Really enjoyed this novel from netgalley for honest review. The characters were very likeable and the historical background about immigrant life was very interesting. Would definitely recommend.

Pre WWI immigration was obviously as hard as it is now. Escaping Germany a family arrives in the US. Elsa and Sonja are the two girls in the family and they know that in their father's eyes they are second best to their baby brother. With the sudden death of their brother, their father disappears never to be seen again and Nina and the two girls are on their own.

Not knowing the language and finding everything strange to them, they settle down to a life of unrelenting struggle and hardship. All find jobs of the most menial kind but Elsa knows that if she is to get ahead she has to get some form of education and how she is going to get this whilst working full time is hard. But she perseveres and gets it. A fair knowledge of English to begin with and this along with her determination to succeed pushes her slowly but surely out of the bottom rung of the ladder.

Whilst her sister Sonja finds happiness in marriage, Elsa who is a plain girl plans her career as a maid and a translator for German documents for a businessman. The encounter with the family carves out a relationship with the teenage daughter of the family and it is this that is going to be the pivot of Elsa's future. Going through WWI and America's entry into the war turns everything around for Elsa who finds herself without a job, finding a German surname a hindrance of the most dangerous kind and being a maid to the frivolous Dafne who just whiles away her time waiting for the war to end.

The story of Elsa ends happily fortunately (I was glad after all the years of struggle!). Full of detail about the immigrants plight in this time and the sweat shops and factories in the cities and then descriptive of America's entry into the war the story was a piece of history as well as a family story.

Goodreads and Amazon review posted on 12/3/2018. Review on my blog on 14/4/2018

Every once in awhile you find a book that you can just lose yourself in. I absolutely LOVE, LOVE LOVED this story!
Love of Finished Years captivated me with everything from the cover art to the blurb that I first read on Netgalley. I stayed up way past my bedtime to read most of this book because I could not bear to put it down and not know what happened to "my" characters. 2 word summary: READ IT.
(I read and reviewed it voluntarily and would do it all over again!)

I received this from netgalley.com in exchange for a review.

Elsa and her family have high hopes of a new life and prosperity in America. There are many, many snapshots of events in New York pre and post World War I including the Triangle Shirtwaist fire, the suffrage movement and unions.

This book is appropriate for young teens and adults.

4☆

I tried to like this book. I thought it was so slow and bounced back and forth with no purpose. I was looking for more drama. I could not into the characters. Her father was mean and nasty even though he did not have much dialog. I did not end up finishing it.

This is the best book I’ve ever read so far on the subject of WWI.

Set in pre-war and during WWI, the story beautifully captures the time period of struggle and reality of German-Americans living in NYC and affected by the war raging in Europe.

The story has a good balance of historical details to transport reader into a time period and not so much to over-bury the story. Well-presented events in action (and not words) create engrossing story, which evokes human emotions.

Twelve year old Elsa arrives with her family at Ellis Island in 1905. She is eager to go back to school, but before she can do so, they all need to find jobs to save some money. Elsa and her sister Sonja both get jobs at sweatshops. At first it seems as American dream might come to reality of saving money and buying their own place. But as expenses pile up, the American dream dwindles away, including hope of schooling, and instead anger and bitterness takes over.

Due to an incident and Nina’s (girl’s mother) new friend’s nudge, Nina takes part in women’s strike for better working conditions. With time Women’s Trade Union League wins a major victory for women workers: less working hours, increased pay and equal treatment. All that not without a sacrifice. Along the way, some women lose their jobs and subsequently roofs over their heads. Later Nina takes part in strikes for women rights to vote.

An accident happens, which opens another door for Elsa. She gets a job with a Long Island elite family. She becomes a servant to their daughter Dafne, forging a friendship. Later as girls move to NYC, it seems as the story stalls in action for a moment, however an interesting dialogue continues to carry it on.

The story captures both worlds separated by ocean. The life of struggling emigrants in NYC, set against the women’s movement which with their victory sets example for the rest of the country to follow. And the devastating war in Europe, which events are experienced by Glenn, Dafne’s girlfriend.

At twelve years old, Elsa immigrates from Germany to New York City. She must leave her childhood behind her to join the work force and from then on, she must work, enduring hardship as the country changes around her.

This is a story that seems to be trying to be an epic tale. It is detailed and I applaud the author for excellent research.

However, I found the narrative to be lacking emotion and focus. The main character is in a horrible factory fire and the incident is described and then moved on from in a matter of a few pages. There simply seemed to be too much crammed into the story. f we had remained with Elsa, perhaps it would have worked, but the perspective changed from her to her mother in the first quarter of the book but then her employer’s daughter later on and also a gentleman.

To be honest, I was bored by the whole thing. The dialogue was awkward, many of the situations these characters became involved in were awkward, and I couldn’t find anything I especially liked.

Others no doubt might enjoy this but it was not for me.

I can see why this book won an award-it is an enjoyable story that grips you right from the first page. This is the story of Elsa Schuller, an immigrant from Germany. The family immigrates in 1905 when Elsa is just 12 years old. Unfortunately, when they arrive at Ellis Island, Elsa's little brother Anton is very sick and eventually dies. This is a life changing event, especially for her father. Life as an immigrant is very hard, but Elsa is very strong and never gives up. Great story about the life of an immigrant!

It's 1905 and 12 year old Elsa Schuller, her siblings and parents arrive at Ellis Island from Germany. Getting through the processing for immigration into New York, is more than overwhelming for her and her family. Worse yet, her baby brother is sick preventing the family from leaving the Island. It is a hardship when the baby boy dies, all the dreams of coming to the new land fade away, leaving the family not only bereft but Elsa's father eventually abandons Elsa, her sister and her mother. It is then Elsa realizes why they left Germany, certainly not for her and her sister, but for the little boy who was now lost to the family. It is now up to the 3 women to find work, their survival depends upon it. Elsa's dreams of going to school fade, as reality sets in.

Life as an immigrant is difficult, learning a new language, living in abject poverty and earning wages that barely keep a roof over your head. But Elsa is strong, physically. Against all objections, she learns English, shedding her native tongue. Working at the Triangle Shirtdress Factory, she faces abuse, working long hours for little pay. After surviving the horrific fire at the factory, with a bit of luck she becomes not only a maid at a home out on Long Island, but is able to use her knowledge of English and German, helping the head of the household with translations of German documents necessary for his business. We watch as Elsa grows in maturity, as her friendship with Dafne, the teenager in the household, brings her to a world she never thought she would or could be part of.

The book takes you through the world of the immigrant, takes you into the early twentieth century, its morals, the difference between those who have and those who have not. We read as women march for a better working environment, as the world grows closer to world war and eventually war and the soldiers who fought the battles.

This book was well researched and well written. From the first page to the last it held my interest, took me into a world I believe my ancestors found when they too came to America. Everyone has a story, especially those who reached our shores so long ago. My thanks to NetGalley for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC copy from netgalley for my honest review,  so thank you netgalley and publishers for offering me this book! ♡
This is a story is about Elsa, a young girl, and her family on their journey to a new life as they head through Ellis Island in 1905. Elsa decides that she does not like America and thinks that the only reason they made the journey was so Anton, her baby brother, could have a better life. Shortly after arriving in America, Anton gets sick, his death changing everyone’s lives forever. Elsa’s father is so distraught over Anton’s death he abandons his family and hopes of a better life in America.
This was my first book by this author, and I absolutely enjoyed every second of it. It was fast paced and just alltogether an easy read. For now I give this book a 5 star rating!