Summary: Joanna Collier recently moved into her husband’s family home in Pennsylvania with her two young children, Charlie and Daisy. Frank Collier moved them there to help his aging mother after his father died. With her husband working and traveling most of the time, Joanna is feeling at loose ends, not quite sure of her place in the Collier family’s overly-large house or her relationship with her aloof mother-in-law, Susanna.

On a walk with her children, Joanna meets Doe, one of the caretakers of the local cemetery. Doe is a charming, if someone fey woman, who gives Joanna a much warmer welcome than she feels at home. Doe’s grandson, Daniel, is also on the premises. Joanna is drawn to the laconic, gentle man, who listens to her far more than her husband does.

Loneliness drives Joanna to make a serious mistake that could potentially destroy her marriage. But she finds an unexpected ally in her mother-in-law, who has secrets of her own.

Comments: This novel takes place in two time periods, the 20’s and 60’s. Joanna’s is the more current story, but the more compelling, complex tale is the older one–that of two families whose lives are entwined for generations. I found the novel interesting and enjoyable, but not riveting. I did like the setting, having grown up on the east coast and experiencing the boom and bust of the steel industry.

Recommended for readers of General Fiction and those who enjoy family sagas.

Tucked between the covers of this uninspiring cover and one-word title is an astonishingly well-written story that completely captivated me.

From the present story of a young-bored housewife who ends up living with her in-laws because they are aging and her husband wants to be closer to them and work, to the mother-in-law’s life story, the characters are brought to life in such a way that the book had me in tears at times. I enjoyed how the book went back and forth from the present to the past, and a mystery that is hinted at earlier is explained in heartbreaking detail.

Since the characters don’t curse and sex doesn’t come into the story, it is one many readers will enjoy. I believe this is just one of those wonderful finds that is worthy of 5 stars.

3.5 stars

This was a book that I liked overall, one that I finished quickly and I felt kept me engaged throughout, even though the story itself was relatively predictable and the characters weren’t necessarily memorable. While I did like reading about the Collier and Parrish families and especially enjoyed the camaraderie between the siblings, I did find (as many other readers did) that there were way too many characters to keep track of – which normally wouldn’t be a problem, but in this case, every character had a nickname as well, so that made it even more difficult to keep all the names and backgrounds straight (I actually had to read the first 2 chapters twice to make sure I got each character’s background right). It also didn’t help that the first third of the story or so was slow-paced, with not a whole lot happening plot-wise, so it did make the beginning section feel tedious – luckily, the story started to pick up near the halfway mark and I also got used to the characters by then, so the rest of it was relatively smooth sailing for me.

While I enjoyed the story overall, there were several reasons why I decided to rate this 3.5 stars instead of something higher. I think the main issue is that this book is primarily classified as historical fiction, but in actuality, it doesn’t fall into that genre at all. Though the narrative does alternate between two different timelines – the past starting in 1918 and through the early 1920s while the “present” takes place in the early 1960s – there was very little focus on historical events and/or people outside of a mere mention here and there. The story itself could’ve actually taken place anywhere and during any time period technically, and the characters were written in a way that it seemed like they could very well exist during a different time. Basically, I didn’t get much of a sense of time and place with this story, which is tremendously important to me when it comes to historical fiction.

Also, for me, the timeline that took place in the past (1918 thru early 1920s) was strongest in terms of story and characters – I appreciated the way the characters were developed here and the story itself flowed much better as well. I really liked the camaraderie between all the characters in the “past” timeline, whereas with the “present” timeline, I felt as though Joanna’s character was underdeveloped and essentially was just there to “tease out” Susannah’s story. With all that said, I felt that the detail the author dedicated to describing Brynmor (the estate that the family lived in) as well as St. Gregory’s Cemetery adjacent to it was well done, as both places actually felt like characters themselves at many points throughout the story. For me, what pushed this up to a 3.5 star read for me was the ending, which did pull on my emotional heartstrings more than I expected it would. I felt it was clever the way the ending was written, with the two timelines essentially converging to bring this long-spanning family saga to its conclusion.

