I finished the book yesterday. It was an okay book but nothing special for me. I enjoyed the Yiddish asides and the peek into the immigrant experience. Sometimes the translations of the Yiddish were incorrect (from my experience) like a Yenta is a gossip not a matchmaker that's "Shadchan" and an "alter kocker" is literally an "old shitter" or elderly person, but not necessarily a retiree. But I didn’t really connect to the characters. It was the story of an immigrant’s life and that’s fine. Maybe it was the way it was written (more like a monologue/interview without the other voice) that left me flat. I think that’s what it was – flat. Good character development depends on an interaction between characters, more points of view. But it read like a list of events. We learned about the supporting characters as part of Addie’s chronicle of events so that they came across paper thin. 3 stars.

[Heather]

Roz wrote: "I finished the book yesterday. It was an okay book but nothing special for me. I enjoyed the Yiddish asides and the peek into the immigrant experience. Sometimes the translations of the Yiddish wer..."

I'm glad I'm not alone. I was starting to feel like there was something wrong with me. When I finished I couldn't find the right word....flat is the word.

[Tricia]

I finished it, too, and I agree with a lot of what Roz said. I did enjoy many of the characters though and the ways in which they interacted with each other from Addie's point of view.

The ending:
(view spoiler)[I was a little puzzled by the fact that we spent the majority of the book looking back at Addie's life from her teenage years until she was about thirty. Then, we barely touched on the next 50 years. (hide spoiler)]

[siriusedward]

I just started this.I am liking the flow of the book.Its and easy read.With it being natted in first person,I was a bit worried whether I would like it or not.
This is my first book by the author.I have read many reviews saying that The Red Tent is a very good book.Much better than this.

[Clive]

I finished the book this morning and actually really enjoyed it (perhaps because my expectations going into it were very low).

I lost all of my Grandparents in my early teens and this book left me with the feeling of the lost opportunity to learn more about their lives. I think if they were still alive (or if I had been able to read this book 20 years ago) I would have immediately been pestering my Grandparents with lots of questions about their early lives.

The other point that really stuck with me was the relationship between the narrator and her mother. (view spoiler)[All the way through the book this is slightly confrontational as though the narrator cannot please her mother and at times as though the mother is actually wishing her ill. Often this seems to be wrapped in a nostalgic view of 'home' before the family moved to Boston. This goes against a thought that is widespread nowadays of each generation wanting their children to have more and achieve more than themselves. I wondered whether the feelings of the mother were more common at that time, perhaps more common to immigrants (maybe due to a rose-tinted view of where they had left) or maybe just unique to her as an individual? (hide spoiler)] I'd be interested in what other people thought about this.

Finally I was wondering what timeframe people thought the actual narration took place over? It seemed to me as though it was done in one long stream of conciousness but this is maybe because I read it in a short period. If this is the case however I think there is a (very minor) continuity error. (view spoiler)[In the chapter 'Don't let anyone tell you things aren't better than they used to be' Addie says that she will give the vase she gets from Filomena to the grandchild that gets married first. But then in 'I still miss him like crazy' she talks about how it is a shame that Aaron missed being at 'your sister's wedding'. (hide spoiler)] As I say, it's only a very small thing but it did make me wonder whether maybe the narration had taken place over a much longer period.

[Tricia]

Nice catch, Clive. I felt as though this narration took place in a relatively short amount of time as well, but I completely missed the error in continuity you pointed out. You're absolutely right, though, and I'm trying to decide if it changes my opinion on the length of the narration at all. I don't think it does; I'm going with an error rather than deliberately placed details.

[Cherie]

I read several chapters tonight, from I Figure God Created Margaret Sanger, Too through If I Wasn't so Busy, I would Have Felt Sorry For Myself . Unfortunately, I'm on my tablet using the updated Android mobile app, and reading the book in ebook format is going to be a problem. If I press the back arrow, it jumps me out off the discussion thread. Good news is that I can see the spoilers, BUT, they are all open. I can't tell if it is because I have already read them all earlier in the day or what. I haven't found a thread that has a new spoiler yet. I am going to post one and see what happens.

Margaret Sanger (view spoiler)[I did not know who she was, until I Googled her name. I was shocked about what Filomina did. (hide spoiler)]
Betty (view spoiler)[I was happy for Betty and Levine. (hide spoiler)]
War (view spoiler)[I thought the comments about people just trying to live their lives and not paying much attention to the war was interesting and the only time she paid attention were via the news reels at the movie theater. After the US joined the war, they were all involved knitting socks and rolling bandages at the Saturday Club meetings. I really was a different time, back then. (hide spoiler)]
flu (view spoiler)[ I had no idea that it was so bad that they left dead bodies out on the porches to be picked up and buried and that they were buried in mass graves. In the US? I had never read that! I felt so bad when she told that the two boys had died. What was the significance of the stones on the gravestone? Does anyone know? (hide spoiler)]
too busy to be sorry (view spoiler)[I liked the comment at the end of this chapter about smiling and saying hi to chambermaids. I was a janitor for a while when I was younger, and I still pick up trash and always thank the folks who empty the trash cans and clean up where I work today. (hide spoiler)]

[Heather]

Sarah wrote: "One of the group reads for July is The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant. Please discuss the book in this thread.

Cherie will be leading the discussion.

In order to re..."
I have finished the book and as I had mentioned before, it isn't a favorite of mine. It is still early in the month so I will hide my review so I don't spoil it for any one. I did listen to it on audio.

