American Dreams

by Kenneth Bromberg

“An absorbing, addictive and bold story of early 20th century crime fuelled America.” — Books Tea & Me

In 1904 Czarist Russia, four-year-old Max witnesses the brutal murder of his mother by Russian soldiers. After the boy’s father extracts terrible revenge, father and son escape to New York, a teeming melting pot of immigrants. Max meets a young Polish girl, Sophie, who grows into a stunningly beautiful young woman. The two fall in love but their plans are shattered when Sophie is forced to marry a local crime boss and, once again, Max must watch as the most important person in his life is taken from him.
Thus begins Max’s ruthless climb to dominance of the New York underworld and Sophie’s transformation from a submissive girl to a strong woman who will allow no man determine her fate.

FLAME TREE PRESS is the imprint of long-standing Independent Flame Tree Publishing, dedicated to full-length original fiction in the horror and suspense, science fiction & fantasy, and crime / mystery / thriller categories. The list brings together fantastic new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices. Learn more about Flame Tree Press at www.flametreepress.com and connect on social media @FlameTreePress

336 pages, Hardcover

Published July 25, 2019

Reviews

[Icy-Cobwebs-Crossing-SpaceTime · Rating 4 out of 5]

A generational saga which begins in horrifying genocidal tragedy in Czarist Russia and continues in "The Land of Dreams," America. After the brutal murder of his mother, 4-year-old Max emigrates to America with his father, only to discover this Promised Land also contains an ugly underbelly, in the form of organized crime. I am reminded of the generational sagas of Cynthia Freeman.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first thing to note about this historical crime/family saga from the new publisher Flame Tree Press is its cover. I mean, wow, is that a cover. It’s not just this book either, I’ve seen several titles from Flame Tree Press and they put a lot of thought into their covers. In an increasingly crowded literary field, with traditional publishers having to compete with each other, with hybrid publishers, and self-published titles, anything to get a book noticed is more important than ever. Flame Tree Press publish hardbacks, paperbacks and digital versions of their books, but even on digital, a cover is massively important. If the cover art doesn’t scream out at potential buyers from the Amazon Kindle, Nook or iBooks storefront then it’s easily overlooked. So Flame Tree Press are to congratulated, for their covers, not least for this novel, are a thing of wonder.

The cover of American Dreams isn’t just great cover art, it also speaks to what the story is about. Its artwork of the Statue of Liberty cradling a Tommy gun tells you that this will be a novel about immigrants to America (for certainly at the turn of century when people would arrive by boat at Ellis Island, the eponymous statue would be the first thing they would see) and how some might get involved in organised crime (is there anything more indicative of the mafia wars at the time than the Tommy gun?). And indeed this is what American Dreams is about.

Max is just four when his Jewish family is massacred in an anti-semitic pogrom in Czarist Russia. His father is his sole surviving relative, and together they flee into Europe, and from there they sail to the United States. Jonathan Cahill is the son of an IRA man about to be hanged. Visiting his father in prison, he is surprised when his father begs him to travel to America to make a life for himself rather than join the struggle. This he does and relatives take him in. Max and Jonathan grow up in New York and their paths cross as both try to make their way in the world.

American Dreams’ title is literal. The two are immigrants who came to the United States for the same reasons that immigrants have always gone there and still do to this day: in the hopes of making a better life for themselves, in effect to chase the American Dream. And like generations before and since, some make it and some have fallen by the wayside. And of those who make it, some do so legitimately, some illegitimately, and many achieve a messy combination of the two. Like all walks of life, organised crime in the United States has often mirrored trends in migration. There have been Jewish, Italian and Irish mobsters. Currently, Latin American gangs such as MS13 are the bogeymen. Of course, the vast majority of these communities don’t get involved in crime, but this novel is a crime/family saga and so it tells the story of that minority who do.

There’s something of the Godfather to this sweeping novel. This is a narrative the timeframe of which is generations, with a cast of characters to match. Apparently, the author found inspiration in stories of his own family passed down from his grandmother. It’s an involving tale that has the full gamut of experience: love, life, and death. All in all, it’s an intriguing tale well told.

[The Endless Unread · Rating 4 out of 5]

Packed full of drama and pursuit of power. A fab crime/historical story that you can get easily swept up in. This book follows the lives of many different characters and gives you an insight to the good and bad sides of immigration, politics and war. There's also loss and love elements to it. Brilliant writing style.

[patrick Lorelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

A family saga that starts in Russia 1904 when the village Max lives in with his mom and father is destroyed by the Kazaks. His mother is killed and Max is spared along with his father who was in the woods. They would end up in New York where he would grow up in an apartment house with a father and daughter close by. The daughter Sophia would become the love of Max’s life but because of her father’s gambling debits, she is forced to marry the older man. Max is so upset he sets off to destroy the man and in turn run the powerful crime syndicate. When he and Sophia met after her husband dies she leaves shortly for California after not hearing from Max. Then you have Jonathan an Irishman who as a teen comes to America and lives with relatives. Trying to work for a better life he and his cousin open a bar but then they are thrown into a fight with an uncle. He comes later to be partners with Max running speakeasies for him. Married now he falls into depression when his wife dies giving birth, with a son Max has him move to California to start up business out there. Meanwhile, Sophie has changed her named and has become an actress had a son as well. Much later as the author takes you through each year and decade you see who each one of their lives has been intersecting, now many years later Max wants something, but will he get it or will the mother and father protect their two boys? Can Sophie really protect her son? A fabulous story that will keep you entertained from the first page until the last and even the end has a surprise. Very good characters and the author makes you feel like you were back in time. Well done. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 5 stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com

[Alex Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Anne Cater at Random things Tours and Flame Tree Press for my ARC of the debut novel by Kenneth Bromberg, American Dreams.

