Leaving Lucy Pear by Anna Solomon

Lucy Pear started out very promisingly. In 1917, Bea Haven, an aspiring pianist, finds herself pregnant, much to her family's dismay. They ship her off to stay with relatives, planning to send the baby to an orphange once it's born. But Bea wants a better life for her baby daughter, so she wraps her in a blanket and puts her under a pear tree, knowing that a large Irish family will be sneaking into the orchard that night to steal the pears. The family finds the baby, names her Lucy Pear, and raises her as one of their own. That part of the book was good. The middle of the book, however,
was kind of muddled. There were worker strikes and a lot of discussion about Sacco and Vanzetti and sort of child abuse. Lucy's adoptive mother, Emma, starts an affair with one of the guys running for mayor, whose wife keeps having miscarriages. And Bea can't seem to figure out what to do with her life. There was just too much going on. Eventually, Lucy figures out who her real mother is but isn't sure she wants a relationship. Emma, who started out as a rather laudable figure for taking Lucy in and keeping her own large family going, becomes less likeable. I finally rushed through the remaining pages because the book had to go back to the library.

The author has a lovely descriptive writing style and a good premise. And she clearly did a lot of research on the time and place. I just thought the plot needed a little streamlining.