Julie Dewey makes Tabithas and the immigrant poverty of the 1800's come alive.
342481
In 1860 Tabitha Salt was just 10 years old. When her father was killed in an accident, her mother sold their farm in Westchester N.Y. and moved them to Manhattan where she hoped to find work as a laundress.

This section of NYC, known as Five Points, was filled with poor immigrants and homeless orphans roaming the gang-filled streets. When Tabithas mother suddenly died, Tabitha found herself out on the street as one of these orphans. With nowhere to turn, she was befriended by the Sisters of Charity who sent her and dozens others on an orphan train to be adopted out West. There she will have to draw on her strong character, courage and perseverance to survive the unknown and make a future for herself. Forgetting Tabitha is her story.

Before reading this novel, I knew about the terrible poverty facing NYC immigrants, but didn't know about the orphan trains. Julie Dewey makes Tabithas and the orphans stories come alive, making me eager to find out more about them as I read.

Recommended for ages 14 and older.
2341102
This book is about hard times, struggles, love and triump in the daily lives of the the late 1800's.. I loved it.
733939
Michelle Griep weaves a tale set in England in 1808. Johanna is determined to do whatever it takes to provide for her family and make sure they are provided for. When a handsome border to her inn offers to help her she figures he must have something he requires in return for his assistance. I found this book to be a delightful portrait of what life looked like in early England. It's a story I encourage you to read.

(This review is my humble opinion and a favorable review was not required in exchange for a free book - 2018).
4062235
I enjoyed reading about immigration back in the early 1900's and what life was like for the families coming to America. The story is interesting and keeps you reading to find out what happens.
2328235
This novel is as good as The Help. You see life in the 1800's through the eyes of two girls, a slave and a slave "owner."
2074350
Good book...the saga of Honor Bright have me a taste of what life was like for an immigrant in the 1800's!
4704229
Julie Fenster has a gift for making history come alive. In Jefferson's America, she looks at the way in which Jefferson used the exploration of America as a tool for establishing an American presence in the territory of the Louisiana Purchase and reminds the reader of what an important role this played in the creation of the nation. She follows Lewis and Clark's journey to the Pacific, Dunbar and Hunter's mapping of the Ouichita River, Freeman's trip up the Red River, and Zebulon Pike's mapping of the Missouri. She describes the physical demands, the native populations and the many colorful characters living in the area. She moves back and forth from one expedition to another and then to Washington to describe the political reaction there as well as the reactions of the Spanish who were determined to hold their territory. This technique gives the story more immediacy and excitement. I highly recommend this book.
Disclaimer:
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review through the Advanced Reader program on Librarything.
1980447
The author does a good job of describing the trials and lives of first and second generation emigrants to the U.S.  She develops her characters well, allowing them their goodness and their warts.  She also captures the essence of the culture that was present at the time in which she sets her story.
1407045
"The Gods of Gotham," Lindsay Faye
Four Stars  The Bad luck of the Irish

It may be that American colonial diversity engendered the violence that the new nation knew in its first century of existence.  Lindsay Faye's new novel, "The Gods of Gotham," if nothing else, is a demonstration of the social and racial hatred and resultant cruelty toward their fellow residents of New York City in the middle of the nineteenth century.

Although the protagonists are primarily white protestants, the battles include Negroes, Catholics, clergy men of both denominations and Parlor House Madams of undeclared religious preferences. Primary characters are two brothers, Valentine and Timothy Wilde, their girlfriends, priests, ministers and members of New York's newly created Sixth and Eighth Ward police forces.

In a complicated plot of crime and punishment and some slight justice, "The Gods of Gotham" details the beginnings of the "thin blue line," and the corruption of most city workers. We see also in the linking of these various sharers of the city streets, the enormous tentacles of crime, alleged serial murders as well as life in a city always just a gunshot away from riot if not revolution.

Author Faye shows us these battles between warring factions, the "hands on" practice of bribery and black mail as well as the interaction of church and state and institutions including prostitution with participating children. "The Gods of Gotham" is a story of violence which you will follow from the first to the last page of this can't-put-it-down tale. I believe the major strength of this work is its plot which is intricate and full of dumbfounding surprises at every twist and turn.

Of special interest,too, is the author's scholarship with a then new colloquial dialogue called  "Flash." Of course we know of many such temporary dialects born in American sub cultures (e.g., currently the language of "rap" music); the use of "flash" thus helps to authenticate the period and place, i.e., 1845 Manhattan. The author's writerly style, especially in the use of figurative language is refreshing, although the text is somewhat wordy and could use trimming.

