I'm not gonna lie, I genuinely do *not* remember requesting this one. Perhaps it was a "read now" title? This is not my thing sorry folks

I am a fan of historical fiction and this family saga about the Greenbrier resort in West Virginia was something I knew nothing about. It was a story of 4 generations. A little hard to keep reading because it moved a bit slowly, but I'm glad I read this book.

I was very excited to read In the Shadow of the Greenbrier because I'm a fan of historical fiction and the fact that the Greenbrier still operates today. However, the book felt flat to me. It starts off slowly as you meet 4
generations of a Jewish family living in the town where the Greenbrier is located.
My favorite character was Sol,who came to the US in 1909 to escape being drafted into the Tsar's army.
The big secret/mystery of the novel wasn't all that earth shattering if you knew a bit about history.
I give the book 3 stars. Solid effort but it didn't engage me.

I really enjoyed this book! Going through the family history and learning the story of what was going on at the Greenbriar hotel was so interesting and kept we wanting to read more! I gave four stars because it was a bit of a slow burn for me, but I really ended up enjoying it by the end!
I felt the characters were all very well developed, and it was interesting to follow the four different generations to see how they were all effected in some way by the same place.
I definitely recommend this book for any historical fiction fans!
Thank you to @netgalley for an advance #copy in exchange for my honest review

I was really excited to receive a copy of this book, since it combines historical fiction with the saga of various generations of a Jewish family. I never knew anything about this hotel, so it was also a chance to learn more about American history and the South.

The Greenbrier Resort is a famous hotel in West Virginia’s Allegheny Mountains, and it was known for its luxury setting catering to the rich and famous, including Hollywood stars and presidents of America. But it was also turned into a luxury prison during the years of World War II. And over the course of the 20th century, it exerted a strong influence on one Jewish family living in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.

The story is told over the course of a century, through the eyes of four members of the Zelner family at various points in time. Sol immigrates from Lithuania in 1909 rather than comply with the Tsar’s harsh conscription laws for Jewish men, and works as a traveling peddler before settling down in White Sulphur Springs to open a store as the Greenbrier is being built. Sylvia’s story begins in Poland in 1942, when after she marries Louis Zelner, they immigrate to America to work at the store his family owns. Doree’s tale begins in 1958, when she’s expecting to leave her small town to go to college and find a nice Jewish man to marry. Finally, Jordan’s chapters take place in Washington, DC in 1992, where he is a young reporter looking to uncover a story about the Greenbrier from an anonymous tip, while his mother begs him to stay in DC.

Each of the characters was intriguing, but some of them were easier personalities for me to identify with than others, but even the tough ones just needed some time. Once I really got to know who they were and why they were the way they were, it was easier for me to understand. Seeing Sylvia’s suspicion of German and Italian people, even diplomats, was easy to understand in the climate in which she left Europe, when antisemitism was widespread, institutional at the highest levels of society, and completely acceptable. Jordan’s curiosity about the Greenbrier was only enhanced by his mother’s reluctance to talk about anything related to the Greenbrier or her past.

The characters were all so different from each other, yet they were all so willing to grow and learn and change their minds after learning more. Each one had to adapt to changing circumstances, each centered around the Greenbrier, despite the different time periods in which their story was set. There’s an overarching mystery surrounding this hotel in the second half of the book, but I found myself far more invested in the characters themselves, their experiences living as a Jewish family in a small town in the South and facing prejudice and discrimination that changed over time but never really went away, and how trauma gets passed down and becomes part of the fabric of generations in a family.

I was incredibly impressed by this debut, and really had a difficult time realizing that it was a debut because it was done so beautifully. The jumps between time and characters was a bit abrupt at first, possibly because I wasn’t as equally invested in all of the characters, or possibly because the author was finding her stride, but things smoothed out rather quickly. Ultimately, this is a fantastic read not just for the saga of the Zelner family, but also to learn about a historic site that I knew nothing about. I actually found myself browsing the internet to see photos of The Greenbrier, which is still in operation (and is gorgeous, btw). This is a wonderfully done and thoroughly researched historical fiction novel, and I can enthusiastically recommend this one.

