Modern Girls: A Novel. Jennifer S. Brown. Penguin Group (USA). April
2016. 384 pp. ISBN#: 9780451477125.
Life
for woman of the Lower East Side, especially women of Russian Jewish descent,
was very hard. A pregnancy was a source
of joy as Rose, already a mother of three boys and a girl, knows and her
husband Ben shares that joy. But now
Rose finds she is again with child and doesn’t know if she has the physical,
mental or emotional strength to withstand another pregnancy and birth. Her daughter, Dottie, has found a good job
and even been promoted as she has a gift with numbers. Add to that Dottie is
really a second mother to her three brothers, giving them her undivided, devoted
attention at all times. Now, one mistake
puts Dottie into a panic, for she finds she is pregnant as well. Mother and daughter keep their secret for a
very long time.
Rose
has big dreams for Dottie and has been planning for years. Dottie’s current boyfriend, Abe Rabinowitz,
is planning on their marriage but not just yet.
He wants financial security before he even asks for Dottie’s hand and
Dottie is plotting to seduce him to make him marry her before the disgraceful
secret is out, a revelation that would absolutely ruin her future in the
judgmental times of 1935. Or is her future with the father, Willie Klein, known
as irresponsible and a lady’s man wherever he can ensnare an admiring female?
The
remainder of this tale is a tribute to love and familial support, despite the
unexpected turns of events. Jennifer S.
Brown portrays Dottie as the model “American Woman,” with her talents and
foibles. This woman is not only gifted
in the external world but finds within herself reserves of strength and purpose
that the reader must admire, respect beyond the mistakes and vicissitudes of
daily life that were ever-present in this particular time period in American
history.
Choices
are difficult enough to handle in the year 2016, but multiply that by hundreds
to fully appreciate the decisions made by Rose and Dottie. The cost and
consequences are the essence of this realistic novel that Jennifer Brown has
crafted that never fails to captivate the reader on every page!
Fine,
fine historical novel with several touches of troubled and sweet romance! A
poignant tribute to the quest for equality!
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