Florence Adler Swims Forever is told tells the story of an extended Jewish family living in Atlantic City in the 1930a – the parents, their two daughters and granddaughter. The family suffers a terrible loss and choses to not tell the pregnant daughter that is in the hospital on bedrest. The lies and secrets of this family are slowly presented to the reader as each person deals with their own demons. I would like to have seen more robust characters in the novel to understand some of the reactions. The story dragged a bit in the middle and the ending was quite abrupt. Thank you to Net Galley and Simon and Schuster Publishing for allowing me to read and give an unbiased review.

I loved this book about Florence Adler, a brilliant young woman on the brink of great things, who unexpectedly drowns while training to swim the English Channel. Her traditional Jewish family is devastated and the story shows how they navigate the ensuing troubling times in their own ways. This is the first book I have read by Rachel Beanland and found her characters and writing fantastic. I would highly recommend this book. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC, all opinions are my own.

Beautifully written and a poignant look at the lengths a mother will go through to protect her child. While dealing with immeasurable grief, Esther makes the decision to keep the death of her youngest daughter a secret from her older daughter, who is hospitalized on bed rest due to a high risk pregnancy. The other characters in the story play supporting roles, but I liked the spunk of seven year old Gussie. The contrast in fathers was well portrayed, with Joseph being the supportive and loving dad we all hope to have in our corner.

This book captured my attention from the beginning and I grew to truly care for the Adler family, particularly young Gussie, all of 7 years old. Much of this tender novel is seen through the eyes of young Gussie, who is smart, kind and a bit feisty. It was interesting to see what she made of the adults around her and the choices that they made. There are themes of class and religion as well as family relationships and death/grief. This book takes place in 1930's Atlantic City, which proved interesting.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 out of ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Thank you to @netgalley @simonandschuster and the author for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review. #florenceadlerswimsforever #rachelbeanland #bookstagram #simonandschuster #netgalley #goodreads #booksandmrdarcy #withhernosestuckinabook ❤️📚

This is a perfect feel good book without too much schmaltz. The family ties are wonderful, and the love story is sweet and not too fluffy.

I loved Beanland's writing, I can't wait to see what she does next!

3.5 stars

Overall, this was a solid summery read, and I loved the setting. But I struggled with the characters and with the trajectory of the story.

What I liked
- I loved seeing the world through Gussie’s eyes. She was so precocious and lovely, and her POVs were a nice break amidst all of the adults.
- Joseph was a wonderful character and his quiet dedication to his family and people he cared about powered me through.
- Again, the setting. It was a fun change of pace and I love a good beach book any day.

What I struggled with
- I really had a hard time understanding where the book needed to GO after Florence died. I didn’t really see the goal, you know? What was driving us forward?
- Some of the characters in this book... sheesh. I read other reviews that had a lot of empathy for Esther so maybe this is my fault but — seems like Esther is a not so great person and everyone goes along with her. The way she treated Anna was always the breaking point for me. I can’t begin to understand that grief but... lord. And also, ISAAC. Throw the whole man away.

All this is to say: this was a fine read and I’m not unhappy I read it. I just foresee it being very forgettable in the stack of books I’ve read this year.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster for providing me with a copy of Rachel Beanland’s Novel, Florence Adler Swims Forever, in exchange for an honest review.

Nineteen-year-old Florence Adler dreams of being among a handful of women to successfully swim the English Channel. It is 1934 and she is spending the summer practicing in the oceans of Atlantic City, coached by Stuart, a handsome life guard and son of a wealthier hotelier.

Tragedy strikes when during an afternoon swim, without Stuart’s watchful eye, Florence drowns. Her grief stricken parents, Joseph and Esther, make the choice to hide Florence’s death from their older daughter, Fannie, who is on bedrest in a local hospital during a high-risk pregnancy. Previously, Fannie lost a child after a premature delivery, and her family is fearful that the news of Florence’s death could lead to another loss. They cannot bear another loss. They keep the news quiet and even ask Fannie’s doctors and nurses to hide the information from her, removing the radio from her room and keeping her away from newspapers. Can they keep this charade for two months and how will the lie impact the people Florence loved?

