Florence Adler Swims Forever by Rachel Beanland | ★★★★ Review

It's the beginning of summer in the 1930s when tragedy strikes the Adlers, a Jewish family in Atlantic City. Hearts are broken, lies are told, relationships begin and end and everyone must decide how, or if, they can move forward.

This book is running on the beach and falling into the sand, listening to the waves and gulls until your grandmother calls to you and laughing as you play in the surf. Reading this gave me nostalgia for family vacations at the beach. It is closely based on true events from the author's own family history.

This book will be published July 7th.

Florence Adler Swims Forever is what I would consider a perfect summer read for me. Historical fiction, the beach, a secret, interesting characters… A great read that pulls you in from the tragedy in the first chapter all the way through to the end. It’s hard to describe the plot without giving away spoilers, but I don’t think knowing some of the main points ruins the story at all. While Florence Adler starts the summer getting ready to swim across the English Channel, her sister Fannie lies in hospital, pregnant and on bedrest with the hopes that she will not lose this child. Fannie’s 7 year old daughter Gussie is staying with her grandparents, Joseph and Esther, and Florence, rather than with her father Isaac. And there is also Anna, a Hungarian Jew who Joseph sponsored for a student visa, daughter of an old flame, as well as Stuart, Florence’s trainer and possible love interest.

Told through the voices of each of the characters above, and based in the pre-war setting of 1934 Atlantic City, Florence Adler Swims Forever is an engaging story of family, friendship, secrets, and the choices we make and live with. I personally loved how the author was able to add an important historical element about the immigration situation for German Jews at the time, a story within the story. Rachel Beanland’s prose is just lovely, and I honestly had a hard time putting this book down. I wasn’t 100% sure about the ending, a little too abrupt and easy for my liking, but it did work, and I didn’t leave me feeling disappointed, just wanting more. All in all this really is a great read!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

LovedLovedLoved this book! Florence Adler Swims Forever is the sweet, satisfying story of a Jewish family in 1930s New Jersey. When a horrific event happens, this family and some "friends" deal with their loss in an unusual way that they feel benefits the family best. The story is filled with love, loss, conflict, resolution, and more love. Rachel Beanland has developed her characters well, and we find out how she did that in her post-story comments. I love the cover art! The chapters are a bit long, but nicely divided, so that readers are able to take timely breaks if needed. Highly recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me the pleasure of reading Florence Adler Swims Forever!

Rachel Beanland took a real life event that occurred in her family and turned it into such an interesting novel. Using multiple perspectives, she tells the story of how one family deals with the sudden death of a beloved, larger-than-life young woman. This would be an excellent book club pick because there is so much to unpack - how the family deals with their grief and the paths each character chooses to take. You might not agree with how Esther and Joseph deal with Florence's death, but any parent can understand the desire to always do what they think is best for their children. While this book starts with a tragedy, it has a hopeful ending and will be a great summer read. Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the digital arc!

Loved the book, writing flowed beautifully from one character to the next, life stories Abd secrets being slowly revealed. The setting was also an ever present character, could almost hear the waves and feel the sand underfoot. Highly recommended.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story, but even more so getting to know the Adler family. The sweet, honest, sometimes heart-wrenching stories of the family's life made me feel like I was sitting talking to my own family. So many great characters. Although it is set in the early 20th century, it was easy to relate to the characters and what they were going through. Rachel Beanland has a unique way of bringing out all of her characters personalities. You feel that you know them and can predict how they will react to life situations. I love that this book had so many strong beautiful women in this novel.

This was such a wonderful book. Rachel Beanland is a wonderful story teller. I was mesmerized by the characters. I read this book in a single sitting because I couldn't wait to turn the page to find out what is going to happen to the Adler family. The chapters are longer than most other books but it didn't feel that way as I zipped through the pages. If you like historical fiction you must read this book...I couldn't put this book down, and cannot recommend it enough.

