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Anita Diamant

The Boston Girl: A Novel Hardcover – December 9, 2014

by Anita Diamant (Author)

3,891 ratings

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From the New York Times bestselling author of The Red Tent and Day After Night, comes an unforgettable 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.

Addie Baum is The Boston Girl, born in 1900 to immigrant parents who were unprepared for and suspicious of America and its effect on their three daughters. Growing up in the North End, then a teeming multicultural neighborhood, Addie’s intelligence and curiosity take her to a world her parents can’t imagine—a world of short skirts, movies, celebrity culture, and new opportunities for women. Addie wants to finish high school and dreams of going to college. She wants a career and to find true love.

Eighty-five-year-old Addie tells the story of her life to her twenty-two-year-old granddaughter, who has asked her “How did you get to be the woman you are today.” She begins in 1915, the year she found her voice and made friends who would help shape the course of her life. From the one-room tenement apartment she shared with her parents and two sisters, to the library group for girls she joins at a neighborhood settlement house, to her first, disastrous love affair, Addie recalls her adventures with compassion for the naïve girl she was and a wicked sense of humor.

Written with the same attention to historical detail and emotional resonance that made Anita Diamant’s previous novels bestsellers, The Boston Girl is a moving portrait of one woman’s complicated life in twentieth century America, and a fascinating look at a generation of women finding their places in a changing world.

Print length

336 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Scribner
Publication date

December 9, 2014
Dimensions

6 x 1.2 x 9 inches
ISBN-10

9781439199350
ISBN-13

978-1439199350
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

An Amazon Best Book of the Month, December 2014: There’s a lot that’s familiar about The Boston Girl. A tale of a plucky immigrant girl at the turn of the century, it addresses some of the same themes as other contemporary novels, including the author’s breakout The Red Tent: religion, feminism, the pull between tradition and the modern world. Here, our heroine is Addie Baum of Boston, now in her eighties telling the story of her life to her twentysomething granddaughter. And what a life it was: born in 1900, Addie survived the travails of aggressive greenhorn parents, world wars, abusive men and a flu epidemic to become a woman, finally, with a voice and a life of her own. What makes this story engaging is just that old-fashioned straightforwardness, as well as its perfect ear for the locutions of the time. Someone is “smiling to beat the band.” Addie “can really cut a rug.” You had to “kiss a lot of frogs before [you] found a prince.” No wonder this book rings so true: reading it feels like lazing away a winter afternoon with a beloved aging relative paging through a family scrapbook. – Sara Nelson

Review

“Strong female ties form this story’s core. Through these relationships…Diamant brings to life a piece of feminism’s forgotten history [and reminds us] there will always be those who try to prescribe what you should be. Good friends are those who help you find out for yourself.” ― Good Housekeeping

“Diamant infuses [The Boston Girl] with humor and optimism, illuminating a wrenching period of American progress through the eyes of an irresistible heroine.” ― People

"A graphic, page-turning portrait of immigrant life in the early twentieth century...an inspirational read.” ― Booklist

“The story of every immigrant and the difficulties of adapting to and accepting an unfamiliar culture." ― Huffington Post

"Enjoyable fiction with a detailed historical backdrop." ― Kirkus

About the Author

Anita Diamant is the bestselling author of the novels The Boston Girl, The Red Tent, Good Harbor, The Last Days of Dogtown, and Day After Night, and the collection of essays, Pitching My Tent. An award-winning journalist whose work appeared in The Boston Globe Magazine and Parenting, and many others, she is the author of six nonfiction guides to contemporary Jewish life. She lives in Massachusetts. Visit her website at AnitaDiamant.com.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

The Boston Girl

Nobody told you?

Ava, sweetheart, if you ask me to talk about how I got to be the woman I am today, what do you think I’m going to say? I’m flattered you want to interview me. And when did I ever say no to my favorite grandchild?

I know I say that to all of my grandchildren and I mean it every single time. That sounds ridiculous or like I’m losing my marbles, but it’s true. When you’re a grandmother you’ll understand.

And why not? Look at the five of you: a doctor, a social worker, two teachers, and now you.

Of course they’re going to accept you into that program. Don’t be silly. My father is probably rolling over in his grave, but I think it’s wonderful.

Don’t tell the rest of them, but you really are my favorite and not only because you’re the youngest. Did you know you were named after me?

It’s a good story.

Everyone else is named in memory of someone who died, like your sister Jessica, who was named for my nephew Jake. But I was very sick when you were born and when they thought I wasn’t going to make it, they went ahead and just hoped the angel of death wouldn’t make a mistake and take you, Ava, instead of me, Addie. Your parents weren’t that superstitious, but they had to tell everyone you were named after your father’s cousin Arlene, so people wouldn’t give them a hard time.

