The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant

Title: The Boston Girl
Author: Anita Diamant

Read by: Linda Lavin

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Length: Approximately 8 hours (7 CDs)
Source: Simon & Schuster Audio Review Copy – Thank-you!

In 1985, Addie Baum’s granddaughter has asked her to tell her the story of how she became the woman that she is today.  The Boston Girl is Addie answering that question.  This narrative works perfectly in the audiobook format.  It plays as if Addie is telling her story to her granddaughter who is taping it for future preservation. 

Addie Baum is the only member of her family that was born in America in 1900 in Boston.  Her very critical mother does not like American ways and is suspicious of anything that Addie does that speaks of being a “modern American girl.”  She threw Addie’s older sister Betty out of the house for her modern ways, and seems to pin her hopes on her beloved daughter Celia.  Celia is a delicate flower with a lot of weight on her shoulders, and a lot of love for her sister Addie.  Addie helps her family out by finding a job, but also helps herself out by joining a Saturday Club where she meets wonderful new female friends while also furthering her education.  As times change, the Baum family find themselves often on the tragic side of history, but there also is a lot of joy.

The Boston Girl was a very enjoyable novel to listen to on my travels to work.  Linda Lavin as the narrator had a great personality.  She brought to life the story of Addie Baum.  As the story is a Grandmother narrating her life in first person, it worked remarkably well as an audiobook.  I felt like I was listening to Addie herself tell me her tale.  Addie and her friends and family were realistic and very sympathetic characters. I loved every minute of this journey and only wish Addie wouldn’t have skimmed over the last part of her life after marriage.  I want The Boston Girl, Part 2!  I felt Addie’s pain as she lost those she loved and as she spent much of her life hoping and seeking her mother’s love and approval.  It was a wonderful story.

Overall, The Boston Girl is one of the best audiobooks I have listened to in quite a while.  I felt like Addie’s story was the story of all of our Grandmothers as they tried to make their way in America.  I highly recommend this novel.