This story followed a family through four generations and almost 100 years. While I normally love stories with multiple timelines, this one felt like it had too much going on and some of the storylines seemed disjointed with others. There were a couple of intimate scenes that were also told in too much detail than what I prefer. There were some nice moments throughout the story, but overall it was just ok.

3.5 stars

I love multiple POVs/timelines, but four timelines is a bit much. I struggled with the first third of the book since it took me a long time to connect to the characters and understand what was all going on. I feel like you need to read this book in long stints vs small snippets since it was hard to get engaged in the books since there were way too many stories going on.

After the first half was over, I really enjoyed the book. I do think it felt a bit long at times, but it was very good.

Thanks NetGalley and publisher for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

I found this book to be predictable and a little snoozy. I thought the big mysteries of the book were easily discerned and not worth all the cloak and dagger secrecy. Was it a bad book? No. But it also isn't one that I would read again or go out of my way to recommend.

A captivating story covering four generations of a Jewish family told principally in three time periods: 1944, 1958 and 1992. Originally emigrated from Poland and Lithuania, the Zelner family are for many years the only Jews in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. Had this remote Appalachian town not been the site of the famous and posh Greenbrier Resort, their lives probably would either not have played out in West Virginia or just blended into obscurity in Baltimore. The family elder, Sol, landed there in the early 1900s, having escaped conscription into the Tsar’s army and found employment as a peddler moving goods between Baltimore and southern West Virginia.
The Greenbrier played a pivotal role during WWII when German, Italian, Hungarian and Bulgarian diplomats were removed from Washington and relocated under house arrest there. Not exactly what one thinks of when hearing about detention in an internment camp. Their movements, access to news, and communications were curtailed, but otherwise they lived the life of guests in a 5 star resort.
In 1958, with the Cold War’s threat of nuclear war, The Greenbrier was begun to be prepared to be used as a bunker in the event Washington was attacked and the government needed to be evacuated. This was kept secret until 1992 when The Washington Post broke the story after receiving and investigating an anonymous tip.
The Greenbrier’s saga along with other prior and concurrent world events is told through the lives of the Zelners, owners of the dry goods store in White Sulphur Springs. They are fictional, the history is real and well researched
I was impressed by the author’s focus on all details about The Greenbrier especially the physical descriptions, its staffing, and inner workings.
Her insightful and emotional portrayal of the family made the pages turn quickly. Past traumas, generational changes, internal conflicts, betrayals, secrets and the difficulties of living in an area where Jewish fellowship was at a two hour distance, all provided storylines which accurately reflected the times and its cultural challenges.
Thank you to the author for a fascinating debut novel, the publisher G.P. Putnam Sons, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an ARC.

Having grown up in visiting family in West Virginia, I was intrigued to read about the Greenbrier. I knew quite a bit about the Greenbrier, but I didn’t know about its history during WWII. Matchar weaves the story of multigenerational family who live in the shadow of the Greenbrier. It is a captivating story, but the jumping around to the many points of view did make it feel a bit disjointed, but I did very much enjoy the book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review.

This book is set in White Sulphur Springs, a town in West Virginia. The Greenbriar Hotel is almost a character of its own. This is the big moneymaker of the town and what puts it on the map so to speak.

We first follow Sol. He is a Jewish man that starts out in life as a peddler. After he is robbed and beaten he is given an opportunity to settle in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia and start his own store. He does this as he has a desire to start a family of his own. He marries Pauline and they have a couple of sons. His son, Louis carries on and helps with the store. He too marries a Jewish/Polish woman named Sylvia and they have a family. We see family drama between Sylvia and Pauline, probably quite typical.
Louis and Sylvia have Doree, who we follow during her lifetime. She is the oldest and has two younger brothers. She has dreams of becoming something but feels she is only able to be a math teacher but is given the inspiration to become more and she finds confidence to follow her dreams.
Doree is a protector of her brother Alan, who is very much picked on because he is a brainy kid and a Jew. This family stands out as the only Jewish family in town and there is a lot of challenges and mistreatment they face.
Sylvia has a secret that starts at the Greenbriar. There is much build up about this secret that turns out to be not as big of an issue as it at first appears. Then Alan discovers some interesting things happening at the Greenbriar and is trying to figure it out. That also has a big build up but at the end it just fell flat.

