This month both the Central Brown Baggers and the Books on Tap book groups read and discussed this year’s Same Page Community Read ” Florence Adler Lives Forever” (2020) by Rachel Beanland. Every March JMRL partners with the Virginia Humanities/Virginia Festival of the Book to read and host an author as part of the Book Festival.  Florence Adler is Beanland’s first novel, and her more recent book “The House is on Fire” (2023) was also a featured title at this year’s Festival.

Florence Adler is set in 1930s Atlantic City over a three month period in the summer and the plot is drawn from Beanland’s own family history.  Our title character dies within the first 15 pages of the book with the rest of the story being how the family reacts to Florence’s death. Told from the perspective of seven different characters, one of our readers found it very interesting to listen to the book. Another reader felt that so many characters meant everyone was a main character and so there was no focus and it distracted from the core of the story. 

There was much to discuss with this book.  Themes included how individuals react to and experience grief, guilt, family relationships, the disempowerment of women at that time and whether it is ok to keep secrets in the name of love.  The author also chose to use this pre WWII setting to include a plotline with a Jewish refugee and the larger plight of European Jews struggling to get into the United States before the war.

Our discussions also included the current events of that time which included the Dionne Quintuplets, the English Channel swimmer Trudi Eberle and all of us were shocked to learn there was an infant incubator exhibit at the Atlantic City boardwalk!

Our readers found it a fast, easy read.  Most enjoyed it but flaws included a rushed ending, unnecessary plot lines and uneven character development.   Some felt the book’s cover was misleading and suggested it might be a romantic comedy.

A very nice crowd turned out to hear the author speak about “Florence Adler Swims Forever” on March 20th at the Jefferson School-African American Heritage Center.  It was nice to see so many book club members in attendance!

• Interview with the author about this title
• Rachel Beanland and the Debut Novel that Flabbergasted a Family – Richmond Family Magazine, 7/27/20

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