I did like this book overall and wasn’t really bothered by some of the issues with pacing and overall execution that made the story not work as well as anticipated, but at the same time, I can understand why others didn’t prefer it. I personally felt this one was worth my time, but for everyone else, I would say check out the other reviews before making the decision whether to read this or not.

Received ARC from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley.

3.5 stars

This book came across my desk for review months ago. I adore the simple cover and didn’t need to think twice about adding this one to my review schedule because it was historical fiction and looked elegant! Let’s be honest that cover is a solid 10. It’s gorgeous and I absolutely love love love it!

While this book is a debut for writer Karen Kelly, I was looking forward to it because of all the early advance praise it received. Though it did have some large shoes to fill when it came to some of the early praise and promise of the summary.

Her writing style is described as ‘the writing chops of Ian McEwan and the story-craft of Lisa Wingate’. McEwan is a big name in literature so obviously I was a little skeptical, especially since I don’t really care for his novels, but that said, I was eager to see if this book lived up to the hype it’s been getting.

Summary

With the writing chops of Ian McEwan and the story-craft of Lisa Wingate, Karen Kelly weaves a shattering debut about two intertwined families and the secrets that they buried during the gilded, glory days of Bethlehem, PA.

A young woman arrives at the grand ancestral home of her husband’s family, hoping to fortify her cracking marriage. But what she finds is not what she expected: tragedy haunts the hallways, whispering of heartache and a past she never knew existed.

Inspired by the true titans of the steel-boom era, Bethlehem is a story of temptation and regret, a story of secrets and the cost of keeping them, a story of forgiveness. It is the story of two complex women—thrown together in the name of family—who, in coming to understand each other, come finally to understand themselves (summary from Goodreads)

Review

This one was a tough one to review for me. I enjoyed the last half of the book and how things came together but I don’t know that the first half had the same drive I was hoping for. The first half was a little on the slow side and I found that frustrating because once the book started to pick up, it just seemed like all the steam was used in the last half rather than spaced out if that makes sense.

While the pace of the book was a little bit of a struggle for me, I did like the characters and felt that the development was great and it was a pleasure getting to know them, especially in the beginning. The character that I liked and identified with the most was Susannah and I enjoyed watching her evolve throughout the story.

One things I was kind of surprised by was the title and how that figured into the story. So the title is Bethlehem which refers to Bethlehem Steel. I didn’t know anything about Bethlehem Steel and was hoping this book would give a little more historical detail about that cooperation but in all honesty the historical detail on this aspect was minimal.

This is much more of a character driven novel than historical fiction, at least for me it was. It focused more on marriages, romance, and the strong females and relationships they had rather than on the historical parts. Over all I felt that this was a solid debut novel and this is an exciting author to watch and this one landed at 3.5 stars for me.

This was such a good story. It jumped from the 1960s to the 1918s. It flowed so smoothly and was told in such a way that you really felt you was there in each time frame.
Great characters and so well written. I truly enjoyed reading this book. It was a very quick read for me and so enjoyable.
This was a first for me by this author and I hope to read more.

A 4.5 star book for me and I highly recommend it.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #St Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

At first, I found it interesting that the setting for this book was in Bethlehem, PA and the first few scenes took place at a cemetery and the reader learns about the business of being cemetery caretakers.
However, I found the prose to be a little flowery, there seemed to be a lot of characters to keep track of and I was disappointed that there wasn't really a history of Bethlehem in the story.
It was really a more romantic type novel, which I was not in the mood for, and I felt the summary was a little misleading.

When Frank has to relocate due to work with his family's steel business, he packs up his wife and 2 young children and brings them to the family home to live with his mom and grandmother. With Frank staying so busy, Joanna begins to get bored with only the two women for company, and no life of her own. Although she feels no connection to her mother-in-law or the grandmother, there are parallels to their stories that are actually very similar.
The chapters alternate between the 1920's when Joanna's mother-in-law was growing up and the 1960's. Although the story is slow at times, it is overall a nice summer read.