All of this to say, I loved the historical aspect of it. I loved the family saga. It was drawn out and dull at times but aren't they all. I was a bit disappointed by the end as it was a long book and the build up left me wanting more. Overall, it was enjoyable.

I loved the historical story in this book. It was fascinating to read about the Greenbrier in the past. I liked that the story connected the past to the present with the same family - and how choices made impact what happens in the future. I enjoyed the mysterious aspect too. I however struggled to connect with the 4 characters and their stories until the very end of the book. It made the story feel disjointed. I think there should have been fewer perspectives or maybe just one. I loved that it was the story of a Jewish family - what that meant to each generation and what it is like across history to be Jewish. Overall, a fascinating story about a fancy hotel that I would recommend to anyone interested in historical fiction.

Thank you NetGalley for my advanced reader copy

Quick and Dirty
-multi-POV historical fiction
-an intergenerational story told from the female perspective
-Coming-of-age themes
-mysterious, fast-paced family drama

What Worked
I honestly didn’t know what to expect from this novel, but I don’t think I could have predicted enjoying it as much as I did. The characters, even the hard-to-love few, were so well developed and the inter-woven tapestry of stories made this novel very compelling and hard to put down at times. I needed to know what was happening next to this family who struggled so much yet lived so beautifully. I especially enjoyed Doree’s story both in her past and present. But overall what I enjoyed the most was the authentic pain and emotion the author conjured in each of the character stories. This one felt heavy and full of urgency, which kept me captivated. What an incredible debut!!

What Didn’t Work
There wasn’t much that didn’t work for me in this book. It felt like a great combination of family drama, political intrigue, and coming-of-age. I really loved the way the author carefully incorporated so much about the Jewish culture and values, which helped give so much added context to the drama. I would have liked a bit more about Alan in the story, but I think that’s a personal preference.

Read This If
Anyone looking for a Jewish family saga will not want to miss this one. It’s a quiet but powerful story of inclusion, perseverance, and humanity.

One of my favorite books of the year so far. I quickly became invested in tying together Sol, Sylvia, Doree and Jordan as they were introduced in different time periods and although each of their personal stories heavily carried me page to page, the mysteries began to unfold left and right!

I’m sometimes overwhelmed by too many plot lines but Matchar is so delicate with the pace and amount she unloads at any point. Fantastic storytelling in that I felt I understood each character, their struggles and I truly felt sympathy for each of them, moreso heartache.

There are layers of tragedy in this and Matchar rolls out such a smooth, caring telling.

There’s one character I haven’t even mentioned yet- The Greenbrier. Wow!!! I immediately was hooked on this place and googling it and Dorothy Draper like crazy! If you’re into history-you’ll want to dive into this and segue into Greenbrier history afterwards.

A beautiful story of the brokenness of family, responsibility over loved ones and the mysteries close to home.

Alright so spoiler alert (sort of?) the Greenbrier is a hotel. A massive hotel that basically supports a small town in West Virginia. There's a big ol' mystery about why they're building such a deep whole near it and what the purpose of it is. In order to tell the entire story, the author provides four different pov's, some of which I found to be entirely unnecessary.

Sol: Sol is a Jewish man who escapes Tsar-Russian military to come to America. He's the first-generation in the family and he founds a general store in West Virgina. Once it opens and he and his wife Pauline are settled, he his store set on fire unless he pays a townie off. Everyone in the family works at the general store that the town calls "the Jew store"....cuuute! *insert eye roll*

Sylvia: Sylvia is a Polish Jewish girl who escapes WWII and comes to America with her father, while her mother and brothers are in Tel Aviv. She has another brother who was killed during the war. Upon arrival her father passes away and she meets Louis in the city. He convinces her to get married and drags her off to West Virginia. She absolutely hates her life and is depressed the entire book.

