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Beguiled
Beguiled is about every person who ever had dreams that were interrupted by cultural mores, by discrimination, or by their own shortcomings. Miriam Levine, born in 1900, dreamed of going on stage, until an almost fatal mis-step forced her to postpone her “real life.” A serendipitous offer compelled her to confront her inner demons and society’s expectations. As Glinda, the Good Witch of the South in the Wizard of Oz, she recites at age 16: “You’ve always had the power, my dear, you just had to learn it for yourself.” The story is inspirational for young people and their parents who dearly wish to access the American dream. The historical context of the decades before the Great Depression, the role of immigrants and women’s suffrage parallels tough political dilemmas that the US faces today. Will Miriam have the gumption to follow her dreams? Will those dreams yield her the happiness she seeks? Or will she find that her childhood fantasies “beguile” her to seek ‘fool’s gold?’
349 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 2018
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
October 23, 2018
A good friend of this author is also my good friend. She suggested that I read this book.
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I belatedly realize that I have left this review incomplete and will attempt to convey my reaction.
First, I confess that I am a bit puzzled by the editing of this book, especially when the author writes that various people read the book for historical accuracy, etc. I shall explain some of my concerns.
Earlier in the book she wrote about Feng Shui (p. 234,etc.) and I paused for a while. It seemed out of place for the time period she had created (early 1900's). Indeed, although the concepts were thousands of years old, it wasn't until 2013 that familiarity with and the first evidence of its use was found.
In the 1920's, premature infants weighing one pound ( as mentioned) would not have survived. Even now, it is rare. The pregnancy problem symptoms are vague.
The author left several problems hanging and unresolved, including an abrupt ending.
Also the editing fell short late in the book with duplicate sentences or phrases and questionable punctuation.
The narrative did have some interesting points. The story surrounds the coming of age of a young lady who was a member of a Jewish immigrant family in Boston's West End in early 1900's. Of interest to me, this would have been the time when my beloved father-in-law lived there. The history of that period and that locale is quite interesting. Many ethnic groups lived there in friendship and cooperation, despite the lack of many of life's necessities. Kitaj was able to capture much of that scene. Sadly, today many people who lived there are grieving over the fact that the whole area was razed and replaced with numerous upscale living quarters- unaffordable for those who were displaced.
Views of historical events were revealed, along with mention of famous people of that period. The coming of age of her main character was complex, but often involved amazing good fortune. It would be interesting for me to read other works by this author to see how she was able to successfully involve her characters in their milleu.
**********************
I belatedly realize that I have left this review incomplete and will attempt to convey my reaction.
First, I confess that I am a bit puzzled by the editing of this book, especially when the author writes that various people read the book for historical accuracy, etc. I shall explain some of my concerns.
Earlier in the book she wrote about Feng Shui (p. 234,etc.) and I paused for a while. It seemed out of place for the time period she had created (early 1900's). Indeed, although the concepts were thousands of years old, it wasn't until 2013 that familiarity with and the first evidence of its use was found.
In the 1920's, premature infants weighing one pound ( as mentioned) would not have survived. Even now, it is rare. The pregnancy problem symptoms are vague.
The author left several problems hanging and unresolved, including an abrupt ending.
Also the editing fell short late in the book with duplicate sentences or phrases and questionable punctuation.
The narrative did have some interesting points. The story surrounds the coming of age of a young lady who was a member of a Jewish immigrant family in Boston's West End in early 1900's. Of interest to me, this would have been the time when my beloved father-in-law lived there. The history of that period and that locale is quite interesting. Many ethnic groups lived there in friendship and cooperation, despite the lack of many of life's necessities. Kitaj was able to capture much of that scene. Sadly, today many people who lived there are grieving over the fact that the whole area was razed and replaced with numerous upscale living quarters- unaffordable for those who were displaced.
Views of historical events were revealed, along with mention of famous people of that period. The coming of age of her main character was complex, but often involved amazing good fortune. It would be interesting for me to read other works by this author to see how she was able to successfully involve her characters in their milleu.
Displaying 1 of 1 review