The Boston Girl: A Novel

Marc Notes: Scribner fiction original hardcover.; From the New York Times bestselling author of The Red Tent and Day After Night, comes an unforgettable novel about family ties and values, friendship and feminism told through the eyes of a young Jewish woman growing up in Boston in the early twentieth century. Addie Baum is The Boston Girl, born in 1900 to immigrant parents who were unprepared for and suspicious of America and its effect on their three daughters. Growing up in the North End, then a teeming multicultural neighborhood, Addie's intelligence and curiosity take her to a world her parents can't imagine--a world of short skirts, movies, celebrity culture, and new opportunities for women. Addie wants to finish high school and dreams of going to college. She wants a career and to find true love. Eighty-five-year-old Addie tells the story of her life to her twenty-two-year-old granddaughter, who has asked her How did you get to be the woman you are today. She begins in 1915, the year she found her voice and made friends who would help shape the course of her life. From the one-room tenement apartment she shared with her parents and two sisters, to the library group for girls she joins at a neighborhood settlement house, to her first, disastrous love affair, Addie recalls her adventures with compassion for the naive girl she was and a wicked sense of humor. Written with the same attention to historical detail and emotional resonance that made Anita Diamant's previous novels bestsellers, The Boston Girl is a moving portrait of one woman's complicated life in twentieth century America, and a fascinating look at a generation of women finding their places in a changing world--; Provided by publisher. Publisher Marketing: "New York Times" bestseller! An unforgettable novel about a young Jewish woman growing up in Boston in the early twentieth century, told "with humor and optimism...through the eyes of an irresistible heroine" ("People")--from the acclaimed author of "The Red Tent." Anita Diamant's "vivid, affectionate portrait of American womanhood" ("Los Angeles Times"), follows the life of one woman, Addie Baum, through a period of dramatic change. Addie is The Boston Girl, the spirited daughter of an immigrant Jewish family, born in 1900 to parents who were unprepared for America and its effect on their three daughters. Growing up in the North End of Boston, then a teeming multicultural neighborhood, Addie's intelligence and curiosity take her to a world her parents can't imagine--a world of short skirts, movies, celebrity culture, and new opportunities for women. Addie wants to finish high school and dreams of going to college. She wants a career and to find true love. From the one-room tenement apartment she shared with her parents and two sisters, to the library group for girls she joins at a neighborhood settlement house, to her first, disastrous love affair, to finding the love of her life, eighty-five-year-old Addie recounts her adventures with humor and compassion for the naive girl she once was. Written with the same attention to historical detail and emotional resonance that made Diamant's previous novels bestsellers, "The" "Boston Girl" is a moving portrait of one woman's complicated life in twentieth century America, and a fascinating look at a generation of women finding their places in a changing world. "Diamant brings to life a piece of feminism's forgotten history" ("Good Housekeeping") in this "inspirational...page-turning portrait of immigrant life in the early twentieth century" ("Booklist"). Review Citations: New York Times Book Review 02/15/2015 pg. 24 (EAN 9781410475978, Hardcover) Publishers Weekly 02/23/2015 (EAN 9781442380363, Compact Disc) - *Starred Review Audio File 04/01/2015 pg. 41 (EAN 9781442380363, Compact Disc) - *Starred Review Library Journal 06/01/2015 pg. 60 (EAN 9781442380363, Compact Disc) Kirkus Reviews 10/01/2014 (EAN 9781439199350, Hardcover) Publishers Weekly 10/06/2014 (EAN 9781439199350, Hardcover) Library Journal 10/15/2014 pg. 78 (EAN 9781439199350, Hardcover) Booklist 11/01/2014 pg. 31 (EAN 9781439199350, Hardcover) People Weekly 12/08/2014 pg. 48 (EAN 9781439199350, Hardcover) Shelf Awareness 12/30/2014 (EAN 9781439199350, Hardcover) BookPage 12/01/2014 (EAN 9781439199350, Hardcover) Contributor Bio:  Diamant, Anita Anita Diamant is a prize-winning journalist whose previous books include The New Jewish Wedding and The New Jewish Baby Book.