Doree: Doree or Doreen is the daughter of Sylvia. She's caught up in the times of the 1950's and is struggling to contain her siblings as well as her frustration with her family. Her thoughts are mixed up in boys, college, and her brother Alan's misgivings. After her brother is beaten by the neighborhood boys, an "incident" happens and she and her other brother Pete never speak of it ever again.

Jordan: Jordan is the son of Doree and is the ending of the pov's. We're now in the 1990's and he's working for The Washington Post. He receives an annoymous letter in the mail about the Greenbrier and he's finally ready to uncover his family's secrets. He's ready to find out what lies beneath the hotel and what his mother has been hiding his entire life.

As you can see, this was shown as a mystery, but really it's historical lit. I did not understand the point of Sol's pov. Most of it was very boring and it didn't add to the story for me. I can't really recommend this one because it's a long book that half of it could've been deleted and it wouldn't have changed a thing.

In the Shadow of the Greenbrier by Emily Matchar was a 4 star book. Her characters were well developed and I enjoyed the facts connected to the Greenbrier. She did a nice job of weaving the characters, storyline, and setting together.

4/5 stars.

I am so intrigued by the Greenbrier and its history that this book immediately appealed to me, but there is a much richer story between the pages.

In the Shadow of the Greenbrier features multiple narrators from the same family at different points in their lives. There is Sol, a young Jewish immigrant trying to make his way in America and find the life he has dreamed of for so long. Then there is Sylvia, who is married to Sol's son but isn't in love with him. She is a young mother but only wants to go to Palestine to reunite with her family. We also meet Doree, Sylvia's daughter, who as a young woman is looking toward what her future holds and what she wants for her life. Finally, there is Jordan, who has just started working as a reporter when he receives a tip to look more closely into the Greenbrier and its history. All the members of the family have some tie to the Greenbrier through the years so Jordan is hopeful to learn more about what might be hidden there.

The author makes every character's story come to life and the pacing is spot on. I enjoyed the family dynamics as well as the suspense as to how the story would unfold. This book filled my desire for learning a little more about the Greenbrier while also enjoying the multiple generation narrative that took place.

I received this book courtesy of the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The novel is a deeply touching Jewish family saga set around the famous Greenbrier hotel, inspired by the remarkable yet little-known true events that shaped America's history. It covers four generations of the Zelner family over ten decades. The novel shows the reader the hardships faced by the Zelner’s family in rural America. the Zelners must contend with antisemitism, poverty, and painful secrets in a small, isolated, and often hostile community. Sol starts his life in America as a door-to-door peddler. Next opens a general store in the shadow of the hotel. His daughter-in-law, Sylvia is a resentful immigrant from Poland. She misses the finer things in life. She ends up working at the hotel during World War II, when it becomes a luxurious camp for German and Italian diplomats. Sylvia then has (an affair with one of the latter tempts her. Later, her daughter, Doree, embarks on a romance with a mysterious man working at the hotel while Sylvia’s son, Alan, is convinced there’s a conspiracy behind some new construction there. In the 1990s, Doree’s son, Jordan, a Washington Post reporter, sets out to uncover the truth. What is the truth?

Some of the the series of events that happen in the novel more compelling than others. The novel is about antisemitism, family secrets, and Jewish life in rural America. It is rich in historical detail. I liked that as I enjoy learning about history that is often not mentioned in school. It shows the extraordinary moments in everyday life. It is well written and an interesting time period. The ending of this Noel was very satisfying.

What an amazing read! In the light of Kristin Hannah and The Nightingale this is one for Historical Fiction fans!
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This is a story of a multigenerational family and their immigration to the states. Through different family members eyes a wonderful story is weaved of trials, tribulations and secrets.

What a beautiful debut! A must read.

This is my first book by this author which I enjoyed reading. I look forward to seeing what is next for this author. I enjoyed how I was pulled into the story from the start by the characters. They are connectable and relateable. They add so much to the story's entertainment value as well as made it easy to read. This is a well written story this is historical which brings the past and the present together. What happens in this story you don't want to miss. This is a fast paced, hard to put down story. The author used details to make the story come to life. There is great growth throughout of the plot as well as the characters. I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it.