Book Tour and Review:

The streets of New York in 1920 are most certainly not paved with gold, as Minnie Soffer learns when she arrives at Ellis Island. Her father, who left Ukraine when Minnie was a toddler, feels like a stranger. She sleeps on a mattress on the kitchen floor. She understands nothing at school. They came to America for this?

As her family adjusts to this new life, Minnie and her brother work hard to learn English and make friends. When her father, Ike, opens his own soda shop, stability and citizenship seem within reach. But the soda shop is not what it seems; it’s a front for Ike’s real moneymaker: a speakeasy.

When tragedy strikes the Soffers, Minnie has no choice but to take over the bar. She’s determined to make the speakeasy a success despite the risks it brings to herself, her family, and her freedom. At what price does the American dream come true? Minnie won’t stop until she finds out.

MY THOUGHTS:

Although I am mostly a thriller girl at heart, I absolutely adore historical fiction! Being transported back in time and learning more about the past always interests me. I was especially excited to get a copy of this book because, like Minnie, my ancestors also came to Ellis Island in the early 1920s. I am always fascinated to hear accounts from this time, as it is both hopeful and heartbreaking. Minnie’s family came to America in search of a better life and what they found may have offered possibilities, but it was far from easy. I could relate to how her father ended up with the speakeasy and unfortunately, how it contributed to Minnie having to grow up way too fast. Even though her story was definitely emotional and at times sad, she was really inspiring too.

Thank you to @Getredpr and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC! This will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)

I was interested in this book having read others set during Prohibition. Add in a family immigrating from Ukraine and I was fascinated.

In The Whisper Sister we follow the Soffer family as they immigrate to and then adjust to life in the United States.

As Minnie and Ike learn English and adjust to a whole new world, their father is working to make money for their survival. What seems like an innocent soda shop is so much more.

Minnie and Ike each have different reactions to their father’s business and this is only intensified by the loss of their mother.

This book is full of Prohibition history. Watching Minnie take on quite an unexpected role was so fascinating to me.
I wondered many times if I would have been as brave and determined as she was throughout the course of this story. It’s amazing to me how many people underestimated her because of her gender. Then again, all of the things she could do because of her gender too showed many of the characters a thing or two.

I enjoyed learning the meaning of the title and loved how it all came together.

Helen Laser does an incredible job bringing this story to life. Not only did she make it easy to differentiate between the various characters speaking, but her accents added another layer of enjoyment to this audiobook.

There are a couple of scenes that are hard to read in this book. The way the author ties it together in the end was uniquely and well done.

Thank you to Brilliance Audio via Get Red PR for the ALC. All views are my honest opinion.

The Whisper Sister" by Jennifer S. Brown is a historical fiction memoir set in the 1920s in New York City during Prohibition. Malka, her big brother, and mother travel by ship from their home in Ukraine to meet their father, who came to America a few years earlier. Malka and her brother were renamed at school in the U.S. just after they arrived. She became Minnie, and her brother Shmerka became Max. They had to learn to read and speak English quickly.

Their father bought a soda "shoppe" that was a front for an illegal Speak-Easy. Their mother had great difficulty with pregnancies and birth. Tragedy strikes the family. Then, a year or so later, more tragedy. Fighting poverty and starvation, and then a demanding handsy boss, Minnie finally decides she will go to her father's bar and make it work! She becomes a whisper-sister, a woman who works at a bar.

I enjoyed hearing this story and learning about this time. A lot of it is sad and challenging, but it feels very authentic. I came to really like Minnie. She is spunky and rebellious.

The narrator of the audiobook, Helen Laser, did a fantastic job!

Characters - 5/5
Writing - 4/5
Plot - 4/5
Pacing - 3/5
Unputdownability - 3/5
Enjoyment - 4/5
Narration - 5/5
Cover - 4/5
Overall - 32/8 = 4 stars

I recommend this book to readers interested in immigrant experiences during the 1920s or Prohibition time.

Thank you to Netgalley, Brilliance Publishing, and author Jennifer S. Brown for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you @brownjennys @lakeunionauthors @brilliancepublishing & @getredprbooks for this amazing read & ALC! -Narrated by Helen Laser

Wow I was captivated by this book. Particularly in Minnie's character and her development throughout. The entire thing was so well written. So many enlightening topics and situations that were very eye opening. But Minnie herself is such a strong and determined person. Seeing her fight - quite literally on occasion - through life to just make it was gut wrenching, humbling, and I was in awe.

