Book #69 Swimming in the Moon: A Novel by Pamela Schoenewaldt

Set in the early 1900's, Swimming in the Moon is the tale of fourteen year old Lucia and her mother's sudden immigration from Italy to America. Lucia was conceived through rape when her mother, Teresa, was just fourteen herself. Although they live a pretty good life as servants in a villa on the Bay of Naples things go badly when Teresa snaps at the count she serves so severely the mother and daughter are forced to run away and leave Italy altogether.

It is Lucia's idea to leave the only home she has ever know for the promises American offers. Leaving their old identities behind, Lucia and Teresa end up in Cleveland. They try to stay together with Teresa working in a chocolate factory while Lucia tries desperately to earn a high school diploma but Teresa's sudden rage issues soon get in the way of her holding a normal job. There is hope though, Teresa's beautiful voice lands her a spot in a traveling vaudeville show. Teresa takes the job as it is the only way Lucia can stay in school and out of the factories. This move however leaves Lucia all alone in a boarding house. Luckily people love Lucia and she has many supporters and through them Lucia learns of the many horrors of factory working life and soon strives to help her friends and neighbors, fellow immigrants like herself, to be treated justly and humanely. The real conflicts come as Lucia has to find a way to survive the workers strike, a cruel hard winter, disease and her own mother's eventual mental breakdown.

I was completely engrossed in this story. I really like period pieces and immigration stories and thought the scenarios in this book were completely believable. Also the characters are very well written. The author has another book out titled When We Were Strangers and I am very interested to read that one as well.