A gripping book ,a story that travels between the 1920s and the 1960s.A young woman who 1960s enters the lives of this wealthy family through a difficult marriage,unused to this opulent lifestyle she finds comfort with the elderly Gardner.So well written so involving highly recommend.#netgalley #Bethlehem #st.martins.

Hauntingly beautiful, Bethlehem will stick with me for quite some time. I loved the way the story is told alternately in two time periods, the 1960s and the 1920s. The transitions back and forth between the two times/story lines were seamless, and I enjoyed both eras equally. I particularly liked the ending where the secret was not as secret as believed. Well done, Ms. Kelly!

It’s the early 1960’s when Joanna moves into her husband’s ancestral home in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Feeling out of place with his well to do mother and grandmother, Joanna befriends Doe, the cemetery caretaker and grandson Daniel. Traveling between the 1960’s and 1920’s, this is a novel about people, not extraordinary events. Readers looking for a story about family life will find much to like here

This is a dual time frame novel set in the 1960's and 1920's. Sifting through the different generations we are privy to relationships that are, at times, difficult...families, friends...bonds that tie us to one another. Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, the U.S. steel capital offers itself as the backdrop of a wealthy family. In 1962 we meet Joanna and her wealthy in-laws, her husband, Frank, her two children, Charlie and Daisy, when they move to Bethlehem to live with Franks mother, Susannah, and his grandmother, Helen. Resenting the fact that she is now living with her husband's family, she feels inadequate, feeling she is being looked down upon. With a friendship made during an afternoon walk, she befriends Doe, the caretaker of the town's cemetery. and Doe's grandson, Daniel As we read, we find there are many questions asked, but no answers given. To be sure, this woman is well aware of the secrets kept by Bethlehem's citizens. While the story unfolds, we learn about the family's dynamics, what has made them who they are today, what has trapped their personalities from years' past. When you live with deceit long enough does it becomes real, does it ever leave you? And while the hidden mysteries of the past reveal themselves, how is Joanna affected? How will these revelations impact her life?

This is a quiet story in that it is told calmly, but do not think because of its quietness it doesn't pack a punch...you would be wrong. Artfully told, it was a pleasure to read, skillfully written it is one I would definitely recommend.

My thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a novel that is too predictable to really challenge the reader. It is the story of Joanna who is swept into life in a grand mansion with many secrets. Bethlehem has no biblical connotation, it is the name of the city that was the center of the American steel industry.

Joanna moves to Bethlehem because her husband is too busy handling his job in the growing steel industry. She moves into the Gilded Age mansion that has been in his family and lives with his mother and grandmother. For some reason, the novel is set in 1962. Using this year as a base makes sense for the interweaving of stories from the 1920s, but the reader is given no context for the time period. We know it is 1962 because of the chapter heading. The characters are moved from the early 1900s up to 1962 and the lives of 2 families intersect from that point on. There are many secrets, that the reader is easily able to figure out within the first few chapters of the book.

Characters are thrown in with no development and are often stereotypes. Very little is original.

I was disappointed in the lack of challenge to the reader and the reliance on these trite themes. The author does so much foreshadowing that the reader can unpack the book without continuing to read.

I think the author has enormous promise, but this book is a bit too predictable for my reading taste.