‘The Latecomers’ is a big family saga that encompasses both
the rich Hollingworths and their poor servant Bridey – although *that* fact
isn’t widely known. While the book starts with 9/11, the story itself starts
much earlier, when Bridey and her fiancé board a ship in Ireland to start a new
life in America. Sadly, the fiancé dies on board ship, leaving a broke and
pregnant Bridey to find her own way. Bridey spends her life working for the
family that adopts her son; in large part, she mothers him more than his rich
adoptive mother does.
The story is rich in details through the years. The
household adoption of electrical appliances. Halley’s Comet. How housework was
done. Out of wedlock childbirth in 1908. Marriage customs. Prohibition. The
Great Depression. The Hollingsworth family goes through many changes in the
time between 1908 and 2018, but the link between Bridey and her son Vincent is
the main thread.
I found the book really interesting to read; the author
really did her homework on the eras and the areas that the book takes place in.
The cast of characters was interesting; some of them I really liked, while
others I wasn’t so fond of. I think the story might have benefitted if the main
arc, of the secret of Bridey’s son, had been cut shorter. I had almost lost interest
in that arc by the time it was revealed. It’s a grand story, though, so four
stars.
I received this book free from the Amazon Vine program in return for an unbiased review. This did not in any way effect my review.
Sounds good, like the era and immigrant stories
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