Hidden

by Victoria Lustbader

A captivating debut novel, Hidden marvelously re-creates New York City in the 1920s, from the hustle and bustle of the Lower East Side to the hushed hallways of the homes of the rich and powerful. In graceful, eloquent prose, Victoria Lustbader presents a fierce, compelling story of loyalty, forbidden desire and the end of innocence.Both panoramic and intimate, Hidden teems with complex characters readers will embrace and remember for a long time to come. Concealing their passions and innermost thoughts even from those they love most dearly, the Warshinskys and Gateses love, lust, seize power, do battle, and strive to rule themselves and their city during a decade of turmoil at home and abroad.The battlefield traumas of The Great War cement an improbable friendship between Jed Gates, scion of the wealthy Gates family, and David Warshinsky, first-generation American from New York's poverty-ridden lower East Side. David sacrifices his family and his Jewish heritage in pursuit of his untamable ambition, while, in eerie parallel, Jed sacrifices his private desires to assume the burdens of familial expectations.David's young sister Sarah suffers the torments of a sweatshop and hardens her heart to the brother she once adored. Jed's rebellious sister Lucy becomes a nurse in Margaret Sanger's revolutionary birth control clinic. Sarah finds a tender love in sensitive Reuben Winokur, an immigrant tailor destined to prosper in his new country, but Lucy's path is more treacherous – she falls hard for David, who belongs to another.David's mother Anna loses her struggle to preserve her shattered family, sundered by hatred and privation. And not even the Gateses' vast wealth can protect Jed's aunt Zoe from the violent abuses of her alcoholic husband, or his artist father Philip from the pain of his wife's rejection of his love and kindness.Brilliantly evoking time, place, and person, Hidden draws readers deep into the past to illuminate the present. For nothing is more eternal than human feeling, and nothing more important to the human heart.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, New York

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Victoria Schochet Lustbader was born and raised in New York City, the youngest of three children and only daughter of Rubin Schochet, a Lithuanian émigré, and Dorothy Hertz Schochet, a second generation Russian.

Drawn to the arts from a young age, Victoria studied ballet for ten years, played the piano and guitar, wrote poetry and stories. Always fascinated as well with the sciences and languages, she began college at SUNY Stony Brook as a Biology major with a minor in Russian, but ultimately got her BA in English. After graduation, Victoria spent thirteen years as an editor of science fiction and fantasy, first at Harper & Row, then at Putnam/Berkley, and worked with authors such as Ursula LeGuin, Harlan Ellison, Robert Silverberg, Frank Herbert and Philip Jose Farmer.

In 1982 she married author Eric Van Lustbader. For the next several years she continued in the publishing business as a freelance editor, but then began a second, decade-long career with The Nature Conservancy on Long Island and throughout New York State, as a fundraiser and Board member.

In 2001, Victoria made the tumultuous decision to become a writer herself. Her first novel, Hidden, was published in June of 2006 by Forge Books. Her second, Stone Creek, will be published by HarperCollins in June 2008. She is currently at work on her third. She and her husband divide their time between NYC and the east end of Long Island.

Reviews

[Megs · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book shows a rawer and more truthful side of the New York in the 20's.

[Leslie Perry · Rating 4 out of 5]

L.O.

[Shelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a great family saga to lose yourself. I loved this book! 10 stars!

[Nicolle · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a bit predictable but I loved it. A page turner for me. Enough to keep my interest.
I would love to see this book turn into a movie.

[June · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it.

[Simply Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5-4 star.
Over all this was an enjoyable read. The pace was good, I didn't get bored, cared about at least a few of the characters ... others I disliked but still found interesting and wanted to know about. The flow was easy to follow even with switches in time and character. And the story was pretty interesting though there was a bit too much of a trashy romance novel feel in several parts for my taste but they didn't dominate the book so it also did feel like a novel haha. My favorite character is Lucy and the way the ending with her goes seems completely out of character and I didn't care for the way it was done (I won't spoil it but if you read it or once you read it you'll see what I mean) but otherwise the book was pretty good.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably 3.5 stars. This book is long, and because of the two families it detailed and all the family members these families included, I was extremely glad to find a family tree charting everyone at the beginning of the book. If that hadn't been there, I may have given up on the book, lost in confusion. As it was, the book was pretty good, though the beginning was a little slow and it took a while for me to really warm up to it overall. I don't know how else to describe the plot except it focuses on two families - the rich, recognizable Gates family and the poor, Jewish Warshinsky family - and shows how their lives intersect and influence each other over the years because of the friendship Jed Gates and David Warshinsky strike up during WWI.