Overall I loved the entirety of this book. I was sucked in the entire time and the narration of the audio paired with the accents just really took you there. What a journey!

This book was riveting. I was so engrossed in this read that I put everything aside. There were parts of the book that were heart wrenching. It had me crying ugly tears, but if you asked if I regret reading it then the answer is no. I would read it again tomorrow. This book takes place in the prohibition era in New York City. It is the story of Minnie, a young immigrant girl who has to navigate the hardships of the world. It was such a beautiful representation of an immigrant’s journey to the American dream. Filled with love, loss, heartache, joy and humor. The narrator Helen Laser was outstanding, truly such an enjoyable listen. She had me hooked and read the characters so perfectly. I highly recommend this audiobook. You won’t regret picking this one up! I’ll be thinking about this book for a good while.

So much unique and enjoyable content:
🍸 Historical fiction
🥃 Speakeasy
🍷 Crime and morality
🥂 Family responsibility
🍹 Immigrant experience
🍻 Prohibition
🍾 Strong female FMC

Quotes:
🥃 “…you just arrived. You will see how America works. Everything is different.”

🧊 “Drink your bourbon neat, pay your debts on time, and trust no one!”

🥃 “Home is where your people are, Mama had once said. My people were here. In America.”

Thank you to the author Jennifer S Brown, Get Red PR and NetGalley for the advanced copies of the book.

In a Nutshell: A historical fiction set during the Prohibition era. Great protagonist, great character development, great storyline, great themes, great writing. Basically, just great!

Plot Preview:
1920. When Minnie Soffer arrives with her family to New York, she is surprised to learn that it isn’t as grand as she was told. Her father, who had emigrated to the US some years before, lives in a small house, and the language that everyone at school speaks is unfamiliar. Minnie and her elder brother Max work hard to adjust to their new lives. When her father opens a soda shop, it seems like life is finally going the right way. But the soda shop is just a front for a speakeasy, which soon becomes a bigger part of their life than they had anticipated.
The story, spanning the thirteen years of prohibition in the USA, covers Minnie’s struggles through childhood and young adulthood, and is written in her first-person perspective.

Bookish Yays:
🥂 Historical fiction novels often have stories of refugees/immigrants who come to America with golden dreams and then slog hard towards success. But this is not a typical rags-to-riches novel. It contains a realistic depiction of immigrant life, with financial struggles, adjustment to the new way of life, generational differences, and bi-cultural conflict getting prime focus.
🥂 The women in such narratives are always good, homely, and sacrificing. Minnie is, hence, a breath of fresh air with her spunkiness and rebellious attitude. She is strong, outspoken and intelligent, and doesn’t hesitate to take brave decisions, even if they go against the norm. She is the perfect protagonist for this coming-of-age story that centres on her identity as a daughter, a sister, a business-owner, and a Jewish woman.
🥂 The other characters, whether Minnie’s family or her friend or fellow Jews, or even her fellow workers at the speakeasy, are also well-written. Most of their portrayals are not stereotypical.
🥂 There are many emotional moments in the plot, but the content doesn’t swerve towards OTT melodrama.
🥂 The author manages to capture the historical atmosphere of the 1920s accurately, with the glitzy clubs contrasting with the sleazy speakeasies. There’s a great deal of authenticity in the writing.
🥂 All aspects of the Prohibition era, positive and negative, are tackled in the plot. For a change, I can't complain about too much alcohol in the story because alcohol is the foundation of the plot. Thankfully, the characters in this story can hold their liquor. Even our titular protagonist isn't a weak character who loses it after a drink (or few.) Minnie certainty knew her alcohol, and the author’s note clarifies the reason for the accurate portrayal 😉 The writing is so realistic and descriptive that even though I am a teetotaller, I could actually feel how the varied drinks tasted.
🥂 The Jewish portrayal seems excellent and accurate. (As far as I could make out!) I appreciate how the author provides a genuine representation of Orthodox Jew practices without resorting to clichés or stereotypes or judgemental observations. It was a beautiful portrayal of Jewish culture and traditions.
🥂 The story even highlights how gangs worked during the prohibition. I am not usually a fan of gangland plots, but this book was a welcome exception.
🥂 While I am not fond of romance in non-romance genre books, this plot keeps the romance at just the right level, using it as a genuine plot device rather than as a light distraction.
🥂 The author's note, while entertaining, depicts the extent of her research. Her efforts show in the storyline.