It’s a lot of names to remember, I know.

Grandpa and I named your aunt Sylvia for your grandfather’s mother, who died in the flu epidemic. Your mother is Clara after my sister Celia.

What do you mean, you didn’t know I had a sister named Celia? That’s impossible! Betty was the oldest, then Celia, and then me. Maybe you forgot.

Nobody told you? You’re sure?

Well, maybe it’s not such a surprise. People don’t talk so much about sad memories. And it was a long time ago.

But you should know this. So go ahead. Turn on the tape recorder.

—

My father came to Boston from what must be Russia now. He took my sisters, Betty and Celia, with him. It was 1896 or maybe 1897; I’m not sure. My mother came three or four years later and I was born here in 1900. I’ve lived in Boston my whole life, which anyone can tell the minute I open my mouth.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 1439199353
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Scribner; First Edition (December 9, 2014)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781439199350
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1439199350
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.1 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.2 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #726,352 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #643 in Jewish Historical Fiction
- #1,284 in Jewish Literature & Fiction
- #7,410 in Coming of Age Fiction (Books)

Customer Reviews:
3,891 ratings

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Anita Diamant

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In my first novel, THE RED TENT, I re-imagined the culture of biblical women as close, sustaining, and strong despite the fact that, in most ways, they were restricted and vulnerable in body, mind, and spirit. My new book, PERIOD. END OF SENTENCE, takes on women's bodies and freedom in an entirely different way.

When the movie, Period. End of Sentence. won an Oscar in 2019, the film’s producer and founder of The Pad Project, Melissa Berton, told the audience: “A period should end a sentence, not a girl’s education.” Inspired by the documentary, I mya collection of essays describes the cultural roots of menstrual injustice and how it erodes self-esteem, limits opportunities and even threatens lives. But the also book celebrates a new generation of activists and innovators working to end period poverty and stigma, and also explores the emerging world of period products, advertising, activism art, and comedy.

When I was a child, the public library on Osborne Terrace in Newark, New Jersey, was one of the first places I was allowed to walk to all by myself. I went every week, and I can still draw a map of the children's room, up a flight of stairs,where the Louisa May Alcott books were arranged to the left as you entered.

Nonfiction, near the middle of the room, was loaded with biographies. I read several about Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt, Marie Curie, Amelia Earhart, and Helen Keller, with whom I share a birthday.

But by the time I was 11, the children's library was starting to feel confining,so I snuck downstairs to the adult stacks for a copy of The Good Earth. (I had overheard a grown-up conversation about the book and it sounded interesting.)The librarian at the desk glanced at the title and said I wasn't old enough for the novel and furthermore my card only entitled me to take out children's books.

I defended my choice. I said my parents had given me permission, which was only half a fib since my mother and father had never denied me any book. Eventually,the librarian relented and I walked home, triumphant. I had access to the BIG LIBRARY. My world would never be the same.

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5

3,891 global ratings

5 star		48%
4 star		29%
3 star		16%
2 star		5%
1 star		3%

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ruth bobzin

Twentieth Century Girl

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 27, 2022

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Enjoyed reading this Diamant novel. It covers all of the twentieth century in Boston and I found the first part of the century interesting. Family relationships were different and strained because of financial difficulties families endured. Lives of immigrants were harsh and haunted by a difficult past in their homeland.
It was a good read.

Helpful

Virginia Koch

I’ve had this book on my Kindle for some time but for an unknown reason, never read it until it was A Book Club, I belong to choice. loved it!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 13, 2022

Verified Purchase

Once I started reading this book I found it hard to stop. The stories about the “heroine” were both heartbreaking and wonderful. Her early years at home were truly awful, her mother being the cause. She had gumption that A lesser person doesn’t have. Made wonderful lifelong friends. After A couple of missteps with men she met the love of her life! She was mostly self-educated in her younger years but never gave up learning and ended up A professor at A renowned university. I highly recommend this book to you!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 28, 2022

Verified Purchase

I've always wanted to write the story of my Grandmothers life..Hasn't happened yet. Although my grandma was a Methodist teacher from rural NY, so much of this story resonated with me. Great read.

