Bethlehem: A Novel - Review

Bethlehem: A Novel🌟🌟🌟🌟
by Karen Kelly
Published July 9 2019 by St. Martin's Press 

I enjoyed this one, right from the start.  I have a thing for interesting cemeteries and their caretakers (my grandfather was one after his retirement and he sometimes took me, age 7 or so, to run around while he did his thing) so the first chapter sucked me in.

The cemetery was only one part of the story, but it's where a mysterious headstone is found and imparts some intrigue.  A work of fiction about the Bethlehem Steel company in Bethlehem PA and the families behind it, I am not sure now if the wealthy Colliers and Parrishes were real families or not.  They are all close friends and then inter-marry.  There isn't a lot of action; I just enjoyed reading about them and their relationship struggles.  The two storylines are 1962 and 1918-1924, with the focus being on the females who try to do more than just support their men. 

Just one complaint and it annoyed the heck out of me.  Several characters were called by their given names as well as their nicknames.  With three families in the cast, it's hard enough to keep them all straight.  But then add one or more nicknames per person and it gets boggling.

Not for everyone, but it fit my current mood. Thank you to St Martin's  Press for the complimentary copy.