One-Way to Ansonia [Paperback]

Judie Angell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 7, 2001

The story of a young girl Rose Olshansky. From her days in New York when she was just a girl, until she decided she was going to Ansonia, Connecticut to begin her new life. Filled with vivid portrayals and moving moments, this journey with Rose is a non-stop adventure!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8 At ten, Rose, the next-to-youngest of five siblings newly arrived in America, is self-reliant and determined; as Angell follows her over the next six years, Rose displays these traits in force. The family Olshansky had emigrated from Eastern Europe in 1893 for the better future that America promiseda promise mostly unfulfilled. One-Way to Ansonia describes the effects of the ghetto experience on headstrong Rose, who always yearns for more. Angell colors her story with snippets of history and customs of New York City's Lower East Side at the turn of the centurythe living and working arrangements, the food, the music, the views of men's and women's roles, the unionsbut these reflections of the period are not well integrated and do not advance the story. Moreover, none of the characterssave the indomitable Roseare distinct personnages, and the sisters and their landsmen with whom they live tend to become muddled in readers' minds. But Rosethere's a special character, whose spirited independence will earn her a place in readers' hearts. David Gale, "School Library Journal"
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Rose--there's a special character, whose spirited independence will earn her a place in reader's hearts." -- School Library Journal

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 196 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse (February 7, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595158307
• ISBN-13: 978-0595158300
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,242,760 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting snapshot of a time and people., March 28, 2010

By 

msotherden - See all my reviews

This review is from: One-Way to Ansonia (Paperback)

I read this book as a kid, and remembered liking it enough to re-read it several times. I recently found it on a library discard pile and re-read it again, as an adult. I don't know much about the history of the period in question - the turn of the century in New York City - but it reads as a viable piece of historical fiction. Although the characters are painted in rather broad strokes, this is a child's book after all, with a cast of roughly 20 characters who feature in the story around the central figure of Rose.

Children are pretty smart at sniffing out lies made by adults, and I think perhaps why I enjoyed this book so much as a kid was because it didn't necessarily have a pat and happy ending like so many books written for this age group. I didn't give it five stars because (and only because) I've read kids' books with more three dimensional characters, so I know it can be done, even with the shorter word count and less complicated plots that abound in children's fiction.