Stevie‘s review of Modern Girls by Jennifer S. Brown
Jewish American Historical Women’s Fiction published by NAL 05 Apr 16
I’m always drawn to books that show us a slice of life that doesn’t get covered often in fiction, in this case the lives of left-wing working class Jewish families in the run up to the Second World War. Dottie’s mother left Russia in 1914 when her strong political sentiments placed her and her family in danger. Dottie has grown up in a very political household – her father is very involved in the trade union movement, and her mother talks of returning to activism now all her children are reaching an age when they can take care of themselves at least some of the time. Dottie, however, just wants to enjoy being young, and to earn enough from her bookkeeping job that she can afford to marry her boyfriend – who won’t commit until they can set up away from both their families. Then both women discover that they are expecting unplanned, and not entirely welcome, babies.
Dottie and Rose try to hide their news from everyone: Dottie because she knows the baby is the result of the one and only time she cheated on her boyfriend – after an argument over his ex – and Rose because she really doesn’t want any more children after raising her family and also losing other babies to miscarriage and childhood illnesses. Eventually, those around them start to notice what’s going on, and Dottie finds herself in danger of losing both her boyfriend and her job.
I found the choices the women found themselves making very realistic, and was gratified to see the author present the scenarios around illegal backstreet abortions in a non-judgemental way that still showed how grim things were for women who found themselves with an unwanted pregnancy at that time. Rose is prepared to do whatever she has to do for Dottie, and Dottie is determined that her decision won’t have unwanted repercussions for her family. In the end, both women make choices that aren’t necessarily the right ones for them, given the unforeseen consequences and the unexpected actions of the other characters, but are the best decisions they could make with the information they had at that precise point. Several times I was longing for one of them to find the other before taking a step that they might regret later.
All the supporting characters are distinctly defined, and each has their own story to tell. The culture clashes between Jews and non-Jews and between the various subgroups within the Jewish community were highly understandable, and the whole era was very vividly imagined for readers. The tensions over the situation in Europe, and especially Germany, was an ever-present background noise, but seemed too far away for most of the characters to contemplate over and above their personal worries.
I definitely want to read more by this author, even as my to-read pile grows evermore insurmountable.
Grade: B
Summary:
In 1935, Dottie Krasinsky is the epitome of the modern girl. A bookkeeper in Midtown Manhattan, Dottie steals kisses from her steady beau, meets her girlfriends for drinks, and eyes the latest fashions. Yet at heart, she is a dutiful daughter, living with her Yiddish-speaking parents on the Lower East Side. So when, after a single careless night, she finds herself in a family way by a charismatic but unsuitable man, she is desperate: unwed, unsure, and running out of options.
After the birth of five children—and twenty years as a housewife—Dottie’s immigrant mother, Rose, is itching to return to the social activism she embraced as a young woman. With strikes and breadlines at home and National Socialism rising in Europe, there is much more important work to do than cooking and cleaning. So when she realizes that she, too, is pregnant, she struggles to reconcile her longings with her faith.
As mother and daughter wrestle with unthinkable choices, they are forced to confront their beliefs, the changing world, and the fact that their lives will never again be the same….
Read an excerpt.
