Jewish family in Atlantic City with a lot of family drama. Thanks for the ARC , this was a bit historical fiction and a story of a hard working family man with lots of secrets. Enjoyed reading , but it was a bit slow at times.

Such an interesting snapshot of Atlantic City's past and of the plight of Jews here and in Europe on the cusp of Hitler's rise. This was a really nuanced portrait of a family, I loved the shifting perspectives.

Because piece of historical fiction! Beautifully written and based on a true story. I loved Gussie and her innoence, and the Florence Adler Swims Forever club. It was a lovely story.

Based on the first third, I really thought I'd love this book. However, it quickly devolved into a long-winded bunch of stories, all of which were boring and just went nowhere. I think Ms. Beanland has talent and promise, but needs to write complete characters and a cohesive, interesting storyline.

I received this from Netgalley.com for a review.

Based on the author's true family story, this family saga "explores how far we will go to in order to protect our loved ones".

Started out strong but lost some steam in the middle of the story with a nearly predictable feel-good ending.

2.75☆

A sweet and poignant family story based on actual events and people.
I will definitely recommend this as a beach read!

Florence Adler Swims Forever was a historical fiction gem that focuses on family, loss and love. As I started this review, the word “thoughtful” kept popping into my head. This book offered a sympathetic and sensitive look into family; I suppose that encompasses the word “thoughtful”.

The beginning starts with the loss of the Adler’s daughter Florence, a long-distance swimmer, who disappears during a training swim. I imagined the plot would be wrapped around the circumstances of her death and the reader would solving why she died. Was is drugs, suicide or something even more sinister? Turns out, I couldn’t have been more wrong. Really, this book does one thing; it gets inside of the heads of all who loved Florence and how they manage during the three months following her death.

Each character: mother, father, young niece, brother-in-law, potential boyfriend and a refugee from Nazi Germany, who was under the Adler’s care, dealt with this loss in entirely different ways. That’s not unusual at all; what is unusual was that the family keeps Florence’s death a secret from her older sister so she remains unaffected while pregnant and on bed rest. This causes so much additional distress on the family members, which simultaneously makes for good reading.

The book covers immigration, life-long secrets, lies, post-depression life, marriage, divorce, love, romance, anti-Semitism and grief. I loved the Atlantic City setting as I spent many weekend getaways there as a kid. It brought back a lot of memories. The author shares in her notes that this story is based on her great, great aunt’s life, who died at nineteen during an ocean swim and as happened in the story, the news of her death was withheld from her great, great grandmother until her baby was born. I’m so glad the author wrote and shared this story with the world. It’s personal, yet very relatable.

Florence Adler is a champion swimmer headed for an English Channel challenge. Her prospects seem excellent until one day during g a routine practice swim she stops breathing, leaving Gussie, her seven year old niece, and Anna, a young German refugee, waiting on the shore. Her sudden death must be kept hidden from her sister, Fannie, on bed rest in a local hospital during a high-risk pregnancy. Fannie has already suffered the loss of her baby son and the inattentiveness of a husband who feels cheated by life. This decision for silence is made by her mother and carried out by the immediate family, Anna, and the swimming coach friend of her deceased daughter, along with a team of doctors and nurses. A bond of grief and secrecy unite this little group and Rachel Beanland through chapters devoted to each character reveals their suffering and individual desires. Played out against a pre-World War II Jersey shore, their stories provide the reader with a fast-paced, page -turning experience.

enjoyed this book! great read. loved the story. good book club selection. will recommend to all! thanks

I am very appreciative to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for allowing me to receive an ARC of this novel to review it for my honest opinion. This story is told from the perspective of a handful of characters and I liked that change of view. However, sometimes some of the chapters dragged on and I skimmed them. At the end you find out the story is based on a true story, I wish that was something I had read in a preface, it would of kept me more engaged I think as I read.

Florence Adler is a strong swimmer training to swim the English Channel. While on a training swim in the Atlantic Ocean Florence drowns. At the same time her sister, Fannie, is pregnant and in the hospital on bed rest. Esther, their mother, makes the decision that she will not tell Fannie her sister is dead afraid that the news will bring on premature labor. Florence obviously is not a prominent character in the book. Most of the focus is on Fannie, her daughter, Gussie, and Anna, a young woman from Germany staying with the family.

