In 1934, Florence Adler has aspirations to be the next Gertrude Ederle and swim across the English Channel, but she drowns weeks before she can travel from Atlantic City to France. Her family's mourning is complicated by Florence's sister, Fannie, who is pregnant and hospitalized on bed rest, so parents Joseph and Esther decide to keep Florence's death a secret. Over the course of the summer, the Family juggles their grief and their worry about Fannie as well as concerns about events in Europe. Joseph secured a student visa for Anna, the daughter of his former fiancée, but he has less success arranging papers for her parents, who, like Anna, are Jewish. Anna, separated from her parents and greeted with indifference or hostility by the Adlers, turns to Stuart, Florence’s former swimming coach. Their sweet romance is one of the many highlights of the story. Loosely based on her own family history, Beanland’s first novel is a strong family drama. While the ending tidies each story line up a bit perfectly, this is a finely realized work of historical fiction.

 I typically don’t enjoy historical fiction but this book is an exception! Something about being set in 1930’s Atlantic City in the summer time really drew me in. Plus, it has haunting sort of vibe and some dark family secrets that show themselves through out. And although Florence Adler isn’t a real person, the author based many of the characters names and personalities on her own relatives which is a very touching way to honor those family members. The writing is richly detailed without feeling over the top or bogged down. Although the pacing is a bit slower and I do wish for a different ending, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and will recommend it for my book group this year! 

If you like Florence Alder Swims Forever, you might also like:

The Boston Girl tells a gripping story of a young Jewish woman growing up in early-20th-century Boston. Addie Baum, an octogenarian grandmother in 1985, relates long-ago history to a beloved granddaughter, answering the question: “How did I get to be the woman I am today?” The answer: by living a fascinating life. First reminiscing about 1915 and the reading club she became a part of as a teenager, Addie, in a conversational tone, recounts the lifelong friendships that began at club meetings and days by the seaside at nearby Rockport. She tells movingly of the fatal effects of the flu, a relative’s suicide, the touchy subject of abortion and its aftermath, and even her own disastrous first date, which nearly ended in rape. Ahead of her time, Addie also becomes a career woman, working as a newspaper typist who stands up for her beliefs at all costs. This is a stunning look into the past with a plucky heroine readers will cheer for. This was reviewed by another Provo City Librarian in 2015, linked here.

The enduring ties between mothers and daughters are at the center of Fox’s intergenerational epic, which begins with Klara, a Jewish mother and wife living in Germany in the 1930s. Klara wants nothing more than to protect her daughter, Annelise, but that means letting her leave for America with her husband, Walter, and daughter, Ruth. As Annelise settles into her new life in Milwaukee, Klara’s situation becomes dire, and Annelise struggles to find a way to bring her parents to the U.S. Years later, Klara’s great-granddaughter, Clare, discovers Klara and Annelise’s correspondence, which becomes a key to understanding her family’s past and her own future as she decides whether to move to London with the man she loves. These letters, interspersed throughout the book, highlight the desperation of Klara’s situation and the sacrifices she made to give her daughter and granddaughter an opportunity to survive. Fox deftly moves between generations as she illuminates the ways that choices echo through the lives of those who came after. This thoughtful, character-driven exploration of the unbreakable bonds of motherhood will appeal to fans of Alice Hoffman and Elizabeth Berg. 

JK