The Manhattan Secret

The Manhattan Secret is an extremely well crafted and multi layered novel with characters that are very relatable and a story that you will love but will break your heart in two.

Wonderful read. I enjoyed the story very much. The main character’s journey into womanhood.
Would recommend, very well written, I felt I was right there beside her. .
Definitely worth reading.

What a story! Sagas are not really my thing but I was recommended it by a friend and truly enjoyed it. This book is not for the faint hearted. It tells the story of how a young French girl is orphaned in New York at the turn of the 20th C and all the dramas and tragedy that befall her and her family. The story in itself is quite sad, but very realistic for the era. It veers between two worlds: poverty and riches and two places: New York and Charente (France). There was so much suspense in each chapter that I was riveted throughout. I read it pretty quickly as it was one of those you can't put down, despite it being a long story. It had an abrupt ending, leaving you intrigued as to what happens to the main characters. I would love to read the next book in the series, just to find out whether Lisbeth and Richard stay together. The plot is original and meaningful, giving you a good insight into how tough life was for Europeans emigrating to the New World circa 1890. It's not sugar coated which adds to its realism and is one of the reasons I enjoyed it so much. Yes, I would recommend it.

1886 France - Elizabeth is a happy child with parents who dote on her. The family history however is troubled and her parents decide to immigrate. Expecting her second baby, the voyage is harsh and her mother dies in childbirth on the voyage itself. Her father is distraught but determined to set course for New York and to set up in the carpentry field which is his speciality. Fate however has other plans and he loses his life within a few weeks of arriving in America.

Getting lost and being found by a wealthy New Yorker who loved her very much and who provided everything he possibly could for her should have been a boon but Elizabeth even at such a young age, and throughout her growingup years had flashbacks of life with her parents and her grand parents and a young boy who befriended her years ago.

The story of how Elizabeth and the changes that happen so drastically very negative and then very positive makes for an interesting change, especially told over a few decades.