I didn't like Esther much. She is grieving Florence but in deciding not to tell Fannie she is causing more damage by trying to keep the secret especially with Gussie. She won't bring her to see her mother over a whole summer in case she slips up. The others cannot mourn Florence because they can't tell anyone in case it gets back to Fannie. I also didn't care for the way she treated Anna. I wish more of the characters were developed. Some issues that were brought up like a fight Fannie had with Florence the last time she saw her was only mentioned in passing but it seemed important to know what the argument was about.

I thought the book was well written and once I found that it was based on the author's great-great aunt. I really enjoyed the setting of Atlantic City in the summer and learned a bit of history of the area. Anna's struggle getting out of Germany and trying to bring her parents here was interesting and add in a bit of a love story and I give it 4 stars.

This is a story of love and loss and the lies that bind a family together. Good premise but I lost interest in the middle of the story.

This is a novel about a family, and how one decision can affect so many lives. The story is told from the point of view of each character, so that you are able to have a true understanding of the motivations behind the decisions and actions. The character development is impressive, and Beanland’s prose draws you into the story immediately. You will find yourself completely engrossed in the story of one summer in the lives of the members of the Adler family. It is a book you will want to finish in one sitting, but then you will be disappointed that you can’t spend more time with the characters. I look forward to reading more by Rachel Beanland in the future.

This book wasn’t as good as I was hoping it would be. It had a great concept and plot with a good character development but it wasn’t that engaging to me. I just couldn’t get into this book which is why I am giving it only 2 stars. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book for my honest review

Really enjoyed this book. Learned alot of historical info about Atlantic City, as a New Jersey resident, that was very welcome. Thought the storyline moved along nicely, and the descriptive prose was well done. Very nice read, I'll definitely look for this author again.

I would say this wasn't my favorite book but also not the worst. It was a good story, I just didn't feel very engaged or connected with the characters. I read through it quickly to find out what happened at the end but I was disappointed at the end. It just kind of stopped and I wanted to find out what happened with the family members into the future. I definitely wouldn't dissuade anyone from reading it but I wouldn't highly recommend it either.

Thank you to netgalley.com for the opportunity to read this book. It is a page turner despite the melancholy tone. Set in pre-WWII America, Joseph has agreed to take in a young Jewish girl whose mother he was once engaged to in Austria. It is a perilous time for Jews in Europe and while Joseph would save them all, Esther doesn’t seem to give a damn. That he was engaged to this woman is not something his wife Esther knows. Esther is cold-hearted towards Anna for a myriad of reasons, none of them Anna’s fault. Joseph wants everyone to be happy. Florence wants to swim the English Channel and Fannie wants to deliver a healthy baby. Isaac is present only in that he wishes he was elsewhere. Everyone has a secret and the secrets cause actions and reactions that give us the wonderful tension and dialogue Ms. Beanland has written. That the book is loosely based on true life events makes it even more endearing.

This book shines on every level: sentence after sentence is beautiful and precise. The characters are complicated and sympathetic, the ideas are sweeping and profound, but are never too overt. It’s a rare novel that is as accomplished in its meaning as it is in its storytelling while also succeeding wildly on the language level as well! A novel to lose yourself in and then reflect upon again and again.

I enjoyed this book. A bit of a historical novel. I am very familiar with Atlantic City and all that it was at that time in history. My family lives fairly close by so we would vacation there. In many ways it is a sad story, and terrible I said the beginning of the book. The characters were very believable. It is about a Jewish family , and the traditions gave good insight into a traditionally Jewish family. Thank you for my advance copy I would surely recommend this book to friends and family.

This is a charming and thoughtful novel about a family caught up in lies and filled with good intentions. The novel takes place in Atlantic City, a very different place in the 1930’s. It centers on the Adler family as they face several crises during one awful summer.

The sad catalyst is the death of their daughter Florence, a champion swimmer, who drowns while she is training to cross the English Channel. There are more complications as the family hides this awful truth from their other daughter, Fannie, who is in the hospital under rigorous orders for complete bed rest as she awaits the birth of her child. The family has a visitor, Anna, who they have sponsored to allow her to escape Nazi persecution in Germany.

The woes and the lies keep mounting. As a reader, I was filled with compassion for this beleaguered family. The novel moves quickly, the characters were well drawn and sympathetic.

Ironically, this was based upon the true story of the author’s relative. Included in the novel are obvious historic references, fascinating glimpses into medical treatment during the 1930’s , and reminders of the world before WWII.

I am certain that reading groups will love this novel and find so much to discuss. Women’s groups and seminars will be appalled at the way the medical establishment treated women.

I heartily recommend this book. I really believe readers will enjoy it as much as I did. Thank you Netgalley for the privilege of reading this extraordinary novel.