Best Books3

Manhattan Beach

by Jennifer Egan
A  historical novel set during World War II in New York. It's different than most WWII books as it focuses on the home front rather than fighting. Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan

Praise For This Book


"Egan's propulsive, surprising, ravishing, and revelatory saga, a covertly profound page-turner that will transport and transform every reader, casts us all as divers in the deep, searching for answers, hope, and ascension." -Booklist (starred review)

"Tremendously assured and rich, moving from depictions of violence and crime to deep tenderness. The book's emotional power once again demonstrates Egan's extraordinary gifts." -Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"After stretching the boundaries of fiction in myriad ways...Egan does perhaps the only thing left that could surprise: she writes a thoroughly traditional novel. Realistically detailed, poetically charged, and utterly satisfying: apparently there's nothing Egan can't do." -Kirkus (starred review)

"Egan's first foray into historical fiction makes you forget you're reading historical fiction at all."-Elle

"A bounteous miracle that makes you feel that past time, and our time, differently; everything becomes freshly energized, infused with humanity, vital, sad, and full of importance. To see the world through Egan's eyes is to be moved, through language, to new adoration of the world. I don't know a better writer working today. There is a generosity in her prose that is vastly enlivening to its reader and brings about that beautiful effect fiction sometimes causes: more, and better-grounded, fondness for reality, just as it is."-George Saunders, bestselling author of Tenth of December and Lincoln in the Bardo

"This large, ambitious novel shows Egan at the top of her game. Anna is a true feminist heroine, and her grit and tenacity will make readers root for her."- Library Journal (starred review)
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