The Whisper Sister

A Novel

By: Jennifer S. Brown

Narrated by: Helen Laser

The author of Modern Girls delivers an atmospheric coming-of-age story set in Prohibition-era New York, tracing one immigrant family’s fortunes and a young girl’s journey from the schoolyard to the speakeasy.

The streets of New York in 1920 are most certainly not paved with gold, as Minnie Soffer learns when she arrives at Ellis Island. Her father, who left Ukraine when Minnie was a toddler, feels like a stranger. She sleeps on a mattress on the kitchen floor. She understands nothing at school. They came to America for this?

As her family adjusts to this new life, Minnie and her brother work hard to learn English and make friends. When her father, Ike, opens his own soda shop, stability and citizenship seem within reach. But the soda shop is not what it seems; it’s a front for Ike’s real moneymaker: a speakeasy.

When tragedy strikes the Soffers, Minnie has no choice but to take over the bar. She’s determined to make the speakeasy a success despite the risks it brings to herself, her family, and her freedom. At what price does the American dream come true? Minnie won’t stop until she finds out.

©2024 by Jennifer S. Brown. (P)2024 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Narrator Helen Laser breathes life into Minnie Soffer, who narrates her family's story of coming to America and making a new life for themselves in 1920s New York City.… Laser's performance is filled with a mix of New York, Irish, and Italian accents, as well as a valiant attempt at Yiddish. She steadily portrays Minnie as gruff, tough as nails, and determined to survive—a perfect performance for a girl who runs her father's bar.”—AudioFile Magazine

“Brown pulls no punches in illustrating the [Prohibition] era’s prejudices and violence, which was brutal and often premeditated. The prologue generates instant intrigue with a magnificent (and suspenseful) opening scene…A bravura performance, led by an original heroine who takes risks in bending rules.”—Historical Novels Review (Editors’ Choice)

“Full of excitement and forbidden love, Jennifer S. Brown’s novel also sensitively portrays Minnie’s deep connection with her religion and culture…If Brown’s first two novels are any indication, I eagerly look forward to more tales from this author.”—Hadassah Magazine

Fabulous historical fiction

In any era this is a delightful book but in the current era of state persecution of immigrants, the book makes a strong pro- immigrant statement. In addition to a history of Prohibition within the Jewish world of Manhattan, the book tells a family saga and entertains as crime fiction. I cried every once in a while as I listened. My local Jewish bookclub soon will discuss the book.

Amazing narrative

Great story! Everything about this book was amazing! I was truly blown away with the writing of this! I laughed! I cried and I was amazed at how I emotionally I was. The narrative is amazing!

Enjoyable read!

Nice story about Jewish immigrants to NYC at a time that wasn’t as different as today.

Engaging

There were so many parts of this book that made me smile, tear up, laugh out loud, frown, etc. For me, the sign of a good book can pull some of those out of me, but a great book and invoke a vast array of emotions. Listening to The Whisper Sister was like watching a movie that you knew half way through that it was one that you could happily return to over and over again and enjoy each time.

The whisper sister sent me

Such an amazing book!

The protagonist was amazing and the villains aren’t who you think they are…