12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
provocative novel explores societal repression and one woman's personal liberation, February 27, 2008
This review is from: Charity Girl (Paperback)
During World War I, American authorities indiscriminately arrested and incarcerated over 30,000 women, most of whom committed no crime. Jailed for dressing provocatively, walking without escorts or prostitution, over half of the arrested women were detained for months while receiving treatment for venereal disease. Whipped-up by war frenzy and encouraged by the progressives' desire to cleanse and perfect society, this little-known assault on women's freedom stands as a terrible stain on civil liberties. Through the experiences of an imagined protagonist, Freida Mintz, Novelist Michael Lowenthal effectively personalizes history. "Charity Girl," a euphemism for a woman who has consensual sexual relations with a man, is an engrossing, compassionate and provocative novel, one which examines the consequences of repression dressed-up as national security. In this light, Lowenthal has crafted a work that adroitly links the past to the present.
The daughter of two indigent Russian-Jewish immigrants, Freida Mintz comes of age at a time of extraordinary national transformation. Chafing at the restrictions imposed by her embittered mother and mourning the loss of an ebullient, loving father, Freida rejects an arranged marriage and, like many other young women, sets out to create herself in an urban setting. She labors as an underpaid service worker in a Boston department store, stretching her savings and savoring independence unknown to her immigrant predecessors. Befriended by Lou, an irrepressible force, "unlike any other girl Freida had known...so brassy, so lavishly alive," Freida plunges headfirst into life. The waters of this newfound freedom are choppy, and Freida's sexual liaison with a soldier leads her on a path of personal discovery and extreme pain.
Felix Morse symbolizes all of Freida's dreams: love, security and adventure. Her quest to see him at his nearby Army base leads to her degradation and subsequent detention at a converted brothel, housing a number of women arrested for specious or discriminatory reasons. A brutally impersonal gynecological examination results in Freida learning of her being infected with a venereal disease, one that will keep her quarantined until "cured." It is during this coerced incarceration that Freida comes to grips with her life.
Lowenthal is at his best when he describes the conflicting urges the innocent Freida experiences. She tries to balance her need for autonomy with her dreams for romantic love, and the protagonist forces herself to strip away the veneer of her guardians' rhetoric to discover the hidden truths of their motivation. "Charity Girl" has a splendid cast of minor characters, each of whom has a distinctive personality and all of whom advance either the plot or Freida's development as a woman. The author never descends into didactic dialogue and resists the temptation to stereotype his characters. The result is a rich, complex population. Sadly, however, "Charity Girl" has an abrupt, unsatisfying conclusion. Lowenthal is guilty to trying to compress too much history, too much time in far too few pages.
Increasingly, American authors find historical fiction as an important means of exploring past injustices. Through the prism of one person's experiences, novelists illuminate the consequences of benighted political practices and remind us of how hard it was for those injured by prejudice and social hysteria to live authentic lives. "Charity Girl" skillfully contrasts one young woman's innocent drive to live a full life with a nation intimidated by fear. The resultant conflict, experienced by thousands of dissidents -- both men and women -- broke many lives. That Freida Mintz confronted both prejudice and her own fractured dreams, speaks volumes about human resiliency. Michael Lowenthal has served both the past and future well in this breakthrough novel.
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14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Highly recommended, February 4, 2007
Congratulations to Michael Lowenthal on this impressive work. There is more to this book than the story of a horrifying episode in American history. The growth of the main character, and the complexities of her relationships, hold the reader's interest throughout. It is also a credible glimpse into wartime America, with the "support our boys" mentality, contrasted with the country's passion for such stress-relievers as baseball games and dance halls. The author's meticulous research combines with a clear, colorful writing style, resulting in a remarkable novel. This book is an excellent choice for a book club, as it provides a wealth of material for discussion. I look forward to Michael Lowenthal's next book.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Fascinating Era, An Intriguing Tale, January 8, 2007
This is a thoroughly engrossing read, both entertaining and informative.
Lowenthal recreates the era masterfully, providing interesting historic detail
which he supplements with appropriate dialogue and phrases ("gone to freckles").
Yet the historic background never overpowers the well paced plot and the
thoroughly credible characters. Both Frieda, the young protagonist, and her
mother are skillfully developed, as is much of the supporting cast. The reader sympathizes with Frieda's struggle to "stop letting `want to be' trump `is' " and marvels at her capacity for self-deception.
The narration is a thorough interweaving of introspection, dialogue and action.
The strongest scenes involve Lowenthal's explorations of the mind-set of the Charity
Girls and, more importantly, the attitudes of their "wardens" and the prevailing culture. The motifs behind the wheel of the car and on the
baseball field work splendidly.
Charity Girls is a novel you don't want to miss.
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