Florence Adler Swims Forever has been one of my favorite reads of 2020. It’s emotional, surprising, and inspirational. I absolutely fell in love with the characters, in particular, Florence’s niece, Gussie, who is seven. The story alternates between different perspectives and when we get to Gussie’s chapters, we really see through the eyes of a child who is trying to understand complex adult decisions. Gussie is staying with her grandparents, while her mother is in the hospital. Her father, Issac, is a peripheral figure, visiting his in-laws for the occasional dinner and seeing his wife a few times a week. We quickly learn that although Issac loves his daughter, he is a man with goals that do not align with having a family.

Gussie spends most of her time with Anna, a young woman from Germany who is spending the summer with the Adler family. Gussie doesn’t know exactly what to make of Anna, who isn’t a relative. Prior to immigrating to the United States, Joseph was engaged to Anna’s mother, and even though Anna is not his child, he felt the need to help her escape from the increasingly dangerous Nazi Germany. Joseph also hopes to help Anna’s parent’s immigrate, something that he can’t quite articulate to his wife, who does not realize that he was more than childhood friends with Anna’s mother. She doesn’t understand why her husband is drawn to helping this foreign family, when their own family is struggling.

While I was reading, I did not realize that Florence Adler Swims Forever is based on the true story of Beanland’s great aunts. It is fictionalized, but just knowing that Florence Adler existed made me connect with the story even more. Also the idea that a family kept their grief hidden to protect their other daughter’s pregnancy is heartbreaking. I had chills when I read that it is based on a true story.

Beanland is a fabulous writer. Florence Adler Swims Forever has a satisfying ending with all of the loose-ends tied, however, this is my plea to Beanland to continue with the Adler family in another novel. I need to know what happens to Fannie, and if Anna’s family escapes Germany. I want to see Gussie grow up and meet Ruby. I love these characters and I want more!!! Please Beanland!!!

Also, I wouldn’t mind a movie or mini-series. Imagine the fabulous costumes and sets! It’s all so wonderful.

I cannot say enough lovely things about Florence Adler Swims Forever. Read it now and have the Kleenex handy.

Florence Adler Swims Forever is the story of a jewish family in the summer of 1934. Florence and Fannie are the adult daughters. Florence is training to swim the English Channel in July and Fannie is awaiting the arrival of her second child after having lost the child from her second pregnancy. When tragedy strikes, their parents, Joseph and Esther, make the decision to not tell Fannie until her baby is born. The story follows the results of this decision for the family and closest friends. It is a clever and compelling read.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for a review before it was published. It took my forever to read it so the book became available before I finished. The book tells the story of the Adler family living in Atlantic City in the summer of 1934. It opens with Florence, the younger daughter of Esther and Joseph, drowning while swimming in the ocean. The family decides to hide her death from their other daughter, Frannie, who is pregnant again and on bed rest in the hospital after losing another child prematurely. I found many of the characters unlikable and didn't really connect with the story. The ending was predictable but I felt that it left many of the issues at the heart of the story unaddressed and the focus of the novel seemed to shift away from the family. I think the premise was interesting but I just didn't like the way the author told the story.

Trudy Ederle, the first woman to swim the English Channel, was briefly referenced early in this story. I wish the author had more incorporated Ederle’s true-life experience with Florence’s training. Florence passed too soon and I felt it a missed opportunity. I yearned for a few more chapters of spirited Florence building her relationship with Stuart, a lovely character.

Florence Adler is based on the author’s great-great-aunt. Keeping Florence’s untimely death a secret from Fannie when multitudes of others knew of the tragedy seemed a stretch to me, and so I was quite surprised when reading the author notes in the back of the book that his is one of the truths in Beanland’s book. I encourage others who read this book to read the author notes first.

