Florence Adler Swims Forever, by Rachel Beanland, grabs you on pg.1, but doesn't much keep up the pace. For a debut novel, it shows hope for the new author. She can tell a story, create a setting, and choose characters. Apparently this was not a story for me. Quite honestly, if not for review commitment, it would have landed in my Did Not Finish shelf.
I Although I thought the family dynamics to be strange, It was intriguing. My biggest issue was that of Jewish tradition and ceremony. Maybe it is my bad, but I do not speak Hebrew. That left a lot of early dialog just to be skimmed.I truly felt I had fallen into another world, and not one I felt wanted or welcome within. It is my hope that others will enjoy this book based on the very reasons I did not.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review and opinions.

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Florence Adler Swims Forever is the debut novel by Rachel Beanland. We meet three generations of the Adler family and follow them over a summer none of them will ever forget. When tragedy hits, the family members alternate narrating this family's journey as they move through loss, grief, and rebuilding their lives. While Florence is an ever-present force, the characters we meet are the ones that were behind after her untimely death.

I loved the multifaceted look at family dynamics and Beanland's gorgeous writing style made the characters really come alive. I alternated reading and listening to this book in audio format. The audio narrative was performed by a talented cast of narrators and was the perfect way to share this family saga. 

The insights into a Jewish family living in Atlantic City in the mid-1930s added so much depth to the storyline. The suspense of this family secrets was just enthralling and reading the author's note at the end was especially satisfying when we find out that some of this novel is based on real-life events. 

I have struggled with the historical fiction genre during this pandemic and I am happy to report that this was a 5-star read for me. I cannot wait for what Beanland writes next and I have my fingers crossed for a much-anticipated sequel to this stunning debut. 

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the gifted copy. As always, all thoughts are my own.

The setting for this novel is Atlantic City in the 1930s.  The story is one about the wish to protect those we love and the ways that we may go about doing it.  The novel will definitely reach your emotions.


There are two sisters at the heart of the story, one with a tragedy and one very unsettled.  Their mother makes a decision with potentially vast repercussions.  In addition, there is a thread about an emigree who has escaped from Germany. 


This novel is based on a true story, one that impacted the author's family.  It is definitely worth your attention.


Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

I’m not crying, you’re crying! Florence Adler Swims Forever will pull at your heart strings and leave you wanting more.
I have not been so teary eyed reading a novel in such a long time. This one hit hard and was full of emotion. What a wonderful first novel by Rachel Beanland.

What I liked best about this book was creating a sense of place and time, the mid-1900s pre-WWII in Atlantic City, NJ. The characters were all flawed and interesting, and the plot line was unique. However, a lot of the situations did not seem plausible or likely. But I guess that's what fiction is for! This was a good first novel and I would definitely read another book by this author.

Florence Adler Swims Forever is a beautiful story of a family making hard choices and trying their best to cope with the tragedy that has struck them.

It is set in 1934 and based off a true story of the author's family. A tragedy happens right from the start and after a quick decision to keep the biggest secret, the family fumbles through the next few months the best that they can. The characters are all strong and complex and tell the story from so many sides. The reader gets an intimate feel for each character and I felt that I was fully immersed in their lives for one long summer. My heart broke for Esther and Joseph, I was immediately in love with Gussie, I wanted to give Issac the boot early on, and I so enjoyed Anna's immigration struggles and the outcome of that.

I do enjoy historical fiction and liked this book, but it did feel slow to me at times. I do look forward to reading more from the author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

I did enjoy this book, and I’m glad I read it, but it wasn’t a page turner. That’s why it took me so long to read it. I was hoping for a little more closure. Like how did Fannie react when she heard the truth about everything. And whatever happened to Issac? The story was interesting, but it could have been developed much more. I actually thought maybe I fell asleep reading and missed some important parts.

This book is a character driven family drama about the Adler family who is learning to grip with the tragic death of their young daughter Florence. The story starts off with the incident, and then follows the different members of the family as they come to terms with the accident and navigate their relationships in the midst of grief, including a big family secret. While the war and Nazi Germany are not necessarily the center of the story, it is set against the backdrop of the summer of 1934 and the Jewish Adler family is housing a German refugee at the time.

