Bethlehem by Karen Kelly

Bethlehem by Karen Kelly – 304 pages

ARC provided by St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.

Book Blurb:

With the atmospheric storytelling of Kate Morton and Lisa Wingate, Karen Kelly weaves a shattering debut about two intertwined families and the secrets that they buried during the gilded, glory days of Bethlehem, PA.  A young woman arrives at the grand ancestral home of her husband’s family, hoping to fortify her cracking marriage.  But what she finds is not what she expected:  tragedy haunts the hallways, whispering of heartache and a past she never knew existed.  Inspired by the true titans of the steel-boom era, Bethlehem is a story of temptation and regret, a story of secrets and the cost of keeping them, a story of forgiveness.  It is the story of two complex women-thrown together in the name of family – who, in coming to understand each other, come finally to understand themselves.

My Review: 3.5 stars – Guest Review

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Bethlehem is more of a mystery and a family saga, as opposed to what I would consider to be true historical fiction. The story revolves around three generations of two families: The Colliers, the family of the chief engineer for Bethlehem Steel, and the Parrishes, who are the family of the president of the company. The story is told from the points of view of two generations of women, and alternates between two timelines, one in the 1920s, and the other in the 1960s. In the 1960s, the story is told through the eyes of Joanna, who has moved into the huge family estate of her husband, where multiple generations of his wealthy family reside, including her mother-in-law, Susannah Parrish Collier. In the 1920s, the story follows Susannah, as she grows up with her siblings, and her family friends, the Colliers. Without giving anything away, the story deals with how the lives of these two families are intertwined. The author smoothly weaves together and transitions between the two timelines.

This novel is mostly character versus plot driven. The primary characters, Joanna and her mother-in-law Susannah, are complex women, who ultimately have more in common than meets the eye. It was fascinating to see the relationship between these two women evolve as they bonded due to a deception. There were so many characters introduced at the beginning of the novel, that it was confusing and difficult to keep track of the family members and their relationships to one another,  particularly because each character was also referred to by a nickname. Thankfully, the book included a family tree at the beginning of the book, which detailed the lineage of the families. I had to constantly refer back to this illustration in the beginning in order to remember who the characters were. I also found the first part of the book to be slowly paced, so it was easy for me to put the book down to do other tasks. Fortunately, the pace picked up during the second half of the book and I became drawn into the relationships between the characters. I enjoyed getting to know all of them both as children and as adults. The slow build up was worth it, as the story really came together as the characters’ stories intersected. It was then that the connections between the past and present became apparent as the mystery was revealed.

The author vividly describes the Brynmor mansion and estate where the families reside. I could clearly envision the glamour and wealth of the residents. The cemetery that borders the family estate, and becomes the center of the mystery, added to the intrigue and atmosphere of the novel. The gothic undertones were quite apparent. I was quite surprised by the lack of historical detail regarding the steel industry. With that being said, the historical aspect of the novel was secondary, and the characters and relationships could have existed in any time period.

Although the novel began slowly, I appreciated that the author took her time to develop all of the characters. I needed to be patient at the beginning of the book while getting familiar with the characters, but the payoff made this a pleasurable and worthwhile read. Review by Guest Fairy Ronna.

Quotes I liked:

I’ve learned a thing or two in my antiquity – chief among them that things are seldom what they seem. Often the person who appears the most…impenetrable….is, in truth, the most fragile.”

“There are some things we’re just not meant to know.”