The Boston Girl

Lovely. No major plot twists or huge mysteries, just a portrait of a life. I think a lot of authors try to tell a sweeping, epic, thrilling story and while these can be fun to read, often what they lose is the humanity of the characters. Diamant tells a small, personal story instead of an epic journey and it feels intimate and real. She doesn't do too much or go too far. And I was surprised to find myself tearing up at the end, not because it was sad per se, but more because it was real. It felt like life.

This charming novel was a quick read, but unfortunately, lacked much substance. It would be great for young adults who like historical fiction but have outgrown the “American Girl” series. As an adult reader, however, I was left wanting more from the juvenile storytelling.

The story is narrated by an octogenarian telling her granddaughter about the life events that shaped the woman she became. The book seemed well-researched and had a positive “girl power” type message. Despite the era the narrator/heroine grew up in she resisted marrying young! She had a career! She sought fulfillment outside of child rearing!

Despite generally enjoying the easy read, I had two major qualms. First, there were a ridiculous amount of writing errors in the hardback edition I read, including multiple missing or repeated words (i.e. “she picked up she the pail”). It actually became distracting when there were 3 errors in approximately 5 pages of text. Second, in what was supposed to be a 300 page life history, the 85 year old narrator devoted 250+ pages to ~1908 - 1928. The remaining pages covered her marriage, the birth of her daughters, the death of her husband and friends, and the birth of her granddaughters with about 1 paragraph per topic.

Overall, a great recommendation for a 12-15 year old girl. Maybe a bit weak for adult readers, especially those used to more robust historical fiction.

I liked this book, but is what I would consider a “plane read.” Something I would pick up at the airport bookstore if I needed something tender but a little mindless to get me through a flight. I finished it in just over a day - not because it was too good to put down, but because it was a quick read. The story was nice enough, and I did enjoy that it takes place in Boston so I could compare what the city was like then vs. now. But there was little depth, and the writing, while good, was nothing that knocked me out. I left it in my hotel room to make space in my carry-on. Maybe the next person who picks it up will enjoy it a bit more.