I thought this story was really unique in both the way it was written as well as the subject matter. I loved that it was based on a true story and it showed a different part of the world during the Nazi Germany era. However, it was a slower, character-driven story that never seemed to pick up much speed for me.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster via Netgalley for the advanced copy to review!

A beautifully written family saga that takes you t0 Atlantic City in the 1930s. A perfect summer book.

At first, I wasn’t sure that I picked up the right book! There is some heavy stuff really early on, but the way the author tied everything together was amazing. Such great storytelling made even better with the knowledge that the characters and events are based off of real people. Would definitely recommend.

Thanks to #netgalley and #SimonandSchuster for the opportunity to read and review #FlorenceAdlerSwimsForever
Pub date 7/7/2020
What a great story! I read this book in the course of one day, I couldn't put it down.
Florence has a goal to swim the English Channel, but tragedy strikes. The story continues in the voices of the people who love her. Seven year old Gussie is a sweetheart. Her sister Fannie is bedfast awaiting her baby, since she lost the last one. Stuart is her swimming coach. Her father Joseph has supported Anna, who escapes Germany as Hitler rises to power. Esther has demanded they keep a secret. The author does a great job creating the interactions among them all. I highly recommend

This is a debut novel from Rachel Beanland published July 2020 from Simon & Schuster and is 320 pages. This book takes place in the summer, involves secrets & tragedy. Youngest daughter Florence comes home from college for the summer planning to spend the summer training for her swim of the English Channel. Eldest daughter Fannie is pregnant after having previously losing a premature baby soon after birth. Due to the delicate nature of Fannie’s pregnancy, her mother, Esther, decides to keep a tragic secret from Fannie. The story unfolds as Esther expects everyone around Fannie to help keep this tragedy from Fannie. How far would you go to protect someone you love?

3 1/2* Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this debut novel. Rachel Beanland does a great job creating the voices of her characters as she weaves them through individual chapters. A little predictable, but a thoroughly enjoyable summer read.

An amazing debut novel. The story follows one family, and Florence’s friend Stuart, through one tragic summer in Atlantic City. Each chapter is dedicated to one character: Esther (Florence’s mother) who wants to prevent the loss of another grandchild, Joseph (Florence’s father), Frannie (the sister), her husband Isaac, their daughter Gussie; Stuart (Florence’s friend) and Anna, a young Jewish emigrant from Germany during the rise of Nazi power. The story follows the characters as they work through challenges and emotions directly related to a tragedy which occurs very early in the book; as well as personal struggles. The author has created characters that are relatable and you are easily drawn into their lives. Their hopes, fears, sorrows, anger and more.
Multiple narrators can be challenging for all but the best authors. Rachel Beanland has joined their ranks with a beautifully told tale which will stay with the reader long after the last page has been turned.

I was excited to read this book because Adler is my maiden name and like Florence, my family had Adler’s Bakery. That is where the similarities ended. I guess I expected more. The book was sort of dull. The first chapter of the book being the most exciting. After that I wondered what would happen and it trotted along. It was not a slow read, it just didn’t have a lot of excitement to the story.

This historical fiction novels, has a surprising twist at the beginning, changing it to something unexpected! This is a sweet story of a family dealing with loss and tragedy. The author creates a wonderful sense of time and place, pre-World War II Atlantic City and gives the readers a beautiful story, well written, with wonderful characters. Another great book for book clubs.

This book was such a pleasant surprise and not at all what I expected. I loved all of the characters and really cared about what happened to them. This is a great summer read!

Looooved this book. The writing was excellent and I got so caught up in the story. It felt like I was back in time in Atlantic City. Bonus it was based on a true story.

This is a story that centers around a family and a place that means home. At the center is a secret. A secret about Florence Adler - an aspiring swimmer who is coming to grips with her hopes and dreams - when her life is tragically cut short. Through the eyes of her parents, friends, niece and the man who loved her we see Florence and allow her to swim forever. I enjoyed this story and felt like it was so real and inspiring. Love that the author based this wonderful character on her grandmother and brought this character and story to life. Very much enjoyed it

Loved this book! Wonderful story loosely based on a true story. Heart warming and shows the true love of a close family. Highly recommend!!