I requested this book because I am always intrigued by an immigrant story, unfortunately the description was better than the book. The dialogue was painful to get through, characters were uninspired and was there even a plot?

After several attempts at reading it, I couldn't connect with the characters or the story. Along with point-of-view changing too often for me to feel as if I could connect with the characters, the narration itself seemed to distance the reader from what was going on.

It wasn’t until I was contemplating this book review that I fully understood the meaning behind this title and then it hit me with such force that I was breath-taken.
Opening in a small rural town in Italy, Giovanna is a young girl with no prospects, no real family and no hope for the future. An unexpected marriage proposal from Giovanni offers her a way out of her miserable life and impulsively she agrees to marry a man she doesn’t know because he offers the opportunity to immigrate to America, with all the promises of a better life that it held out to the poor of the world. It is a marriage of convenience. There is no expectation of emotional connectedness between the two. His job was to take her to America, provide a good life for her with a roof over her head, food and clothing and her job was to run his home, feed him and provide children if and when they came. For a time this simple arrangement worked and the newly christened Jane and John began creating a new life in Michigan, with John working with an almost blind adoration of his boss, Henry Ford, creator of the Ford Model T motor car. Over twenty years, the relationship between Jane and John is explored and its development is carved out in intricate detail. Slowly the discovery of something akin to love is discovered between the two individuals which take them by surprise.
One almost forgets the passage of time at the beginning of the novel, only to discover it belting along at breakneck speed towards the end of the work. There is a cast of characters in the book, sometimes verging on too many, but ultimately all playing a vital role in expressing the dream of a better life that being a Ford worker offered to immigrants. One cannot help but develop a real love for some of the major characters in the book, so complexly is this story written. And a word of warning to the reader, if you have no interest in the history of the Ford motor company and its impact on the people who lived and worked within its boundaries, you are going to find this book hard going, because a large swathe of time is spent in discussion of the history and the merits of the company and of the actual car itself.
It is only in the contemplation of what to write about this book that the meaning behind the title was revealed. It was right before their eyes that Jane and John had a sweet love that grew out of respect and companionship. T was right before their eyes if they had only realised what was theirs to revel in and cherish. The ending is brutal in its revelation and in its style, being too fast after a much slower pace in the majority of the book which took away some of the enjoyment of the story. I would have kept reading another two hundred pages – happily - to have the story unroll at an even speed and not felt so rushed in the end.

A lovely book.

Made it about 25% of the way through before abandoning. Seemed very trite and jumped all over the place.

An ambitious effort which falls flat with poor dialogue, paper thin characters and tbh an absence of actual plot.

A shame as I can see that the idea has potential.

I love historical fiction and this book seemed really interesting. Sadly, I was left a bit disappointed. The book wasn't bad, but it wasn't really great or outstanding either. I expected more from it and was left wanting.

A very slow start and, unfortunately, it did not hold my attention until then end. I was originally very intrigued by the story of a young woman who endures the death of her mother, only to be ripped from everything she knows when she marries a virtual stranger and starts a life in America in the early 20th century. I really wanted to like this book. But I could not emotionally connect with any of the characters and I thought the ending was a little contrived. Not sure that I enjoyed it as much as I thought I would.

If I live to be 92, and also write a novel of this caliber, I'd think they should throw a parade in my honor. This book takes you to America from Italy through the eyes of a village maiden who marries in an attempt to go on an adventure. We follow her onto the boat, where she meets other immigrant women. I especially appreciated the look at Detroit in the first half of the twentieth century, as I lived there myself for a few years. Readers experience the excitement of a new family experiencing a foreign culture in rapidly changing times. This novel is rich in detail.

A story of a very unusual, strong woman for her times. The first half of the twentieth century.



Seemingly without a romantic bone in her body Giovanni just wanted to get out of her time warp of a village in Italy. She knew the only way out was marriage and when one came her way, even though she was second or third choice of the handsome Giovanna she grabbed it determined to make it work.

Arriving in a land totally alien to her, she somehow managed on the arduous journey by sea to America to learn a bit of English or American as described, just to get by.



