What readers think of Manhattan Beach, plus links to write your own review.

Deftly written with a compelling plot that is populated with fully-realized and colorful characters, "Manhattan Beach" is one of those rare books that succeeds on every level. The imaginative and suspenseful storyline will grab you on the first page.

Eddie Kerrigan of New York City is just trying to make his way in the world, doing (mostly) what is right. His wife, Agnes, and daughters, Anna and Lydia, utterly depend on him. Beautiful Lydia suffers from a congenital disorder that leaves her crippled. Anna is precocious and accompanies her father on his "errands" of work. But one day, Eddie disappears and with it the family's stability. Did he run away or was he murdered? Then war breaks out in the South Pacific and Europe, and Anna gets a boring job at the Naval Yard. Through sheer spunk and determination, she figures out how to realize her dream job as a diver to repair ships—something that is absolutely unheard of for a woman. But she also gets mixed up with an older man…and trouble abounds. When change comes to our lives in irrevocable ways, who do we hurt along the way? Is there hope for redemption, love and forgiveness—of ourselves and others?

Author Jennifer Egan did her homework, adding incredible and intriguing historical detail that makes this book one of those rare works of fiction that has so much factual information tucked inside that the reader actually learns something. In this case, it's about the World War II divers, including the awkward 200-pound diving dress, what it felt like to dive and the work they did underwater. Fascinating!

I wanted to like this book, but I found the characters lacking in depth. I just didn't care about them. On the positive side, there was some beautiful writing in it. But two weeks after reading this book, I can't even remember it.