Florence Adler returns home from college with plans to spend her summer training to swim the English Channel. However, a tragic accident cuts her life short in the first chapter of the book. Her older sister Fannie is at the hospital on bed rest for a difficult pregnancy. Desperate to keep her daughter and the baby safe, Fannie’s mother conspires with the whole family to keep Florence’s death a secret. This book is told in alternating perspectives from a whole host of characters, which keeps things interesting as you uncovered all their secrets one by one. The premise of this book was so unique and the story was very well told. I love the historical seaside setting and it was the perfect book to close out my summer reads!

Tragedy strikes the Adler family in Atlantic City during the summer of 1934. Esther decides the family must withhold the news from her pregnant daughter to prioritize Fannie’s health during a difficult pregnancy. Each member of the family and those close to them, including Florence’s swim instructor and the Adler’s guest from Germany, try to navigate the new normal amid grief and secrets.

This book was quietly and subtly SO GOOD. Each family member and a few people close to them narrated portions of this novel, and it was a joy to get inside their heads. I most loved sections narrated by Gussie, Fannie’s seven year old daughter, who spends her time trying piece together events she is too young to understand. The family in this novel is Jewish, which sets up some interesting cultural dilemmas, like the idea of interfaith marriage and of course fear of the increasing anti-Semitism coming from Germany.

I know a lot of people loved this book, so I think my opinion is the minority but I just couldn’t get into it. I loved the premise of the book but I just couldn’t connect with the characters. Maybe it was too character driven for my taste? Anyways, if the premise of the book sounds interesting to you I think you should give it a chance because a lot of people adored this book! Thank you #netgalley for an advanced reader copy of this book!

This was a really great book! I can’t believe this is the author’s debut!!

The pacing and character development was excellent and I loved the alternating POVs. One of the best historical fiction books I’ve had the pleasure of reading this year!

I wish we would have learned more about Anna’s and her parents’ life after the conclusion. I also felt that the encounter between Florence and Anna was unnecessary.

**Be sure to read the author’s note after the story concludes. Amazing!!

3.5 stars
Florence Adler, a young woman training to swim the English Channel, dies right off the bat and this is the story of her family and how they deal with her loss. The book is told from the POV of several of the characters. In spite of that (or maybe because of that?), I found it hard to get into the book and to relate to the characters. That improved somewhat as the book went on but Gussie (Florence's younger niece) was really the only character I enjoyed reading about. This is historical fiction and it was interesting reading about Atlantic City just before WWII.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me a free e-ARC of this book.

I think I’m in the minority here. The book was very character-driven (as told through 7 characters’ points of view) and felt quite slow overall.

A surprising opening leads to a decision that can't be undone. Wonderfully crafted story that places the reader solidly in 1930s Atlantic City. I enjoyed joining the Florence Adler Swims Forever Society, though couldn't speak the secret language.

Reading this novel is like visiting my grandparents. I've often heard stories of Atlantic city in the bathing beauty days and this novel evokes that era in a way that is sentimental and memorable

Florence Adler Swims Forever is a historical fiction story that took place over a summer in Atlantic City in 1934. A family tragedy drove the characters to navigate their lives afterwards in surprising ways, but protecting their family was always the number one goal. This story touched on grief, love, survival instincts, immigration issues, and antisemitism. Every character had an important role and voice that was interconnected, and there necessary roles were revealed throughout the plot.

One of my favorite character was the granddaughter Gussie who was underestimated and left to be taken care of by everyone, but was often overlooked. She had spunk and courage to figure out what she wanted or needed, yet was there for the other characters too. This was a fabulous debut novel by Rachel Beanland and can't wait for the next one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for allowing me to read the book for an honest review.

I am always a fan of a book that has different POV so I really enjoyed seeing all the family drama of loss, tragedy, family history, family struggles, all set in a time before WWII & the struggles Jewish people had in Germany. This wasn't how I thought this book was going to go - but the first chapter flipped the script on me & I was anxious to see where it was going to go. I really did enjoy every bit of this. I wish the ending would have had a little bit more with the discussion between the parents & the sister... but I guess that's the magic of books to play that out in your mind.