Her journey, her marriage, her adaptation to the American way of life and to the ways of her husband who though not unjust was bordering on the indifferent would have made another woman unhappy, In Jane's case (which was the name she chose) she felt that this was her path and just made the best out of it.



The story runs along the lives of this immigrant family along with many other immigrants in the same community surrounded by Hannah and Fritz whose boarding house they all land in before they find their separate ways. It is Hannah and Fritz who act as surrogate parents to the differing men who have all left their homes to find their fame and fortune in America.



Apart from the family saga, the story of Henry Ford is of paramount importance in the story. From its initial beginnings to the very end of this story, Henry Ford created a workforce of such loyalty amongst these people that could I think never be duplicated. They believed in him implicitly that all he did he did for the good of his people, and his country.



This was a fascinating story very well told. Descriptive not just about the immigrants and their daily life, it was also descriptive of the Henry Ford story (which was very unknown to me!).

Goodreads and Amazon review posted on 3/3/2018. Review on my blog around the 24th of March 2018.

This was my introduction to this author...I enjoyed her story telling ability/ her writing style/ and her imagination. Looking forward to reading more of her work. Five stars.

You Were There Before My Eyes is a historical novel by Maria Riva. It is 1913 in Cirie, Italy where Giovanna “Jane” Zanchetta lives. Jane has big dreams and they do not include staying in her village. Then Giovanni or John returns from America looking for a bride. John is an employee of the Ford Motor Company. When John’s first choice for a bride falls through, he is encouraged to consider Jane. They are soon wed and start their journey to Michigan. Jane discovers many new wonders along the way. She must learn English and how to run a modern household. She is grateful for the help from Hannah Geiger, John’s landlady who helps her adapt to America. After a while, John purchases them their own home. Jane must deal with regulations enforced on employees for their homes by Ford (inspectors). America enters World War I which brings its own set of challenges for Jane and her circle of friends. What is in store for Jane in the future? Read You Were There Before My Eyes to find out.

You Were There Before My Eyes was not what I expected. I found the book to be too long (587 pages) and slow paced. To be blunt, it was dull, tedious and predictable. The dialogue was awkward (it was bad) and Hannah Geiger’s accent was exaggerated. There was overuse of the word “vifey” and it was a struggle at time to decipher her dialogue. It was obvious that the author did her research on Henry Ford and his company (she knew many details and included them in the story). The book seemed to be an opus to Mr. Ford. Maria Riva was overly descriptive. I did feel that the author captured what new immigrants went through upon coming to America. However, we did not need some of the minute details that she included (describe an outfit down to the buttons on it for example). We are subjected to endless pages of Jane cleaning her home, cooking, baking, doing laundry, and taking care of her children. Every holiday is described and historical event. It seemed like the author was trying to include every historical event that took place during the time period of this novel as well as the inventions (postcards, Kellogg’s cereal, Sears Roebuck and their mail order catalog). The characters are not fleshed out and given life. They were flat and there were numerous peripheral characters. The book lacked emotion and depth. It felt like the author did not connect with her own story. It is just the telling of a story (reminded me of a person who reads out loud in a monotone voice—uninspiring, bland). I finally reached the end and it felt incomplete. Unfortunately, You Were There Before My Eyes is not a book I can recommend.

Ehhh, it was average. I have no hate for the book but it isn't anything memorable. I never felt committed to the book and cheated on it multiple times with other stories. I kept coming back to it and eventually finished it but it struggled to hold my attention. There's nothing wrong with the book but it wasn't exciting enough to hold my attention. It's good but it's nothing special.

I had high hopes for You Were There Before My Eyes when I began the book. The author wrote wonderful atmospheric descriptions and brought to life the experience of an immigrant coming to America. Giovanna, motherless since the age of eight, marries Giovanni, a man she doesn't love for the chance to come to America with him. Giovanni worked in Detroit in the early 1900's for Henry Ford, a man whose product and ideas would forever change America forever.

