From time to time I read a book where I find myself truly loving a character and knowing I would be friends with her/him if they jumped out of the book and into my world. Addie Baum is such a character.
The story of a Jewish family that comes to the US and settles in Boston is told through the words of old Addie telling the tale to her granddaughter.
Addie is braver and more amazing than she seems to know but there can be no doubt as you read her story. Her mother has nothing but disdain for her, her father is so out of reach he seems like a ghost in the story, her sister Betty has escaped by moving out, and Celia is a tragic figure.
The city of Boston is like a character in Addie's story and it is a lovely bit of writing that make it so. You will feel the city breathe along with the human characters.
Addie grows from scared young girl who just wants to go to school to become a confident and wise woman.
Take a trip into Addie's past, it is painful, beautiful, and powerful.
(Finished April 19, 2015)
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