MANHATTAN BEACH by Jennifer Egan

Note: I am not a paid reviewer, and I have purchased this title to read for my personal enjoyment.

Anna comes of age as New York City powers up for WW2. She does her part in the giant shipyards that build and repair warships, eventually breaking into the man’s world of under-water diving for repairs and salvage. But there’s far more to the story: her father is involved with underworld figures and vanishes, and Anna takes up with a gangster who has a link to dad. Honestly, Anna’s triumph overcoming family and life-class challenges to succeed in the man’s world is plenty of material in itself, but I’m not complaining. Even with the sweeping nature of the tale, Ms. Egan’s descriptions paint vivid pictures of disparate settings like the ocean, New York country-club world, sparse working-class life, and care-giving for a disabled sister. I didn’t like the actions of some of the characters, or some of Anna’s choices, but that keeps us reading, doesn’t it?