A fresh new voice in historical fiction debut author Karen Kelly writes a story of two complex women who while coming to understand each other, come to understand themselves.
Bethlehem Steel's start was a time of the gilded. glory days while secrets and drama run rampant at the ancestral home of a young woman's husband's family.
There are secrets to be kept but at what cost to the family?
Expected publication: July 9th 2019 by St. Martin's Press.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you.
All opinions expressed are my own.

With a dual timeline focusing on two strong female characters, the family saga focuses on the intertwined Parish and Collier families. Beginning in 1960, Joanna and Frank Collier and their two children move into Frank’s family home after his father’s death, joining his mother and grandmother. Joanna is from a working-class family and has a tough time adjusting to the wealth of her husband’s steel-magnate family. In her explorations, she befriends the cemetery caretaker and her grandson, finding a bit of normalcy and a few secrets, which send us back in time to find more about the family history.
A slow-burning story, you won’t realize you are hooked until you can’t put it down. This is a well-written story with characters that are realistic and intricately drawn. A novel of family, secrets, love, and more tragedy than I expected, the wrap up was beautiful and heart-breaking.
#Bethlehem #KarenKelly #StMartinsPress

At 46%, this will be a dnf for me . Slow moving and not much happening. I expected something different, more of a reflection on the time and place , but it was more a family saga that I would categorize as women’s fiction. If you’re considering this one, you should read the reviews of those who finished it for a fuller perspective. I have not rated this on Goodreads, but am giving it two stars here , otherwise I couldn’t post it.

Bravo to my fellow Vanderbilt graduate, Karen Kelly, on a beautifully written novel!

This one is a sweeping family drama that takes place over several generations. In this way, it reminded me of Kate Morton's The Clockmaker's Daughter or Sarah Blake's The Guest Book, both of which I adored. So I'm happy to be able to add Bethlehem to these incredible titles.

A woman and her family move into her husband's family home to watch over his mother and grandmother after his father passes away. And family secrets will be revealed as the past is uncovered. I'm hesitant to give any more of a synopsis because you need to read this one for yourself to appreciate Karen Kelly's storytelling.

The one thing that was a tad difficult for me was getting all of the names and relationships straight for the first 20% or so of the book. But, there is a really nice family tree drawn in the front of the book that helped me get everything straight. Once I had a handle on the family relationships and dynamics, it was smooth sailing the rest of the book.

I would highly recommend if you tend to like sweeping family dramas!

-I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Karen Kelly, and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to review.-

I LOVE novels that switch between different time periods and this was a FANTASTIC example of it being done right! Alternating between the 1920s and the 1960s, we follow the Collier and the Parrish children, and I especially was glued to Susannah's tales. We learn about the choices these families make that have hig impacts on their lives and those around them. The setting was new for me- the steel era of PA. Some of the writing is a bit too descriptive and it got a little difficult to slog through and remember everyone, but this is temporary and I am so glad I kept with it. This is a wonderful work of historical fiction, and I loved being able to learn about a place and time period I'm ashamed to know so little about.

4 out of 5 stars for Bethlehem by Karen Kelly.

It takes some perseverance to get to the heart of the story because there are so many characters to remember, with their formal names and their nicknames. There is also the background information, with a bit of the history of Bethlehem and the steel industry thrown into the mix. But I think it can be misleading to see this as a historical novel since the story could really take place anywhere. It is the relationships between the women, mothers, daughters, and sons, that interested me most.

As I mentioned, it some time for the story to come together and it helped when I realized the main character in the book was really Susannah rather than Joanna, Joanna feels such conflict having to move with her overworked and seldom home husband and two children, into the lives and mansion of distant Susannah and her mother, both very strong women who, on the surface, are used to getting their ways. But in reality, Susannah has made huge sacrifices, had huge losses, and those things make her who she is, when Joanna comes to live in the home of Susannah and her mother.

