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Manhattan Beach
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
The long-awaited novel from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A Visit from the Goon Squad, Manhattan Beach opens in Brooklyn during the Great Depression. Anna Kerrigan, nearly twelve years old, accompanies her father to the house of a man who, she gleans, is crucial to the survival of her father and her family. Anna observes the uniformed servants, the lavishing of toys on the children, and some secret pact between her father and Dexter Styles. Years later, her father has disappeared and the country is at war. Anna works at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, where women are allowed to hold jobs that had always belonged to men. She becomes the first female diver, the most dangerous and exclusive of occupations, repairing the ships that will help America win the war. She is the sole provider for her mother, a farm girl who had a brief and glamorous career as a Ziegfield folly, and her lovely, severely disabled sister. At a night club, she chances to meet Styles, the man she visited with her father before he vanished, and she begins to understand the complexity of her fathers life, the reasons he might have been murdered. Mesmerizing, hauntingly beautiful, with the pace and atmosphere of a noir thriller and a wealth of detail about organized crime, the merchant marine and the clash of classes in New York, Egans first historical novel is a masterpiece, a deft, startling, intimate exploration of a transformative moment in the lives of women and men, America and the world. Manhattan Beach is a magnificent novel by one of the greatest writers of our time.
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BeckyWithTheGoodBooks
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
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Here is my February #bookspin list! I had a great start to my reading year (I read 8 books), so I hope to continue the momentum this month!

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 14mo
RebelReader Ooooh You have some good ones in your list! 14mo
15 likes3 comments
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BaBaBaBillyAndTheBooks
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
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Pickpick

For many in Manhattan Beach, there‘s a comfort in fog—a kind of peace that takes Anna and her father away from a heavy life. Both characters equally have a gift of diving into a murky cloud and finding what‘s lost. The best characters find treasures by dropping into the unknown and having faith that they have the capacity to endure.

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Martta
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
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Pickpick

This book suprised me! I was a bit scared to pick it up because I was afraid that it would be difficult and slow read but it totally wasn't! This story is located in a place and time that just makes you want to know more. This story has everything: mafia, coming of age, disability, family dynamics, world war, party scene, well written characters, mechanics and crime. I'm going to find out what else has she written. 😍

Suet624 Her recent book, The Candy House, was just selected as one of the top 10 books of 2022 by the New York Times. 1y
LeeRHarry I really enjoyed A Visit from the Goon Squad when I read it an age ago. 1y
Martta @Suet624 & @LeeRHarry Thanks for the tips! I will totally look for those! 😊👍 1y
20 likes3 comments
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Martta
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
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Some train reading. I'm really surprised how much I love this book! 🤓📚 🚂🚃🚃🚃

LeeRHarry Good to know as I have it on my TBR 😊 1y
Martta @LeeRHarry You should really read it! I'm almost half way through and I really like how fresh the story feels and all the characters are also written really well. 😊 1y
20 likes2 comments
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Martta
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
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Wanted to read something a bit longer. I found this a year ago from book fair and have been waiting to get to it. Now it feels like a perfect time. 😊📚

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Megabooks
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
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Pickpick

What a difference 5 years and a deeper dive into her backlist makes! I didn‘t care for this in 2017. I found it slow and maybe a bit dull. However, coming back after reading her other books, I can tell it was a passion project for her, which I appreciate. The small details of WWII Brooklyn and the tenderness in her portrayal of Anna just touches me.

This is not the best place to start with Egan, but it is a fine place my dive to end.

Megabooks And yes those fall roses smell divine! 1y
jlhammar So glad you enjoyed it more this time around! 1y
BarbaraBB I admire you for giving it another chance. I don‘t have patience for that, always thinking #toomanybookstoolittletime 🤷🏻‍♀️ 1y
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Cinfhen Clever review!!! #Punny xx I didn‘t care for this book but I appreciate the way you chose to highlight the finer qualities - like @BarbaraBB it‘s hard for me to re-read books, especially ones I didn‘t really enjoy 1y
squirrelbrain Like @BarbaraBB and @Cinfhen I rarely re-read books, especially those I haven‘t enjoyed, but your comments, Meg, are making me re-think this attitude. But…. Too many books, too little time! 1y
Cathythoughts It is so interesting the difference time makes ! How we change. 1y
Megabooks @Cathythoughts that is so true. It feels like each year I have a different focus and things I enjoy. 1y
Megabooks @squirrelbrain @Cinfhen @BarbaraBB kind of like I said to Cathy, I feel like my reading tastes change a lot year-to-year and I do find myself rereading quite a bit sometimes. I originally wasn‘t going to reread this, but reading some of Egan‘s thoughts on this book made me change my mind. Sometimes I do find a reread worthwhile, even or sometimes especially when I didn‘t like it and I like some of the author‘s other books. 🤷🏻‍♀️ 1y
BarbaraBB @Megabooks You‘re a real scholar! 1y
100 likes9 comments
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TheSpineView
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
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Mehso-so

