Children of Liberty: A Novel
Formulaic offering by established novelist Simons, combining history with predictably troubled love story of Italian immigrant Gina, considered socially inappropriate for Harry, a well-bred Harvard man she meets at the docks. Years later, they engage in an affair overlapping with real events such as the International Workers of the World founding and Eugene Debs’ controversial popularity. Gina grows up, changes her name to Jane, and attends college, trying not only to assimilate but also to bridge contemporary class divisions of ethnicity amid competing values and economic theories. For those craving an easy, smooth read, the characters’ personal lives can engage emotionally, but Simons’ technique of self-conscious inner monologue is hyperbolic. It can pay other dividends, including education about common pitfalls during the peak years of European arrivals. But for readers familiar with this era, a family’s decision to make the ocean crossing following the breadwinner’s death is cliché, as is Harry’s agonizing between high-society fiancée and soul mate. Skillful writing makes Boston’s changing landscape vivid, yet characters’ situations are ultimately not distinguishable from those of other sagas. --Cynthia-Marie OBrien