Normally, I ignore such items, preferring to read the book for myself, reaching my own conclusions. The book has an interesting history, and it's worth retelling a little of it here. It is a book by a first-time author who is now in her eighties. The two main characters are Chana Stern and Mina Arenholdt. Chana only wants to live the way she did when her father was alive, but her mother's new-found religion prohibits that and forces her to live a life she does not choose.
Mina is Catholic and lives with an abusive stepfather.
She longs to escape, finally finding her way to Macdougal Alley, a street set in Greenwich Village, New York city. She ends up with a female lover, fancies herself in love, and is ultimately, of course, abandoned by her. In the end, Chana and Mina find each other, which is not giving away any of the story. It's clear that is what will happen from the outset. It's a bit unfortunate that she wrote this so late in life, and even more sad that she then had a stroke and is unlikely to write again.