Likes: The narrator was Linda Lavin and she had a perfect voice for Addie, the Boston accent and all. (view spoiler)[ I like the historical facts surround the story like immigration, the flu epidemic, the poor living conditions and the work that was available. I also enjoyed that Addie was a 'go getter' for that time era for women. I envied her relationship with her friends and that they lasted her whole life. (hide spoiler)]

Dislikes: (view spoiler)[ This book, for me was more of a discussion that a story. Just Addie telling her life in snippets. Her relationship with her mother was difficult. Was that because of the time, or just this family? Her father was really absent emotionally for any of them. Her sister dying. Just on and on. And then once she was married, and she seemed so much happier, the book ends. I wish there would have been more of a balance between the sadness and the happy times. (hide spoiler)]

This isn't my normal genre to read, so my review is somewhat tainted by my need for a plot, climax and an ending.
****

Sarah, is this more of what you are looking for?

[Roz]

Leaving stones on gravestones is a Jewish tradition (I don't know if other religions/cultures do it). We leave a stone to show that we were there. It can be any stone, brought from home or picked up off the ground in the cemetery. I've sometimes wondered what happens to the stones. Whenever I've revisited, they're gone. I guess the cemetery grounds keepers just brush them off.

[Cherie]

Thank you, Heather. I will not read your review or spoilers until after I finish the book. :o)

I used to work with a woman who grew up in Boston, so I understand what you mean about the accent. I might look and see if my library has the audio book available, just to hear it again. My friend from work, retired and passed away over ten years ago. We used to have great pot-luck luncheons that she loved to organize, and on Saint Patrick's Day, she always mad a cake with green frosting for the group to share. Here name was Maureen.

[Cherie]

Roz wrote: "Leaving stones on gravestones is a Jewish tradition (I don't know if other religions/cultures do it). We leave a stone to show that we were there. It can be any stone, brought from home or picked u..."

Thank you, Roz. I had never heard of it before.

[Laura (Lclwags)]

Cherie wrote: "I read several chapters tonight, from I Figure God Created Margaret Sanger, Too through If I Wasn't so Busy, I would Have Felt Sorry For Myself . Unfortunately, I'm on my tablet using the updated A..."

Cherie,
I only knew who Margaret Sanger was because it was on an episode of Drunk History. (view spoiler)[ I'm glad I had that in my mind. It helped me get through that chapter without it feeling too dark. It makes me so sad that women like Filomena felt they had to risk killing themselves to avoid being shunned or persecuted. I'm glad she survived! (hide spoiler)]

[Sarah]

Thanks Heather! Yes that's great. In discussions of course we are going to say if we're enjoying or not liking a book but ideally we want more of a discussion than that otherwise it's no more than a status update, hence why I asked for a little more input. Books discussions only work when people discuss the book, which is why we reward people for discussing the book as opposed to just reading the book like with the monthly challenges. Feel free to check back in throughout the month to see what other people think of the book and comment if you want. I know those late to the discussion are always grateful when people continue discussing the book even after they've finished it. Shame you didn't enjoy it all that much. Fingers crossed for the next group read!

[Renee]

Roz I know what happens to the stones, lazy people like me move them to our grave sites.


Roz wrote: "Leaving stones on gravestones is a Jewish tradition (I don't know if other religions/cultures do it). We leave a stone to show that we were there. It can be any stone, brought from home or picked u..."

[Roz]

Ahhh, so it’s you! ; )

[Laura (Lclwags)]

I'm almost halfway through the book. Just starting I Was Still Gun-Shy About Men .
Flow of the book - (view spoiler)[ I agree with Clive and Tricia that the flow is interrupted by the random times the narrator addresses her granddaughter. Especially in the audio book. I get caught up in the story and feel like Addie is talking directly to me, telling me all about her life; then Addie addresses her granddaughter and it abruptly brings me back to reality. This seems less like an interview and more like an autobiography. It should have been written that way with the reader as the audience. (hide spoiler)]
What are friends for - (view spoiler)[ I enjoyed hearing about the girls and their developing friendships. The 3 cornered hats gave me a funny mental image and I wondered how those could possibly protect them from the sun. It seemed more like something little boys would wear when pretending to be pirates. (hide spoiler)]
I thought I was in love and It was my fault - (view spoiler)[ I agreed with Filomena, that cadet was not a good person and was taking advantage of Addie's naivety. I'm so glad she was able to stand up to him and get away! Poor Celia! How could her family force her into a situation she was not prepared for, then not even help her?! It sounds like no one prepared her for sex, since she wouldn't be with her husband after the wedding night. She obviously had trouble dealing with the boys and her mother wasn't a good example of parenting. This section makes me so mad! It brings to mind a conversation I had with a coworker a few years ago, so I think that's why it bothers me so much. (hide spoiler)]
Mameh - (view spoiler)[ I'm really trying not to dislike her, but it's hard to find any redeeming qualities! She's so negative about everything! She seems to always be trying to tear down the rest of her family. Blaming her husband, trying to control her daughters, calling Betty a whore for having a mind of her own. I feel like she wanted boys and she resents her daughters for surviving when her sons did not. The way she treats Lenny supports that feeling. (hide spoiler)]
The Quick brown Fox... - (view spoiler)[I love the part about the literature class! The teacher's unorthodox teaching methods, the questions they had and Addie's final question. It seemed like one of few moments when Addie was truly happy. (hide spoiler)]
Mr. Levine - (view spoiler)[ I was worried in the beginning, but as the book goes along, he seems like a decent man. I'm not sure about how close he seemed to Betty when Celia was still alive, but since we weren't given details, I'll assume it was innocent. Maybe he really didn't fall in love with Betty until later. (hide spoiler)]