You Were There Before My Eyes

A Novel

By: Maria Riva

Narrated by: Elizabeth Wiley

A woman leaves her Italian village and enters a new world as an immigrant in Detroit in this sweeping novel by a New York Times best-selling author.

In a small village in Italy at the turn of the 20th century, Jane chafes at stifling routine and tradition. So when an opportunity presents itself to immigrate to America, her hunger for escape compels her to leave everything behind. Far away, in Henry Ford's factories in Michigan, a new kind of life is taking shape, and it offers gleaming promise for Jane and her young husband. Determined to survive, and even thrive, she will find herself seeking fulfillment and building a family while navigating not just a new language and country, but a world poised on the edge of economic and social revolution, with the Great War looming on the horizon.

From the chaos of Ellis Island to the melting pot of a Midwestern industrial city, You Were There Before My Eyes is rich with colorful characters and vivid period details, an authentic portrait of the immigrant experience that poignantly captures the ever-evolving nature of the American dream, and "[A] dazzling historical saga of love, adventure, war, hardship, and discovery" (Allan Levine).

©2017 Maria Riva (P)2020 Tantor

Flashbacks to Detroit’s Hey Days

Great characters, and sequence of events from leaving European countries to immigrate to Michigan, specifically to work at Ford Motor Co Very interesting and entertaining story.

Excellent in every way.

I loved this story! The author has a way of weaving history into fiction that pulls you not only into the story, but into the era also. The narration is excellent. How the narrator flawlessly navigates all the languages and dialects is truly amazing. you will love this, too!

Curious ending

I usually don’t write ‘critiques’ for books that I’ve listened to, but I am compelled to do so with this one. I will start by saying that I loved all of it… except the end. No, I don’t believe this to be a “spoiler”, so please don’t use this as a reason to NOT listen to it.
The story was so wonderfully woven into the happenings in and around WW1 and WW2. The characters were perfectly introduced, and I grew to love them all. Their relationships blossomed and the author allowed me, the listener, to become a part of their lives. The details of their lives were all interwoven with one another, and the unbreakable bonds between the characters made me love them all even more. I fell in love with all of them.
I understand that during the two wars, lives were permanently altered by inconceivable horrible circumstances. And with those circumstances came inevitable family tragedies. But, in my opinion, there may have been an opportunity to continue with some more story…
And then, it was like the author was given 5 minutes to wrap it up. It was as though someone said “Hurry it up! End the book right NOW! We have to leave!”
I finished the book shaking my head in “WTF awe”. I said out loud, “What in the hell was THAT? WHY???
The story had SO much potential for more… but it was just severed. It went straight from "Fantastic Story Potential" to "Over".

Fantastic read

The narrator of this book was incredible. She really brought the story to life with her narration. Her ability to do different voices and to give each character their own voice was wonderful. I will look for more books that she has narrated for audible.
I was fascinated to learn the history of Ford. My extended family lived in Michigan near the Ford factory, but I had no idea of Ford's involvement in politics, World War II, and the social experiments that he conducted with his employees. This is one of those books that teaches you information that you never knew you needed to know. This book will go in my favorites folder to be listened to again and again.

Los diferentes efectos de cambia de Voz

In recorrido por los inventors de casa epoca vistas al comparative a America con italian