The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant

The Boston Girl is "[a] 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."*

What initially drew me to this book was its setting in Boston and other North Shore towns. I like reading about places I've visited before and getting a chance to see them through other people's eyes. Diamant's writing easily pulls the reader in. I couldn't put the book down. I really enjoyed reading from the perspective of the main character Addie Baum. Seeing how she found her place in the world mirrors my own journey of searching for knowledge and purpose. In the book Addie became a Simmons College student. This connected me to the text immediately, being a Simmons Alumnae myself. Without giving away the story, I enjoyed the twists and turns that Addie experienced growing up as a woman in the early 1900s.

I recommend that you read this book if you like strong female characters, period pieces, and stories of a person's journey to understanding oneself.

Meghan McCabe
Youth Services Librarian

Available at the Langley Adams Library
*(http://www.litlovers.com/reading-guides/13-fiction/10097-boston-girl-diamant)