It was interesting to learn more about Ford's ideas (radically new at the time) of assembly lines and profit sharing. I was surprised and appalled to learn of Ford's Sociological Department. At first seeming helpful, the department required that all immigrants attend night school to learn English. But the department soon extended its reach into the workers homes and lives, setting up rules as to what their workers could and could not do, monitoring cleanliness, and setting rules for moral behavior.

The book became a bit of a one-note song about Henry Ford. Giovanna (Jane) and Giovanni (John) who are the characters meant to drive the book (as it is through their eyes that the story is told) were empty and dry. Characters that never came alive; ones I didn't see as real, and ultimately, didn't care what happened to them. Despite my high hopes at the beginning, this became a dreaded DNF at 180 pages, 40% of the book.

I thank Netgalley and Pegasus Books for allowing me the opportunity to read an e-ARC of the book. I'm just sorry it was not more to my liking.

This could have been an interesting story of Henry Ford and the beginnings of automation, social injustices and American workers. Instead it was a boring tale of people told over and over again. I like the characters and I liked the idea of how it was told, but it just went on endlessly.

This is a epic historical read . It begins in Italy in the 1930's and proceeds throughout WWII.
A sweeping magnificent story of a young immigrant women who is from a small Italian village and detest the life that awaits her. She finds out a young visitor to the village is going to America and decides to marry him.. Together they traverse Ellis Island and embrace their new country. He works for Ford Motor Company and she is taking in all America has to offer a young wife at that time. They come to love each other and build a life that takes the reader to great heights through war, love and heartbreak. Its a beautifully done story.
My thanks to Net Galley for the advanced reader copy which did not influence my review.
I loved this book and highly recommend it. It is a book that stays with you after your done.

did not finish this was not a book for me. Thank you for the oppurtunity to read it

You Were There Before My Eyes was such an enjoyable read. The story follows Jane from Italy to America, as she weds in order to escape a life she didn't want. The historical aspects of the novel are fascinating---I enjoyed learning about what life was like for Jane and other immigrants. Although I'm not into cars, it was interesting to see the progression of Henry Ford's inventions and company. Mostly, however, the characters were ultimately what appealed to me, particularly the friendship between Hannah and Jane. Overall, I loved the novel from start to end. I look forward to reading more by this author.

Thanks Pegasus Books and netgalley for this ARC.

Starts out slow but worth the effort in the end.

I don’t think I will ever forget this novel. It got off to a bit of a slow start, but the last portion more than made up for it. It begins in 1913 Italy, where we meet a young Italian girl named Giavanna. She lost her mother at a young age and feels oppressed in her small Italian village where she looks after her father.

When a local boy returns to Italy from America for a visit with his family, Giavanna impulsively seizes on her chance for a way out of the stifling village to go and live in America. The boy’s name is Giavanni (nicknamed John in America) and he works as a mechanic for Henry Ford. The two marry and John takes Giavanna (now nicknamed Jane) to Michigan where they live for a few years in a boarding house with German immigrants, Hannah and Fritz. Fritz and the other male boarders all work for the Ford Motor Company and are enamored with the Model T and Henry Ford. It is during these years that the boarders all form a strong friendship that lasts throughout their lifetimes.

There is much dialogue about Henry Ford and the Ford Motor Company that seemed tedious at times. All of the business talk seemed to tie in with other current events from the years between 1913 up until World War II. During these years, John and Jane start a family and slowly grow to love each other. John moves up in the company, eventually being sent to Europe to help in opening more Ford plants in other countries.

These were the years that Germany begins their mistreatment of the Jews and Mussolini comes into power. Life gets complicated. This last portion of the book is simply riveting, especially so because of the stories and relationships that the author
detailed throughout the earlier portion of the book.

This is a great choice for history lovers and those who love historical fiction. It presents a wonderful picture of immigrant life, friendships, food and politics from the 1900’s through the early part of World War II.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Pegasus Books for allowing me to read an advance copy and give an honest review.

A beautiful, turn of the century, historical-fiction novel about a young woman, Jane's emigration to America to work in Ford's factory. The past and era are so well written!