SPOILER ALERT!!! I knew that I had read some of these books as a child, but never in the correct order, and I didn't recall finishing them all. Now that I've (re-)read this one, I understand. I don't think I ever finished it, becasue although I remember the tea stained dress, the rest is a blank. I think I stopped reading it at the point when Mama had to go to the hospital, which must have frightened me, although now it seems kind of tame. I must say that I wish the series was more well written, and now I see how selective Taylor was in choosing what about Judaism to include, and what to omit. So, in the series, she included a baby boy's Pidyon, but not a Bris, because that would probably have been too distressing/confusing for her intended audience. Finally, concluding that Bill must have "fascinating stories" to tell, "being in a [German] prison camp and everything" just strikes me as crass, even if it might have been how people really responded after the Great War when "our boys" came home.

Looks as though I'm skipping around in this series. I went from the first one to the fourth one. It is nice but just doesn't hit all the perfect points that the first one did. I think the family doesn't feel quite as special now that it is more assimilated in American society. There were some great scenes though. The one where the kids in all innocence ate a meal at the wrong apartment is hilarious! So is the one of Ella and Jules eating at a restaurant for the first time ever. I was glad to see a few strictly Jewish scenes in the book. I suppose that is part of what I missed from the first book. On the other hand, it was a good explanation of what people went through on the Home Front in World War I and the anxiety of wondering about your boys in the army. Recommended more for American history in this case, than the Jewish experience in the United States.

Sometimes, when I re-read a book, I find new insights and understandings, almost as if I'm reading the same book for the first time. Sometimes, re-reading is like coming home, noticing all the familiar sights and sounds and smells, and smiling at the familiarity. Such was this re-read, a true balm for the soul.

I loved these books as a child. My mom bought me the whole set.
Now that she has been ill and needed surgery and then rehab, I have been re-reading the series to her. We are both thoroughly enjoying the stories and the family-the sisters, their brother, mama and papa, and the rest of their family and friends.