Florence Adler Swims Forever by Rachel Beanland is a family saga that is told in a unique way. The book is divided into three parts: June 1934, July 1934, and August 1934. The summer begins with Florence Adler returning home from Wellesley College to prepare herself to swim the English Channel. Then there is a shocking tragedy. The Adler family, along with a young German refugee and a swim coach/lifeguard spend the rest of the summer dealing with grief, loyalty, a risky pregnancy, romance, a bad marriage, and the weight of keeping a secret.

Each chapter tells the story from the perspective of the seven characters, in the exact same order in each of the three sections:

*Gussie Feldman, the young daughter of Fannie and Isaac Feldman. Gussie is often wise beyond her years as she deals with the weight of all that is going on around her.

*Esther Adler is Florence and Fannie’s mother and the wife of Joseph. Esther is determined to keep the tragedy a secret from her oldest daughter Fannie. It is her gumption that makes the story work so well.

*Fannie Adler Feldman’s story follows her mother’s in each section. Fannie is unhappily married to Isaac Feldman. She is hospitalized during the three months because she is dealing with a high-risk pregnancy. She is frustrated that her family is being so distant during her hospitalization.

*Joseph Adler is a successful businessman who has grown his bakery into a thriving business. Joseph fiercely loves his family and goes to great lengths to protect them.

*Isaac Feldman is Fannie’s ne’er-to-well husband. While he loves Gussie, he is remote and completely selfish. His true colors come to light during this tragedy.

*Stuart Williams is the only non-Jewish character. He was the swim coach who encouraged Florence Adler to swim the English Channel. It is obvious he is in love with Florence. His family owns a very nice hotel in Atlantic City, but Stuart refuses to have anything to do with the business, which discriminates against Jews and Blacks. Stuart spends his summers as a lifeguard on the Atlantic City Beaches.

*Anna is a young German Jewish woman that Joseph sponsored to come to attend college in the United States just as the Nazi party is coming to power in Germany. Esther does not like the fact that Anna is the daughter of Joseph’s childhood friend, Inez. Anna is determined to get her mother and step-father to the safety of America before there is no way out of Germany.

Rachel Beanland tells this story in a compassionate manner. Each character’s story is important. This wonderful novel leaves the reader wondering how she or he would have reacted under the same circumstances. It is interesting to note that the story is based upon an event that happened in Rachel’s family.

5-stars. Book Club Recommended. Thank you to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for my advanced reader copy of Florence Adler Swims Forever by Rachel Beanland. The expected publication date is July 7, 2020. I recommend you reserve your copy now!

This is the first novel by Rachel Beanland, and it's very good. Set in Atlantic City NJ in the summer of 1934, the author weaves a story of a family which suffers a terrible tragedy and the effect that this has on the other members of the family, plus friends. The characters are all drawn carefully; we can relate to each of them as they struggle through their lives during that summer. One hanging question is how far people will go to protect those that they love, and is the solution they find worth the price that is inevitably paid. A secondary thread in the story is the plight of Jews in Europe who are seeking to emigrate from Germany and get to America while it may still be possible - not very easy. America's gate-keepers at the consulates in Europe do not come off as sympathetic characters. I found the ending not completely satisfying, but don't want to give away too much so won't go into detail. .I did enjoy the novel very much and look forward to Beanland's next book

It’s not every day that you come across a book where the title character dies immediately at the start of the story, so I was hoping this would mean I was in for something truly original and riveting.

Unfortunately, after the initial stunner, it’s a book in which very little happens at all.

Beanland writes well and I enjoyed her portrait of the era’s Atlantic City (though I wish there had been more of this and less empty dialogue), but the book mostly runs high on tension and low on payoff.

I suppose this will be called a family saga, but saga feels like too big a word. It’s a little story, a microcosm of one family’s experience. Which is fine, except that said experience is largely flat and punctuated by the characters’ poor choices and relentless self doubt.

