The Third Daughter - Go Read IT!

The Third Daughter
by Talia Carner
4/5 Stars
⭐⭐⭐⭐

I just loved this book!
Batya, the third daughter in a family of poor Jews forced out of their home in a Russian pogrom, is married off to an apparently wealthy and kind American businessman. Unfortunately, his “America” is Buenos Aires, Argentina, where Batya is forced into a life as a prostitute.

It was such a captivating story. Although parts of the story were brutal, it is actually based on true events, in that this happened to many, many innocent young women, and there was a large Jewish syndicate of pimps called Zwi Migdal in Buenos Aires at the time period. The author has done a thorough and excellent job of researching this, basing many details on fact. Police and courts were paid off, and girls legally "belonged" to their madames or pimps.

The author also does an excellent job of evoking the time period and painting the scene with word pictures, you really can see in your mind's eye, the things that Batya/Esperanza is seeing and experiencing. You feel her conflict and her longing for her family. Her bravery is so inspiring, and the descriptions of the tango costume are phenomenal. You can almost see her hairstyle and the sequins on her dress.

Batya's bravery throughout the story is admirable, and this was a real page-turner. I just zipped through it in no time at all. This is a great book- don't miss it