This book was just okay for me. It wasn't bad, but it was a little slow for my taste. It felt more of a women's fiction novel rather than historical fiction. I didn't really connect with any of the characters. I do appreciate the opportunity to review this book, and I'm willing to read another by her.

Sorry to say this book was just not for me. I am a lover of historical fiction, but this story had little of that and too much romance making it more of a woman's fiction book than a historical fiction novel.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and netgalley for a copy of this book. I am sorry that it was not one I enjoyed very much.

Kelly’s debut novel makes a terrific splash in weaving together the tale of two complex women, both haunted by the tragedies of the past and the unrelenting nature of love in its most daunting form – uncontrollable.

Uprooting his family to the town of Bethlehem, PA and its lustrous history of the steel industry, Joanna discovers the faults in her marriage run deeper than she anticipated.

It is only under the cruel light of the endless blue skies she begins to see the dark truth of not only her own life but the thunderous echoes of the past. Often left to her own devices due to her husband’s busy work schedule, Joanna finds herself taken with the eccentric caretakers of the home.

She floated in Chap’s arms like a feather in a stream, with a strange, transcendental feeling of utter fulfillment, made more bewildering by the fact that she hadn’t realized it had been missing before.
Her new connections lead her to make a curious connection with her mother-in-law, a woman whose story mirrors Joanna’s in an almost uncanny way.

Bethlehem is a vibrant, soapy, and absorbing debut. It’s romantic without being sappy, mysterious without being dour, and realistic with its descriptive passages of aureate architecture and old-money opulence.

What makes Bethlehem such a startling novel and a departure from the tired and true romantic sentiments is its disavowal of a fated “to be.” There is a sadness to love, the idea that being enraptured by one may blind you to the truth.

Should you read Bethlehem?
Yes, Karen Kelly makes an exhilarating debut with this historical fiction novel. Stick with it. The beginning can be daunting due to its many character introductions and alternating usage of the timeline.

Rest assured you will be eased into the complicated family relationships between the Collier and Parrish families. The delicate intricacies of their family relationships form the underlying foundation of this story and beg the question of familial history – if one does not understand the past is it doomed to repeat?

Only when Susannah recognizes the imposter, does she impart a moral to the woman who became so inexplicably linked to her in the past and the present.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me an early copy of Bethlehem in exchange for an honest review.

The writing was good, and the book started out strong. I wish there had been more about Doe's ability to see ghosts - more about the paranormal. I grew disinterested in the characters and didn't connect to any of them. The storyline was boring and I didn't know much about what happened and I really don't care.

4.5 very impressed stars for this debut by Karen Kelly! Set in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and telling a story with two timelines; the narrative pulled me in from the first chapter. By the end I was getting out the tissues. The story of Joanna in the 1960's, but her present is greatly influenced by the past story of her mother-in-law Susannah. Kelly incorporates Susannah's narrative from the 1920's with Joanna's to give us a haunting reminder of the power of secrets, forgiveness and the importance of keeping your promises. The epilogue is this book's crowning glory. Would definitely recommend for book groups!

Thank you to St. Martin's and NetGalley for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Emotional story of how the secrets we keep impact an entire family for generations. I enjoyed how the relationship between Joanna and her mother-in-law, Susannah, evolved over time, how similiar stories 40 years apart brought two people together and helped them understand not only each other but themselves.

This is author, Karen Kelly's debut novel and I look forward to reading what she writes next!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy requested through NetGalley; all opinions are my own.

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<p>I'm a huge fan of historical fiction, but I usually read a lot more war-based novels so <em>Bethlehem </em>by Karen Kelly was a welcome change and being an East Coast girl, Pennsylvania isn't too far so I was intrigued by the steel-boom era this novel was set in.</p>
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<p>The main thread that kept me reading was the interpersonal relationships between the characters - main character Joanna with her husband, and Joanna with her mother-in-law Susannah. The story started off slowly, but was told from Joanna's perspective upon moving her family into her husband's ancestral home and living with her mother-in-law, and from Susannah's point of view when she was a young girl growing up in that same home.</p>
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<p>While I can't say I related much to Joanna, her character annoyed me. Although I understood her sense of loneliness and feelings of abandonment, personally it was hard to relate because in this day and age (or at least for me) I wanted her to speak up and stand up for herself, her feelings and what she wanted instead of just catering to her husband. Of course, I know that was simply the way of life back then, it can still be hard to reconcile. </p>
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<p>Susannah, on the other hand, intrigued me - perhaps also because her story was more developed and began with her as a child so as the reader I could really get a sense of how her life was shaped by the experiences and tragedies she went through as a teenager.</p>
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<p>Overall, Karen Kelly did a terrific job of weaving the two stories together and demonstrating how Joanna and Susannah were able to cross that "in-law" divide and come to understand each other in a sense.</p>
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***This review will be live on my blog July 9th.