Again it is the intriguing plot that saves the day, with clever hooks and real, likeable characters who keep this page-turner engrossing. Another laudable extra of  "The Gods of Gotham" is the denouement, as the fate of the protagonists and their conflicts are resolved in sometimes surprising but satisfying ways, but which never sound "deus ex machine" or contrived. This book belongs on your shelf for a good new novel that entertains while extending your  knowledge of mid-nineteenth century Manhattan.
1548630
A WONDERFUL BOOK.  It deals with the poverty of New York City in the in the late 1800' and the desperate steps people took just to stay alive. Children were forced into prostitution by their mothers etc. Deals with characters realisticly.  A real  page turner.
4279970
Like many books about immigrant populations entering America, this one has a strong female central character, however it is one of the better ones with fresh situations. It illustrates the determination of these incoming people to put the past behind them as they embrace the new world and its hardships. Here we find two young Irish ladies, one Catholic and one Protestant who have to come to grips with the troubles of the potato famine and now must pull together to make their way in a country that has a very low opinion of people of their descent.
1224256
Victoria Crossing--I enjoyed it very much.  I gave me a good view of the terrible things the immigrants when through . The ships, the filth and the starving.  I had no idea of all the suffering the immigrant when through after they reached New York.  It was quite an eyeopener. Frances Becker
3583547
Told through the eyes of Manticory Swiney, one of the seven Swiney sisters, and the one with the vibrant auburn hair, the reader is swept into Harristown, Kildare, at the height of the great Irish famine. Starving and destitute, the sisters live a desperate hand to mouth existence. Their long hair is plagued with lice, and their bodies are emaciated from hunger. Each of the girls possesses a different hair color, from black, to red, to blonde.

Tired of poverty, the eldest is shrewd and strong-willed enough to place her sisters on a stage and demand they perform. Their claim to fame is not their acting, dancing, and singing, rather, it is their courage to break free from the social restrictions regarding bound hair. At the end of each performance, when the sisters turn their backs and let loose a cascade of hair, the audience roars!  Like a feral cat ready to pounce, an antagonist named Eileen OReilly does her best to thwart the sisters at every turn.

The novel is richly written and based upon the true life story of the Sutherland sisters in the USA during the 19th century. It is a rags to riches to rags story that I found myself completely absorbed by. Each of the sisters was depicted with plenty of faults and qualities, which added to my interest in this fascinating tale. It is a roller coaster ride that takes the reader to joy, love, despair, and tragedy. This is a wonderful book and I highly recommend it to book clubs as there is an avalanche of material that will lead to many a lively discussion. A lovely book into the odd and unusual lives of these fascinating women.
4698145
When the first settlers came to North America, they came with hope for a better life, freedom and a sense of reinvention. But they also carried with them religious tenets that were to set off many a witch hunt, not just the most well-known as in the Salem Witch trials. Imagine a fiery-spirited girl who is adventurous, open-minded and nature loving, and you have the making of a witch, at least by Puritanical standards.
Meet Mary Bliss Parsons, a real historical figure from the earliest days of the Hartford/Springfield settlements, and ancestor to the author of My Enemy's Tears. Karen Vorbeck Williams grew up hearing tales about witches, told by her grandmother, and developed a fascination with her ancestor who was to endure a witchcraft trial seventeen years before the Salem witch trials were to take place.

My Enemy's Tears is an engrossing reconstruction of Mary Bliss Parson's life, following her from her first steps in the new world to the results of her trial. What makes the story a great page-turner is the author's ability to skillfully portray this young woman and her setting in historically accurate language and tone, all the while spinning threads that allow the reader to relate to the main character in modern terms. From Mary's mentored bond with an older healer and midwife in the story, Goody Crespet, to the jealous actions of her former employer, the once wealthy Sarah Lyman, the reader will find similarities to modern day relationships.

History can be brought to life by a skilled writer. Karen Vorbeck Williams has done so in her book My Enemy's Tears by revealing a very human story of early settlement in the Hartford-Springfield areas. Her descriptions are eloquently written, historically accurate and yet not so dry as to read like a lesson book. Each chapter begins with an excerpt from an historical document which serves to anchor the tale. The characters and dialog, keeping in the style of the times and never breaking away from this anchor, nevertheless take on a life of their own in our imagination. We can relate to Mary Bliss Parsons as she grapples with the hardships of early settler life, bucks parental authority as a teen, embraces the humility of becoming a servant girl and later rises to one of the wealthiest citizens of Springfield Mass, and endures becoming the target of another woman's jealousy.

If you pick up a copy of My Enemy's Tears, you can be assured a good read. Karen Vorbeck Williams, a former editor and prize-winning photographer, has both a structural and visual mastery of writing. Even if historical fiction is not your favorite genre, you'll find a riveting story in the form of My Enemy's Tears.

Read more reviews at www.literary-magic.com
533798
In a part of the world that keeps changing, the writer sheds much light on the life of a family who has good intentions over a long span of time.
She also sheds light on the patience and kindness of the native people whom they have come to serve.  Telling the story through the voices of
each of the four daughters makes for very interesting reading.
3539151
"Imagining Ichabod" is an enchanting book. I felt as if Paula Bennett was personally relating the tale to me. It was fascinating to follow her interest in colonial life from childhood to the purchase of an historic house in Maine. Her attempts to live like people of the eighteenth century were amusing and touching. The research into documents about the pervious owners and the continuing archeological dig  which brought up tangible evidence of life lived in the house were enlivened by her sincere enthusiasm. The historical chapters brought one closer to the times the Goodwins lived in and their places in it. The recipes and tales of their preparation added a visceral element to the book. One can almost smell and taste the meals she prepared. From a design standpoint it was interesting to see how they assembled the elements of their world. A beautifully produced book.
1885459
This is a wonderful read: a glimpse into the Alcott sisters' lives, the art world in France in late 1800's, and life for women back then. It is well written and hard to put down. For a debut novel, Ms. Hooper did an impressive job - well researched and interesting.