Second Generation

Another page-turner by Howard Fast. Following up the first book in the series, (The Immigrants), as the title would imply, this is about the children of the Lavette family, particularly Barbara, that takes center stage this time. She makes for a good protagonist because she has trouble deciding what......more

I didn't realize this was the second book in a series until I had already started it. But I don't think reading the first book would have helped me at all to care about any of these characters. While there are a multitude of people in this story, we're basically following Barbara Lavette. She's a wom......more

A succinctly written history lesson about the world during the 1930s. On the West Coast, soon after the depression, ship building as well as aircraft building became big business because of the threat of War with Germany. This story is also a family saga during these crucial years. I absolutely loved......more

Not quite as good as the first book in the series (The Immigrants), but very good -- I enjoyed it.......more

Great vintage book in the 2nd half 20th century style (1970's style): the big multi-generation family saga. Of course, a dash of WWII figuring in greatly. It is a slice of America's history, specifically a tale of how 2 California cities, LA and SF, evolved and grew: immigrants and industries and th......more