This family saga of the Colliers and the Parishes is told on two timelines, through the point of view of two main characters Joanna and Susannah. In 1962 Joanna moves with her husband and children into her Mother-In-Law Susannah's home. This is not at all her idea but she goes along with it at her mostly absent husband Frank's insistence. Susannah is widowed and taking care of her elderly mother on her own. Frank feels this is too much for her and so moves his family into the large sprawling estate. Susannah's point of view takes over from 1918 through the 1920s and covers the story of her family and the family of her husband to be. Joanna's point of view was more straight forward as she dealt with living in someone else's home and the loneliness caused by her husband's frequent absences. Joanna uncovers a bit of mystery during one of these absences that leads to spilling old family secrets. There were times when it was difficult for me to keep all the characters straight, with so many names (and nicknames) to keep track of that in Susannah's timeline I was not always certain which character was part of which family or who was who. I felt that this over complicated things, while in other instances the mystery was too easily figured out.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4

"I've learned a thing or two in my antiquity--chief among them that things are seldom what they seem. Often the person who appears the most...impenetrable...is, in truth, the most fragile."
I'm going to be honest: I requested this one for the cover. I am a sucker for art deco aesthetic and while I don't read a lot of historical fiction these days, I was intrigued. The book wasn't quite what I expected - this was more Women's Fiction to me, and I struggle to connect with these kinds of stories. Looking at the synopsis again now, this is really my bad here.

This one was a slow starter, friends. Kelly has quite a cast of characters spanning two different timelines and the first several chapters are spent acquainting the reader with the family tree and how they are all connected. It took until almost the halfway mark for the plot to really pick up for me, but I liked how Kelly wove the story and I was eager to see how the characters' lives intertwined.

This is a well-written family drama that follows Joanna in the 1960s and her mother-in-law Susanna in the 1920s. Joanna's a mother of two small children and the family recently relocated to her husband's family home in Bethlehem, with Susanna and her grandmother-in-law Hetty still in residence. The pieces come together slowly but when the plot really got going I was in for the long haul!

I enjoyed Kelly's writing style quite a lot and that is primarily what kept me reading. It's a solid debut and one I would recommend to readers who enjoy Women's Fiction. Ultimately this book wasn't the story I was looking for, but I enjoyed reading it.

Many thanks to St. Martins Press for sending me an eARC via Netgalley for my honest review! Quotations are taken from an uncorrected proof and may change in final publication.

This is what I wrote on my Goodreads account (my full thoughts are included in the link below on the Literary Hoarders site)

It was that ending that boosted this one to a 4-star read. All along it was good, but it was hovering between a 3 and a 3.5 to be honest. But it was the ending, the pulling together of the long-held secret and revelations that came about from that secret that brought some tears!

Otherwise, this was a story jam-packed with extraordinary (white) privilege. There was so much inside with the steel tycoons, Arabian horses, Yale crew boys, presidential dinners and lavish debutante parties that it was almost nauseating as it was becoming fairly predictable. But it's that ending....it really boosted this one for me!

There were a couple of characters inside that I wished we'd been given a little more time with - the characters are very good in here - there were just those couple that I would have liked to have heard more about.

I really, really, really hate when I have to leave a review that isn't positive. I know authors put alot of time, effort and money to write books. And for that reason, when I'm asked to review a book I want to give them the good, bad and ugly in the most respectful way I can.

There are a number of issues I had with this book. Its marketed as historical fiction, but it's really more family drama/women's fiction than historical fiction. Secondly it's marketed as "having the writing chops of Ian McEwan". I understand what the publisher is trying to do, but when the writing styles and abilities are this far off, it really does a disservice to the author. You've set really high expectations before I even open the book, and in this case my expectations were not met.

