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Leaving Lucy Pear
Leaving Lucy Pear | Anna Solomon
19 posts | 15 read | 20 to read
One night in 1917 Beatrice Haven creeps out of her uncle's house on Cape Ann, Massachusetts, and leaves her newborn baby at the foot of a pear to tree, and watches as another woman claims the child as her own. The unwed daughter of wealthy Jewish industrialists and a gifted pianist bound for Radcliffe, Bea plans to leave her shameful secret behind and make a fresh start. Ten years later, Prohibition is in full swing, post-WWI America is in the grips of rampant xenophobia, and Bea's hopes for her future remain unfulfilled. She returns to her uncle's house, seeking a refuge from her unhappiness. But she discovers far more when the rum-running manager of the local quarry inadvertently reunites her with Emma Murphy, the headstrong Irish Catholic woman who has been raising her abandoned child-now a bright, bold, cross-dressing girl named Lucy Pear, with secrets of her own. Set against one of America's most turbulent decades, Leaving Lucy Pear delves into questions of class, freedom, and the meaning of family, telling a captivating story.
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review
LibraryCin
Leaving Lucy Pear | Anna Solomon
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Mehso-so

This was pretty slow. And vague at times as to what exactly was going on. I don‘t think I particularly liked any of the characters – oh, I suppose I kind of liked Uncle Ira. I really didn‘t care much about the characters, either, maybe because I didn‘t like them very much? Initially, I thought I was enjoying the book, but I‘m leaning more toward it being ok.

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Cinfhen
Leaving Lucy Pear | Anna Solomon
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#LittensKnowBest #DNF #JustBailed so I hit page 56 and decided this book was getting progressively worse 😳😝#IfeelLikeShawnMooney

Kalalalatja Haha that tag 😂😂😂 6y
cariashley Haha 😂 6y
emilyhaldi According to the Litsy rating you ain‘t the only one! 6y
See All 10 Comments
LeahBergen Your tag. 😂😂 6y
Mdargusch I love it! I thought this might happen. 6y
TrishB 😁😁 6y
Centique Awesome tag! And good on you 🙌🙌@shawnmooney you‘ve started a movement now. 😂 Reminds me of the bailing podcast you did on Reading Envy. 6y
Cinfhen @shawnmooney we miss you here on Litsy!!!! Please come back 💕💕💕 love the bailers @Centique @TrishB @LeahBergen @Kalalalatja @Mdargusch @emilyhaldi @cariashley 6y
Reviewsbylola It‘s BAD. 6y
Reviewsbylola I bailed too! 6y
114 likes10 comments
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Cinfhen
Leaving Lucy Pear | Anna Solomon
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This book has a really shitty rating on Litsy but I've read the first chapter & I like it. Hoping the story doesn't tank...I already bailed on 2 books earlier today 🙄😬#FeelingFickle

DivineDiana Love the cover! Fingers crossed! 😉 6y
CouronneDhiver Yep. I‘m having a bail fest over here too. 😆 6y
Cathythoughts 🤞🏻Good luck with it Xx 6y
See All 9 Comments
Kalalalatja Hoping for good things! 🤞 6y
TrishB I bailed on one over the weekend I thought I was going to love! I‘m struggling with The Mars Room too.... 6y
Mdargusch Great cover! 🤞🏼 6y
LauraBeth Hope it works out! Some of my favorite books have been pans/bails on Litsy 😀 6y
Cinfhen It‘s definitely NOT going to be a favorite but it may survive the cutting room floor @LauraBeth 😜 6y
120 likes9 comments
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MrBook
Leaving Lucy Pear | Anna Solomon
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#TBRtemptation post 3! In 1920s New England, 2 women entangle, both mothers to the same girl. 1 night in 1917, Beatrice, unwed daughter of a Jewish industrialist & gifted pianist, leaves her newborn at the base of a pear tree and watches another woman claim her. Fast-forward 10 years and her ambitions remained unfulfilled, so she returns home, where she runs into Emma, who's cared for her cross-dressing daughter, Lucy. #blameLitsy #blameMrBook 😎

90 likes6 stack adds
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charl08
Leaving Lucy Pear | Anna Solomon

Bittersweet story of adoption in prohibition New England.