Bookish Mixed Bags:
🍺 The title is really good. (I didn’t know its meaning at first, but it is explained in the book.) However, as the actual ‘whisper sister’ part doesn't begin until the second half of the storyline, the first half, though engrossing, involves a lot of waiting to see how Minnie ends up working in the bar. The story thus has two distinct parts: Minnie’s life prior to her working in the speakeasy, and her working as the “whisper sister”. Both parts are engrossing, but the second half is stronger in its content.

Bookish Nays:
🍸 The sexual assault scene was a bit too crude for my liking, though I get why the author may have written it thus. I felt like it deliberately piled on the crassness, perhaps to enhance the impact of the situation, but it didn’t suit the tone of the rest of the book. This may not be a Nay to others as the discomfort is more due to my reading preferences than a fault of the book per se.

Bookish Doubt:
🥤 Why are the time references in the pattern “2 o'clock p.m.” or “4 o'clock a.m.”? Isn’t it either o’clock or a.m./p.m.? I’ve never seen both being used at once! I am not sure if the time references are like this in the book as well, but the narrator uses this format multiple times in the audio version. It was very distracting.


🎧 The Audiobook Experience:
The audiobook, clocking at 12 hrs 21 min, is narrated by Helen Laser. This is my first time listening to her, and I am so blown away! She is fabulous! Every single character is voiced almost to perfection. Her rich voice suits Minnie well. I appreciated most that she never makes Minnie sound like giggly even though she is so young.


All in all, this is one of the best historical fiction novels I have read in a long time. It hits the mark with its story, its authenticity, and its characters. The fact that it is set in an era that isn’t often represented and through such a strong character’s perspective adds to its charm.
Strongly recommended to every historical fiction reader. Do check out the content triggers.

4.5 stars, happy to round up.

My thanks to Brilliance Audio for providing the ALC of “The Whisper Sister” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

The digital version of this book is currently available free to Kindle Unlimited subscribers.

Content warnings: Miscarriage, sexual assault, imprisonment, parental abandonment, parental death, infidelity, physical assault.

This compelling story revolves around Jewish immigrants pursuing the American dream. Our FMC, Minnie Soffer, makes heartbreaking sacrifices to support her family and their business. However, her resilience shines through as she takes over her father's speakeasy, becoming a formidable female bar owner—aka a Whisper Sister. In this role, she must tangle with the Jewish mob to keep the bar open and afloat.

What I loved:
✨Prohibition setting: vivid descriptions and well-researched details that include speakeasies such as The Cotton Club, dangerous yet influential Jewish mobsters such as Rothstein and Lansky, and the omnipresent Volstead Act. Similar vibe to Broadwalk Empire on HBO.
✨Immigrant Experience: challenges of balancing work and family responsibilities, navigating assimilation while preserving Jewish cultural identity, and navigating the challenging naturalization process.
✨Narration: Helen Laser is absolutely perfect! She effortlessly captures all the accents, vividly portrays Minnie's unwavering determination to succeed, and masterfully builds tension throughout the story!

If you're a fan of historical fiction, have a fascination with the 1920s, or enjoy championing the underdog, then you absolutely need to read The Whisper Sister! This story captivated me, I literally could not out it down!! And I know Minne's character will stay with me for a long time. 5 glorious stars!!!! ⭐

This was such a good historical fiction. I loved the main character Minnie, and it was emotional throughout. I was a little surprised on the span of time that this book covered but I’m not mad about it. I did enjoy her adulthood a little more than her childhood, but it made for good character development. While it was a rollercoaster, I loved the parts surrounding the bar. Getting to see how the speakeasies operated really interested me. I am a fan of mixed drinks and I loved Minnie's creativeness surrounding it. I listened to the audio while reading along sometimes and the narrator took it to another level. Each character’s accent and personality came through wonderfully and I could feel the emotion as if I were there.

Thank you @getredprbooks @brownjennys and publisher #lakeunion.