Very elegant prose but so boring. Technically speaking, this is an awesome book. However, because the plot was so slow I struggled to finish.
On top if that, I could have cared less what happened to the characters. Such a disappointment!
2.5 ⭐️

Ruthiella Totally agree. Writing was wonderful- research impeccable-but I also ultimately found it kinda dull. 2y
Megabooks I‘m an Egan fan, but I hated this. 2y
TheSpineView @Megabooks I'm with you. 2y
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rachaich
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
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Pickpick

Overall a very good tale, very historically interesting and I liked the female narrator.
I felt the final quarter wasn't as interesting but it was twisty! I wouldn't have been able to predict the final few occurrence at all.

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rachaich
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
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After starting two other books, I've settled, happily, on this tale.

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klu13
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
Pickpick

Awesome

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heylaurenmack
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
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Hadn‘t fired up the Kindle in a long time! Picked a number and this is what it landed on.

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Ellen_C
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
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Mehso-so

This was critically acclaimed but disappointed me. Lots of interesting info about wartime NYC, women‘s work, and diving (scary!), but I felt that some relationships and plot developments were kind of underdone. Also some troubling scenes with a disabled character. https://cannonballread.com/2021/09/manhattan-beach-elcicco/

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Creadnorthey
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
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Pickpick

Lovely and sweeping- a story that held me even with papers and notes of my students to read…certainly one of the reasons that what made this so beautifully diverting!

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booklover3258
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
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Bailedbailed

My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:

https://youtu.be/2UYZu_-tkn0

Enjoy!

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perfectlywinged
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
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Beach bag

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merelybookish
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
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My June #bookspin: hardbacks-I-don't-want-to-move edition. (AKA books I probably won't have time to read in June.)
@TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 3y
65 likes1 comment
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Danay
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
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2020 #68 Not what I thought it would be.

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DAB
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
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Pickpick

This is a great book that keep you going. If you like old world organize crime fiction this is set in that back drop. Also loved the ending. A good read.

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Cathy_J
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
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Mehso-so

I'm not sure about this one. Some of it was very interesting but other sections lost me entirely. Part gangster, part US navy in WWII, part deep sea diving novel. I just don't know. ⭐⭐.5?

Ruthiella I agree. It was well written in my opinion but it was too much. In particular the later section on the navy ship and its subsequent disaster could have been skipped all together with no loss to the overall story. 4y
84 likes1 comment
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Hooked_on_books
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
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Pickpick

A slow burn of a WWII book focusing on the work at home in the US and revolving around Anna, her father Eddie, and gangster Dexter. This book is uneven in places but I found the characters and story compelling. Not much love for it on Litsy, and I can see why it wouldn‘t be for everyone, but I liked it.

#bookspinbonanza book 9
#botm backlist

MrsMalaprop I read this a while ago & liked it too. 4y
TheAromaofBooks Yay!! Awesome progress!!! 4y
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AmberWB
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
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Mehso-so

Let me preface this by saying that this pandemic is affecting my reading habits as well as the types of books that will keep me engaged. That said, I struggled with this one. I couldn‘t put it down, but I felt like I was waiting on something to happen. I really think that this could have been 3 different books-one for just Anna, one for Eddie and one for Dexter. There was so much more to their stories I was hoping to read before the last page.

Reviewsbylola I agree, this one wasn‘t very engaging for me either. 4y
37 likes1 comment
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AmberWB
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
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They‘d driven all the way to Mr. Styles‘s house before Anna realized her father was nervous.
#firstlinefridays. @ShyBookOwl

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perfectsinner
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
Mehso-so

Not sure what to give this book. 2.5 stars, I guess. Some of the story held my interest, the gangster parts, anyway, but the diving didn't as much. I also got a bit confused about Anna's father's story and how it ended up the way it did. It was just an ok read for me.
This was no Visit From the Goon Squad, for sure

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LibraryCin
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
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Mehso-so

Audio. I lost interest more in the male narrated portions. I did (eventually) enjoy Anna‘s, particularly her quest to learn to dive. I did not like Dexter at all, though. (Not surprising, really, as he was a mobster), so I didn‘t like when Anna‘s and Dexter‘s paths crossed. I also just didn‘t like him. Even if i hadnt listened to the audio, I‘m still not sure the gangster/mobster aspect of Dexter would have interested me, anyway

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starlight97
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
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Pickpick

This story takes place in New York during WWII. I loved reading about the Naval Yard and the important work females did there. I wasn't quite satisfied with the ending though. It feels like it's not a big enough climax for this book.

