Along the Infinite Sea by Beatriz Williams

From Jewish Book Council:

Along the Infinite Sea by Beatriz Williams is a historical romance—with more emphasis on the history. In the setting of early Nazi Germany, the book delves into how someone’s fame, fortune, and forbidden passion can influence relationships. The story alternates between the late 1930s and mid 1960s, flashing back to reveal a mystery of regret and intrigue, keeping readers guessing at what happened until the very end of the book.

 I liked the book despite its sometimes far-fetched plot twists and turns, but I was engaged and eager to find out what would happen in the end. I think I may try other books by Beatriz Williams.

The Past by Tessa Hadley

I really loved this book and want to read more by the author. I am going to seek out her other work.

"The Past. It is the story of a family and a three-week summer holiday in the house they have inherited, beneath whose affable surface run deep currents of tension. Hadley specialises in bright, brittle, defensive women with unsatisfactory love lives and a knack for self‑sabotage.....Here she has created a Chekhovian trio of sisters who love and resent one another. Alice, the middle one, is 46, flighty, forgetful and romantic; Fran, a teacher, is practical and decisive and a mother of two young children, Ivy and Arthur; Harriet, the eldest, is independent-minded and shy, a former revolutionary in retreat from the fray. They are later joined by their brother, Roland, a pop philosopher on his third marriage, in a new white suit. Pilar, the latest wife, is one of two family outsiders, the other being Kasim, moody son of Alice’s ex-boyfriend, who takes an instant shine to Molly, Roland’s teenage daughter."

The Japanese Lover by Isabelle Allende

For me, book started out strong.....I was captivated and enjoyed every page. Somewhere in the middle, my interest lagged a little but at the end I was absorbed again.  The problem I had was with the focus  of the book. Who is the main character? At the beginning, I thought for sure, Irina, the young girl who goes to work at Lark House. She is mysterious and has a past that we only learn about as the book unfolds.  Actually, all of the characters unfold like that.  It keeps the reader interested and curious.  But when Irina nearly disappears in the novel, and the focus becomes just Alma,  I got a little unfocused myself. But Allende does bounce back and forth and Irina's story unwinds as she gets to know Alma's grandson, Seth.
I lost track of who some of the characters were and who they were related to....I think that was the problem with me, but in the end, it all came together for me and I found myself really liking the book, the story, the writing and the characters. A good read!
There is so much history conveyed in this story....Japanese Internment Camps, WWII, Concentration Camps, the French Resistance, Israel's early days, even the AIDS crisis...almost a little too much, but that is the time frame of this family saga.

I'm Glad About You by Theresa Rebeck

"I'm Glad About You is a glittering study of how far the compromises two people make will take them from the lives they were meant to live. "

I enjoyed this funny, but thoughtful book by a woman who is the creator of some TV series, including Smash.