cover image Swimming in the Moon

Swimming in the Moon

Pamela Schoenewaldt. Morrow, $14.99 trade paper (368p) ISBN 978-0-06-220223-9

Lucia D'Angelo and her mother, Teresa, work as servants at a quiet seaside villa in Naples until Teresa's eruptive temper costs them their jobs and forces them to flee to America in Schoenewaldt's touching second novel (When We Were Strangers). Arriving in Cleveland in 1904, Lucia and her mother struggle to get by in their new lives, living in close quarters with other immigrants, working long hours in poor conditions for little pay. While Lucia quickly picks up English and begins to excel in school, her mother continues acting out at her factory job, threatening their livelihood and Lucia's dreams of attending college. Evoking the challenges new immigrants faced in early 20th century America, Schoenewaldt illustrates Lucia's poignant struggle between her ambitions and her loyalty to her mother with striking verisimilitude. Once news of New York's Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire reaches Cleveland, Lucia realizes her own neighbors deserve better treatment and helps lead a strike against the city's factory owners. A rich cast of characters and a timeless story of family strife bring life to this thoughtful and emotional historical fiction. Agent: Courtney Miller-Callihan, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. (Sept.)