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starlight97
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
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Almost halfway through this #audiobook and maybe things are starting to get interesting? I loved the author's other book 'A Visit from the Goon Squad' 💙

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MelissaSue81
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
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Panpan

I stuck it out and finished it.. but I must say.. I really didn‘t get it. All the different storylines were all over the place. I liked Anna and Eddie but the rest of the characters were just ugh..... Why all the details about Dexters family? And all the details about diving?

litenthusiast This is how I felt. I bailed on this book half-way in. 5y
allureofbeauty Oy. I have that to read still. 5y
ReadingMeagan This was one of those books that after reading it (and not liking it) I wonder how it can be on so many “Must Read” lists 5y
59 likes3 comments
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Sweettartlaura
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
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Mehso-so

From anyone else, I would praise this book.
But I expect different from Egan.
This is the most straightforward story I‘ve read by her thus far, and I‘m disappointed by that 🤷🏻‍♀️. I want chapters in PowerPoint, or nested stories, or the sense that I‘m reading a palimpsest of a novel when I read Egan. Not historical fiction.
It‘s beautifully written, and I can‘t really say anything bad about it. Except that it‘s not really an Egan novel.

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MelissaSue81
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
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I‘m now 56% into this book.. does it get better? I almost never bail books and have put enough time into this one where I feel it would be a waste, but man; this is going nowhere!

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks I have it, but haven‘t started it yet because I keep seeing negative reviews and I have so many others to read!! 5y
Ruthiella I liked it but if at 50% you aren‘t hooked, I say bail. 5y
Megabooks I bailed on this one. 5y
See All 8 Comments
Godpants I also really liked this one, but if it isn‘t hooking you yet it‘s probably not going to. 5y
MelissaSue81 @Godpants @Ruthiella , well i listened a little more and a couple biggish things happened, so it‘s a bit more interesting. I doubt it‘s gonna make a turn for “love it” but maybe it‘s worth finishing. 5y
Hooked_on_books It‘s so frustrating when that happens. That‘s how Inland was for me. I kept waiting and waiting…and it really never got there. 🤷🏼‍♀️ 5y
MelissaSue81 @Hooked_on_books - oh no!! That‘s the book I have with me right now to start in print!! 5y
Sweettartlaura Finish it. It‘s not amazing, but it‘s worth it. I struggled - because I had expectations of Egan she refused to meet here - but for anyone else I‘d praise this with few qualms. 5y
59 likes8 comments
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Pedrocamacho
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
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Pickpick

I loved the setting. I loved the characters. I loved Anna‘s story. In fact, I think that enjoyed this book more than “A Visit From Goon Squad” 😊

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janeycanuck
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
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Mehso-so

Finally finished this today while doing some #audiopainting of baseboards and casing. The female narrator pushed this from a pick to a so-so for me. She had a breathy, lispy quality to her voice that seemed put-on and did not work for me. But the storyline and writing were good!

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Come-read-with-me
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
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Mehso-so

Usually I‘m a huge fan of Jennifer Eagan‘s, but this book just didn‘t live up to expectations. I loved the characters she created, the details of the world she painted (Brooklyn 1930‘s & 1940‘s), and the personification of a “spirited girl.”I didn‘t like the amount of time in the book devoted to a sea voyage that was painfully slow and I was perplexed by one of the plot lines. However, in general it was a good read.

rather_be_reading totally agree! 5y
25 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Allylu
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
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I finished “Manhattan Beach” today. I read the last half of the book in 2 days partly because I wanted to finish it before Sunday when I start the #buddyread of “The Summer Country” and partly because I wanted to see how things worked out. This book haunted me until I bought it and then from my bookshelf until I started reading it. It didn‘t drag for me as others have said. It was a good story - a little mystery, a twist and a satisfying ending.

Librarybelle Nice! 5y
8 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Lindy
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
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I thought of Anna Kerrigan from the tagged novel when I was at the Vancouver Maritime Museum yesterday.

