Manhattan Beach

A Novel

De: Jennifer Egan

Narrado por: Norbert Leo Butz, Heather Lind, Vincent Piazza

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A New York Times Notable Book

Winner of the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction

The daring and magnificent novel from the Pulitzer Prize–winning author.

Named One of the Best Books of the Year by NPR, Esquire, Vogue, The Washington Post, The Guardian, USA TODAY, and Time

Anna Kerrigan, nearly twelve years old, accompanies her father to visit Dexter Styles, a man who, she gleans, is crucial to the survival of her father and her family. She is mesmerized by the sea beyond the house and by some charged mystery between the two men.

‎Years later, her father has disappeared and the country is at war. Anna works at the Brooklyn Naval Yard, where women are allowed to hold jobs that once belonged to men, now soldiers abroad. She becomes the first female diver, the most dangerous and exclusive of occupations, repairing the ships that will help America win the war. One evening at a nightclub, she meets Dexter Styles again, and begins to understand the complexity of her father’s life, the reasons he might have vanished.

“A magnificent achievement, at once a suspenseful noir intrigue and a transporting work of lyrical beauty and emotional heft” (The Boston Globe), “Egan’s first foray into historical fiction makes you forget you’re reading historical fiction at all” (Elle). Manhattan Beach takes us into a world populated by gangsters, sailors, divers, bankers, and union men in a dazzling, propulsive exploration of a transformative moment in the lives and identities of women and men, of America and the world.

Reseñas de la Crítica

Praise for Jennifer Egan:

“Jennifer Egan may well be the best living American novelist.”

(Joe Klein)

“Jennifer Egan is a writer of tremendous intelligence and grace.”

“Jennifer Egan is . . . dizzyingly inventive.”

“Is there anything Egan can’t do?”

Advanced Praise for Manhattan Beach:

“Egan’s propulsive, surprising, ravishing, and revelatory saga, a covertly profound page-turner that will transport and transform every reader, casts us all as divers in the deep, searching for answers, hope, and ascension.”

“Tremendously assured and rich, moving from depictions of violence and crime to deep tenderness. The book’s emotional power once again demonstrates Egan’s extraordinary gifts.”

“After stretching the boundaries of fiction in myriad ways...Egan does perhaps the only thing left that could surprise: she writes a thoroughly traditional novel. Realistically detailed, poetically charged, and utterly satisfying: apparently there’s nothing Egan can’t do.”

I usually love Jennifer Egan, however...

I have no idea how it happened, maybe it was after I restarted the book for the third time. After the first two times I thought I was in the groove of the book. But after round three I was still completely lost.

I was put off by the back and forth narration. That might have been one cause of my overall confusion. Heather Lind has a beautiful voice. Almost hypnotic. I had to pinch myself a couple of times so I would sit up straight and be an active listener.

It could have been I didn't listen to this book from beginning to end in one sitting. Maybe, but I usually follow most other books.

I think it was the story. A long, slow moving story.

Still love Jennifer Egan. Just not this one.

Meh.

I didn’t care too much for the store. There were some parts I loved. I liked the historical references that were made I the book. I used to live in Brooklyn so listening to the landmarks being mentioned was nostalgic. There were many aspects of the story that I found hard to believe.

Engaging historical novel

Interesting story and people. The history and attitudes captured me completely. Narrators especially good. Produced with thoughtfulness.

A long underwater ramble

It just ended up seeming insignificant. So many directions begun and petering out. And a lack of resolution. By scene it is well written with complete and rounded characters. But the play overall has no direction or drive.

Kind of a let down. 😕

I just kept expecting this story to lead up to something exciting. it never did.

Engrossing book

This novel which takes place during the Depression and World War II in Brooklyn. My understanding of those times was deepened greatly by following the lives of Anna, her family, the syndicate bosses, the Naval
Yard and much more. A disabled child, the divers repairing war ships, and a horrible existence on the ocean after a ship is torpedoed all contribute to this engrossing story.

Fabulous Jennifer Egan

I cent get enough of her work! Bravo for a gréât story with absorbing characters.

LIsten to his book!

You will not be disappointed with this book. It has great characters and is well written. The narrations were also very nice.

excellent

well told, plotted and researched. characters real, resonate. history of the shipyard iin keeping with my fathers stories, wo woked there at same time.

Narration can ruin a good book

The narrators of this book seem not to have read or understood much of it. Their phrasing is often awkward and makes the story hard to follow, makes it hard to get or stay involved. What a shame!