"1929" by M. L. Garnder

[sahmoun2778]

An absolutely fabulous read! I loved every minute of it.

1929 is the story of three couples and their fight for survival after the Market crashes. Jon, Aryl and Caleb have been inseparable friends since childhood. They’ve grown up together, been at each other’s weddings and built their own brokerage firm. They and their wives are living the high life with fancy houses, fancy cars and fancy clothes. And then, in the blink of an eye, it’s all gone. They are left with only the case they have stashed at home. In a matter of a couple of days they have moved into tenement apartments, owned by their biggest enemy.

The wives, Ava, Claire, and Arianna, know nothing about taking care of a home or cooking or doing laundry and must learn the hard way. Meanwhile, the husbands are forced to take jobs working on the loading docks. The humiliation of it almost destroys one of them. As they desperately try to find a way to get back on their feet, it seems that fate just keeps throwing them punches.

This is one of the best stories I have read in a long time. This is the first in a series and I can’t wait to keep reading. M. L. Gardner has created characters with complexity and depth. I was especially impressed with her dialogue; every discussion or fight amongst the characters was so true to life that I really felt like a fly on the wall in the homes of these people. The twists and turns kept me fully engaged in the story and were so realistic that it seemed like it could be happening to me.

I can’t recommend this book highly enough, especially if you like historical fiction. The author has captured the struggles of the period with an expertise that makes an historical reference point into the experience of real people. After reading this book I feel as if I have made a whole bunch of new friends and look forward to seeing where their journey takes them in the additional books in the series. 4 out of 4 stars.

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