For me the big challenge in this book is keeping all the characters straight. I felt like the author throws all of them at you at one time and just sees which ones stick. They all have similar names or nicknames and it just gets confusing. In addition to trying to keep that straight, keeping the family relationships straight was confusing. I felt like I need to write out a chart. Normally I enjoy books written in alternating time periods. For some reason, this book didn't flow smoothly with this method. It was very choppy and dry and at times I had a hard time following it. This may have worked better writing in chronological order versus the alternating time periods. But even so, the story is very predictable and you can figure out the family "secret" pretty quickly. It's very transparent.

I can see where many would really enjoy this story. - there'sfamily drama and romance, but it just wasn't for me. It was too slow and fell very flat. At any point I could have put the book down and not cared to find out what happens in the end. Neither the story nor the characters were memorable.

Overall, my rating is 2.5 stars. I'm rounded down because I would not recommend this book to others to read.

My thanks to Karen Kelly, St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book fell a little flat for me. While it is listed as historical fiction, it didn't tell a lot of the history. So it's a cross between women's fiction and historical fiction for me, which is fine. However, it was a little slow and some of the descriptions bogged it down. Also, many characters were introduced and it became a bit hard to follow. The story follows two families that are closely linked. There are dual timelines - one in the 1920's and another in the 1960's.

The stories of Joanna and her mother-in-law, Susannah are similar and come together nicely at the end, but this whole book was just lacking something for me. I'm not sure if it was some kind of suspense or action (there was none of either in this book), or if it just moved kind of slowly. The writing was very good, and I really enjoyed the character of Susannah.

I really enjoyed this book and will keep an eye on Karen Kelly in the future! The story was well plotted and I liked how the dual times added depth and an element of mystery. The characters felt real and engaging and it was overall a clever and involving story. Recommended!

In 1960s Bethlehem Pennsylvania, Joanna moves into her husband’s family estate and comes to grips to living under the watchful eye of her mother-in-law, Susannah. The novel tells both their stories, and we slowly learn that they have much more in common than we thought, and Joanna also comes to that realization, but risks losing a lot along the way.
This book is wonderfully crafted and pulled me right in to their worlds. Each chapter ended with a revelation and I often found myself taking a few minutes before turning the page, just to soak it in. I was reading this as fast as I could, but also trying to savor each moment. I generally don’t read many books of this genre and I’m not sure exactly why this caught my eye, but it was a pleasure to read. Karen Kelly will definitely be on my must-read author list.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and Karen Kelly for the ARC through Netgalley.

Really 3 1/2. I enjoyed this book - no doubt. The author takes time to develop the characters although that may explain why it felt a bit slow going for the first quarter of the book. She is exploring two different time frames and I thought those transitions were seamless.

Set in two (three) generations, Joanna and Frank have returned to his wealthy home as he will be working for Bethlehem Steel following his father's and grandfather's footprint. But Joanna is now living in a home with the matriarch (Franks grandmother) and his widowed mother Susannah. We all must admit that would be in the least intimidating. For Joanna, she is becoming flypaper.

It is about love, betrayal and secrets.... a well done love story.

PS - I don't see this as historical fiction. Romance set in a historical setting?

I was completely enraptured by this book, swept away by emotions, in love with its characters. The dual timelines wove together beautifully, each chapter leading to the next seamlessly. This wonderfully moving story of two families whose lives are entwined through friendship and marriage was heartfelt and poignant. I especially loved Susannah and her daughter-in-law Joanna, two women who appear to have very little in common; two complex women whose lives are filled with joys, sorrows, and secrets which reveal their true selves, their desires and their dreams. Bethlehem is brimming with love and family, sacrifice and devotion.

This was a slow-burn for me, but definitely one that kept me interested enough to keep reading. In the beginning, I wasn’t quite sure where the story was going when a young family moved to the husband’s home town and into the mansion where his mother and grandmother reside.

For a young mother, just the thought of living with your mother-in-law and your husband’s grandmother can be daunting. In the beginning, young wife Joanna finds it difficult to settle in and to parent her children without interference. She finds solace walking in a nearby cemetery and browsing through old family photographs while her children play. Because of this, Joanna begins to learn more about the past of her husband’s family.

When an unexpected death happens, things come to a head and Joanna learns the truth about a shocking secret concerning the family’s past. Once revealed, the secret gives Joanna a new perspective about her husband’s family.

Readers who like historical fiction and romance will enjoy this story. Be sure and have the tissues handy!

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an advance copy and give my honest review.