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Bdme Vdfeji

Quiet, Reflective, and Heartwarming Historical Account of Women Supporting Women

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 3, 2015

Verified Purchase

Like many other reviewers, I appreciated the premise of this novel: In 1985, college-aged Ava interviews her grandmother Addy, opening with the question, "How did you become the woman you are today?" Because Addy was born into an immigrant Jewish family in Boston shortly after they settled in America in the early 1900's, she experienced great changes in society, specifically women's roles and growing opportunities to become individuals in their own right. I am now around the age Ava would be today, so I very much related to the time I spent as a young woman with both my grandmothers just talking with them about their lives, their thoughts about the world, life, and our family. I learned so much from both women in very different ways, and this novel makes me want to write about that! As Addy told her life story, Diamant subtly integrated elements of Jewish immigrant culture, world events, and women bonding together to support their independence, act as mentors for one another, and most importantly, develop lifelong friendships. Because I am interested in settlement houses at the turn of the last century and, as a young woman with few prospects, Ava's grandmother vastly benefitted from her local settlement house, the details of the house and the specific activities Addy engaged in there brought that world to life in my imagination. One minor critique: I wish the dialog captured accents, expressions, and individuality to a greater degree to fully realize the essence of and distinguish the characters, although I did enjoy the way Yiddish was integrated in with a light hand. If you have had a lifetime of support from your grandmothers, mothers, sisters, cousins, and friends, you will enjoy this quiet and reflective story, not only for Addy's narrative, but because it will make you realize how damn lucky you are, leaving you with a feeling of deep gratitude.

12 people found this helpful

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zsuzsanna22

I wanted more

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 23, 2017

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I really enjoyed this story but I wanted it to be more than it was, and it could have been. The story is told, not just in the first person, but as a monologue. The main character is 85 years old and is telling her life story to her granddaughter. But that's it. Occasionally there is a sentence or two addressed to the granddaughter to tell us just a little bit about that person. And at the very end, literally the last page, you learn a little bit more about her, but just a very tiny bit. This story would have been so much better, and would have had more emotional impact, if it had been told in a more traditional way. I would have preferred some interweaving of the later generations and their lives. I can understand if the author didn't want to write that kind of a book. However, the monologue style gives us a story almost devoid of drama. Many very dramatic events happened to Addie, the main character, and she lived through extraordinary times. But the format doesn't involve the reader, I felt completely untouched emotionally by events that should have gripped me, that should have had me gasping, smiling, crying, laughing. Instead, it was like reading a newspaper article about someone's life.

And Anita Diamant obviously got tired of her story as she ends it in the 1930's, with a quick wrap up to the present day of 1985. What about everything that came later? It's a cop out to start in 1985 and take the story only as far as the '30's. If you don't want to write past that date, if you want your history to centre only on the first 30 years of the 20th century, then the format should have been different. It should have been written as a first person story, not a monologue story told to someone else, or it should have been written as third person, which would have been my preference to lend some more drama.

But my biggest criticism is of the monologue itself. It is mostly told without emotion, the way one would relate a story to someone else, yes, but not a format for a satisfying read from a novel. Three stars because Diamant writes well and the story flows and is very readable. It's a quick read, informative and fairly pleasant, so if you are interested in the topic and want a light read, then I recommend it. But don't expect much more.

22 people found this helpful

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LJBentley

Lovely

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on April 9, 2021

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I adored The Boston Girl. It is the story of Addie – a young, 1st generation Jewish girl who is living in America and trying to discover who she is meant to be and navigate in a world so very alien from what her family once knew. A difficult feat in any situation but even more so in a world that is rapidly changing as it was at the birth of the 20th century.

Addie recounts her life with all the struggles that you would expect a young woman to go through – growing up, love, relationships, family drama, death and much more but with the additional cultural difficulties to make it just that little bit harder.

What is brilliant is that Addie’s life journey parallels history – the war, the pandemic etc and because of her story, as a reader you get intimate details of all the historical drama.

The Boston Girl is brilliant. An absolute gem of a book.

Magic Hands

Delightful holiday read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 13, 2017

Verified Purchase

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.This is very different from Anita Diamant's other books, but just as enjoyable and interesting. I really liked Addie, the woman telling her granddaughter about her life. Addie is an innocent,but also a survivor. Despite her share of loss and her cruel mother, she retains a sense of proportion and an optimism which draws one to her. I read this on holiday and it was the prefect book for that.

One person found this helpful

Sooz

Read this book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on April 3, 2021

Verified Purchase

This is the most enjoyable book I’ve read in ages. It’s a gentle read and the characters are believable. Highly recommended!

Sarah Noel

The Boston Girl

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on February 11, 2020

Verified Purchase

Families and relationships. Good and solid - and a little bit of social history to boot. Fancy more of hers.
4.5 stars

One person found this helpful

Lady Flashhart

Beautiful joyous book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on January 25, 2019

Verified Purchase

I love all of Anita Díaments books - the pacing is excellent and the characterisation so rich. There are beautiful light touch observations which are so moving.

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