Beginning in 1904 when 4 year old max witnesses the brutal rape and murder of his mother in Czarist Russia, This a tale that spans generations as Kenneth Bromberg weaves a masterful tale of early 20th century America.

After the tragedy takes places, Max and his Father, leave Russia, smuggling themselves out and through Eastern Europe, eventually arriving in New York with nothing but the clothes on their back.

Max is soon left for hours at a time with a neighbour who looks after a beautiful young girl, Sophie.

A quite intriguing, at times endearing, but also brutal, and violent tale is told, detailing Max’s rise to underworld kingpin, and Sophie’s attempts to fulfill her dreams.

There is also the story of Jonathon , the 3rd main character, also an immigrant from Ireland, coming to America after the execution of his IRA supporting Father.

Kenneth Bromberg brilliantly weaves the stories of the 3 together.

Max is a stunningly strong character, he shows no weakness in his journey to be at the top of the criminal chain.

This book is written with a verve and a confidence from a new author, who has done his research and brought a cracking piece of writing to life, a tale through the ages.

Sex, The Mafia, speakeasies , brothels, casinos , prohibition , the FBI and the bright lights of the movies and the Hollywood film industry all play their part in an excellent story.

Descriptions of 1920s America and onward are detailed and fantastic.

I loved the Tv series Boardwalk Empire, and this reminded me of that in places so I got lost and completing entranced by this and I can only highly recommended!

4 🔥🔥🔥🔥

[Lel Budge · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a tale of family, of immigration to America, the land of opportunity ….good and bad…

Max is just a small child, when Czarist Russians come to his village, and his mother hides him in a closet, but he hears her rape and murder…..

His father who had been secretly farming, (it was against the law for the Jewish), returns and kills the drunken soldiers and manages to escape with Max…finally reaching America.

Jonathan, is the son of a member of the IRA, who is to be hanged and tells Jonathan to leave for America, to make a new life.

Max and Jonathan’s meet in their journey building their new lives…..can their dreams come true?

There’s also Sophie, forced to marry a much older man, a crime boss, due to her father owing him money…..can she fulfil her dream of being an actress?

This is an epic family saga, with an organised crime element. Max is ruthless in his pursuit of power…will they all survive? An intriguing tale of family, loss, love, violence and power over generations….

Thank you to Anne Cater and Random Things Tours for the opportunity to participate in this blog tour and for the promotional materials and a free copy of the book and this is my honest, unbiased review.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1904 Czarist Russia, Max, a four-year-old Jewish boy, witnesses his mother's rape and murder by Russian soldiers. After the boy's father extracts terrible revenge, father and son escape to New York and settle on the Lower East Side, a teeming melting pot of recent immigrants. Max meets a young Polish girl, Sophie, and the two children become inseparable playmates. By the time they are teenagers, Max excels at both school and sports, Sophie has become a stunningly beautiful young woman, and friendship has grown into love. Their plans are shattered when Sophie is forced to marry a local crime boss and once again, Max must simply watch as the most important person in his life is taken from him. In response, he begins a ruthless and violent climb to the top of the New York underworld.

A compelling and excellent read

[Ileana Renfroe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed reading American Dreams and at times it felt as if I was right there along with the characters in that particular setting.

The story is about four-year-old Max in 1904 who witnesses the rape and murder of his mother by Russian soldiers. After the boy’s father has his revenge, father and son escape to New York, a teeming melting pot of immigrants.

Here, Max meets a young Polish girl, Sophie, who grows into a stunningly beautiful young woman. The two fall in love but their plans are shattered when Sophie is forced to marry a local crime boss and, once again, Max must watch as the most important person in his life is taken from him.

Here begins Max’s ruthless climb to the dominance of the New York underworld and Sophie’s transformation from a submissive girl to a strong woman who will allow no man to determine her fate.

[Alison Vicary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Firstly thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC of this book. I really enjoyed this book and when starting to read this I was reminded of Jeffrey Archer's style of writing. I have deducted a star as for me the storyline which was unbelievably good was ruined by the gratuitous detailed sex scenes and to be honest they were not needed. The story was strong enough without resorting to this. As usual I will not go into the storyline as that is what the books blurb is for. I have to say this is one of the best books I have read this year and although covering many years I never felt short changed on how the main characters lives altered through the years. The ending was not a let down either. I would definitely recommend this book to everyone who wants a fantastic read.

[Leslie Ann Roy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book immensely. It grabs your attention from the very start. The story follows the lives of three main characters over many years and even incorporates their offspring to continue the saga.

Most of us have relatives that immigrated to America just as the characters in this book did, although the stories may differ - America is inherently made of immigrants from all walks of life. Kenneth has created believable characters that met the challenges in their lives in a variety of ways.

Expect violent encounters that spiral characters to the top of the pendulum. Sex and passion flow through most of the book.

Some may find the sexual encounters somewhat romanticized, as it seems no one has bad sex! But all-in-all it’s a good, interesting story.

[Nicole Chipman]

American Dreams was an interesting story about two very different immigrant families, whose worlds meet in New York. It is not only about them navigating understanding the cultural differences, but also two kids who are growing up and trying to figure out their places in the world, despite what their families do. It is one of those books that once you start it, you don’t want to put it down.

Others have compared the story to the Godfather, I agree with that assessment, very similar stories.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very enjoyable, hard to put down generational tale

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was completely different than I thought it would be but I loved it! Historical fiction can be so much fun and even more so when it is done so well.