This book was so good. I was so engrossed in Minnies story because it was so heartbreaking and captivating; just so raw and real. Normally it’s hard for me to get into coming-of-age stories, but this one felt different. There was a little something special to Minnie and her story that I just didn’t want to put it down. At times this book had me crying because it was so heartbreaking. Things were tough in the 1920’s, especially for women, and especially for Minnie. She endured so much, and I loved her journey. It was very uplifting how she always got back up and kept fighting no matter what happened. The speakeasy aspect was a lot of fun. I enjoyed how Minnie had to step-up and take charge. She reminded me in a lot of ways to my grandma. She always was such a strong woman fighting or herself and her family no matter the costs. I just don’t have enough nice things to say about this book, it was everything I needed it to be and then more. I listened to this one on audio and it was fantastic. The narrator did a delightful job bringing this story to life and making it feel alive.

Historical fiction really takes a toll out of me and puts me through the emotional ringer, so I am choosey with which I pick. In this case I am so happy that I read it, and I highly recommend it.

Drink your bourbon neat, pay your debts on time, and trust no one!

The Whisper Sister is an atmospheric coming-of-age story set in Prohibition-era New York, tracing one immigrant family’s fortunes and a young girl’s journey from the schoolyard to the speakeasy.

My thoughts 💭: I was really drawn into this immersive 1920’s Prohibition era NYC setting, from the crowded tenement apartments to the ritzy nightclubs and the gang controlled neighborhood speakeasys! The author paints a picture of hardship, poverty, community, and determination as readers follow Minnie’s journey from arriving in American to becoming one of the most well-known bar owners in the Jewish community. Minnie’s struggles to find her identity in a new country while challenging religious, gender and cultural norms was full of drama and growth that kept me turning the pages! Her spirit of perseverance was admirable and a story I will remember for many years. I highly recommend this novel to readers who enjoy books featuring coming of age arcs, immigrant experiences, Jewish interests, danger/action, and strong female characters.

Minnie and her family are immigrants landing in NYC from Ukraine. Her father has been in America for a few years already. She is shocked to see the difference between the immigrants and the Americans. She only speaks Yiddish and has to learn the ways of being an American. She is determined to make her way in her new country. A series of events happen that lead her to take over her father's bar (a speakeasy) at a very young age. Minnie's determination is tested again and again.

I LOVED this book. I loved reading about this time period and some of the struggles of immigrants at the time. This was an amazingly emotional and heartbreaking story of perseverance and determination. I was easily swept up into the world of Prohibition NYC. The writing was immersive but easy to read. The characters were full and complex.

I love this book and I listened to
The audio as well read the digital.

The story and plot line keeps you interested

Thank you brilliance publishing for the #gifted ALC to read and review.

I hesitated picking this book up because the 1920’s isn’t my favorite decade. But wow, am I glad that my love for historical fiction won out. This book was an absolutely phenomenal look at the life of a Jewish immigrant during those years.

Expect —> 1920’s, immigration, cultural differences, poverty, the mob, prohibition, speakeasy, family expectations

Minnie immigrates to the US at 12 years old. We follow her struggle to acclimate to a new county and language while her mother held fast to old ways and her father embraced new ways.

Her adolescence and early adulthood are fraught with grief and hardship. Through the ups and downs, Minnie grows and shines. She lives. She makes mistakes and she learns.

This story hooked me immediately and I truly felt like I lived a little bit of Minnie’s life in that tumultuous time. The writing and narration were fantastic. I loved this book so much.

There were some very very jarring things to read in this book. Checking content warnings wouldn’t be a terrible idea or ask seller who has already read this it.

🗽Set in New York 1920s Prohibition Era. This book is full of betrayal, lost family, danger, love, power of friendship, and a hidden speakeasy . This is both a character driven and a plot driven novel. I always enjoy reading historical fiction books set during this time!

🍨Minnie comes to America from Ukraine at a young age.  Over the next decade, the family struggles to make money, and Minnie and her brother struggle to learn English and fit in. When Minnie's dad, Ike, opens a soda shop, things start to get better for the family.

🍺Unfortunately, it's not just a soda shop, and when Ike disappears, Minnie is left to take charge.   Working as a whisper sister in an occupation dominated by males and mobsters, Minnie finds a way to provide for her family and depend on herself.

