Pages: 294

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Published: July 9, 2019

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

My Review: I have had Bethlehem on my NetGalley list since early 2019. I have tried multiple times to read it but I would lose interest very quickly. I finally took the time to read and listen to the audiobook this summer. I liked it but it was not a favorite.

The first half of the book is character development and there are a lot of characters. Almost too many. I would get very lost very easily and have to go back and look at my notes on who was who and how they fitted in the family.

I love reading books that go back and forth between current and past and I pride myself on being able to keep everything straight but I could not with Bethlehem. I think I would have preferred to have a two-book series with book one in the past and book two the present.

If you like family sagas this is a great read to fulfill that like but be prepared there are a lot of characters and the book does not pick up until the second half.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own.

NetGalley: With the atmospheric storytelling of Kate Morton and Lisa Wingate, Karen Kelly weaves a shattering debut about two intertwined families and the secrets that they buried during the gilded, glory days of Bethlehem, PA.

A young woman arrives at the grand ancestral home of her husband’s family, hoping to fortify her deteriorating marriage. But what she finds is not what she expected: tragedy haunts the hallways, whispering of heartache and a past she never knew existed.

Bethlehem is a multigenerational saga that weaves together the lives of two prominent families during the historic steel boom era of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Inspired by the true titans of the industry, Bethlehem is a mystery, a love story, and a tragedy. It is a story of temptation and regret; a story of secrets and the cost of keeping them; a story of forgiveness. It is the tale of two complex women: the dynamic and beautiful Susannah Parrish Collier and her daughter-in-law, the outsider Joanna Rafferty Collier. Thrown together in the name of family, they will unravel mysteries long hidden and complex that have threatened to tear apart a dynasty.