The Whisper Sister
The streets of New York in 1920 are most certainly not paved with gold, as Minnie Soffer learns when she arrives at Ellis Island.
Her father, who left Ukraine when Minnie was a toddler, is a stranger. She sleeps on a mattress on the kitchen floor. She understands nothing at school. They came to America for this?
As her family adjusts to this new life, Minnie and her brother work hard to learn English and make friends. When her father, Ike, opens his own soda shop, stability and citizenship seem within reach. But the soda shop is not what it seems; it’s a front for Ike’s real moneymaker: a speakeasy.
When tragedy strikes the Soffers, Minnie has no choice but to take over the bar. She’s determined to make the speakeasy a success despite the risks it brings to herself, her family, and her freedom. At what price does the American dream come true? Minnie won’t stop until she finds out.
Praise
“Early on in this effervescent, compulsively readable novel, Minnie Soffer’s mother tells her, ‘In America, you do what you do to get by.’ … a story familiar to millions of immigrants, and a story that stays with you long after you have turned the last page.” —Peter Golden, author of Nothing Is Forgotten
“Readers will laugh, cry and root for feisty Minnie, a heroine for all time! Brown’s latest dazzles!” —Pam Jenoff, NYT bestselling Author of Code Name Sapphire
“A powerful story about the losses we endure when carving out a new life in America and the transformative force of unwavering resolve. As Minnie navigates her path of survival amidst tragedy in New York’s prohibition-era, she finds home and belonging not in a place but in her connection to those she loves. A testament to the power of one woman’s strength and the legacy and sanctuary she ends up building in her community.” —Marjan Kamali, author of The Stationery Shop and The Lion Women of Tehran
“Don’t let the title fool you: Jennifer S. Brown’s latest is anything but quiet. From New York City’s crowded tenements to its supper clubs and secret speakeasies, The Whisper Sister takes readers on a heart-stopping journey of lies, passion, and shocking betrayal… Packed with tragic twists and stunning surprises, this Prohibition era saga will have readers drunk on Jennifer S. Brown’s talent.” —Lynda Cohen Loigman, bestselling author of The Two-Family House
“…a transportive, page-turning feminist story about a woman who finds courage and strength behind the bar of her Lower East Side speakeasy in the dangerous and turbulent world of prohibition-era New York City… Beautifully written, historically rich and skillfully rendered, Brown’s story kept me rapt from the first page all the way to the deeply satisfying ending. Raise a glass to Jennifer S. Brown for sharing the world of The Whisper Sister with us. I will think of this novel every time I sip a cocktail from now on.” —Louise Miller, author of The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living
“I loved every word of this captivating page-turner! The Whisper Sister kept me awake well past bedtime, melding and bringing alive prohibition, gangster kings, and speakeasies with the riveting story of Minnie Soffer, a young immigrant facing peril in New York who lands behind the bar of the speakeasy, trying to save her family. Minnie grabbed my heart and never let go.” —Randy Susan Meyers, internationally bestselling author of Waisted