Anita Diamant (The Red Tent) delves into early 20th-century Boston as seen through the eyes of a young Jewish woman, Addie Baum. Taking the form of an interview of 85-year-old Addie by her 22-year-old granddaughter, The Boston Girl starts in 1915 when Addie is 16 years old.
She lives in a one-room tenement apartment with her Mameh and Papa and her older sister Celia. Addie's other sister, Betty, lives by herself--Mameh thinks she's a "whore" for moving out before she's married, and Addie misses her terribly. Living in such squalor, with a home life that lacks any joy, Addie spends as much time as possible at school and the library. At school and at Saturday Club--a literary reading group that meets at the library--Addie forges friendships with a circle of girls that will last throughout her life and meets the female instructors who influence her choices and decisions later on.
With the help of her friends, Addie learns how difficult it is to make a mark on the world, due to discrimination against women in the workforce and against Jews in particular. Through her avid interest in reading and writing she lands a job at a newspaper and manages to become her own woman. This rich tapestry weaves together the joys and sorrows of families struggling to cling to old-country ways as their youngest members embrace a new culture with the success that often comes from strong bonds of friendship forged in childhood. --Lee E. Cart, freelance writer and book reviewer