I typically do not enjoy a “quiet” book where not much happens.

This book is an exception.

In the beginning pages, the reader learns Florence, an accomplished and competitive swimmer drowns while training to swim the English Channel. Her pregnant sister Frannie is in the hospital on bed rest due to a fragile pregnancy after losing a baby the year before. Fear leads the family to make the decision to keep the death a secret until the baby is born in a few months.

What follows is a touching – and at times troubling – portrait of a Jewish family in 1934 in Atlantic City, NJ trying to pretend things are just fine.

“This, she realized, was what it felt like to grow old. Eventually people felt so weighed down by the yoke of their own bad decisions that they could scarcely move.”

Florence Adler Swims Forever

What I loved about this book:

• fantastic, memorable characters
• Atlantic City, NJ setting in pre-World War II days
• based on an actual family drama in the author’s life

I typically prefer plot-driven, fast-paced books, but Rachel Beanland does an excellent job of drawing the reader into the life of the Adler family. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I’m excited to recommend it to you.

What have you been reading this month?