After the death of the title character, her family makes a controversial decision around which much of the plot is centered. Most of the narrative seems to laud the decision as heroic or at least correct, and the author’s note (the book is based on a true story) seems to further lionize the choice. Personally, I was appalled by it. I understand the thought process behind it and certainly the intentions were good, but ethically I just thought it was gross.

The ending also frustrates. While it is, I suppose, a relatively happy one, we are left without knowing the reaction of the character whom the above dramatics revolve around when she finds out what her family chose to do.

The story of Anna and her connection to the family was more interesting than the central drama, so I wish the focus had been more on that. And again, we get little true resolution in the end.

Conceptually, this book had potential, but it suffers from the same issue that plagues many novels that are based on a true story (especially one that is personally connected to the author): Sometimes the truth ain’t stranger than fiction, and would have needed to be modified in order to make a decent plot for a work of fiction.

Florence Adler Swims Forever by Rachel Beanland

Loosely based on the author’s own family, this very original story will hold your interest throughout. Each character tells his or her story in-turn of a summer spent in Atlantic City (The Jewish Riviera) in the 1930s. The author nicely develops each persona, making a solid connection with the reader.

Florence prepares to swim the English Channel when tragedy strikes. The rest of the novel shows how this event affects each character and the family dynamics as a whole. Flashbacks fill in any gaps.

Florence Adler Swims Forever will tug at your heart and will possibly draw you closer to an understanding of your own family history. Don’t let this heartwarming read pass you by.

My sincere thanks to #NetGalley and #SimonandSchuster for an ARC for my revi

I would definitely recommend this upcoming new novel by first time author Rachel Beanland. Florence Adler Swims Forever is a heart gripping snapshot of the family and community dynamics that revolve around a tragic loss. Set in Atlantic City during the Depression, the Jewish family and friends of Florence struggle to come to terms with her death amid tensions of family and faith at a time when the world is on the cusp of WWII. Beanland does an excellent job employing the use of multiple points of view to move the story forward. While I thought the book was well written and many of the characters well developed, I struggled with my feelings about many of the characters, some of whom seemed stereotypes. Overall, well worth the time to read!

Awesome novel based on real-life.
The author had personal knowledge of many of the happenings in this book about a young swimmer whose greatest desire was to swim the English Channel and who drowned off of Atlantic Beach Pier,before she could make her dream come true.
This takes place during the mid 30's,when Hitler is reaching his power and also figures into the story.
What the family did to keep this story from reaching the swimmer's sister,who was in the Hospital awaiting the birth of her 3rd.child,after losing the 2nd.child the yr.before,is the stuff,great stories are made of.
Get out your hanky,it's a good one! Hard to put down.
Thank you to Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review this novel and to the author (Rachael Beanland.) for writing it.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for sending this ebook to me for reading prior to public distribution on July 7.

Florence plans to swim the English Channel on her summer break from college. Her sister Fannie is in the hospital on bedrest until she delivers her baby. Their mom and dad run a bakery and live in the apartment above it during the high season when they rent out their actual home to tourists in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Anna also lives with them – she’s from Germany and his going to attend a Teacher’s College in the fall. Gussie (Agustus) is Fannie’s 7-year-old daughter who is staying with her grandparents while her mom awaits the birth of her baby. On Florence’s first practice swim at home, she drowns.

Based on a real person also named Florence, this historical fiction title allowed me to peak in on the 1930’s. I’ve avoided this genre in the past as I didn’t care for the subject of history in school. Now I see that historical fiction is a much better way for me to view how it was in the past.

I couldn’t wait to get back to this book after going to bed or sneaking reads during the day. The characters, most of them, were three-dimensional, and you either hated them or loved them. There was quite a bit of racism against Jews, which angered me, but I’m sure it really happened.

The action moved quickly and always made sense. I didn’t run into any over-descriptions or contemplating that slowed the pace.

I highly recommend this debut from Beanland and I hope you love it, too.

