The Whisper Sister

A Novel

By: Jennifer S. Brown

Length: 12 hrs

Publisher's summary

The author of Modern Girls delivers an atmospheric coming-of-age story set in Prohibition-era New York, tracing one immigrant family’s fortunes and a young girl’s journey from the schoolyard to the speakeasy.

The streets of New York in 1920 are most certainly not paved with gold, as Minnie Soffer learns when she arrives at Ellis Island. Her father, who left Ukraine when Minnie was a toddler, feels like a stranger. She sleeps on a mattress on the kitchen floor. She understands nothing at school. They came to America for this?

As her family adjusts to this new life, Minnie and her brother work hard to learn English and make friends. When her father, Ike, opens his own soda shop, stability and citizenship seem within reach. But the soda shop is not what it seems; it’s a front for Ike’s real moneymaker: a speakeasy.

When tragedy strikes the Soffers, Minnie has no choice but to take over the bar. She’s determined to make the speakeasy a success despite the risks it brings to herself, her family, and her freedom. At what price does the American dream come true? Minnie won’t stop until she finds out.

©2024 Jennifer S. Brown (P)2024 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“The Whisper Sister by Jennifer S. Brown is the story of Minnie, a young Jewish immigrant in New York during the Prohibition era who must fight for her family and business by rewriting the rules in a game where men hold all of the cards. Readers will laugh, cry, and root for feisty Minnie, a heroine for all time! Brown’s latest dazzles!”—Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author of Code Name Sapphire

“A powerful story about the losses we endure when carving out a new life in America and the transformative force of unwavering resolve. As Minnie navigates her path of survival amidst tragedy in New York’s Prohibition era, she finds home and belonging not in a place but in her connection to those she loves. A testament to the power of one woman’s strength and the legacy and sanctuary she ends up building in her community.”—Marjan Kamali, author of The Stationery Shop and The Lion Women of Tehran

“Don’t let the title fool you: Jennifer S. Brown’s latest is anything but quiet. From New York City’s crowded tenements to its supper clubs and secret speakeasies, The Whisper Sister takes readers on a heart-stopping journey of lies, passion, and shocking betrayal. When young Minnie Soffer arrives at Ellis Island a full seven years after her father, her family is greeted by a clean-shaven stranger who works for the city’s most notorious gangsters. Smarter than all the men in her family combined, it is only a matter of time before Minnie claims her rightful place as her father’s successor. Packed with tragic twists and stunning surprises, this Prohibition-era saga will have readers drunk on Jennifer S. Brown’s talent.”—Lynda Cohen Loigman, bestselling author of The Two-Family House, The Wartime Sisters, and The Matchmaker’s Gift