My review feels all over the place but perhaps that is because there is just so much in this book that it is difficult to summarize. Anyone interested in the obstacles any of these groups (particularly female immigrants) faced in the early part of the 20th century would enjoy reading this book. I enjoyed (maybe 'enjoy' is not the right verb here but oh well) learning about the dynamics of the labor union movement and how it often excluded women, African Americans, and immigrants.

It makes me sad to think about how Gutke and Dovida could marry only because Dovida presents to the outside world as a man - gay marriage was not something that would have even crossed the minds of lesbian couples at that time. Gutke and Dovid(a)'s relationship also feels very real, although the reader does not get to know them as well. As for the lesbian aspect of the book, Chava and Rose's relationship is realistic - the love between them is palpable, as is the pain they sometimes feel because of having to hide their relationship. I would be interested in learning how much of this part of the book is accurate historically - I imagine much of it is and I would like to read more about it. It wasn't until about 200 pages into the book that the lesbian aspect of the story was fully developed. This book won a Lambda Literary Award and while the story is told from the point of view of two gay women, it is as much a book about women - Russian Jewish, Italian, and other female immigrants - as a 'lesbian story.' Intertwined with the story is the story of women living in a time before they could vote and way before any sex discrimination or equal pay laws protected them in the workplace. As I did when I visited the museum, I found myself thinking about the characters and trying to imagine my ancestors in their place.

I felt like I was visiting the Lower East Side Tenement Museum in NYC (in a good way).

However, as the descendant of Russian/Eastern European Jews who likely experienced many of the same events and difficulties the characters in this book experience (pogroms, crossing the Atlantic by ship, living in tenements, etc.) I found this book fascinating. The shifts in point of view felt awkward and confusing at times and it felt at times like the author tried to throw too many historical facts into the book (Triangle Shirtwaist, mention of the Bintel Briefs, Lillian Wald, etc.). A great and unique story - you don't often find a novel about Russian Jewish immigrant lesbian women (with some magical realism thrown in).

Beyond the pale dykewomon