I finished Jennifer Egan's Manhattan Beach yesterday, and it was good. You can tell she did a ton of research for this project ranging from the history of the Merchant Marine service during World War II, the history of children's games during the 1930's and 40's, the specifics of underwater welding and shipbuilding, to the ins and outs of getting an abortion 80 years ago. And it doesn't come off as pedantic at all, but gets woven naturally into a story of family, sex, war and wartime, gangsters, and protecting your family at all costs.
It's much more conventional and "straight" than what I consider an obvious classic of 21st century novels, A Visit From The Goon Squad (2011). Maybe there are a few moments where it feels like Egan wants to prove she can still tell it straight, and the book sags a bit for it. Also, the technical details of an important scene towards the end of the book didn't make any sense to me, but that could be my own inability to understand the science involved in diving.
Recommended.
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