Anne's Reviews > Not Our Kind

3.5 stars because I rather liked the ending and the period details are amazing

Not Our Kind was a library pick-up whim, the pretty cover catching my eye as I was getting ready to leave. The blurb was convincing enough that I brought it home with me. For the most part, I really did enjoy this nicely written snippet of historical fiction that offers us what feels like quite a realistic portrayal of Life in 1947 New York.

I was sucked right in from the first few pages, and although the middle was a little stagnant, the last quarter or so started moving quickly again and I felt satisfied once I reached the end and put it down.

Not Our Kind features two heroines: Jewish girl Eleanor, who needs to work for a living, and Gentile woman Patricia, who does not need to work for a living. Eleanor and Patricia meet by chance, and Eleanor is soon hired by Patricia to work as her daughter's private tutor. Ensues a fairly interesting and riveting - if a little slow at times - tale bringing to light how easily life can change, and change you and those around you, and how chance meetings are sometimes the catalyst for things you never thought would happen to you.

It's a good tale. I wouldn't go so far as to say that I was really invested in any of the characters, but as an outsider looking in, I quite enjoyed following the story. Eleanor was a good character. So was Patricia. They were both very well-developed and three-dimensional, having their ups and downs, their successes and failures, mistakes and accomplishments. It's definitely a book that made me think, about how society has changed since then, how it's still the same, and how different/similar some of the challenges presented are dealt with today.

I related to Eleanor in many ways and I appreciated that her story wasn't turned into a typical romance. I think that would have derived from the main point a lot, and yet, as I mentioned at the start, the ending is still very satisfactory. It was realistic and matched the rest of the book, even if it was perhaps just a tad abrupt.

What elevated this book in my opinion and definitely earned it at least a half star were the glowing period details and lavish fashion descriptions. I live for those now, and have taken to keeping a journal full of notes in the hopes of one day recreating some of the fabulous outfits. Oh they sounded so beautiful! And Eleanor's mother was a milliner, with gorgeous hat references dropped throughout, making me long for the days when hats were just part of everyone's daily outfits. LET'S BRING THEM BACK.

"Let the glorious period details wash all over you - the glamour of New York, circa 1947. But the most remarkable achievement is the complex relationship between women from two different worlds." - Melanie Benjamin

The review critics aren't lying on the cover of this one. The immersion into 1947 New York is felt from page 1, and the complex relationship between the two women and carried through until the very last sentences.

I wouldn't say that Not Our Kind is a must-read or anything, but it was a pretty good book. If you happen to chance upon it, give it a go. If not, you're not missing anything groundbreaking.

Unless you're really into hats. Then yes, you must read this.

**Content warning: I wouldn't call this book clean, definitely 18+ for nudity and sexual activity, nothing overly explicit, but clear enough.