What I liked about the book: It took its time to get to the end, but not in a bad way. Though the beginning was slow, it did read well and a lot of it was quite interesting. The relationships between different people were well thought out, and the ending was built up to nicely, though I did figure out what would happen before I read it. I did like most of the characters too and felt for their plights.

What I didn't like so much: While the author definitely took care with her research about early 20th century NYC, almost too much is included - little phrases and such are dropped to make it sound authentic, but it feels like overkill and instead inauthentic, especially since it seems like the author wanted to include references to everything going on at the time. A couple of characters are almost caricatures, and some dialogue sounds forced or stilted. Plus, some events in the book seem too convenient.

Overall, a good read but not one I will be picking up again. If you like historical fiction (especially ones with a some gay overtones), you'll probably enjoy this.

[Pbwritr · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. Family saga set in early 1900s, first during WWI and up to 1927. Amazing insight into the surface and secret lives of people, the accommodations we make in our lives for love, power, money, to hide secrets, pride, etc. Very complex relationships in this book of a very wealthy family that takes David, from a poor background, under its wing, and how so many of them love David and how he affects all their lives. Poor Jed, learning he was gay, then blackmailed about ti, and taking his own life. Although I knew from the beginning that Jed was gay and attracted to David, the author did a fantastic job of showing the torment Jed went through iin his marriage, his acceptance of himself, his love of David, his love for his son, etc. So many well-drawn characters--Sally, and Monty and Phillip and Joseph and more. Great book.

[Dawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a well written and engaging book full of characters that were complex and multi-dimensional. It had a number of intriguing plot lines and in the end it delivered most of what I was hoping to get. I had a hard time connecting emotionally with the book, though and I am not really sure why.
I was a little worried about how some of the topics would be presented and on that level my fears were unjustified. There are many touchy issues addressed and sometimes I thought that there were just too many sad and depressing things going on.
Overall, though a good read and worth the time invested

[Meg - A Bookish Affair · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started out with a lot of promise but as the story went along, it got slower. I also found it difficult to keep track of all of the different characters. Thank goodness for the family tree in the front of the book!

This book tells the story of Jed and David who meet fighting together in WWI. The story covers their families and the events that occur several years after they return home.

[Erin Kerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I chose this book in order to find something similar to Downton Abbey - family secrets, drama, and all set in my favorite era (1920s). While it had all of those things, the descriptive detail included with the characters' personal physical relationships was a little too much for me. So while the author's intent is a 4, maybe 5 star rating, those few scenes left too little to my imagination and dropped it down to a 3.

[Bren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy novels that are solidly set in another time period and this one did it well. The character development was on point. It did take a while for the story to unfold and that may lose the interest of an inpatient reader. However it is worth the wait with a fine captivating ending that also provides great insight to the mindset of that era as well as the true unavoidable understanding of a persons nature.

[Trish · Rating 3 out of 5]

The type of booked called "sprawling" and it's apt here. Weaves stories of a monied protestant family with Fifth Avenue, Gramercy Park and Washington Park addresses with a Jewish immigrant family on the Lower East side. Ambitious, and interesting in parts, but full of cliches.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. So many relationships are discussed, all with their own connection to the other and all with their own drama, stress and successes. A great read, based in the depression era, it makes us understand how life was back then for most. Do read!

[Lindsay · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting, until the subject matter took a turn for the worse...

[Pam]

06/09/08 rec via bookmooch

[Tara Clontz]

Great book - started out slow, but I was blown away by the ending

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think that the jacket to this book was really misleading. For most of the book I couldn't find a plot, it didn't make much sense. I was reading it but it didn't seem to go anywhere.

[Maureen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this for my book club. Not what we were expecting. Too miniseries/harlequin for me.

[Sabrina]

Couldn't finish reading it. It just did not hold my attention.

[Alexia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not something I would typically pick up but a friend recommended it. Couldn't put it down!

[Jennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, but heavy and heartbreaking.

[Laurice · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[Jenni · Rating 5 out of 5]

My fav book in life

[Jayne Marx · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kept me reading!

This is an intriguing story of two men growing up in different worlds coming together as war buddies. A great story especially for this Memorial Day holiday!

[Trish Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 really. I don't remember who recommended it but I am glad they did. Loved it!!

[Hallie Webster · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I’ve read. It made me fall back in love with reading. The character development is outstanding.

[Debbie Rebell Moss · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book.