Manhattan Beach

a novel

by Jennifer Egan

438 pages

English language

Published Jan. 5, 2017

OCLC Number:: 975110465

(21 reviews)

"Manhattan Beach opens in Brooklyn during the Great Depression. Anna Kerrigan, nearly twelve years old, accompanies her father to the house of Dexter Styles, a man who, she gleans, is crucial to the survival of her father and her family. Years later, her father has disappeared and the country is at war. Anna works at the Brooklyn Naval Yard, where women are allowed to hold jobs that had always belonged to men. She becomes the first female diver, the most dangerous and exclusive of occupations, repairing the ships that will help America win the war. She is the sole provider for her mother, a farm girl who had a brief and glamorous career with the Ziegfeld Follies, and her lovely, severely disabled sister. At a nightclub, she chances to meet Dexter Styles again, and she begins to understand the complexity of her father's life, the reasons he might have vanished."--

1 edition

Sharyl reviewed Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan

Review of 'Manhattan Beach' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

This latest novel by Jennifer Egan was enjoyable, but not riveting. The historical backdrop is compelling and the characters likeable, but somehow, the story did not flow in a way that made me want to sit up all night reading. Also, there were a couple of issues that did not seem to be resolved in the end. Overall, I am surprised to say, I found Manhattan Beach to be a bit disappointing. I do look forward to Jennifer Egan's next book.

dks reviewed Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan

Review of 'Manhattan Beach' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Ebbed and flowed - sort of like the sea. Sometimes interesting, sometimes not but ended up tied together nicely.

unicorndeburgh reviewed Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan

Review of 'Manhattan Beach' on 'Goodreads'

No rating

I absolutely loved "The Goon Squad", so I can't imagine why it took me so long to read another of Egan's books. This is a historical novel, and it's delightful. She doesn't fall into the trap of showing you every nifty thing she learned in her research, but it makes a solid foundation that makes you feel like you're really there, in another time.

The characters are complex and rounded, and the story compelling. Highly recommended.

GG reviewed Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan

Review of 'Manhattan Beach' on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

Pointless and poorly edited. There’s so much that could have been jettisoned in order to make this into a better book. If you love 40s stereotypes about gangsters and dames, maybe this book is for you. If you loved “A Visit From the Goon Squad,” it probably isn’t. P.S. This review was written by my ghost, as I died after being whacked over the head so many times by this book as it shouted, “THE OCEAN IS A METAPHOR!!! GET IT?!?”