Florence Adler Swims Forever is an interesting historical novel set in Atlantic City, 1934. I wanted to read this novel because I was intrigued by both the setting and the 1930's time period. The book is told from multiple viewpoints -- interesting, but a slower, more thoughtful read. Readers who enjoy historical fiction and family drama will enjoy this novel.

What a fantastic read! Florence Adler Swims Forever is a historical fiction that I was completely wrapped up in from start to finish and the fact that it’s based on a true story makes it that much more powerful! Set in Atlantic City in 1934, this moving novel centers around 3 generations of the Adler family as they wade through that fateful summer that will forever change every member of their family. Rachel Beanland does a great job with creating well developed characters- everyone has their own voice in this book which adds so much to the storyline! Being that this is Rachel Beanland’s debut novel, I am so very excited to read what she comes out with next—definitely keeping her on my radar!!!

For a debut novel this one is a home run for Ms. Beanland. I see great things from this author. The book was nothing like I had expected, I was expecting to read how a woman trained and sacrificed to earn the honor of just a few women that have swum the English Channel by the 1930’s. What I got, was a most delightful story of how a Jewish family shares a secret amongst themselves to allow a frail family member the opportunity to avoid a situation that might endanger her health and her unborn child.
I fell in love with Gussie, her story was the best of all, an 8-year-old living in an adult world trying to grow up to fast. Esther, the matriarch is, as usual, controlling the whole situation. Anna hasn’t figured out exactly who or what she is just yet and Isaac is a scoundrel. The character development was done well, the storyline never dragged and it was just one of those books that hit the spot. This is not an intense mystery or a deep thought provoking yarn, it’s just a good downright enjoyable story. So glad I had the opportunity to read it.
I was very excited to be allowed an ARC from Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for my honest unbiased review. This one earns 5 stars.

Loved this beautifully written book! My first book by Rachel Beanland, but will definitely not be my last. Highly recommend!
Thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn’t sure I was going to finish this book. It took a few chapters to become familiar with the characters and their story.
It turned out to be quite a story. It took place in Atlantic City NJ in 1934. A Jewish family owned the neighborhood bakery and raised 2 daughters there. Fannie was a young wife and mother, pregnant with her second child. Florence, the younger sister was a devoted swimmer who lived for swimming in competition s.
Her dream was to swim The English Channel.
What takes place during that summer is a very poignant story.
I finished the book and was very glad I did!

Florence Adler Swims Forever by Rachel Beanland takes you back to 1934 Atlantic City. The historic beach community is so beautifully described that you can envision yourself enjoying a vacation there. Over just a few weeks, the Adler family faces tragedy, heartbreak, and the unraveling of family secrets.

Esther and Joseph Adler run a bakery and have two daughters, Florence and Fannie. Florence sets her heart on swimming across the English Channel. She plans to spend the summer training for this great feat. Fannie, now pregnant again after recently losing a baby, is confined to the bed for the remainder of her pregnancy. Fannie’s husband, Isaac, is always chasing a new dream. Surprising to all, Joseph invites an unknown young woman, Anna, from Germany to be a house guest. Anna’s story helps you understand more about Jewish people’s efforts to come to the United States in the early days of Hitler.

Throughout the story, you can feel the tension between the characters. Each have history that creates some pain and uneasiness. The characters make decisions that aren’t always the right ones but you can understand their intentions.

Tragedy strikes early in the book. Then the family covers secrets while trying to protect loved ones. The story is based on true events in the author’s family.

Overall, I enjoyed the book but found it slow in some parts. The tragedy happens so early in the story — I was just starting to get to know the character who experienced the tragedy and then she was gone. The ending feels a bit rushed but I was satisfied with the conclusion.

Thank you NetGalley for sharing the book.

Was very interesting, especially knowing this was a true story but I didn't find myself invested in the characters enough. There were too many details that I was not interested in; the father's money and husband's investment plots. The family drama and relationships were of interest, but the other plots tended to bog it down a bit. I think that the author is very talented, but the story line did not keep my interest.