This book was absolutely wonderful. The story starts following a young Jewish girl from when her family immigrated from Ukraine to her childhood in New York. We watch her grow and adapt to a new life. Through struggles and heartache. The second half of the book follows her time running her dad’s speakeasy during g the prohibition. The lessons she learns, the challenges she faces and the dangers around every corner. We are fully immersed into the struggles during the prohibition and the difficulties faced by those the recently immigrated. I loved the main character and supporting characters. She was strong, she was smart and she made some very difficult choices. The history and research put into this book was incredible. I was literally transported back 100 years ago. For anyone who loves strong women and historical fiction, this is a must read.

Thank you NetGalley for my advanced reader copy.

Touching and tense story of a young woman who immigrates to the US in the early 20th century and must make a way for herself in 1920s New York City. We get to see sides of the place and time like never before as this stubborn and clever heroine navigates family and love life and the criminal under belly of the city. I really enjoyed the seedy atmosphere, the gritty determination of the MC, and the hopeful resolution. The narration was also really well done.

Thank you to Get Red PR and NetGalley for my copy. These opinions are my own.

In 1920, when Minnie Soffer arrives with her mother and brother from Ellis Island, she enters a new life, she becomes an American. Her father arrived before them, and he no longer looks like the Orthodox Jewish man he was in Ukraine and she realizes that like her father, she too must learn to adapt. It turns out her father has become a bootlegger and owns a speakeasy, he works with some of the more dangerous criminals in NYC - he has adapted far more than she realized. When tragedy strikes the family, Minnie must take over the bar and as a young woman in very much a man’s world she must learn to adapt yet again, the question is what price will she pay.

What a great novel! This gives a bit of the immigrant experience in the early 1920s, the antisemitism experienced in New York City at that time and then the bootlegger side of society - and it really doesn’t feel like the author overextended, it’s a perfect mix of NYC in the 1920s. While the novel tells of a Jewish immigrant experience, this is a story of many immigrants, feeling and being treated like an outsider, the poverty, having the “wrong” accent. Minnie is a great character, a teenager forcibly cast in the role of an adult trying to outwardly show strength while glimmers of that teenage girl can’t help but shine through. The audiobook captivated me instantly and I listened to it as I packed up for Labor Day weekend - this novel works both on audio or on the page (I did both). This historical period is rich with stories and I think the author captured a wonderful one here.

4.25 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Brilliance Audio for the ARC

Minnie arrives in America the day prohibition begins. She is ten years old, cannot speak English, and the world is unrecognizable. Over the next few years, her family goes through ups and downs until everything changes and tragedy strikes. Determined to survive, she takes over her father's speakeasy.

While this started off a bit slow and different than I expected, it soon morphed into something I didn't want to put down. The book spans the 13 years of Prohibition. There are so many highs and lows as Minnie comes of age. Yet she perseveres and even forms a family with her friends, employees, and patrons.

I am having a hard time articulating my thoughts here. Basically, if you enjoy historical fiction, you will like this. The setting and events are not overdone. Normally the 20s make you think of glamour and dancing. This is a bit more of a realistic and seedy look into life during that time.

Helen Laser narrates and does a great job, as always.

I received an advance audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

Spanning the 13-ish years of Prohibition, The Whisper Sister explores the life of a Ukrainian Jew who immigrated to New York City with her family. The 20s and early 30s were tough times on the Lower East Side - it was full of speakeasies and organized crime, bathtub gin or booze smuggled over the Canadian border. And Malka (Minnie) Soffer is at the center of it.

This book has it all - love, action, history, tough decisions, heartbreak, and more! Minnie struggled to be the sister and daughter she was raised to be. She took on responsibilities and made difficult choices. Through it all, her faith and community ultimately supported her, even when she thought she could do everything on her own.

I loved the characters and their complicated dynamics. I loved the historical references to specific events and even the process of becoming a naturalized citizen in the 20s. This was a look at prohibition not told from a glitzy perspective of tailored suits and flapper dresses, but of the working class folks who provided drinking holes.

This coming of age story is set during prohibition era in NYC. It focuses on a family who is struggling to survive after arriving on Ellis Island and how working at a LES speakeasy becomes the only option to care for her family.

I love that this story is rich with Jewish culture and traditions while also focusing on the assimilation process. The writing sucked me in and the research shined across the pages. From the glamorous parts to the not so fun parts, I was transported to the 1920s. Helen Laser, one of my favorite audiobook narrators, did a a great job bringing the story to life.

What to expect:
▪️Roaring 20s
▪️Prohibition era
▪️Speakeasies
▪️Jewish rep
▪️Immigrant experience
▪️LES NYC setting