Florence Adler Swims Forever by Rachel Beanland

Atlantic City in the 1930s? Sure!

Florence Adler Swims Forever was the Barnes and Noble Book Club pick for July, and even though I don’t read a lot of “time period” books, this one was surprisingly engaging. There are  some spoilers later on, so beware.

Set in 1934 Atlantic City, the Adlers (Joseph and Esther) are a Jewish family who own a successful and profitable bakery. They in essence turn their house into an Airbnb during the summer months and live in their old apartment above said bakery. The entire story takes place over a few weeks during that summer. 

This particular summer has added extra people into the small apartment. Anna, the daughter of Joseph's ex-fiance, Gussie, their 7 year old granddaughter, and Florence who comes home from college with plans of leaving for French to swim the English Channel. Sadly, Florence drowns in pretty much the same scene she is introduced to us.

Ok, so what are my thoughts? I know that there are some rave reviews out there for this book. Maybe my mediocre enjoyment of this genre of book impacted my overall impressions even though it is pretty positive.  Regardless of my final thoughts, there are some elements of the book that are definitely worth discussing. 

The novel is written in changing points of view. And it starts out with Gussie who has to spend her summer with her grandparents. She is probably my two favorite character in the entire book. Here is a precocious girl whose mother, Fannie (Joseph and Ester’s eldest daughter), is bed-ridden in the hospital in the last weeks of a high risk pregnancy and whose father, Isaac, seems to have much better things to do than be a father. The reader sees the innocence of childhood, including the inability to comprehend why everyone wants to keep Florence's death a secret from Fannie all while she is trying to handle the loss of her aunt. I do want to point out that Gussie’s grief is never really even addressed. She seems to almost be more consumed with the secret than the actual death. Anyway, the motivation behind the secrecy, of course, is fear of a premature delivery which Fannie had the previous summer that had a tragic ending.

Through the changing POVs, the reader can glimpse the motivation and drive behind decisions the characters make. Isaac’s selfishness and need to be more than he is. Joseph’s guilt over the way he ended his engagement all those years ago, Esther’s unwavering devotion to her family, Anna who is desperately seeking a better life outside of Nazi Germany and fighting to bring her parents to America, and ultimately the combined strength they find in their faith and each other.  Throw in Stuart, who is not Jewish, who loved Florence, who fights against his hotel mogul of a father and ultimately makes a huge sacrifice at the end of the book that shows how selfless he is, and there is quite the cast of characters.

Beanland brings the characters to life, the narration is clear and mirrors the time period. The pace felt natural and was engaging with the changing characters. Overall, it was an easy read, and I often found myself wanting to keep reading because I wanted to know what was going to happen. Needless to say, however, I was also greatly disappointed in the uncertainty of some of the plot lines when the book ended. 

Here comes a few spoilers! So, if you haven’t read the book yet, jump down to my recommendation. It’s easy to spot a few paragraphs below.

The book was obviously based on a lot of family secrets. Because, let’s be real, if there weren’t the secrets, there really wouldn’t have been any conflict, thus no plot. 

Secret #1 - I think I’ve discussed it enough. “Don’t tell anyone that Florence is dead.”  This secret never gets resolved.

Secret #2 - “I’m not going to tell my wife that the young woman I’ve brought into my house is the daughter of my ex-finance, and out of guilt for how I dumped her, I’m going to put lots of money towards trying to bring her to America.” Sneaky little Esther finds out, is furious and tells Joseph that she will be moving back to the house alone after the summer is over. However, even Anna points out how quickly Esther gets over it. I was happy, though, that when push came to shove and Joseph basically had to choose between his family and his ex-love, he made the correct choice.

Secret #3 - “Nothing will ever be enough for me.” Fannie’s husband will do anything to be wealthy and is always looking for the next big opportunity. What a loser, but because he wants to be better, but because of how he handles it. I really didn’t like him, and I was only surprised that he didn’t take Joseph’s offer immediately. I did find the history lessons on Palm Springs, Florida, real estate somewhat interesting. 

Ok, so the whole book primarily revolves around Florence’s death and keeping the news from Fannie. But when the book ends, Fannie STILL doesn’t know about Florence AND has no idea that her father paid off her husband to leave her. What? Really?  As much as that emotional reaction was destined to be horrific, it’s what the whole book was leading up to...and then nothing. I can’t even express how much of a let down this was and the biggest knock against the book I have.

And what’s up with 1934 Atlantic City’s boardwalk exhibit of premature babies. Really??? I don’t even know what to say about this.

Anyways, if you’ve read the book, I’d love to know your thoughts on Stuart. I didn’t really mention him much in this review.

Where is this book on my book shelf? Florence Adler Swims Forever lands solidly on my middle shelf. I enjoyed the book and am glad that I decided to read it, but it’s not really one that I would ever really consider reading again. I would recommend it; it’s worth a read. I learned more about the Jewish faith than I had known going in. Experiencing the pain of those that loved Florence (well, with the exception of Fannie) as they mourned for her was made more powerful and real by Beanland’s excellent character development.