Since I
started by blog, I’ve done an annual Advent Book Calendar highlighting books I
have enjoyed and authors I really like.
This year I thought I’d do an Advent Book Calendar with a twist; for
each day leading up to Christmas, I’m going to post a review of a book to which
I’ve given only one star (Throw a book at this one) or two stars (Don’t put this book in your book bag). Though I would not recommend these books,
others have disagreed with me. Each
book, on Goodreads, has received a 3 or 4 Star average rating.
Review of The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant
2
Stars
Anita
Diamant is best known for her book The
Red Tent which I thoroughly enjoyed. I cannot say the same for this one.
The novel
is presented as a monologue delivered by 85-year-old Addie Baum in response to
her granddaughter’s question about how she got to be the woman she is. She
chronicles her life in Boston from her birth in 1900 to Jewish immigrants to
her marriage in 1927. These years are covered in great detail, but her life
after her marriage is glossed over.
The book is
dull. It is a plain and predictable recounting of her life: this happened and
then this happened and then this happened . . . Things happen to Addie’s family
and friends but not to her. At a young age, she is recognized as someone
possessing intelligence and “gumption” (15) and so acquires mentors and a
circle of sympathetic friends who support her so she is never without a job or
a place to live. When tragedies occur in her family, she seems largely detached;
she describes her feelings, but she seems to recover quickly. The result is one
dull anecdote after another with no suspense since nothing dramatic happens in
her life. And once she is married, nothing noteworthy occurs?!
To add to
the predictability, the chapter titles clearly indicate what is going to
happen. Merely reading the titles will tell a reader what happens in Addie’s
life: “You must be the smart one” (47), “Maybe I wouldn’t be a wallflower after
all” (65), “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog” (115), “I was still
gun-shy about men” (143), “A girl should always have her own money” (165), and
“This is Auntie Addie’s fella” (249).
The years
1915 to 1927 included some significant world events, yet Addie barely mentions
some of them; as a historical narrative, the book does not succeed, although
people familiar with Boston might be interested in some of the historical local
colour.
The one
thing that does stand out is Addie’s voice. Her tone is convincingly
conversational and she speaks very frankly to her granddaughter. She can be
witty and humourous. Unfortunately, she doesn’t offer any new wisdom; she tells
her grandchild, “Don’t let anyone tell you things aren’t better than they used
to be” (291). True but trite.
This book
is lacking in substance, a shortcoming that means it will not be memorable.
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