During two timelines, the early 1920s and the early 1960s, we learn the background of Susanna and her family and later how decisions made in the 1920s, greatly impact the lives of the 1960s families. We find that behind the strong, walled off personality of Susannah is a world of sadness, hurt, and fragility that almost destroyed her before she could start the family that we see in the 1960s.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

Fans of the dual time line novel will enjoy this story of a family of women. Set in 1920s and 1962 Bethlehem, PA, it's the tale of the Colliers, the Parrishs, and Joanna, who has married into the group. The Collier and Parish children- Susannah, Chip, Wyatt, India, and Kit- were closer than close (and pretty darn rich given that Parrish headed Bethlehem Steel). Joanna's husband Frank has brought her- and their two children- to his grandmother Helen's home where she is, to put it gently, uncomfortable and takes solace in, of all places, the local grave yard where she spends time with Daniel, the grandson of the caretaker. Just fyi- it does take a bit to get all the characters straightened out but once you do, you're off. There's secrets in the house, of course, some of which are more devastating than others. Kelly does a good job of spooling them out. While there are more than a few liberties with historical accuracy surrounding the company, it's a well done novel with sympathetic characters and good atmospherics. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. A very good read.

Three generations of two patrician families and secrets in both that echo down three decades drive this charming, luminous novel, but not quickly, which is part of its charm. Chap and Wyatt Collier were born to follow their father into the executive sorry of the steel company that have the top and then book itself its name. Susannah and India Pariah, daughter's of a similarly wealthy
and influential family, grow into young womanhood and Susannah's eventual betrothal to Wyatt is assumed by both families. Their story, which largely takes place in the Twenties, had particular resonance for Joanna, who several decades later moves with her husband Frank and their two young children intro Brynmoor, the palatial estate where Susannah, now widowed, lives with her mother Hedy, the matriarch of the Collins family . The gradual ripening of the relationship between the three women as Joanna attempts to find her own way and make a place for herself in Bethlehem is the most interesting aspect of the novel, as secrets are revealed and resonate through her journey. With not a glimmer of violence, hardly any voices raised in anger, no tricky surprises and hardly any plot, it's an ideal read on a summer day in a hammock per on a beach chair, in pleasant company, with memorable characters, well-rendered scenes of a privileged sliver of society, and little to meet the reader from falling into a pleasant reverie when her eyes grow heavy

This book was just okay for me. It wasn't bad, but it was a little slow for my taste. It felt more of a women's fiction novel rather than historical fiction. I didn't really connect with any of the characters. I do appreciate the opportunity to review this book, and I'm willing to read another by her.

Sorry to say this book was just not for me. I am a lover of historical fiction, but this story had little of that and too much romance making it more of a woman's fiction book than a historical fiction novel.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and netgalley for a copy of this book. I am sorry that it was not one I enjoyed very much.

The writing was good, and the book started out strong. I wish there had been more about Doe's ability to see ghosts - more about the paranormal. I grew disinterested in the characters and didn't connect to any of them. The storyline was boring and I didn't know much about what happened and I really don't care.

4.5 very impressed stars for this debut by Karen Kelly! Set in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and telling a story with two timelines; the narrative pulled me in from the first chapter. By the end I was getting out the tissues. The story of Joanna in the 1960's, but her present is greatly influenced by the past story of her mother-in-law Susannah. Kelly incorporates Susannah's narrative from the 1920's with Joanna's to give us a haunting reminder of the power of secrets, forgiveness and the importance of keeping your promises. The epilogue is this book's crowning glory. Would definitely recommend for book groups!

Thank you to St. Martin's and NetGalley for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Emotional story of how the secrets we keep impact an entire family for generations. I enjoyed how the relationship between Joanna and her mother-in-law, Susannah, evolved over time, how similiar stories 40 years apart brought two people together and helped them understand not only each other but themselves.

This is author, Karen Kelly's debut novel and I look forward to reading what she writes next!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy requested through NetGalley; all opinions are my own.