I couldn’t finish this.
Initially I thought it was setting the scene to allow the reader to immerse themselves in the story but i couldn’t keep up with the story.

I really wanted to love this story of an Italian immigrant family. There's definitely a good story in here, but I found the writing way too fragmented and choppy to follow. I realize this is likely more of a personal preference & maybe some might like this style. I struggled to get through the book. I did like the characters, it's just their stories lacked fluidity. Thanks Net Galley for the ARC.

This novel recounts generations of a family battling many hardships beginning in the WWI era. The parts set in Italy were especially touching to me. It portrays the immigrant story that many will relate to. The story ebbs and flows between what is real and not in a poetic way. The characters are realistic with their flaws and shortcomings. Loved the spiritualness that bound it together.

All of my grandparents were born in Italy so I love reading about Italian and Italian American families. I always feel a connection, an appreciation, an understanding of who these people are in some way. Whenever I read about people coming through Ellis Island, I can’t help but wonder what my grandparents’ experience might have been like.

The delirium of the Spanish flu , the war and what we now call ptsd, loss, marriage and separation while a husband goes to America to make a way for the wife and the prayers, the many prayers , the devotion to the Catholic beliefs are here at once in the beginning of this novel. A hope for a better future in America, but not everything can be escaped - death, adultery , the stock market crash . The three generations of women that follow try to understand their parents and grandparents history, and beliefs . When they do, they honor them. It’s as much about the old world as the new. This is described as a novel in stories, moving from one generation to another, but to me it just felt like a novel. I wish it had been longer and that there had been more time spent on how each generation made its way. The writing is excellent .

I received a copy of this book from Gold Lake Press through NetGalley

Thanks to Gold Wake Press & NetGalley for this free ARC in return for my honest review.

In this novel author Cynthia Reeves follows the highlights and low points of four generations of an Italian family that emigrated to America in 1929. I was extremely interested to read this book since my father also came to America in 1929, and apparently must have been on the exact same boat that Reeves sites in her novel. This is a short book, less than 200 pages, and while it is concise, it is at times missing depth and feeling. We get to know the first generation that left Italy after World War One and how that war had decimated the family in so many ways. It is by far the best portion of the book, and by the second part of the book when we are now in the 1950s it's interesting but not as interesting as the initial section, unfortunately for me it went downhill after that as the third and 4th generations of this family get less and less interesting and the book loses a lot of its depth. No not every book that's going to cover a multi-generational family needs to be 1000 pages, but 172 pages is a little light to do it justice. I feel the characters could be better developed, the storylines could be amplified and while it is a good story it left me wanting for more. Maybe it's due to the similarity to my family’s story, but I felt there was a lot more that could have, and should have, been done with this family saga.

This novel in stories acquaints us four generations of an Italian/Italian-American family through the twists and turns of everyday life and as they adapt to catastrophes both personal, societal, and global. These are stories of heartbreak and resilience, love and family. I loved it from the first page. It's a beautiful book. I will seek out more writing by this author. 5 stars.