Bittersweet Brooklyn by Thelma Adams {Book Blog Tour : with Book Review & Giveaway}

Bittersweet Brooklyn by Thelma Adams

Publication Date: November 6, 2018

Lake Union Publishing

Paperback, eBook & Audio

Genre: Historical Fiction

In turn-of-the century New York, a mobster rises—and his favorite sister struggles between loyalty and life itself. How far will she go when he commits murder? After midnight, Thelma Lorber enters her brother Abie’s hangout under the Williamsburg Bridge, finding Jewish mobster Louis “Pretty” Amberg in a puddle of blood on the kitchen floor. She could flee. Instead, in the dark hours of that October 1935 night before the dawn of Murder, Inc., she remains beside the fierce, funny brother who has nurtured and protected her since childhood. There are many kinds of love a woman can feel for a man, but few compare to that of the baby sister for her older brother. For Thelma, a wild widow tethered to a young son, Abie is the center of her world. But that love is about to undo everything she holds dear… Flipping the familiar script of The Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire, and The Godfather, Bittersweet Brooklyn explores the shattering impact of mob violence on the women expected to mop up the mess. Winding its way over decades, this haunting family saga plunges readers into a dangerous past—revealed through the perspective of a forgotten yet vibrant woman.

Bittersweet Brooklyn by Thelma Adams is a heart-wrenching historical fiction novel that was not at all what I expected.

Honestly I expected this book to focus a lot more on the mob than it actually did. At a young age Thelma's brother Abie is into things he shouldn't be, but the main focus of this novel is Thelma as she grows up in a home where the only family that acts like they love her are her 2 brothers (and they aren't really around). There is a lot of tough material in this novel, and I definitely teared up more than once. I loved Thelma and felt for her throughout every scene. She had so much to contend with in her young life.

I hated many of the characters of this novel but kudos to the writer because that was how it was supposed to be. We get points of view from Thelma, her mom and Annie her sister. I think having these characters speak really helped the reader picture everything Thelma went through as a kid and why she was so close with Abie even when he did abominable things. 

This was a very meaningful read about the people you can count on in your life and how you should treat them. It is about growing up in less than perfect circumstances and learning where your loyalties should lie. It is about those split second decisions we make and why they matter most of all. What an emotional, thought provoking read! I would highly recommend you pick this up.

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Praise for Bittersweet Brooklyn

“Thelma Adams is our new Dickens in her effervescently vivid tale of Jewish hardscrabble living, gangsters, torn-apart families, and a young woman desperate for love, family, and a stable future. Set in a 1920s and 30s Brooklyn so rich, raw, and bristling with life that you can taste the brine on the deli pickles and see the flasks of whiskey hidden in a garter, this is the kind of novel that’s lived, rather than read.” — Caroline Leavitt, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author “Smart and complex, Bittersweet Brooklyn is a riveting journey into a glamorous and deadly underworld. Fascinating characters and a backdrop of New York in the 1920’s kept me churning through pages. Add in twist after twist to an already vibrant plot, and you’ve got the makings of a perfect read! No one writes women in history better than Thelma Adams. I loved this book!” —Heather Burch, bestselling author of In the Light of the Garden “Bookies! Bubbes! Bossy big-mouths! Thelma Adams’ Bittersweet Brooklyn takes you back to an early twentieth-century Williamsburg teeming not with too-cool-for-school millennials, but with rough-and-tumble Jewish and Italian immigrants. You’ll race through this raucous historical saga, admiring its gritty detail and street-smart dialogue. Inspired by real events, Thelma Adams brings to life an unforgettable family ruled by filial love divided by biting dysfunction.” —Sally Koslow, author of Another Side of Paradise “Thelma Adams has found her niche as a wonderfully vivid historical chronicler of the female spirit. Her tale of a Jewish girl making her way amid gangster-studded NYC is a marvelous must-read.” —Michael Musto, columnist “Bittersweet Brooklyn is gripping from page one. An intimate look at the dynamics of a broken family in gangster-riddled New York, it will have you rooting for protagonist and antagonist alike as wounds are open, healed, scarred, and exposed. With some of the finest dialogue I've ever come across, this is one I will not soon forget.” —Camille Di Maio, bestselling author of The Memory of Us “Set in the savage underbelly of a Mafia-linked social club and amusement park, Bittersweet Brooklyn tells the sizzling and unforgettable family saga of a brother and sister who must pit survival against loyalty, desire, and compassion.” —Susan Henderson, author of The Flicker of Old Dreams “Terrific! A great story, suspense, a vibrant heroine, complex and colorful supporting characters and amazing period details: I couldn’t put it down.” —Caryn James, cultural critic and author of Glorie and What Caroline Knew “A searing, layered portrait of a Brooklyn family divided against itself, this novel brims with heartbreak, history, empathy and grace.” —Greer Macallister, bestselling author of The Magician’s Lie and Girl in Disguise “A fresh, fierce retelling of the crime family saga from the female point of view.” —Paula Froelich, New York Times bestselling author of Mercury in Retrograde “A gorgeously written and gritty American immigrant tale about broken homes and broken hearts, and how the sins within a family can reverberate across generations. Riveting!” —Jane Healey, bestselling author of The Saturday Evening Girls Club “A noir coming-of-age story with a feisty and unforgettable heroine.” —Meryl Gordon, New York Times bestselling author of the biography of Bunny Mellon

About the Author 

Thelma Adams is the author of the best selling historical novel The Last Woman Standing and Playdate, which Oprah magazine described as "a witty debut novel." In addition to her fiction work, Adams is a prominent American film critic and an outspoken voice in the Hollywood community. She has been the in-house film critic for Us Weekly and The New York Post, and has written essays, celebrity profiles and reviews for Yahoo! Movies,The New York Times, O: The Oprah Magazine, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Parade, Marie Claire and The Huffington Post. Adams studied history at the University of California, Berkeley, where she was valedictorian, and received her MFA from Columbia University. She lives in upstate New York with her family.

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Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, January 28 Review at Pursuing Stacie Tuesday, January 29 Interview at Myths, Legends, Books & Coffee Pots Wednesday, January 30 Guest Post at To Read, Or Not to Read Thursday, January 31 Review & Interview at Passages to the Past Friday, February 1 Excerpt at Just One More Chapter Saturday, February 2 Excerpt at Maiden of the Pages Sunday, February 3 Feature at Queen of Random Tuesday, February 5 Review at Creating Herstory Wednesday, February 6 Review at Bibliophile Reviews Thursday, February 7 Review at Peppermint Ph.D. Excerpt at Old Timey Books Guest Post at Jathan & Heather Friday, February 8 Review at The Lit Bitch Sunday, February 10 Feature at What Is That Book About Monday, February 11 Review at Macsbooks Tuesday, February 12 Review at Bookish Wednesday, February 13 Review at Cover To Cover Cafe Thursday, February 14 Review at Coffee and Ink Friday, February 15 Excerpt at Broken Teepee Review at Comet Readings Review at CelticLady's Reviews Excerpt at Spellbound by History Review at Oh, The Books She Will Read

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour we will be giving away two paperback copies and one Audio Book! To enter, please use the Gleam form below. Giveaway Rules – Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on February 15th. You must be 18 or older to enter. – Giveaway is open to US only. – Only one entry per household. – All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion. – Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen. Bittersweet Brooklyn