BookishTrish Cute photo! 5y
julesG Agree, cute picture 😍 (I read Anna Karenina at first 🙈) 5y
See All 6 Comments
Reggie Lol, I‘m digging that photo!! 5y
Lindy @julesG 🤪A classic deep sea feminist. 5y
Lindy @Reggie 😁🦑 5y
46 likes6 comments
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Allylu
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
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I had a bad week this week - only 31,400 steps. I went to the doctor and did great, but I felt kind of let down after working so hard since March. I did make progress on my 3 books! I should have at least one done by next week, then I will be back on track. #BFCr2

wanderinglynn I'm going to delete the “only“ and make it “I walked 31+K steps this week!“ It's good to strive for more, but take time to appreciate what you did accomplish. 🎉 We all have down weeks. Take a deep breath and remember that you're making great progress, and more importantly, you haven't quit. You got this! Hang in there! 💜 5y
Allylu Thank you. I‘m NOT quitting! This week will be better! 💕📚😊 5y
4 likes2 comments
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cateeeoh
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
Pickpick

My favorite book last year. I‘m waiting until I forget enough so I can read it again. The writing is so rich with detail of the period, and the protagonist is so, so endearing. Illicit trade, scuba diving, feminism, love... What‘s not to love?! (OK maybe just a tad long...but still worth every word)

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Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
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Mehso-so

This is a slow-moving story that immerses you in the 1930s & WWII era NYC. If you enjoy a book that takes its time setting the scene then you may like this more than I did. The final 1/4 of the book picks up but if I had read this, I might have DNFed it. I like scene setting but a chunk of it felt tedious or redundant. I liked the MCs well enough, but the book would benefit from a firm direction, editing the useless & expanding other areas.

Samplergal Agreed with improved editing. 5y
21 likes1 comment
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VictoriaB
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
Mehso-so

The last 100 pages were the best part, but it was a slog to get there. I thought the diving aspect would be fascinating, but it was a pretty minor part of the book. Some interesting inner conflict with the main character, Anna, and her inability to fit into the expectations of women at the time.

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Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
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I've been listening to this on my commute to work. I'm 1/4 through and wondering if I should continue. It is unabridged and my mind starts wandering, wondering when we get to the good stuff. So much of this feels pointless to the plot. Also, there are 3 people performing this and none have distinct enough voices for the dialogue they're reading. The female has a weird cadence during the dialogue. Is it worth continuing?

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Just.Linds
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
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Panpan

This was the most disappointing book I have read in a long time. Easily Egan could have stopped after 100 pages and wrapped it up. Easily forgettable don‘t recommend wasting your time.

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Minervasbutler
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
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Pickpick


On the surface much more traditional than Goon Squad- an historical novel set in the late 1930s and war years - though she again plays all sorts of games with narrative structure, weaving 3 distinct stories together. It's part "woman's struggle in a man's world" and part "organised crime on the waterfront" and I guess it succeeds or fails depending on whether you buy into the fortunes of Anna and her father Eddie or not. I enjoyed it a lot.

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karajay
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
Mehso-so

⭐⭐ I don't know. I didn't love it. I didn't hate it. 2.5 stars

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karajay
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
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1. Brunch at a jazz club and now cuddled up on my couch with the tagged book. 🎷🥂
2. Not yet!
3. Yellow 💛
4. Japan
5. My old place flooded and ruined some of my books.
#premondayvibes @pepsicola

JazzFeathers Nooooooo! Losing some books that way must be hard. 5y
15 likes1 comment
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karajay
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
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Starting this one with my cute reading buddy

CouronneDhiver Very cute reading buddy! 5y
15 likes1 stack add1 comment
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LaLove
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
Panpan

About 2x too long. And not that interesting of a story.

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Teresereading
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
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This was a first read from this writer for me. Loved it, great plot and intriguing characters. My first visit to New York was late last year which deepened my appreciation of the places and references to events from the era such as Tammany Hall, actress Marion Davies, and The Follies. Another interesting snippet for me was the allusion to a real life story fictionalised in The Paris Seamstress. Love how my reading life builds these crossovers.

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bg_reads
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
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My Barnes and Noble finds from yesterday! It was my birthday yesterday so I took myself on a book & coffee date. Found these in the $5 bin! Woo!
Has anyone read these? What did you think?

Reviewsbylola Happy birthday! This is a good one! 5y
7 likes1 stack add1 comment
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wellreadredhead
Manhattan Beach: A Novel | Jennifer Egan
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Such a good #bookhaul! Brand new stack from Ollie‘s for $17 👌🏻

JoScho Love Ollie‘s for books! 5y
106 likes1 comment