I would call this book a sleeper, from the description I did not expect such a haunting, timeless story of secrets, true love and temptations. The story is told in two timeframes, we start out with Joanna, she has recently moved to her husband’s large estate in Bethlehem after the death of his father. They move into his childhood home which is inhabited by his mother and grandmother. Joanna has given up her personal belongings and home to move with her children and husband so he can be closer to the family’s steel business. She is restless, lost and struggling to fit in to this type of lifestyle.
The other timeframe we follow is the life of his mother, nicknamed Sass, her early life adventures and escapades growing up with close friends and family. She was full of life and headstrong. This is the true story of the book, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. At one time, I was wondering where the tale was headed, but the last half of the book picked up and tied up all the loose ends. I didn’t even realize how invested in the story I had become until it all starts coming together. Oh, how a wicked web of lies and deception had been designed.
Touching, the ending was truly touching. I highly recommend this story, well worth my time spent with this family, Frank, Daisy, Joanna, Chap, Kat, Susannah, Doe, Baby Evans and all the others.
Comes in with 5*****’s. I thank St. Martin’s Press and Net Galley for allowing me the privilege of reading this book for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC.

In short, Bethlehem is told in two time frames...early 1920s and early 1960s...about the Collier and Parrish Families, then and now. It’s about secrets kept and how they form the future. In the 60s, Frank and Joanna move to Bethlehem, PA after the death of his father to his family estate. Frank is working long hours, which leaves Joanna with Frank’s grandmother and mother for adult conversation, along with their two children. In the 20s, the Parrish family is elite society, as head of Bethlehem Steel. The Collier Family moves there when the father takes the job of head engineer. The families become best friends, both parents and kids. The past will influence the future.

There are many characters in this book...it took me a while to keep them all straight. The storyline was predictable, but I felt some situations were not fully resolved. The writing is beautiful, the author has an extensive vocabulary which I found somewhat annoying but it did add to the 1920 genteel society. I enjoyed the references to Bethlehem Steel (my father worked for a local steel company that was bought out by Bethlehem Steel), Devon Horse Show and Lehigh University. The story flowed effortlessly between the two eras.

This is a good book for the beach or a lazy weekend.

I love multi-generational historical sagas. Bethlehem by Karen Kelly is a perfect example of the genre. Alternating between a current day (early 1960s) storyline and that of a past generation (40-50 years earlier), the reader meets two very different women whose lives converge around family and scandalous secrets.

Joanna is a young woman from a working class background who marries into a fantastically wealthy Bethlehem Steel family, the Colliers. She and her husband, Frank, have two young children. They have been building a life for themselves when the death of Frank’s father leads to a change. Frank’s work hours with the family business increase astronomically. His mother and grandmother, alone in the ancestral home, need support. Nothing makes more sense than for Joanna and Frank to move into the mansion. Joanna is now a fish-out-of-water. The older Collier women are courteous, but aloof. Joanna feels isolated and bullied into conforming to a lifestyle she doesn’t want. Frank dismisses her complaints as unreasonable. She feels her identity melting away. Her only refuge is, unfortunately, the handsome young caretaker of the family cemetery, a man who seems to be a kindred spirit.

Joanna’s mother-in-law, Susannah Collier, is the most closed-off person Joanna has ever met. She seems to live in her own private world. Grief is understandable, she just lost her husband of many years, but Susannah’s cold shoulder goes beyond grief.

The reader is also cast back in time to Susannah’s childhood and young adulthood. Susannah Parrish, her sister India, and brother Kit, are the children of Bethlehem Steel’s chief engineer, Hollins Parrish. Kit is best friends with Chap Collier (the elder son of Bethlehem Steel’s owner) and close as well to Wyatt Collier (the younger son.) The children play together and get into all manner of mischief. For as long as anyone can remember, Wyatt has been desperately in love with Susannah and India has been infatuated with Chap.

We watch the Parrish and Collier children grow up and we follow Susannah’s successes and disappointments. She and Wyatt are the closest of friends, childhood sweethearts destined for marriage and happily-ever-after. But things don’t always go according to plan.

Meanwhile, in the current-day storyline, as Joanna’s life spirals out of control, the person who reaches out to her is Susannah, the mother-in-law with secrets of her own.

The story is lovely, full of warmth, love, and familial support. While not brimful of historical context, the period details set the scene well. The love stories are complex, realistic, and satisfying. This novel is recommended for fans of emotionally gripping multi-generational fiction.