Author: Kitty Zeldis
Genre: Historical Fiction
Type: Hardcover
Pages: 352
Source: Local Public Library
Publisher: Harper
First Published: September 4, 2018
Opening Line: "The yellow-and-black Checker cab nosed its way down Second Avenue in the rain."
Book Description from GoodReads: With echoes of The Rules of Civility and The Boston Girl, a compelling and thought-provoking novel set in postwar New York City, about two women—one Jewish, one a WASP—and the wholly unexpected consequences of their meeting
One rainy morning in June, two years after the end of World War II, a minor traffic accident brings together Eleanor Moskowitz and Patricia Bellamy. Their encounter seems fated: Eleanor, a teacher and recent Vassar graduate, needs a job. Patricia’s difficult thirteen-year-old daughter Margaux, recovering from polio, needs a private tutor.
Though she feels out of place in the Bellamys’ rarefied and elegant Park Avenue milieu, Eleanor forms an instant bond with Margaux. Soon the idealistic young woman is filling the bright young girl’s mind with Shakespeare and Latin. Though her mother, a hat maker with a little shop on Second Avenue, disapproves, Eleanor takes pride in her work, even if she must use the name “Moss” to enter the Bellamys’ restricted doorman building each morning, and feels that Patricia’s husband, Wynn, may have a problem with her being Jewish.
Invited to keep Margaux company at the Bellamys’ country home in a small town in Connecticut, Eleanor meets Patricia’s unreliable, bohemian brother, Tom, recently returned from Europe. The spark between Eleanor and Tom is instant and intense. Flushed with new romance and increasingly attached to her young pupil, Eleanor begins to feel more comfortable with Patricia and much of the world she inhabits. As the summer wears on, the two women’s friendship grows—until one hot summer evening, a line is crossed, and both Eleanor and Patricia will have to make important decisions—choices that will reverberate through their lives.
Gripping and vividly told, Not Our Kind illuminates the lives of two women on the cusp of change—and asks how much our pasts can and should define our futures.
One rainy morning in June, two years after the end of World War II, a minor traffic accident brings together Eleanor Moskowitz and Patricia Bellamy. Their encounter seems fated: Eleanor, a teacher and recent Vassar graduate, needs a job. Patricia’s difficult thirteen-year-old daughter Margaux, recovering from polio, needs a private tutor.
Though she feels out of place in the Bellamys’ rarefied and elegant Park Avenue milieu, Eleanor forms an instant bond with Margaux. Soon the idealistic young woman is filling the bright young girl’s mind with Shakespeare and Latin. Though her mother, a hat maker with a little shop on Second Avenue, disapproves, Eleanor takes pride in her work, even if she must use the name “Moss” to enter the Bellamys’ restricted doorman building each morning, and feels that Patricia’s husband, Wynn, may have a problem with her being Jewish.
Invited to keep Margaux company at the Bellamys’ country home in a small town in Connecticut, Eleanor meets Patricia’s unreliable, bohemian brother, Tom, recently returned from Europe. The spark between Eleanor and Tom is instant and intense. Flushed with new romance and increasingly attached to her young pupil, Eleanor begins to feel more comfortable with Patricia and much of the world she inhabits. As the summer wears on, the two women’s friendship grows—until one hot summer evening, a line is crossed, and both Eleanor and Patricia will have to make important decisions—choices that will reverberate through their lives.
Gripping and vividly told, Not Our Kind illuminates the lives of two women on the cusp of change—and asks how much our pasts can and should define our futures.
My Rating: 3 stars
WWII Historical Fiction is a favourite genre of mine and Not Our Kind caught my attention because it deals with the struggles and racism, surreptitious and overt, that Jewish people in New York City continued to experience years after the Second World War. The story follows Eleanor Moskowitz, a young Jewish teacher who takes a job as a private tutor for Margaux Bellamy, a teen with a Park Avenue address and rich, powerful WASP parents to match.
The first half of the book whizzed by for me as Zeldis describes the era, its gorgeous fashions and introduces Eleanor to her readers. But the second half of the book had a different feel with the plot and characters becoming predictable and lacking depth. And while I loved Eleanor's strength, it was frustrating to see her make decisions flippantly which went against her character. There are some great issues raised (anti-Semitism, consent, class discrimination …) but unfortunately, these issues were handled superficially at best and often too easily remedied. By the time I finished the book I was underwhelmed.
Not Our Kind has a great premise, a beautiful eye-catching cover and is an easy read but I wanted a more complex look into the issues of the era and more depth to the characters. Readers who prefer a lighter Historical Fiction read should enjoy this book.
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