34 likes1 stack add
review
auntie_jenn
Leaving Lucy Pear | Anna Solomon
Bailedbailed

60 pages in and nothing has grabbed me...looks like others felt the same. good thing i packed several choices!

Reviewsbylola Yup, totally bailed on this one. 8y
9 likes2 comments
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auntie_jenn
Leaving Lucy Pear | Anna Solomon
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vacation book #2...with my favorite kind of bookmark!

update: 60 pages in and am so bored. moving on...

10 likes1 stack add
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ChristiCraigAuthor
Leaving Lucy Pear | Anna Solomon
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From my review on Great New Books: "Leaving Lucy Pear sheds light on the Jewish experience in America, touches on cultural expectations, hinges on gender roles and women who go against the grain. A mix of intrigue and insight, betrayal and trust, the story draws you in immediately and lingers long after you reach the end."

ForestAvenuePress Sounds great! 8y
BethFishReads So happy this resonated with you. I could barely finish. 8y
auntie_jenn @BethFishReads i'm only 60 pages in and it's not grabbing me. 8y
BethFishReads @auntie_jenn glad I'm not the only one 8y
4 likes2 stack adds4 comments
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JewishBookCouncil
Leaving Lucy Pear | Anna Solomon
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"Initially I saw only the front cover for the book, and it took me a while to notice that there were these boots lying on the rocks. I became fascinated with whose boots they were; there was this mystery to the image that made me even more in love with it. The image grew and grew for me in its meanings and the layers. I feel like the women in the painting are ultimately the main characters of the novel, Bea—and at other times Emma—and Lucy Pear."

JewishBookCouncil Read the full #interview with Anna Solomon here: http://bit.ly/2cTEZFp #JewLit 8y
42 likes4 stack adds1 comment
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RachelSchwartz
Leaving Lucy Pear | Anna Solomon
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Excited to start this book but JetBlue direct TV has me sidetracked...#sorrynotsorry #bevfanforlife

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BethFishReads
Leaving Lucy Pear | Anna Solomon
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Panpan

Not sure why I didn't feel the love. The premise was good, but the plot didn't really go anywhere. Many threads were quickly tied up in a fast-forward final chapter a la the series finale of Six Feet Under, which I loved on TV but didn't connect with here. Frankly, I was bored and would have bailed, except I was listening for a freelance gig. Perhaps better in print?

Reviewsbylola I bailed on this at 30%. The story itself had potential but the characters fell flat for me. 8y
Tav Love your image to accompany this review. Ha! 8y
See All 7 Comments
Tav @BethFishReads hahaha! 8y
whelanmaria I so agree!! 8y
30 likes7 comments
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BethFishReads
Leaving Lucy Pear | Anna Solomon
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Just starting chapter 6 & not sure where this headed. Set in the Boston area in late 1920s. The audiobook is a little draggy, but I'm listening for a freelance gig, so I'll be finishing it. Glad to see that pears indeed play a role 🍐

tpixie Yummy pear!! Keep us posted!! 8y
RealLifeReading I like the sound of those sandwiches. 8y
BethFishReads @RealLifeReading I have a feeling this one will be better in print 8y
47 likes4 comments
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BethFishReads
Leaving Lucy Pear | Anna Solomon
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Starting a new audiobook tonight. I'm going into this one blind. I have no idea what it's about or where it's set. I'll let you know what I think.

BkClubCare 👀🍐🍐🍐🍐🍐🍐 8y
45 likes3 stack adds2 comments
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Mamashep
Leaving Lucy Pear | Anna Solomon
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And now for something completely different.

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whelanmaria
Leaving Lucy Pear | Anna Solomon
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Mehso-so

This book has fantastic potential -- a fascinating historical moment, Sacco and Vanzetti, the Temperance movement, suffrage -- but the continuous narrative focused on various characters left the story a little flat. I had a hard time picking this book back up sometimes. Interesting enough.

minkyb I just finished this and felt the same. The author had a goldmine in terms of history and she just dumped it in never really weaving into the story in a meaningful way. 8y
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